As the snow melts around Mount Hood and summer nears, the Mount Hood
National Forest gets closer to opening campgrounds for the summer season.

Kathleen Walker of the Zigzag Ranger District reported that last year many of
the campgrounds at higher elevations did not open until just before July 4,
causing some reservations to be cancelled and some last minute work to open
the grounds while snow was still melting.

The hope is that a similar situation will be avoided this year.

Our neck of the woods
A large yurt will be installed at the Trillium Lake Campground across from the
dam. It will be used for summer camping, but it will also serve as a winter
shelter for the Oregon Nordic Club under a special use permit, once the club
acquires a woodshed (the yurt will not be available for overnight use during
the winter).

Portland General Electric, which took over the campground concessionaire
permit for campgrounds at Timothy Lake and Lake Harriet last year, is
expected to continue the reconstruction work at the campgrounds this
summer. Pine Point Campground will feature reconfigured campsites,
improved parking, new toilets, new tables, new fire rings and a new boat
ramp.

One improvement at Pine Point turned a large parking area along the
shoreline into picnic tables and defined trails.

“The new recreation area will accommodate many more visitors wanting to
play by the lake and eliminate conflicts between visitors and vehicles,” wrote
Walker in an email, adding that shoreline parking lots in the other
campgrounds will also be relocated or restored for recreational use.

Plans to reconstruct the North Arm Campground and the Myron Blank West
Shore Day Use Area located on the west side of the lake are currently under
development by PGE.

Further afield
The Spring Drive RV Campground opened last year at the site of the former
Bear Springs Ranger District (which closed in the late 1990s), featuring 11
double-wide trailer pads updated for RV use.

The addition of a vault toilet is planned for the near future, but Walker noted
the campground has already gained solid popularity.

A decision to operate Bagby Hot Springs with a concessionaire is currently
under appeal, while major repairs to two bath houses have now been
completed.

Plans are also in place to open Camp Cody’s small cabins, east of Rock Creek,
for overnight use this summer. The site also has shower buildings and a mess
hall.

Due to high demand for group campsites, Raab Campground on the
Clackamas River and Bear Springs Campground (off Highway 216) will be
converted for group use.

Previously, three campgrounds (Lost Lake near Hood River, Pine Point at
Timothy Lake and Indian Henry) offered group camping, with spots typically
being reserved more than six months in advance.

“These will offer larger groups more options for camping,” added Walker. “In
addition, it is helpful to segregate the large groups away from single family
campers that may be bothered by the noise and group activity.”

For more information, including warnings and alerts, visit
http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mthood/home.