Established Camping
North Fork Elk Group Camp
About
National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Overview
North Fork Campground sits along the North fork of the Cispus River, shaded by a canopy of trees that include hemlock, maple and Douglas fir. This popular campground is typically open from mid-May through late September and offers standard sites in addition to the Bear, Beaver and Elk group sites. North Fork is situated between three of Washington's most impressive mountains: Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier. The variety of recreational activities and the diverse natural beauty draws many visitors to this area.
Recreation
North Fork Campground makes a great base camp for a variety of activities. Hikers, mountain bikers and OHV riders can access the nearby multi-use Valley Trail. From this trail, OHV riders can enjoy a network of over 50 miles of OHV trails. The North Fork Loop and River trails are open to foot traffic and can also be accessed in this area. Anglers can fish the Cispus River for brook trout, steelhead and salmon.
Facilities
The campground consists of 33 sites that have parking spurs, which vary from 20 to 40 feet in length. A few of these sites are 40 foot pull-through, and the rest are back-in. Picnic tables, grills and potable water are also provided. There is a host on-site and firewood is available for sale.
Natural Features
North Fork is part of the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, which is located in the northernmost portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Located in southwest Washington state, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument established by Congress in 1982. This Ranger District manages four Wilderness Areas including the Goat Rocks Wilderness, Glacier View Wilderness, Tatoosh Wilderness and William O. Douglass Wilderness. Major River drainage includes the Cowlitz River, Clear Fork of the Cowlitz, and the Cispus River. A variety of wildlife may be spotted in this area, including elk, deer and bears.
Nearby Attractions
Randle is the closest town to North Fork, and offers access to the Windy Ridge Lookout at Mount St. Helens. Adventurous hikers who want to enjoy some spectacular views may be interested in the Tongue Mountain Trail, which climbs to an elevation of 4,838 feet.
contact_info
This location has limited staffing. Please call (360) 686-3008 for general information.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.__ A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.____ Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.__ In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
Fee Info
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Beautiful site!
We had no reservations and stumbled upon this gem- gorgeous campsite right along the river! Quiet and clean bathrooms, with flat sites - well maintained by a very friendly couple. Peaceful and fell asleep to the running river water- amazing!
Beaver group site
Beaver is right on the river. Parking is located above the site. Lovely outhouse. Lots of picnic tables, garbage cans, water available in the site. Easy river access. Lots of shade, areas with sun. Privacy between tent pads is terrific. RV's and Trailers have nice level parking area above the rest of the site. Good trail system throughout campground.
- (4) View All
North Fork Campground on Cispus River
Stayed two nights in early July, campground was well maintained, vault toilets were clean. No showers, but water available. About 1/3 of campground was out of commission or closed as they took down hazard trees it appeared. Avoid sit #10 as next to the loo, otherwise nice site.
Mostly tent campers, sites are all good size and most spread out a bit. Campground is located and on the Cispus River so can hear the river from most spots. Of the group camps, the "Beaver" looks the nicest as on the river. Several relatively short trails, but scenic all the river and nice bridge, be sure to visit Layser Cave and Campground falls (nearby on FR23 just before campground when coming in from Randle.
Location
North Fork Elk Group Camp is located in Washington
Directions
From I-5, take Highway 12 east to Randle, and from there go south on Road 25 and continue until you reach a fork in the road. Take the left fork onto Road 23 and travel for about 10 miles to North Fork Campground & Group Camps.
Coordinates
46.4508333 N
121.7877778 W