Iron Creek Campground
5Heads up5 fires, nearest 13 mi
- Right now
- Closedrecreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend, read 16:04 UTC
- A night
- $27–$50When it reopens, per site
- Sites
- 99In the agency’s record
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
Iron Creek Campground sits near the confluence of Iron Creek and the Cispus River. This large campground winds through a forest of old-growth Douglas firs, cedars and hemlock. Lush vegetation and ample space between sites offers excellent privacy. Keep reading
Recreation
Iron Creek provides great fishing for cutthroat trout, whitefish and rainbow trout. Visitors can stroll along the .3-mile Iron Creek Old Growth Trail and weave through the forest and along the Cispus River, or continue on a longer walk down the Iron Creek Campground Trail. This trail is barrier-free and designed to accommodate any age or skill level, with benches and plenty of places to stop along the way.
Facilities
There are 99 single and double family sites that are back-in and paved. Level spurs provide easy RV parking. Picnic tables, campfire rings and drinking water are provided.
Natural Features
Located in southwest Washington State, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument established by Congress in 1982. Iron Creek is part of the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, which is located in the northernmost portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This District is roughly located among three volcanic peaks: Mt. Rainier to the north, Mt. Adams to the east, and Mount St. Helens to the west. Contact Info This location has limited staffing. Please call (360) 686-3008 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
The Woods Creek Watchable Wildlife Interpretive Site is just up Forest Road 25 toward the town of Randle. Forest Road 25 is a popular scenic drive and provides excellent views of Mount St. Helens. The Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mount St. Helens is approximately 20 miles away.
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
IRON CREEK CG CLOSED FOR THE 2026 SEASON. Due to a powerful windstorm that recently plowed through Iron Creek Campground, the USFS has requested that this campground be closed for the 2026 season. Many trees are down throughout the campground and it will take some time before cleanup will be completed.
Check in: 2 pm, Check out: 12 pm (noon)
Click here for more information about Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Everything else this campground posts · 3
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.
Firewood is available for ale at host site for $10.00/bundle.
$8.00 fee is charged per night of stay for extra vehicles.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 99
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
Facilities
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…Picnic tables, campfire rings and drinking water are provided. Natural Features Located in southwest…”
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Creek
- Night sky · 248th darkest of 400 in WA
- Bortle 3
Nothing to book until it reopensread 16:04 UTC
recreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Tell me when it reopens
Watch for it to come back
One email when the agency reopens it, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check the agency’s own record once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time it stops saying closed.
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.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
“Extra Vehicle Fee $8.00” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own fee record
“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 · 6
Why this page can’t say why
recreation.gov lists every site at Iron Creek Campground closed this Friday and Saturday night. The U.S. Forest Service has published no closure notice we hold, so this page can’t say why, and it won’t fill the gap with a guess. A closed night isn’t a sold-out one: the reservations its record still carries were taken before the sites were closed.
There’s no notice to quote and no reason to argue with, so this page offers you the watch and the list below, and no letter.
Open within 60 miles · 2
The agency’s own word that these are open, not our reading of a season.
- Govt Mineral Springs Guard StaGifford Pinchot National Forest · 38 mi · 1 site
- Sunset Falls CampgroundGifford Pinchot National Forest · 44 mi · 18 sites
recreation.gov availability, read 16:04 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
99 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 96 mapped sitesAll 99 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 97 of the 99 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. 98 of the 99 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| A | 001 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 103 ft | 1,001 ftCispus River | 665 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 002 Multi | type not stated | 40 ft | 973 ftIron Creek | 637 ft | ||
| A | 003 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 70 ft | 1,101 ftIron Creek | 594 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 004 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 70 ft | 1,033 ftIron Creek | 568 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 005 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 51 ft | 1,141 ftIron Creek | 512 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 006 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 51 ft | 1,090 ftIron Creek | 471 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 007 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $27–$50 | |||
| A | 008 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $27–$50 | |||
| A | 009 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 126 ft | 1,062 ftIron Creek | 314 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 010 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 85 ft | 971 ftIron Creek | 205 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 011 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 77 ft | 936 ftIron Creek | 192 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 012 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 77 ft | 861 ftIron Creek | 119 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 013 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 72 ft | 748 ftIron Creek | 78 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 014 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 72 ft | 737 ftIron Creek | 150 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 015 Multi | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 60 ft | 812 ftIron Creek | 218 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 016 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 60 ft | 770 ftIron Creek | 249 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 017 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 86 ft | 851 ftIron Creek | 327 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 018 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 86 ft | 778 ftIron Creek | 347 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 019 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 106 ft | 821 ftIron Creek | 448 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 020 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 80 ft | 725 ftIron Creek | 549 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 021 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 80 ft | 801 ftIron Creek | 556 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 022 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 81 ft | 745 ftIron Creek | 674 ft | $27–$50 |
| A | 023 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 81 ft | 826 ftIron Creek | 655 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 024 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 94 ft | 1,015 ftCispus River | 155 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 025 Multi | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 112 ft | 1,037 ftCispus River | 120 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 026 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 94 ft | 941 ftCispus River | 66 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 027 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 80 ft | 923 ftCispus River | 91 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 028 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 80 ft | 1,002 ftCispus River | 137 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 029 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 94 ft | 962 ftCispus River | 230 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 030 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 68 ft | 931 ftCispus River | 188 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 031 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 68 ft | 872 ftCispus River | 255 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 032 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 91 ft | 841 ftCispus River | 337 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 033 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 75 ft | 800 ftCispus River | 286 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 034 Multi | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 77 ft | 740 ftCispus River | 237 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 035 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 77 ft | 704 ftCispus River | 191 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 036 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 87 ft | 603 ftCispus River | 111 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 