Hurricane Creek Campground

This was one heck of a find after striking out at Wallowa Lake State Park. The drive in is a bit long and does go down to one lane during the last mile or so. There are multiple campsites located here and most are located on the creek side. The site we had included a picnic table and firepit.

This is a gorgeous area with tall mountains as the backdrop to the creek. Hurricane Creek Trailhead is also located here - we looked at the trails and they were long and difficult so we decided to enjoy the creek instead. :)

We only stayed one night, but we were surprised by the amount of traffic on this road. We didn't really hear anything beyond the vehicle noise though.

No cell service (AT&T or Verizon).

The creek is indeed roaring, and when I was there it was jumping it's banks to form side channels. The campsites are along the creek but high enough to not be affected. I was the only person there on a Monday night in early June. The vault toilet was clean and stocked with tp. The road in is about 2 miles of gravel. There were one or two big pot holes and a little bit of washboard but it was pretty good. You could get a small trailer into a couple of the sites near the entrance. It's about 8 minutes from Joseph so it would be convenient if you wanted to enjoy the town and Wallowa Lake.

The noise? - It's the sound of the rushing Hurricane Creek. It drowns out almost all other noise in the campground and just lulls you to sleep in the evening. But without the creek, it would be a quiet campground. We loved it here!

It's what I would call an "old fashioned USFS campground" - small, vault toilets, no water, no cell signal. Twelve spread out sites along the creek in a narrow canyon. Note- Sites are numbered 1-13, but there is no site #11. Some sites are only suitable for tents, some can fit a small trailer. Dump station is available in Joseph, adjacent to the fire station (across from the Chief Joseph Days rodeo grounds) for a $5 fee. We had a choice of at least 3 sites for our 17ft trailer and chose #6, on the banks of the creek. Big trailers & motorhomes could have a tough time maneuvering the tight spaces.

The Hurricane Creek Road has some nasty pot holes - in fact our trailer's kitchen cupboard emptied itself all over the floor from a pothole that snuck up on me!. The campground access road is also a bit of a challenge - steep and rocky!. But the location is awesome - just 4 miles from Joseph and 3 miles up the canyon to the Hurricane Creek trailhead.

13 Camp Sites Total - Majority of tent sites had gravel for tents to sit on – Clean bathrooms – Newer style of pit toilets - Pit toilet near site 10 is ADA with gravel ramp, did not notice other pit toilets if ADA – Can hear the river very loudly from all campsites, very relaxing and campsites mostly spread out - All campsites have tables and fire rings.

Site 11 and greater campsites no turnaround – Have to turnaround at #10 - For 24 foot trailer had to back into campsite #10 to be able turn around – Had to ask for car to move so that I could turn around, 24 foot trailer and long box crew cab truck. #6 and less campsites have no turnaround for trailer

Site 13: Very short trailer only, will need to be good at backing up a trailer to make this work – No turnaround so checkout by foot before coming down campground road with trailer - Very shaded – Next to river.

Site 12: Steep incline to get into the campground, trailer not recommended at all – Tent camping only.

Site 11: Missed taking notes on campsite.

Site 10: 24 foot trailer max for length – Turnaround in front of campsite but not very big – No shade, wide open – Next to bathroom but not too close – Able to fit truck long box crew cab alongside trailer – Also another vehicle and a tent – Away from river

Site 9: Next to river – Not shaded – Can fit a trailer 20 foot maybe a 22 foot size – Not sure though there were people at the campsite – No picture

Site 8: Next to River – Shaded – 24 foot trailer can fit but a long truck along with trailer is questionable – Bathroom across from campsite – No other campsites nearby.

Site 7: Next to River – Shaded – Can fit a 22 foot trailer and long truck – Difficult part is trees being close to the sides of where you would park the trailer, if you are a good driver then maybe you can maneuver a larger trailer – Can walk up to rivers edge from site, very close

Site 6: Tent and car only – Directly across from bathroom – Next to river and somewhat shaded.

Site 5: Tent and car only – Next to campground road entrance – No shade and very small and not secluded – Also next to pay center and next to bathroom

Site 4: Tent and car only – Tight even for a car to fit – Wide open and not shaded

Site 3: Tent and car only – Very shaded

Site 2: Tent and car only – Very dusty with no gravel down on road and area for car to be parked at – Semi shaded

Site 1: Tent and car only – Vary large area – Multiple cars and multiple tents can fit on this campsite – Dusty and no gravel like #2 also – very shaded and set within big fir trees – No one else around very secluded – Road into this site is kind of rough because of driving over roots of trees, and uneven terrain – Directly next to river.