First off, my type of camping is getting as far away from other people as possible. That is absolutely not going to happen when you are at the Gorge, but that is not why you camp at the Gorge. I’m giving it 4 stars because for what it is, it was decent enough and clean.

On a whim my husband and I decided to book camping along with our concert tickets since it was being offered and was fairly inexpensive. Our motivations for doing so were 1) not having to drive to and from the venue on the day of the show and 2) it’s an experience, might as well try it at least once right?

We went with standard camping, the cheapest option.

As you arrive at the camping area a number of attendants will direct you where to go. Your car will queue up to be sniffed by some sniffer dogs and then if you get the go ahead you will be directed to your site sandwiched in between the other cars that are arriving at around the same time as you. You’ll feel a slight sense of panic and dread as you realize how tightly everyone is packed in and how tricky it will be to carefully navigate your vehicle through the narrow patch of grass that is left between the tents and vehicles if you decide to leave. You will then take a deep breath, crack open a beer, and start settling in.

We had enough room in our designated space for our “6 person” cabin tent, and for our fairly large shade tent that we set up between the tent and the back of the car. You will absolutely want to bring some sort of shade tent if you plan on hanging out in the campground before the concert. It gets uncomfortably hot very fast if you are not shielded from the sun.

We had originally planned on driving out in the morning to explore the area, maybe find some water to cool off in, but ultimately decided not to due to the previously mentioned difficulties of navigating our car out of our site and through the sea of other campers. Fortunately we had plenty of food, snacks and a cooler full of ice and beer. If you find yourself lacking these things, there is a small general store a short walk away that has some camping supplies, beer, snacks, water, that kind of thing (sold at “we’ve got you trapped here, so just suck it up and fork over the money” prices).

The toilets were porta potties but they were kept surprisingly clean and there were plenty of them. There was a sink with running water, soap, and paper towels. I only visited the station closest to our tent but I think there were a few scattered about.

There was someone blaring loud music past midnight the first night, but that was pretty much what I expected. I didn’t encounter any issues with other campers.

It’s about a mile (or maybe it just felt like it?) walk on a dusty road from standard camping to the venue. Wear good shoes and sunscreen!

Ok, that’s about it. Everything I would have liked to know in advance to be prepared. I might camp again if I see another show at the Gorge, but I’d probably upgrade to get a bit more space and wiggle room.