First time to Oregon

[Daniel Eagan]

My wife and I are visiting this summer and we're trying to secure some campsites. I apologize if these are stupid questions, but

1) Does Alpine Campground near Timberline fill up early? Could I expect to get 3 nights there in July or August (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)? Is August better than July in terms of weather?

2) Knowing nothing about the area, which other nearby campgrounds are preferable: Tollgate, Trillium, Camp Creek?

We just have a tent, no hook-ups, and want something quiet. We plan to do a couple of hikes and swims before returning to relatives in Portland.

I appreciate any help.

[retired jerry]

Alpine tends to fill up, but Sunday would likely be good. That is a nice campground because of the views.

Tollgate and Camp Creek are nice - creek noise, but some highway noise. Camp Creek has less highway noise. They both have reservations which could be good if you have reservations or bad if you don't

McNeil, curiously, is close to Portland but doesn't fill up, probably because it has no drinking water. Further down the mountain though. Maybe good as a backup if you can't find anything else. I don't think it has reservations but it's fairly large.

Trillium is busy and has reservations. Lots of RVs.

[drm]

I'm not familiar with your campgrounds but just wanted to make sure that you were aware of dispersed car camping. Our car campgrounds are very popular in summer and fill up and in some areas, probably not immediately around Mt Hood though, you can just find a nice spot next to a remote forest dirt road and pull off and set up camp. Of course you do without the facilities, though if a campground is nearby you can use the toilet there. If not, you must do due diligence to dealing with wastes. But this is free and generally quieter and perfectly legal unless otherwise posted. Usually there is a limit how long you can stay in a given spot, but that is often 14 days. There are many such spots next to a beautiful creek and many ardent campers much prefer the lower cost to a noisy campground. So bring a chairs and a folding table so it is a ready option.

[buddybiscuit]

I'm not familiar with your campgrounds but just wanted to make sure that you were aware of dispersed car camping. Our car campgrounds are very popular in summer and fill up and in some areas, probably not immediately around Mt Hood though, you can just find a nice spot next to a remote forest dirt road and pull off and set up camp. Of course you do without the facilities, though if a campground is nearby you can use the toilet there. If not, you must do due diligence to dealing with wastes. But this is free and generally quieter and perfectly legal unless otherwise posted. Usually there is a limit how long you can stay in a given spot, but that is often 14 days. There are many such spots next to a beautiful creek and many ardent campers much prefer the lower cost to a noisy campground. So bring a chairs and a folding table so it is a ready option.

This is a good option, and note that this is generally allowed within the boundaries of *any* National Forest, not just Mt Hood.

See: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 196126.pdf

[justpeachy]

I know from experience that finding a spot at almost any Mt. Hood campground on a Friday is almost impossible. You might have better luck Sunday through Thursday.