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

Rainbow

Rainbow Campground provides ample access to the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River. The campground offers a great location to enjoy peace and quiet in the beautiful mountains of northern Oregon. Visitors enjoy fishing, hiking, biking and rafting.

Closed for the seasonReservable · Recreation.gov17 sitesPets okTents only

More like this: reservable in Oregon · tent only in Oregon · pets allowed in Oregon

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
RAINBOW (OR)RAINBOW (OR)RAINBOW (OR)RAINBOW (OR)
Photos via Recreation.gov
4fires
active
Timber Lake/Ripplebrook Admin Rx - West (prescribed burn) · 1 mi away
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Tent-only17
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

17 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteEntrySurfaceShadeWaterfrontPeople / vehiclesFires
001Back-inGravelFullLakefront6 / 2Yes
002Back-inGravelFullLakefront6 / 2Yes
003Back-inGravelPartialLakefront6 / 2Yes
004Back-inGravelPartialLakefront6 / 2Yes
005Back-inGravelPartial6 / 2Yes
006Back-inGravelPartialLakefront6 / 2Yes
007Back-inGravelPartial6 / 2Yes
008Back-inGravelPartialLakefront6 / 2Yes
009Back-inGravelPartial6 / 2Yes
010Back-inGravelPartialLakefront6 / 2Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
PetsAllowed
Tent padsYes

The campground offers more than a dozen single-family sites for tent camping. Each site is equipped with a table and campfire ring with grill. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Parking surfaces are paved and gravel.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
ForestMt. Hood National Forest
RulesVehicles 24 ft. maximum.

Mt. Hood National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Rainbow30°40°50°60°70°January: 9.26 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowFebruary: 7.09 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMarch: 7.98 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowApril: 6.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.41 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.61 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.70 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.11 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 6.22 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 10.05 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowDecember: 11.30 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.9°F averageFebruary: 39.3°F averageMarch: 43.1°F averageApril: 47.9°F averageMay: 54.2°F averageJune: 58.9°F averageJuly: 65.2°F averageAugust: 65.5°F averageSeptember: 60.6°F averageOctober: 50.7°F averageNovember: 42.1°F averageDecember: 36.6°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Three Lynx, 3 miles from the campground at 1,120 feet, station USC00358466 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 69 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 5 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Estacada, travel east on Highway 224/Road 46 for 26 miles to the campground.

Coordinates45.0789° N, 122.0431° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Timber Lake/Ripplebrook Admin Rx - West

    1 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Fawn Stew Piles Rx - West

    1 mi from the campground

  • Wildfire
    The Narrows

    5 mi from the campground · 305 acres · 98% contained

  • Prescribed
    Austin Repair Pile Rx - West

    5 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearMountainology ↗18.5 mi
Dump stationDump station ↗21 mi
RV sales & serviceAdventure Trading RV ↗31.3 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida - Campground Review

Worth a stop

Bagby Hot Springs is located about 14 miles southwest of the campground. A popular site for soaking and relaxing, the springs are in a heavily wooded area in the scenic Cascade Range. The available bathhouses are fed by three major hot water springs and several minor outlets in the area. A historic guard station was built there in 1913.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.3 mi
    Riverside
    3.7 mi trail
  • 0.7 mi
    Alder Flat
    0.8 mi trail
  • 2.6 mi
    Rimrock
    2.3 mi trail
  • 2.6 mi
    Clackamas River ↗
    7.5 mi trail
  • 3 mi
    Cripple Creek
    3.5 mi trail
  • 3.1 mi
    Cache Meadow
    1.5 mi trail

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Mt. Hood National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

The campground is located in Mt. Hood National Forest along the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River at an elevation of about 1,400 feet. Huge maple and Douglas fir trees cover the area, and dense shrubbery provides some privacy between campsites. The river provides habitat for the federally protected bald eagle and northern spotted owl, as well as an occasional peregrine falcon. A variety of wildlife makes its home in the area.

Recreation

Fishing is very popular in the Oak Fork and anglers can expect a catch of winter steelhead, spring Chinook and late summer Kokanee salmon, as well as other species of freshwater fish. The Clackamas River also provides miles of wild water as it bends through the scenic Cascade range, making whitewater rafting a popular activity. The 5-mile Riverside National Recreation Trail, popular for hiking and mountain biking, is located not far from the campground. The surrounding area provides numerous additional opportunities for hiking.

Guidebooks for Oregon

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Rainbow?

Sites at Rainbow are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Rainbow?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Rainbow open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Rainbow have?

17 sites, including 17 tent-only sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I bring an RV to Rainbow?

Rainbow is listed for tents only.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Rainbow?

Yes, pets are allowed at Rainbow. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Rainbow?

Fishing is very popular in the Oak Fork and anglers can expect a catch of winter steelhead, spring Chinook and late summer Kokanee salmon, as well as other species of freshwater fish. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What if Rainbow is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Ripplebrook (0.1 mi), Riverside (1.6 mi), and Indian Henry (2.6 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby