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Facilities

Established Camping

Peterson Prairie Campground

Peterson Prairie Campground, near Carson, Washington, is a charming spot tucked away in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This campground offers spacious sites surrounded by a beautiful forest, making it a great choice for families and groups looking to enjoy the great outdoors.

The campground features picnic tables and metal fire rings, perfect for evening campfires and cooking up some s'mores. Visitors have noted the abundance of wild huckleberries in the area, especially during late summer, which adds a fun foraging element to your stay. Clean pit toilets and drinking water are available, ensuring you have the essentials covered.

For those eager to explore, Peterson Prairie is close to the Guler Ice Caves and offers excellent hiking opportunities. The nearby Lost Creek, although often dry, provides a unique landscape for kids to explore and play. As one camper mentioned, “This would be a great place to visit in the spring when the creek is flowing.”

While the campground can get a bit dusty, especially during dry spells, the friendly atmosphere and the chance to spot deer wandering through the sites make it a memorable experience. Whether you're pitching a tent or parking your RV, Peterson Prairie Campground is a welcoming retreat for anyone looking to escape into nature.

Description

National Forest

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Overview

Peterson Prairie Campground offers shaded and secluded campsites nestled in a forest of large pine, spruce and fir trees. The campground tends is popular among huckleberry pickers. At an elevation of 2,800 ft., Peterson Prairie offers a cool summertime climate during the hottest part of the season. Several kid-friendly attractions are a short distance away, making this campground a great choice for families.

Recreation

Seasonal harvesting of huckleberries and mushrooms is a popular pastime.Natural Bridges and Ice Cave are scenic, family-friendly nature trails near Peterson Prairie Campground. A stairway leading into the Ice Cave allows convenient access to the cave's incredible ice formations. Please be prepared when visiting the caves. Information is avaialble at the campground and the Mt Adams Ranger Station.

Natural Features

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. Peterson Prairie is located in the Mt. Adams Ranger District. Nearest town is Trout Lake, WA. The Mount Adams Ranger District offers a large variety of habitats and natural features, from old growth to second growth forest, wetland areas, low and high elevation meadows, glaciers, and low and high elevation lakes.

Contact Info

This location has limited staffing. Please call (509) 427-3677 for general information.

Nearby Attractions

This campground is near Bird Creek Meadows, a trail that offers spectacular wildflower displays and opportunities to observe numerous birds. Goose Lake is 8 miles west of the campground and offers excellent trout fishing.

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. Group Sites Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): A visitor who cancels a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use 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

Extra Vehicle Fee $8.00

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Location

Peterson Prairie Campground is located in Washington

Detail location of campground

Directions

From SR 14 follow SR 141 North to the town of Trout Lake, continue through town on SR 141 till the road ends and FS 24 begins(approximately 5 miles WSW of town). Continue west on FS 24 for another 2.25 miles to the entrance of Peterson Prairie.

Address

Gifford Pinchot NF Mt Adams Ranger District
Carson, WA 98610

Coordinates

45.9694444 N
121.6608333 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
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Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Cabins

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Drive Time


Reviews

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3.5

out of 5

9 Reviews

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2020

Dusty but Beautiful

This is a really cool campground with many sites right next to the "creek".  The other sites are facing the woods.  Good sized campsites with plenty of room to spread out.  We booked a double site and we could have set up 6 tents!  This would be a great place to visit in the spring when the creek is flowing.  We visited in August and there was zero water flowing, but the kids enjoyed exploring the creek bed.

Site21
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Jeff K., August 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Jeff K., August 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Jeff K., August 6, 2020
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 26, 2020

Beautiful but Dry Dusty Dirt no

Campground is amongst a beautiful forest, lots of shade and whimsy. Campsites are spacious and though close the highway, the noise is hardly noticeable. Downside, the campsite had an unusual amount of thick dirt ground causing an immense about of dust. It was really unpleasant especially with our 4 year old who was kicking it all over the place. Camp host said it was exceptionally dusty due to the creek being dried out. Not really a downside, but be wary of deer crossing the campsites if you have little kids or dogs, they are comfortable with humans. We saw a doe and her fawns and they were beautiful.

  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Annette S., July 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Annette S., July 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Annette S., July 26, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2019

Campground near Trout Lake/Guler Ice Caves

This campground boarders both sides of the Lost Creek (Dried up most of the time).  The sites are fairly large, but very open with little to no privacy.  I was in spot 10 and the entire spot was open up to the road, which is not my favorite.  Many of the other sites were open due to no small trees/brush.  There was also a very fine dust in the entire spot that can drive certain people nuts, especially ones with small dogs who turn into little clouds of dust!  

There were a couple deer that roamed the campground and wondered in and out of campsites.  I had to shoo away 1 so he wouldn't stomp on my little dog while walking through my site.  It was cool seeing them up close though.  Also it was the start of a very good huckleberry season and the entire campground was full of huckleberry bushes.  I was able to gather several cups just from my camp spot alone.

While this isn't my favorite campsite, it was overall a good campground and if you are in the area I would recommend it.

SiteSpot 10
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Ashley B., October 7, 2019
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Ashley B., October 7, 2019
  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Ashley B., October 7, 2019
  • (18) View All
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2019

Solid Campground

Good sized spots with plenty of trees, picnic table, and metal fire rings with grill grates. Good feeling of privacy. Lots of wild huckleberries to pick when we visited in late July. Clean pit toilets. Drinking water available. Close to ice cave. Fishing at Goose Lake nearby.

  • Review photo of Peterson Prairie Campground by Steve F., July 28, 2019
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2019

Dried up Creek

This park has several double sites which gives lots of space. They also had a group site. The park was clean and typical but the creek was dryed up :(

Reviewed Apr. 16, 2019

Very nice campground

Had a great (very cold) time at this campground! Went in May and it was very quiet here. Had the campground almost to ourselves. The spots were big and mostly spread out. It is close to hiking spots and the cute little town of Troutdale.

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2018

Quiet, dusty little gem

We reserved a multi-family (not group) site #14 for the weekend. There was ample parking for everyone. The hosts were super friendly and helpful. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked (hand sanitizer!). Site was large and clean with garbage can in the parking area, designated water spicket, mostly shaded during the day. Privacy was created by parking vehicles strategically. Deer came through our site regularly during the day. Nice breeze kept the temps down. Lots to do nearby. Our site was very dusty, but it's also been a dry summer.

Site14
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 8, 2017

Good place to get away

Campground was nice bathrooms weren't super clean but man is the area gorgeous! Its fairly remote so no cell service which i count as a plus. The camp sutes are on a big loop and have a decent amount of privacy exceot for the larger group sites just due to the size of the sites ...all in all it was a great week the rates weren't bad and the host was friendly

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2016

Lovely forest campground

Close to the incredible Guler Ice Caves. Simple campground in the national forest and not far from town. Excellent hiking nearby. Very private good-sized campsites, some close to a small creek. Campground has a few pit toilets, water provided, quite buggy (it’s the PNW, it’s always buggy). Our neighbors were serious mushroom hunters and they were kind enough to share a few---amazing and very memorable.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Peterson Prairie Campground?

    Peterson Prairie Campground allows vehicles up to 40 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Peterson Prairie Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Peterson Prairie Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Peterson Prairie Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Peterson Prairie Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Peterson Prairie Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Peterson Prairie Campground?

    There are 31 campsites at Peterson Prairie Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts