Gone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)
4Heads up4 fires, nearest 10 mi
- Right now
- Listed not openA database flag with no reason and no date
- A night
- $28–$30Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 5048 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 11 notices
In the agency’s own words
Gone Creek Campground sits on the edge of the beautiful Timothy Lake, in the shadows of Mt. Hood, Oregon's highest peak. The lush, green forest surrounding the campground provides campers with ample recreational opportunities. Keep reading
Recreation
Proximity to Timothy Lake allows campers to enjoy a variety of water-related recreation activities, including boating and sailing, as well as swimming, windsurfing and fishing. Anglers can expect a catch of kokanee salmon and a variety of trout. A range of trails are located in the area. The Timothy Lake Trail is popular for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The 12 miles of relatively level terrain loops trekkers around the lake, providing scenic views of the area. It connects to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, a lengthy hike that extends across three states, from the borders of Canada and Mexico. Portions of that trail also lead southwest to Clackamas Lake Campground. The Clackamas Lake Ranger Station Historic District is less than 2 miles from the campground. It was built to house forest service workers in the early 1900s. The rustic architecture and historic nature of the buildings and the surrounding area draws thousands of tourists each year.
Facilities
The campground offers dozens of single-family campsites for tent and RV camping. Each site is equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. A campground host is available on-site to answer questions. The nearest gas station/convenience store is about 18 miles away, west on Hwy. 26. The nearest grocery store is in Government Camp, about 23 miles away, west on Hwy. 26.
Natural Features
The campground is situated on the south shore of the roughly 1,400-acre lake, at an elevation of 3,400 feet. Timothy Lake was created in 1956 as a storage reservoir for the Oak Grove Hydroelectric Project. It is one of the larger lakes in the Mt. Hood National Forest. The campground is nestled in a mixed conifer forest, with many sites with views of the water's edge. Contact Info Between 05/26/2023 and 09/09/2023 this location is staffed. Please call (503) 834-2215 to speak with local staff. From 11/22/2022 to 05/25/2023 this location is unstaffed. Please call (503) 464-8515 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
Gone Creek is about 28 miles from the base of majestic Mt. Hood, the highest point in Oregon. The historic Timberline Lodge in Government Camp offers scenic views of the snow-capped mountain.
Charges & Cancellations
A service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees. For full details see the Recreation.gov Rules & Reservation Policies.
What the agency tells you
Check-In/Out: Sites must be occupied each night. Check-in starts at 4 PM. Check-out is 12 PM. Sites unoccupied by 12 PM the day after the start the reservation will be forfeited without refund and resold. Call the campground office (503-834-2215) if you cannot arrive the first day of your reservation.
Generators: Generator use is permitted from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Due to customer feedback, we ask that campers refrain from using open-frame, construction-style generators, as they create excessive noise and may violate our peace and quiet rules. Generators are PROHIBITED after 8 PM and before 8 AM including to power medical devices or other equipment.
Parking: There is a $10 fee per day for each extra vehicle. One vehicle is included with single campsite, two with a double site. Please check your site's driveway length. This may limit the number and size of vehicles at your site.
Everything else this campground posts · 8
Maximum Occupancy: Standard Sites = 6 persons. Double Site = 12 persons. Cabins = 5 persons. Hike-To sites = 4 persons (small tent only).
RV Water Tanks: Please fill your water tanks before arriving. We do not have fill stations. Filling at campsite water standpipes is prohibited.
Registration: If you booked for someone else, please update the reservation with their information. The person listed is responsible for the activities of everyone at the site.
Wildfires: Before arrival, check your destination for wildfires , fire restrictions and air quality .
Non-Refundable Fees: Service fees such as reservation fees, cancellation fees, and change fees are non-refundable. They are retained by the reservation service contractor, not by PGE or the U.S. Forest Service.
This campground is managed by Portland General Electric, under a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service as a part of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 2195. Contact PGE Parks and Recreation for more information: PortlandGeneral.com/parks, 503-464-8515, pgeparks@pgn.com More Information: Park Rules , Boater Regulations , Mt. Hood National Forest, Portland General Electric.
