Hells Crossing Campground
5Heads up5 fires, nearest 21 mi
- Right now
- Listed not openA database flag with no reason and no date
- A night
- $22From, per site
- Sites
- 18All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 7 notices
In the agency’s own words
Hells Crossing Campground is located along the American River in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington's Cascade Range. Warm summer days and easy access to an abundance of recreational activities make the campground a perfect setting for individual and group camping excursions. Keep reading
Recreation
Hells Crossing Campground offers outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to hike, fish, ski, raft and enjoy a multitude of recreational activities throughout the year. The American River, which can be accessed from within the campground, offers a scenic backdrop for swimmers braving its cold, refreshing waters. Whitewater enthusiasts may enjoy a rafting trip on the American or on one of many scenic rivers in the area.
Facilities
Hells Crossing Campground offers standard and tent-only sites. Picnic tables, vault toilets and drinking water are available; however, there are no electrical hookups. There are two sections in the campground, each with its own entrance; sites 1-10 are in the eastern section (just over the American River), while sites 11-18 are in the western section.
Natural Features
The Okanogan-Wenatchee is a unique National Forest, where high, glaciated alpine peaks tower along the Cascade Crest. Lush valleys of old-growth forest define its western boundary, and at its eastern edge, rugged shrub-steppe country comprises a more arid region. Elevations range from below 1,000 feet to over 9,000 feet. Visitors to the area can expect many days of warm, sunny weather in the summer and plenty of snow in the winter.
Nearby Attractions
Boulder Cave National Recreation Trail is one of the most popular places in the Naches District. Visitors can walk the accessible trail along the river or explore Boulder Cave. Interpretive signs along the trail explain the geology, plants, animals and fire history of the area. Hikers may want to traverse a portion of the spectacular Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), one of the world's premier National Scenic Trails. This trail showcases some of North America's most fantastic scenery as it winds its way from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. Contact Info This location has limited staffing. Please call (661) 702-1420 for general information.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite. Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
What the agency tells you
Single site fees include 1 vehicle and 1 legally towed vehicle. Any additional vehicles are subject to an extra vehicle fee on-site, space permitting.
Off-road vehicle use prohibited in the campground
This campground is not recommended for RV campers due to its tight turns and the close proximity of trees to the roads. Please use caution.
Everything else this campground posts · 4
Click here for more information about Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Pacific Northwest forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Water is available in this location via a handpump and/or water spigot. Please DO NOT attach your RV hoses to the water systems we provide. These are made available to you to fill your water jugs/buckets and take back to your site to use. If you need to fill your RV water tanks, please fill your tank before you come to the campground. Thank you!
Firewood is available at host site for $10.00/bundle.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 18 · 6 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…and tent-only sites. Picnic tables, vault toilets and drinking water are available; however, there…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…sites. Picnic tables, vault toilets and drinking water are available; however, there are no electrical…”
Around the campground
- On the water
- River
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Water sports
- Night sky · 270th darkest of 400 in WA
- Bortle 3
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
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 · 14
What you actually pay
“Extra Vehicle Fee $8.00” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own fee record
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $22 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.
“Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a cam…” · this campground’s own no-show 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
18 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 18 mapped sitesAll 18 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 18 of the 18 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 001 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 119 ft | 139 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 002 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 97 ft | 110 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 003 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 97 ft | 133 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 004 | tent only nonelectric | 30 ft | 107 ft | 214 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 005 | tent only nonelectric | 30 ft | 115 ft | 103 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 006 | standard nonelectric | 18 ft | 39 ft | 317 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 007 | tent only nonelectric | 18 ft | 39 ft | 302 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 008 | tent only nonelectric | 18 ft | 157 ft | 339 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 009 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 142 ft | 218 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 010 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 142 ft | 147 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 011 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 103 ft | 180 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 012 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 67 ft | 199 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 013 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 147 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 014 | standard nonelectric | 18 ft | 63 ft | 153 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 015 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 81 ft | 140 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 016 | tent only nonelectric | 18 ft | 104 ft | 228 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 017 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 122 ft | 194 ft | $22 |
| AREA HELLS CROSSING | 018 | tent only nonelectric | 30 ft | 166 ft | 170 ft | $22 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Salmon Cove Group SiteSnoqualmie National Forest · 0.6 miSalmon Cove Group CampgroundSnoqualmie National Forest · 1.8 mi
Pine Needle Group SiteSnoqualmie National Forest · 2.7 mi
Pleasant Valley CampgroundSnoqualmie National Forest · 3.2 mi
Cougar FlatSnoqualmie National Forest · 3.6 mi
Soda Springs Campground (Bumping River, WA)Snoqualmie National Forest · 3.6 miFrom Naches, take Highway 410 approximately 38 miles northwest to milepost 83.4.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Cliffdell, WA
Typical weather
Typical October night 38°F, day 49°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 24°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
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Hells Crossing Campground is in Washington’s 4th congressional district. Its representative, Dan Newhouse (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →