A lot of people know this as Opal Creek because the water is so beautiful. It's a gorgeous campsite…read morewith lots of rocks to jump off of if that's your thing! Lots of tanning and sun bathing spots as well! Very easy to access and lots of beautiful hikes.

$8 self serve per night, and just above the creek, it doesn't get much better than this…read more This campground was clean, and relatively well maintained. Beautiful forest life, and the sound of the creek will lull you to sleep. Perfect for a hot summer day dip. The campground is small, and there isn't too many camping spaces. It's first come first serve, with one pit toilet ( it didn't have toilet paper at the time I was there ). This idelylic spot is perfect for families, couples, or just anyone hoping to get away. Theres lots of hikes nearby as well, most notably Opal Creek .

Place is a dump poorly run and a mess. Lake is really small and shoreline is muddy. The road is…read morefull of potholes. I wouldn't waste my time.

This is for a stop at the Trillium Lake to see the amazing views of Mt. Hood and the lake. I had to…read moreuse the GPS to direct me to the lake because the campground was another section. Luckily, phone Wi-Fi works here.

I dunno, Yelp keeps telling me that I'm reviewing Little Crater Lake Campground, when what I…read moreactually want to post about is Little Crater Lake itself. Hello, Google Maps? Anyway, you DO have to drive through the campground to get to the excruciatingly small parking area for the Lil Crater trail, but the areas are separate things. Trail is less than a quarter mile walk to what proved to be a crystalline azure pool of water that looked at least 70 feet deep -- though I wouldn't know actual depth, I didn't measure it. Probably depends on the light of the day, but what we saw was magical; be warned that it is out of the way, on a pretty rough forest service road, so unless you're in the area, maybe not worth the drive.

Little Crater Lake is worth a stop if you're in the area. We stayed at the campground and hiked the…read morequarter mile to the lake several times. If possible, visit when the sun is overhead for the bluest water. When the trees shade the sun, the water is much less vibrant.

The water definitely is amazing , however the hike itself not that much . The route we took was…read moremostly further away from the water and hence not a whole lot to watch on the way but there were multiple waterfalls and creeks etc that you can take a break at and enjoy the cold water and the Sun.Part of the hike was closed which was disappointing but we did the whole 7 mile through a different route .Wished we could have seen the mining villages .It took us approx 1.5 hours to get there from Portland .Parking is limited however since we went on a Weekday it wasn't a problem for us . Also , the crowds were thin , so we really had a great time.

OMG What a great place to hike and swim…read more We went with a big group so we had to break up into two groups. The parking lot is small and they will turn people away if it is full. Luck we made it before they hit maximum. Three miles and a half makes for a long hike but well worth it. The trail follows the creek and is actually the service road for Jawbone Flats. It's an easy hike up and down both ways. You are rewarded with beautiful cool dip in the crystal clear pools. Alternatively there are two hiking trails, one on each side of the creek, you can venture on through this beautiful forest. Afterward we went to the local restaurant at the highway. They had good food and beer.

I recently stayed one night at Alpine Campground on my way back from California…read more Alpine Campground is a Forest Service Campground, which means that the rules are pretty lax as compared to a state park or national park. There is a camp host, but they were away on vacation while I was there. This campground has 16 sites, which are currently all first come first serve. The way this typically works is that you occupy an open site that hasn't been reserved by anyone else, and then fill out the self registration envelope by the sign board within 30 minutes. When I arrived on Sunday evening, I noticed that most of the sites had tags on the sign posts, and other people who were looking for sites were passing them up. But I also noticed that the camp host was off duty, and upon inspecting the tags closer, I found that most of them had expired. So, I was easily able to snag my first choice site, which I think was site 15. It was close to the camp host site, and plenty big enough to set up my tent far away from the campfire ring. There is a vault toilet in the campground, but I didn't use it, because Timberline Lodge is literally within walking distance of the campground. So, I just brushed my teeth and used the restroom over there before bed and before leaving the next morning. The fee was $25/night, which you can get half off with a qualifying pass. This fee only includes one vehicle, because the campsites aren't really even big enough for two. Extra vehicles are $10, and that fee does not qualify for a discount. My campsite was really pretty. There were all kinds of flowers in bloom around the campground, in mid-August. Driving to and from the campground, I saw several random waterfalls cascading down the sides of the highway. There are so many opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, and mountaineering in this area. The Zig Zag Ranger district website has a list of all of the trails and recreation areas managed by them, along with fees and season dates. Since I came on a Monday night, it was pretty peaceful. As far as I could tell, only one or two other campsites were occupied on my side of the campground. I was close enough to the road to hear some cars coming and going throughout the night, but it wasn't too bad. Not anywhere near as bad as Camp 4 Yosemite, for example. Overall this campground was pretty and peaceful, and I would definitely camp here again.

