U.S. Forest Service · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR

Stone Creek Campground (Timothy Lake, OR)

4Heads up4 fires, nearest 10 mi
Wildfire
Austin fire · 9.7 mi away · 12,888 acres · 98% contained · updated Oct 12, 2026
Wildfire
The Narrows fire · 15 mi away · 305 acres · 98% contained · updated Sep 16, 2026
Wildfire
Grasshopper fire · 17 mi away · 93,972 acres · 98% contained · updated Sep 30, 2026
Wildfire
Latigo Lane fire · 32 mi away · updated Oct 16, 2026
ReservableOut of season, no booking; November 28 opens May 28.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Listed not openA database flag with no reason and no date
A night
$28From, per site
Sites
4543 on recreation.gov
3,260 ftElevation
488 ftWater · Timothy Lake
15.4 miSE of Mount Hood Villages, OR
74%Tree cover
Bortle 3Night sky · 622nd darkest of 770 in OR

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices

In the agency’s own words

Nestled in a cove between Hoodview and Gone Creek, Stone Creek includes a day-use area with a non-motorized boat access, trail access, picnicking and a view of Mt. Hood. Separate tent and RV loops limit the sound of generators. Two equestrian-friendly group camps are located across the road. 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 3 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. An equestrian-friendly group campground is located across the road. Campground hosts are available on-site in the main campground. 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 southeastern 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. The day use area offers views of Mt. Hood. A thick understory of rhododendron bushes provide privacy between sites.

Nearby Attractions

Stone 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

Rule

NOTICES: To limit sound, generators are only allowed in the Loop A (sites #22 - 43). Campsite are not on the water. Sites close to Forest Road 57 may pick up the rumblings of passing vehicles.

Rule

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.

Rule

Generators: Generators are PROHIBITED from Loop B (the "tent" loop, sites #1 - 21). For sites #22 - 43, generators hours are 8 AM to 8 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.

Everything else this campground posts · 12
Rule

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.

Rule

Maximum Occupancy: Standard Sites = 6 persons. Double Site = 12 persons. Group Area = 36 persons.

Rule

RV Water Tanks: Please fill your water tanks before arriving. We do not have fill stations. Filling at campsite water standpipes is prohibited.

Rule

Day Use: Day use parking permits are required at this location. Campers must display their hang tag. Daily parking permits are $10. Northwest Forest Passes and Interagency America the Beautiful Passes are honored.

Rule

Launch: Stone Creek's launch is for non-motorized boats only.

Rule

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.

Rule

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.

Rule

Wildfires: Before arrival, check your destination for wildfires , fire restrictions and air quality.

Rule

Equestrians: Please remove all hay and bag and dispose of all manure in designated dumpsters or pack it out. Please follow Forest Service rules for horse riding and camping, and use only certified "weed-free" feed.

Rule

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:  More Information: Park Rules , Boater Regulations , Mt. Hood National Forest , Portland General Electric .

Rule

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

Rule

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.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Tents and rigs

Sites
45 · 20 tent-only, 5 group
Hookups
None
Accessible sites
10
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Vault Toilets
“…campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. An…”
Drinking water
Yes
“…grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. An equestrian-friendly group…”
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
Hiking
Historic site
Horseback riding
Ranger programs
Kayaking
Non-Motorized Boating
Paddling
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

recreation.gov lists 43 of the 45 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.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. On November 28, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through May 28, 2027.recreation.govAdd to calendar (.ics)
Max stay9 nightsthe facility record
A night$28plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$64DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
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.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
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’ll write once, when the season that starts Fri, May 28 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 17

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
A night$28
Standard Nonelectric$28
Tent Nonelectric - Generators Prohibited$28
Group areas, a night$56–$168
These are next season’s rates, May 28, 2027 to Sep 11, 2027. The campground is between seasons now.
Payment in-full will be charged to your credit card upon completion of the reservation.
A non-refundable online reservation fee may be charged for some facilities.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What this campground addsits own record
Extra vehicle$10

“Parking: There is a $10 fee per day for each extra vehicle.” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own agency notice

What a stay costs
One nightDerived$36
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$64

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $28 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.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

“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

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

47 records

All 47 records

SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 41 of the 47 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Double Site23group standard nonelectric$56–$168
Double Site27group standard nonelectric$56–$168
Double Site34group standard nonelectric$56–$168
Equestrian-FriendlyGroup Camp, East Loopgroup standard area nonelectric
Equestrian-FriendlyGroup Camp, West Loopgroup standard area nonelectric
Generators Permitted Loop22type not statedyes
Generators Permitted Loop24standard nonelectricyes$28
Generators Permitted Loop25standard nonelectricyes$28
Generators Permitted Loop26standard nonelectricyes$28
Generators Permitted Loop28standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop29standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop30standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop31standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop32standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop33standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop35standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop36standard nonelectricyes$28
Generators Permitted Loop37standard nonelectricyes$28
Generators Permitted Loop38standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop39standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop40standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop41standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop42standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted Loop43standard nonelectric$28
Generators Permitted LoopHost Site 1host pad
Generators Permitted LoopHost Site 2host pad
No Generators01type not stated
No Generators02tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators03tent only nonelectricyes$28
No Generators04tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators05tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators06tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators07tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators08tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators09tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators10tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators11tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators12tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators13tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators14tent only nonelectricyes$28
No Generators15tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators16tent only nonelectricyes$28
No Generators17tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators18tent only nonelectricyes$28
No Generators19tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators20tent only nonelectric$28
No Generators21tent only nonelectric$28

The agency files 2 more records here that aren’t sites for the night. It names them host pads. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.

25 of 47 listed

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Coordinate45.10750, -121.78528
The phone503-464-8515
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Getting there

From 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 3 miles, then turn right again at the Stone Creek Campground entrance sign.

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Tonight41°Mostly Cloudy12% rain
Saturday53°Chance Light Rain then Areas Of Fog43% rain
Saturday Night30°Areas Of Fog
Sunday56°Widespread Frost then Partly Sunny

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.

80°32°20°

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.

Measured at: GOVERNMENT CAMP, OR (USC00353402), 14 miles away and 720 ft higher

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

What threatens this place

developing

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 4, 2026

Who answers for this land

Janelle Bynum, official portrait

Stone 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 →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: U.S. Forest Service’s own recreation database flags it not open and publishes no reason and no date. That’s a flag, not a notice: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: Government Camp, OR, 13.2 mi S (a census designated place). Straight line.