Paradise Creek Campground

HooDoo used to manage this campground & they did a fantastic job. It was our favorite campground for over 20 years. 

Until this past week, clearly new management. We drove in & no host. We found a site that didn't appear to have a reservation & proceeded to pay via the drop box. Within 20 minutes a group showed up that showed us they had reserved online so we moved to another spot. The "reserved" & the walk in sites don't match up with what is on the website. Most of their sites in person are "reserved" but says FF on the site (first come first serve). It made it very hard to find a site & yet there were only a handful of campers there - so many of those "reserved" were empty & never were used the entire time we were there. It was really confusing. We spoke to another camper who had a similar experience. Only the doubles & one or two singles were available. 

When we drive nearly 2 hours, we need to know we can find a spot & this was on a Tuesday.

Aside from that, some of the bathrooms were a disaster. There is no maintenance. & I would hate to have a problem with another camper - we camp in campgrounds for that added support. At this point we were just very lucky that everyone was nice. The sign said if we needed assistance to call a number & there is no cell service within 20 min of here.  Bad news, we may never go back.

Loved our site and all the sites are large. The old growth trees are breathtaking and the creek is accessible in many areas. We hiked the nearby Observation Peak which was amazing and Falls Creek as well which is beautiful. Will be back for sure!

This very quiet and peaceful campground is located in a beautiful old growth forest.  The sites are large and include a nice level tent spot.  Pump water, pit toilets, and firewood are available.

This campground is a great base for exploring the Gifford Pinchot Forest and Trapper Creek Wilderness in WA. About 90 minutes from Portland, it's in an easy to get to location, and Trapper Creek has a great 15 mile loop trail that's included in the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Portland book. It's also great for some other non-maintained Mazama trails for the not-so-faint-at-heart hikers. 

The campground at Paradise Creek is well maintained, with decent sized sites including some double sites, and plenty of trees for hammocking. It feels like you're camping in the forest with all the growth around you.

Sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Bathrooms, water points, and trash and recycling facilities are basic, but clean.

Great place to stay very clean!

The bathrooms can get stinky, so try not to be too close to them! The wind river becomes more like a creek, so no need for a fishing license! The campsites have lots of room, great picnic tables and great fire pits!

1. Couldn't be happier with the host. Extremely friendly, helpful, and informed. All sites have ample shade and moderate to limited privacy. The creeks in July didn't have much room for swimming however, there was plenty of water to cool off. Expect noisy kids on bikes throughout the campsite. Quiet curfew starts at 10 p.m. There are two pumps for potable water but only one was working. The pit toilets are well maintained however they are a bit dated. Firewood is available for six dollars a bundle. I highly recommend making a reservation for the outer loop (closest to the streams). Overall a beautiful campground!

Paradise Creek is a forested campground next to 2 rivers. There is ample shade and vegetation between sites, and over all excellent maintenance and design. The rivers have massive cobbled beds but water flow was low, so we were able to explore the river quite a bit! And it provided good noise for the sites that border it. It felt like a quiet, secluded getaway.

We stayed in site 22, and had a great stay next to the river bank. The sites not bordering the river, on the outer loop, are big and backed up into the forest. There is an inner loop and those sites seemed a bit more crowded. Sites 14D, 10, and 11 are very up close to each other and could be great if you had a big party! The worst sites seemed to be 1-3 and 17. Crowded, near the road (1-3), or very small (17). All the sites have designated tent pads, but most sites have room for 1 or 2 other tents. All sites are back-in only.

The weekend we were there was very rainy and cloudy. We never saw the sun. So everything was damp and chilly- we brought lots of tarps. Even though the weather didn't help, the level of mossage throughout the campground suggested it never really dries out... So I would be prepared for moisture, even in July.

I recommend this place! The hosts were SO friendly, it was well maintained, and the wood for sale was generous bundles. We loved it.