Lost Creek Campground (Mt Hood NF, OR): which site to take

Lost Creek Campground

Maintained small campground with drinkable creek (not recommended) and educational trail

Lost Creek is a small Forest Service campground in tall old firs beside Lost Creek, a mile and a half past McNeil and an hour and a half from Portland. It was built to be barrier-free from end to end: the sites, a fishing platform and a paved nature trail that tells how the valley was made.

Sites A1 to A11 are on the loop road, two of them with canvas yomes; B1 to B5 are walk-to sites a short way off it. Our note calls the creek drinkable but doesn’t recommend it; there is drinking water at the campground.

Quick facts

Sites: Nine standard sites and five walk-to sites (Recreation.gov); yomes at A9 and A11 in our photos
Booking: At Recreation.gov
Season (2026): May 22 to September 30
Fees (2026): $25 a night, $8 for an extra vehicle, $60 a yome; day use $10
Water: Drinking water
Toilets: Accessible vault toilets
Access: Barrier-free: the sites, the fishing platform and the nature trail
Vehicles: Up to 22 feet
Elevation: About 2,600 feet
From Portland: About 50 miles, an hour and a half: US 26 to Zigzag, Lolo Pass Road, then FR 1825

Which site to take

Nearest the creek: A4, A6, A2, B4, B3 About 140 to 210 feet from it.
A yome: A9, A11 Canvas, on a platform; $60 a night in 2026.
Walk-to: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 Park and carry your gear a short way in.
With a wheelchair: The whole campground: the Forest Service built every part of it barrier-free.

Every site

Site	To the creek	Next site	In our photo
A1	310 ft	140 ft	no photo
A2	190 ft	110 ft	no photo
A3	280 ft	110 ft	a table and grill under tall firs, a vault toilet behind
A4	140 ft	110 ft	a big gravel pad in the firs
A5	220 ft	50 ft	no photo
A6	150 ft	130 ft	no photo
A7	290 ft	130 ft	a long pad with two tables, logs at the edge
A8	370 ft	80 ft	no photo
A9	280 ft	60 ft	a canvas yome beside the table
A10	330 ft	80 ft	no photo
A11	260 ft	50 ft	a canvas yome under a big fir, a fire ring and grill
B1	320 ft	100 ft	a table and grill at the end of a short path
B2	360 ft	100 ft	no photo
B3	210 ft	80 ft	a framed pad, a table and grill
B4	200 ft	80 ft	a clearing at the end of a path, logs at the edge
B5	220 ft	110 ft	a table, fire ring and grill in the trees

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

Questions

Is Lost Creek accessible?: Yes. The Forest Service built it to be entirely barrier-free: the campsites, the fishing platform and the nature trail.
Is there drinking water?: Yes, potable water. Our note says the creek is drinkable but does not recommend it.
Can I fish?: In the Sandy River, Recreation.gov says: steelhead all year, coho in the fall, Chinook from February through October. Check Oregon’s fishing regulations.
When is it open?: In 2026, May 22 to September 30.
What else is close?: The trailhead for Ramona Falls is off the road in, and McNeil Campground is a mile and a half back toward Zigzag.