Originally we were headed straight to Timberline Lodge; no detours, no side quests. Then I saw the…read moresign for Lost Lake and the Days Gone nerd in me took the wheel. If you know, you know: half that game is set around this lake, and I was not about to drive past it like some kind of NPC with no curiosity stat. Best impulsive decision of the trip. Paddled out with Mount Hood just looming over the water like it was posing for a postcard, completely unbothered by how often I stopped paddling to just stare at it. Meanwhile my wife set up her easel on the shore and turned the whole afternoon into her own personal plein air session, easily the most peaceful "side quest" either of us has been on. Cody, the kayak guy, deserves a raise. Genuinely fantastic and easygoing, knew the lake, made the whole rental process painless. If there's a loyalty program for Cody specifically, sign me up. Then the burgers. After paddling and pretending to be artistic by association, we did not expect resort burgers to go this hard. No notes. Zero zombies, zero motorcycle gangs, just a quiet lake, a great view, and an unplanned detour that ended up being the highlight of the drive. Highly recommend taking the exit.

Paddling this lake is such a special experience. The hike is also very exquisite. Short and sweet…read more If you're looking want to have a water experience and don't have your own gear this is a great place to go because they have rentals!

We've been coming here for years to kayak and Canoe but now we own a boat and get to join in on…read morethe river sports side and this location is great for skiing and other water activities. The general store doesn't open till 9am and they charge a Convenience fee on most items, they have live music sometimes and the bathrooms are clean. Docking to get on and off the boat is super easy. They even have a fish platform that is ADA accessible and a child's fish pond where only kids can fish safely. We have spent many weekends here and plan on many more. Thanks for the memories

Our first time here and we were impressed. It's very clean and well kept. Campground has a mix of…read morecabins, yomes and tents (electrical and non). Activities for kids throughout the day to keep them entertained. All was great but must mention that campground is located at hi-way 224 which means you will hear road noise, I would advise looking at the map and choosing spot by the water and away from the road. We were in a cabin 28 which is the the lower part of the campground so heard nothing overnight unlike our friends who were in a yome right next to highway. Garbage dumpsters and restroom/showers as well as the kitchen facilities are located throughout the campground which was convenient.

This is what camping on a lake should be. Great sites with a little space between right on the…read moreshores of Timothy Lake inside a beautiful forest. There is a well maintained hiking trail all around the lake (approximately 13 miles long). Boat ramps and lots of places to just sit and enjoy the lake. Friendly and informative park hosts.

My family loves, loves, loves Timothy Lake. We've been coming here for years. Its very peaceful,…read morerelaxing and tons of fun. All the different Campgrounds and Day Use Areas have been updated. Paved Roads. More Restrooms. New Campground Configurations. Its all awesome. Some of the Campgrounds No Longer Have Public Day Use. Hoodview Campgrounds is one of those. You can't even use the Boat Launch unless registered for Hoodview Campgrounds. They Will Ticket You. Ive seen several tickets passed out this summer. My Wife and I just spent 6 days chillin in some awesome summer weather. It rained one time during the middle of the night and not for long. It wasn't too windy and the water was amazing. BEWARE Always wear foot protection. I found several rusty fish hooks, broken glass and rusty metal near the shore. I've also made a pledge to stop using Lead Fishing Weights. In that, I've started collecting lead from the waters I fish. This weeks haul was about 12 ounces of lead from the waters edge. Timothy Lake has an amazing bounty. I will do my part in keeping it clean. I caught a fare amount of crayfish. We cooked them up and most everyone ate some. Our two littles (8 & 10) both ate crawfish. I was going to fish but had to much fun hanging out with my family to leave them behind. That's been the reason a lot this year. I'm always glad to come home and shower but I can't wait to go back camping. In fact. We're going back in two weeks. Nice.

What an awesome campground! Just about each site has a river running near. The spots are very…read morespacious with plenty of room for a hammock! Bathrooms are in walking distance. What a little gem of a campsite. #5 and sites near it have the river REALLY close, which is great to fall asleep to.

Nice campground with a creek running through it. Hosted campground and saw him driving by to check…read moreon things. Sites are generously spaced apart for good privacy and sound buffer. Amenities are minimal. Toilets are vaulted, but there is water and waste water (not sanitation discharge) collection.

Visited in August 2025:…read more This campground needs a warden. Screaming past 1am and again before 7am? - Yes, so relaxing to be away from noises of the city. Shooting multiple guns for 10 minutes straight? - Very tranquil. Used toilet paper strewn about? - Nature is just so gosh darn beautiful. That river sure was lovely on a 100 degree day though.