Great snow park for snow sledding, sliding, and tubing. Also there are several hiking trails…read morenearby. It's a much larger parking lot and park than snowbunny. Although it's ~10 minutes further away from government camp than snow bunny, it's likely worth it to go since there are usually fewer people and less crowded. The easiest & most gentle sliding routes are just east of the parking lot (on the right side when facing Mt Hood). Steeper routes with jumps are available as you walk further up the road towards Mt Hood. Snow parking passes are required & easily purchased at the Chevron gas station in Government Camp ($6/day, $30 for the whole season)

One of the great things about being retired and having an RV is the ability to travel when and…read morewhere the urge strikes us. Once in a while, we find a special place. This was such a place. We were traveling in Oregon, and learned from Campendium that the White River West Sno Park allows FREE overnight parking during the warmer months. (A parking fee is charged from Nov 1-April 30). This is a dry camping area, meaning that there are no hook-ups (electricity, water, dump station). But, the sno park has a huge paved parking lot, plenty of ooen sky to recharge our solar panels, easy access from OR-35 (yet it was still quiet overnight), restrooms with vault toilets, access to hiking trails, and views to die for -- specifically of Mt. Hood but also of a completely dark night sky filled with stars and constellations. We shared the lot overnight with four other vehicles; it felt safe. After doing a short hike, I was disappointed to leave.

Excellent 8 mile in and out. A few water spots to cross, a little mud but absolutely worth it…read more Great hike!!! No bathrooms, limited parking. Not many bugs, still a bit of snow - end of May.

Another great PNW hike. Soft pine needle floor, lush ferns and abundant fungi. And the canopy!…read moreGorgeous. The mountain never really got out of bed today, but Wy'east did pull the covers back a couple of times. The hike up was strenuous buy not terrible, with many creek crossings. The lake itself was still and green, disturbed only by a hawk that flew low over it. I got a late start and by the time I got to the lake I was the only one there. The quiet was incomplete - many bees were still hard at work. I stayed there for a while, then dark clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. I realized I had 3.5 miles to go and was completely alone with night falling. I hurried back with looks over my shoulder the whole way. It was beautiful, but also kinda unsettling. I won't lie, I loved it. Great hike. Next time I'll go up to Zig Zag point.

This review is for Mirror Lake Loop which was a ~4.3 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. Located 22 minutes away from Tamanawas Falls, Mirror Lake Loop was a dense forest trail that was ~90% shaded in Mt Hood, Oregon. The first ~5 minutes of the trail was paved and becomes a dirt trail filled with rocks and roots. The last stretch towards the lake was an incline alongside the mountain. There were only a few openings around the lake to view the water and the surroundings. The best view would be the Mirror Lake with Mt Hood in the distance! Limited parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/8WsTe72wDP4

8.1 miles, 1509 ft elevation gain, 2 hrs 33 minutes…read more The hike all the way to Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain is definitely longer than the stated 8 miles on AllTrails. We did not have enough water and had to turn around a bit early at mile 4 (for a grand total of 8). Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain was visible but I didn't want to risk my poor pup overheating on such a warm day. Not many other folks go past mirror lake or the initial mountain viewpoint so you might find you'll have this to yourself. The trail is very well maintained to mirror lake, and even has a few cute little bridges and stream crossings. After that, it can be quite narrow and bouldery though there are many beautiful wildflowers lining the trail. There were also a few mosquitos just after the lake so come prepared with bug spray. All I can speak for is the mountain viewpoint (since that's as far as we got) but it was worth the trek up there to see Mt. Hood, Mirror Lake, and Government Camp from that point of view.