037 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 87 ft | 590 ftCispus River | 87 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 038 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 130 ft | 474 ftCispus River | 91 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 039 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 88 ft | 531 ftCispus River | 210 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 040 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 78 ft | 600 ftCispus River | 174 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 041 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 87 ft | 600 ftCispus River | 281 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 042 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 71 ft | 655 ftCispus River | 251 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 043 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 71 ft | 716 ftCispus River | 320 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 044 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 88 ft | 698 ftCispus River | 378 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 045 Multi | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 88 ft | 774 ft | 449 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 046 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 100 ft | 848 ftCispus River | 444 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 047 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 109 ft | 801 ft | 572 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 048 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 107 ft | 905 ft | 471 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 049 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 50 ft | 960 ft | 448 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 050 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 50 ft | 934 ft | 491 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 051 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 87 ft | 1,084 ft | 393 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 052 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 95 ft | 1,103 ft | 457 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 053 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 87 ft | 1,171 ft | 343 ft | $27–$50 |
| B | 054 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 99 ft | 1,219 ft | 403 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 055 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 96 ft | 536 ftCispus River | 407 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 056 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 96 ft | 543 ftCispus River | 438 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 057 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 58 ft | 618 ftCispus River | 438 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 058 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 58 ft | 562 ftCispus River | 491 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 059 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 97 ft | 637 ftCispus River | 498 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 060 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 81 ft | 609 ftCispus River | 590 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 061 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 98 ft | 590 ftCispus River | 689 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 062 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 81 ft | 530 ftCispus River | 649 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 063 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 98 ft | 493 ftCispus River | 747 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 064 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 140 ft | 381 ftCispus River | 724 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 065 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 81 ft | 308 ftCispus River | 724 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 066 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 82 ft | 220 ftCispus River | 779 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 067 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 81 ft | 301 ftCispus River | 703 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 068 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 85 ft | 199 ftCispus River | 769 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 069 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 107 ft | 266 ftCispus River | 681 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 070 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 88 ft | 187 ftCispus River | 741 ft | $27–$50 |
| C | 071 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 88 ft | 270 ftCispus River | 654 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 072 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 72 ft | 381 ftCispus River | 544 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 073 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 82 ft | 278 ftCispus River | 658 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 074 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 72 ft | 359 ftCispus River | 584 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 075 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 70 ft | 257 ftCispus River | 706 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 076 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 62 ft | 329 ftCispus River | 632 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 077 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 332 ftCispus River | 601 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 078 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 70 ft | 253 ftCispus River | 683 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 079 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 33 ft | 324 ftCispus River | 566 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 080 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 83 ft | 242 ftCispus River | 649 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 081 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 33 ft | 316 ftCispus River | 567 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 082 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 69 ft | 379 ftCispus River | 499 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 083 Multi | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 69 ft | 441 ftCispus River | 445 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 084 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 64 ft | 469 ftCispus River | 385 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 085 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 60 ft | 508 ftCispus River | 333 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 086 Multi | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 60 ft | 467 ftCispus River | 290 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 087 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 69 ft | 476 ftCispus River | 193 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 088 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 69 ft | 505 ftCispus River | 129 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 089 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 71 ft | 608 ftCispus River | 220 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 090 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 76 ft | 616 ftCispus River | 161 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 091 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 64 ft | 678 ftCispus River | 254 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 092 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 64 ft | 694 ftCispus River | 225 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 093 Multi | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 68 ft | 734 ftCispus River | 323 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 094 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 68 ft | 790 ftCispus River | 314 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 095 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 85 ft | 769 ftCispus River | 257 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 096 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 91 ft | 736 ftCispus River | 212 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 097 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 59 ft | 649 ftCispus River | 274 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 098 Multi | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 59 ft | 696 ftCispus River | 221 ft | $27–$50 |
| D | 099 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 183 ft | 1,322 ftIron Creek | 657 ft | $27–$50 |
25 of 99 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Tower Rock CampgroundGifford Pinchot National Forest · 5.8 mi
North Fork Elk Group CampGifford Pinchot National Forest · 9.6 mi
North Fork Bear Group CampGifford Pinchot National Forest · 9.6 mi
North Fork Beaver Group CampGifford Pinchot National Forest · 9.6 mi
North Fork Campground (WA)Gifford Pinchot National Forest · 9.6 mi
Blue Lake Creek Campground - Gifford Pinchot NF (WA)Gifford Pinchot National Forest · 12 miTake Highway 12 from I-5 and proceed 40 miles to Randle, turn south on Forest Road 25 and continue for 12 miles to the campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Morton, WA
Typical weather
Typical October night 40°F, day 61°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 31°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
Iron Creek Campground is in Washington’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →