Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 457 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 5
- Longest rig
- 34 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 5 campgrounds shown
- Bonneville TrailheadYear round
- Eagle Creek Campgroundto 34 ft · 17 sitesMay 1 – Sept 30 · Reservations accepted
- Eagle Creek Overlook Group CampgroundMay 1 – Sept 30 · Reservations accepted
- Herman Creek Campground/Horse CampReservations accepted
- Wyeth Campgroundto 30 ft · 16 sites · Pull-throughMay 1 – Sept 30 · Reservations accepted
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over eighty miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River in the east down to the eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia Plateau and the Pacific Ocean. It is thus that the routes of Interstate 84, U.S. Route 30, Washington State Route 14, and railroad tracks on both sides run through the gorge.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
Drive to Columbia River Gorge the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.