Armstrong Campground (Mt Hood NF, OR): which site to take, after the 2020 fire

Armstrong Campground

Smallish camp. Access to river, though you have to go through boulders

Armstrong is a small first-come campground on the Clackamas, an hour and a quarter from Portland: ten sites on our map, in grass and alders between OR 224 and the river. As our note says, it is a smallish camp with access to the river, “though you have to go through boulders.”

The 2020 Riverside Fire damaged it; the Forest Service repaired it and a concessionaire reopened it. In late August 2026 the Austin Fire closure took in the campgrounds east of Carter Bridge, Armstrong among them, and in October its Forest Service page still showed it closed. Our photos are from July 2019, a year before the first fire; the Forest Service now warns of burned trees and eroded slopes around it.

Quick facts

Sites: 10 on our map, six of them numbered
Booking: First come, first served; no reservations
Fee: $18 a night, $8 for an extra vehicle, the Forest Service lists
Water: None, the Forest Service says. Bring your own
Toilets: Vault toilet
After the 2020 fire: Repaired and reopened, run by a concessionaire
In 2026: Closed in late August by the Austin Fire closure; still shown closed in October
From Portland: About 44 miles, an hour and a quarter, up OR 224

Which site to take

Closest to the river: The marked post, Unnumbered, 6, 5 About 130 to 180 feet from the Clackamas; the way down, our note says, is over boulders.
Furthest from the highway: 4, 3 About 460 and 360 feet from OR 224; the rest are 160 to 330.
In the open: 1, In the sun Grass and sun in our photos; most of the others are in the shade of the alders.

Every site, in our July 2019 photos

Site	To the Clackamas	Next site	In our photo
1	350 ft	80 ft	a table and fire ring in a grassy clearing under alders
2	390 ft	80 ft	a big shaded pad, the table at the back
3	370 ft	140 ft	a concrete table and stools, a fire ring, tall firs
4	230 ft	140 ft	no photo
5	180 ft	40 ft	no photo
6	170 ft	40 ft	logs and a mossy boulder, a hammock strung beyond the table
The marked post	130 ft	80 ft	the site post, a table and fire ring on the grass beyond
Unnumbered	150 ft	60 ft	only a 360° view
Edge of the trees	200 ft	60 ft	a table and fire ring at the edge of the trees
In the sun	220 ft	70 ft	a table on the grass in the sun, a stump

Distances are straight lines from each pin, to the water and to the nearest neighbor, so read them as “about”. Photos from July 2019, a year before the fire.

Questions

Is Armstrong open?: It reopened after the 2020 Riverside Fire, run by a concessionaire. In late August 2026 the Austin Fire closure took it in; the closure order of October 16 no longer lists it, but its Forest Service page still showed it closed that month. Check before you go.
Can you reserve a site?: No. It is first come, first served.
Is there drinking water?: No, the Forest Service says. Bring your own.
How do you get to the river?: Our note: there is access to the river, “though you have to go through boulders.” The closest sites are about 130 feet from it.
What should I watch for?: The Forest Service: “Be careful in burned areas. Watch out for burned trees, eroded slopes, mudslides, missing trails, or possible flash floods.”