Hey, are you planning a group campout? It's harder than it seems, right? To find a place nearish to…read morePortland, with enough room for everyone, without costing a million dollars. Depending on your needs, Raab might hit the spot. Ten things about camping at Raab, in no particular order: 1. Don't know from where the name came, and don't know how to pronounce it. Also uncertain about the broccoli by the same name. 2. It's on a bend of the Callowash River. Bring your floaties and river shoes. You may end up walking through or around other people's campsites to get to the water, but they'll understand. If you explore, you can find several private spots, too. 3. The sites are divided into loops, and you rent a whole loop, not individual sites. Depending on your loop, your tent sites might be somewhat small and far apart, divided by lots of old-growth trees and wild rhodies. If you want a big group space with a nice gathering area, pick site E. It would be great for a group of 30 or more. 4. There's one can for each side of the campground. It's fairly clean and decently maintained for a vault toilet, but you'll occasionally experience a small line. 5. I found four geodes! Four! On the ground! 6. It's close to Bagby Hot Springs. Only like 10 miles away, and on the same stretch of road. If you get up early, you might be able to beat the crowds. 7. There are otters! They make really cute squeaky noises. 8. The nearest store is the Ripplebrook Ranger Station. They cannot run a credit card when someone is talking on the phone. They have ice and firewood, but sometimes run out of both. 9. There's no cell service. If you take walkie-talkies, be sure to charge them before you leave. 10. If you leave a light on in your car for four days, make sure someone in your group has jumper cables and know-how. Hope that helps! Best of luck out there, campers!

Land of no-see-ums. As sunset, I got bit like crazy. I'm allergic to these guys. Experienced…read morethem in the Sierras, but not in Oregon. I was surprised. This place harbours them big-time, so if you're sensitive like I am, just beware. The site itself is surrounded by trees, but the area where guests come in and park didn't have them so there's no central shade during the day and you feel a bit like you're on display in the center of the grounds. Not my favourite. The bathrooms were pretty clean, the showers enormous. Actually, they could do with a remodel if you ask me. There are washers and dryers. The location is right across from the lake which is beautiful, but you have to drive there because the hill to the RV park is SO steep. There are a lot of residents. It felt a little odd. I don't know if it was just us, but we didn't feel comfortable. The people a couple spots over had a dog that barked for about two hours. I considered the possibilities of asphyxiating it. I just don't understand why people allow this sort of thing. There were a couple of friendly people there tho, and the host was really nice. For $42, I've been in WAY better. Far too overpriced.

I can't speak for staying here, as I just came up for the day. But what I saw, was very impressive…read more This is a beautiful old hotel that was built back in the 30s, and has been kept up very well. It has such a classic look, it is the hotel that was used for the external shots in the original "the shining" movie.. on the inside, it's also very nice, it has a kind of rustic "lodge" feel. The hotel sits right at the base of Mount Hood, with beautiful views of the mountain from the back patio of the hotel, and there are lots of outdoor recreation, possibilities, for both the summertime and the winter time. The hotel is open year-round. They have a gift shop, There are plenty of food and drink options, but they are definitely expensive. I get it. This place is up in the mountains, there is a lot of overhead in keeping the place up, and of course, they have a captive audience. The nearest food and drink away from the hotel is like 6 to 10 miles down the road. The menu in the main dining room room looked good, but I can't speak to the food as I didn't eat there. I hope it's better than the blue ox bar. I had a slice of pizza there, and I wasn't impressed (see separate review...) This really is a beautiful property.

I'm only reviewing the Timberline Lodge Bar & Grill, the reason why we were there, on our way to…read morePrineville. Parking was easy. Short walk uphill, the guy at the parking, when we asked how to get to the restaurant, he directed us to a elevator or to hike up the steps. We picked the elevator. From there, we went up to the main lodge, steps to the top floor, to the bar & restaurant, and were seated right away. We got a good view around the top, sadly, there were no snow to be found, maybe a small handful here & there, farther away. It's still very beautiful inside & outside, so close to nature! We ordered a meatball sandwich and clam chowder, that we shared. And it came to our table nicely divided, with two plates, and two bowls. There were lots of clams and that was good, but the crispy onions on top made it salty! The service was very friendly. The meatballs were very tasty, I really liked that. It was a very interesting environment for eating. The Lodge restroom, was not easy to find, the entrance was like a half revolving door, when you enter, someone is coming out, or you wait and let the other go out. My husband was here when he was about 10 years old, with his grandparents. He only remembers a black & white photo of him.

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.