Iron Creek Campground

I reserved the Thursday night before Labor Day Weekend because that was the only night reservable. Fri-Sun were FF (First Come-First Served). I figured I would be able to keep the campsite all weekend once I got up there on THursday and paid for the remainder of the weekend. The day before I was to leave I called recreation.gov and sat on hold for 20 minutes only to be told that the campground manager had opened the reservations for the weekend and all sites were now gone. So my Labor Day weekend is now totally screwed. This same site notified me in early June that my reservation was cancelled 2 days before I was to leave because they had not gotten it ready to open. I don't know who manages this campground but they should be fired.

I travelled here with a 35’ 5th wheel and parked in site #C59 which is a dry, back-in spot. The roads/sites were all asphalt. Some had lots of heaving due to roots and such. The road to the CG (Rt 131/FS Rd 25) was very rough and really tossed stuff around in my trailer. Go slow… The road was on the narrow side so it was difficult to get backed in. Other sites would have been easier (C60, D92.) D Loop is closer to Iron Creek so you hear the water which is a nice benefit. My perception is that B Loop sites would have been easier to get into and had more open space to the sky for solar. My site was heavily shaded making the solar almost useless. There was no picnic table there, but most sites do have a table. It was very private with lots of space between sites. No dump station and water spigots are not threaded so come with full tanks. I really liked the park and it was not very far to the east entrance to Mt. Rainier and to the east side of Mt. St. Helens. No cell service, but there is a wildlife viewing spot between the CG and Randle where you can pull off and get good reception. I’d stay here again.

Beautiful and well maintained NF campground. Many sites available...both reserved, and first-come. Road and site are paved, with standard fire pit and picnic table. With so many trees, it felt very private even with most of campground full. Two problems I had...1) No cell signal with ATT or TMobile. Had to drive into Randle to get a signal. 2) The abundance of very tall trees provided little sun for my solar panels. Other than that, it was beautiful and enjoyable stay.

We stayed at Iron Creek Campground in August of 2019 in a 24' travel trailer. Love this old growth forest campsite for the higher elevation and shade that made camping without hookups in August quite comfortable. Expect bugs to chase you in at night but also the hooting of owls and darkness that allows you to see the Milky Way through the tall canopy of trees. This site provides a good central point to visit both Mt Rainier National Park and Mt St. Helen's National Monument with the added bonus of views of Mt Adams on the road to Mt St Helens. The camp sites were well spaced and the hosts were welcoming and friendly. Be aware there is no cell service until you get closer to Randle.

Used this as a base for seeing Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier NP's - worked well for this purpose. Spaces are separated by a variety of tall trees, shrubs, and moss- covered roots (see pic). Variety of sizes so confirm length on website. A11 easily accomodated our 25' trailer and tv. Clean pit toilets, but no water this year. Solar not much help with the trees. Several generators were in use, but noise wasn't a problem. Zero cell service. Pictures show site, Mts Rainier and St Helens, and nearby Iron Creek Falls.