Rock Creek Campground

Drove about an hour up winding roads (6-8 miles of dirt/gravel) to get here only to find that there wasn't a single bar of verizon coverage :(
The non-horse sites are small and probably wouldn't accommodate more than a vehicle and tent. The place itself was very nice with trails near by and I would have stayed if not for the cell coverage issue.

Nice campground. For this place, and the nearby campground that is also listed as free (cold creek I think) you need to have a discovery pass. If you don’t, they will give you a $100 fine if they catch you. Posting a photo of how to buy one if you want. We didn’t have one, but we thought we did. The ranger came by around 11am just before we left and we showed him our pass with confidence, and he was like ‘that’s not it’ but he saw we had tons of park passes and decided to let us off with a warning. We ended up here around 10pm after trying the nearby campground, cold creek, and finding it closed. This one was open, and it has hosts at the camp site when you come in. We didn’t talk to them, but it was nice having them there for us to feel safer. The place is lovely, wooded with green moss and ferns and plenty of sites. Lots of sites for people with horses but at least 8 sites for just tent/van campers. Pit toilets that are well maintained. In some parts of the campground we could get 1 bar of cell service with Sprint and AT&T, but pretty spot and slow. On a Thursday we were the only campers, but I think another camper came after us in the night. Go in from the North and the road is paved, we followed google from Portland and it took us along a dirt road, leaving in the morning we headed straight North and then West and it was paved the whole way, so it was longer mile wise but shorter time wise and better driving.

Rock Creek is truly a hidden gem. It is a horse camp with several spacious horse sites and a few tent sites. Sites are mostly private and there is hardly anyone there during the week. Plenty of water for horses and several mixed use (non-motorized) trails. You can hear Rock Creek flowing nearby at night. Pit toilets are kept super clean. No trash service - carry out what you bring. Bring drinking water and firewood, as I don’t believe the camp host sells wood. Yacolt is the nearest store and their firewood bundles are a better deal than most places. Paved road the entire way to the campground, unless you come through Hockinson which I do not recommend. Verizon gets intermittent 1 bar LTE. Enjoy!