This was a lovely forested location on a hill by the gorge. The sites were very nicely spaced out. There was some noise from the interstate, but the location was very convenient. There are tons of trails around, although if you are driving there is no ramp to get back on the road headed west. You will have to drive to Cascade Locks to turn around. The bathrooms were out of order when we were there. Portapotties were available. We only came across one water spigot, which was by the host. They do have buckets to borrow however, for dowsing your fire. There were definitely some bugs at this time of year, but once we had the campfire going they stayed away. Closest firewood is in Cascade Locks. We had a great time, and really appreciated the sites being fairly distant from one another. There was only one tent pad, but another could have been fit on the pull in, I think. We had a blast, and I didn't really notice the road noise--I slept very well. In the morning we were close to a hundred different adventures!
When we arrived, there were lots of spaces to choose from, some out in a more field-like setting by the river, some in the shade of the forest. We picked a spot with plenty of trees. The sites are spaced out fairly well. We had on good sized tent pad, and a second that was a bit weedy. Our second tent we squeezed in between the picnic table and our car. There was space for a hammock and slackline too! The fire pit was very wet, so starting a fire was difficult. But the campground gets extra points for having a shed of nice, dry cords of wood open all hours. Honor jar $5. Also included a mix of kindling and bigger pieces. Nice bathrooms, potable water and wash stations. Things were situated so that lights on at night didn't really shine into any sites. Awesome being camped right at the trailhead of some gorgeous trails!
We got in on a Saturday evening when the forecast had not called for rain, but it was a steady downpour. Some folks were bailing while we set up! We got probably the crumminess site in the whole campground (beggars can't be choosers)-- very tiny, right across from the bathrooms and site reservation board. And yet we had a perfectly enjoyable stay! The bathrooms were extremely clean and the campground was immaculately kept. We saw the two hosts on a few occasions, sound rounds and continually cleaning up. They were very pleasant. The bathrooms were lit all night, but the light didn't really bother us. We managed a fire because of the how thick the tree foliage was and cooked our dinner and got warmed up. We fit in two tents and a hammock! Lake crescent is just below the campground, there are walk in sites on the shore. We took a walk down to the small swimming area and took an evening dip. The lake was gorgeous, like glass, and the swim was refreshing. There's a small general store right on the hill by the swimming beach that rents kayaks and paddle boards. The store also has a very nice selection of food, alcohol, and camp supplies. I was impressed! This campground posts at the entrance if they are full, has potable water and wash areas, and very clean restrooms. Lovely!
We snagged the last spot in this campground on a Friday evening. The setting was a lovely shady forest with a nearby river. We had a nice time, the sites were spaced out fairly well, despite it being a pretty small campground. There were nice fire pits and a few tent pads per site, although ours was barely able to fit two tents. The river is very nice, but it is surprisingly difficult to access from the campground even though is only a couple dozen yards away. The bathroom was pretty smelly and the loop road was in poor repair. This campground does not post a sign out when it is full, so we had folks driving through hoping for a spot for hours into the night. A little cheaper, but no potable water. There's water available at the next campground (Lena Lake), however it was out of order when we were there. Definitely some downsides, but we had a fun time, got decent sleep, and we're content enough!
We camped here on a Thursday night-- got in late and Staircase was full but Big Creek had tons of space available. Great campground, well spaced sites, very clean with new facilities and spacious picnic shelters (the shelter lights don't turn off however, so that was almost a problem). We got a site on our own private loop! Plenty of bathrooms and water spigots around. We had a great time, and experienced no bugs! The only downside was the tent spaces are all in fine gravel beds, so not the softest.