Firewood: Buy it where you burn it. Did you know? Invasive insects and diseases can hitchhike in on logs, and they can destroy forests. Keep firewood local: under 10 miles is best, and 50 is too far. Learn more: dontmovefirewood.org
Cannabis: Please remember that Timothy Lake is on federal lands. While cannabis is legal in Oregon, possession and use are illegal on National Forest lands including in campgrounds.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 50 · 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Accessible sites
- 10
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. A campground host…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. A campground host is available…”
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, Creek
- Amphitheater
- Berry Picking
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Crawfishing
- Evening Programs
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Horseback riding
- Ranger programs
- Motor Boat
- Night sky · 617th darkest of 770 in OR
- Bortle 3
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 48 of the 50 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 17
What you actually pay
“Parking: There is a $10 fee per day for each extra vehicle.” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own agency notice
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $28–$30 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“A service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees. For full details see the Recreation.gov Rules & Reservation Policies.” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 7
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
50 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 48 mapped sitesAll 50 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 50 of the 50 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 48 of the 50 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AREA GONE CREEK | 001 | standard nonelectric | 77 ft | 332 ft | 199 ft | $28–$30 | ||
| AREA GONE CREEK | 002 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 70 ft | 405 ft | 294 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 003 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | 70 ft | 339 ft | 267 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 004 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 62 ft | 413 ft | 262 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 005 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 62 ft | 362 ft | 202 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 006 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | yes | 68 ft | 430 ft | 237 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 007 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 80 ft | 406 ft | 186 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 008 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 80 ft | 468 ft | 250 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 009 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 68 ft | 377 ft | 217 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 010 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 60 ft | 293 ft | 170 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 011 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 63 ft | 349 ft | 155 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 012 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 53 ft | 217 ft | 165 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 013 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 53 ft | 200 ft | 117 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 014 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | yes | 60 ft | 286 ft | 114 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 015 | standard nonelectric | 26 ft | 107 ft | 195 ft | 31 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 016 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | yes | 50 ft | 174 ft | 121 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 017 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | yes | 50 ft | 223 ft | 122 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 018 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 73 ft | 216 ft | 195 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 019 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 91 ft | 160 ft | 182 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 020 | standard nonelectric | 26 ft | 92 ft | 205 ft | 92 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 021 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 77 ft | 129 ft | 120 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 022 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 72 ft | 170 ft | 151 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 023 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft | 72 ft | 99 ft | 195 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 024 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 72 ft | 146 ft | 232 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 025 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 72 ft | 82 ft | 277 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 026 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 72 ft | 90 ft | 284 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 027 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 86 ft | 149 ft | 189 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 028 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 86 ft | 219 ft | 125 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 029 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 103 ft | 135 ft | 83 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 030 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | yes | 75 ft | 138 ft | 43 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 032 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 58 ft | 185 ft | 59 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 033 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 58 ft | 178 ft | 116 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 034 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 85 ft | 99 ft | 232 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 035 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | yes | 69 ft | 180 ft | 184 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 036 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 78 ft | 185 ft | 262 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 037 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 77 ft | 148 ft | 238 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 038 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 77 ft | 193 ft | 164 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 039 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 78 ft | 231 ft | 198 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 040 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | yes | 118 ft | 277 ft | 49 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 041 | type not stated | 25 ft | 349 ft | 71 ft | |||
| AREA GONE CREEK | 042 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 105 ft | 444 ft | 272 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 043 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 77 ft | 297 ft | 126 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 044 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 70 ft | 342 ft | 120 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 045 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 61 ft | 321 ft | 117 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 046 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 61 ft | 381 ft | 171 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 047 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 68 ft | 324 ft | 232 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 048 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 68 ft | 283 ft | 225 ft | $28–$30 | |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 049 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 72 ft | 301 ft | 160 ft | $28–$30 |
| AREA GONE CREEK | 050 | type not stated | 40 ft | 245 ft | 177 ft | |||
| Double Site | 031 | group standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 90 ft | 91 ft | 130 ft | $56–$58 |
25 of 50 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Oak Fork Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)Mt. Hood National Forest · 0.3 mi
Stone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)Mt. Hood National Forest · 0.6 mi
Hoodview Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)Mt. Hood National Forest · 0.9 mi
Pine Point Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)Mt. Hood National Forest · 1.3 miTimothy Lake - Meditation Point CampgroundMt. Hood National Forest · 1.3 mi
Clackamas Lake Historic CabinMt. Hood National Forest · 1.6 miFrom Sandy, Oregon, travel east on Highway 26 for approximately 40 miles to Skyline Road/Road 42. Turn right on Skyline Road and continue south for about 9 miles. Turn right on Forest Service Road 57 and travel west for 1 mile, then turn right again at the Gone Creek Campground entrance sign.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Government Camp, OR
Typical weather
Typical October night 37°F, day 53°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 26°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Gone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR) is in Oregon’s 5th congressional district. Its representative, Janelle Bynum (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →