Yes, yes, the September “Mt. Hood-US 26″ corridor trip is still two months away (Sept 21-22), but Cycle Wild is now thinking about the logistics. But where to camp? Cycle Wild has a few choices to pick from.The first one is Tollgate Campground. This campground is on US 26, just east of Rhododendron, about a 30 mile ride from Gresham. It will still be open in late September. It has running water and toilets, and a reserveable group site. This campground was built by the CCC during the Depression, so it has that vintage rustic feel. The main negative of Tollgate is it is RIGHT OFF of 26, meaning traffic noise would be present.
The other option would be Lost Creek off of Lolo Pass Road. This campground will be more secluded than Tollgate. The big issue with this campground is that by late September there are no services. The plus side of this is it will be quiet and free. The negatives are no water, no garbage, and no bathrooms.
No matter which one Cycle Wild chooses, it would mean some riding on busy US 26 and climbing. There are ways of avoiding much of 26 but it requires A LOT of climbing.
What’s your thoughts? Which would you prefer? Or does it matter to you? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Mt. Hood over the Sandy River valley
Have you looked at Green Canyon campground? It is about 3-4 miles from Hwy 26 on Salmon River Rd. Lost Creek is more like 6 miles (all uphill). Tollgate is right on the highway and noisy.
Betsy, I have looked at Green Canyon. It is indeed a nice spot. However the main issue with it is it’s first-come, first-served, and it doesn’t look like it closes for the season by late September. I wouldn’t want to lead 15 or 20 people to a campsite that may be full by the time we get there. Of course, later September probably won’t be busy. We can do more research to see what it would look like then. Do you know?
Also, Green Canyons is uphill as well, and it’s about 5 miles from 26.