Staying at Nottingham Campground in Mount Hood National Forest is like going on a meditation retreat, but without the steep price tag.
Without fail, whenever I share a special spot like this, I inevitably get a “Shhh!” from locals. I understand the impulse, but since sharing fun outings is sort of our thing at PDX Parent, we’ll just have to learn to embrace (or at least accept) the situation. If it helps, there are roughly a bajillion incredible campsites in Oregon; this is just one of them.
Why Nottingham Campground is a Quiet Sanctuary
Imagine a campsite where the roar of the river is so loud that you can’t hear the obnoxious generator at the site next door. This was literally the case when we snagged a first-come-first-served campsite at Nottingham this month. The only negative? I kept yelping when my daughter accidentally snuck up on me because I couldn’t hear her footsteps over the roar of Hood River.
What to Do at Nottingham Campground
Mostly, this is a campground for relaxing. The river moves too quickly for swimming, though sites 13, 15, and others have water access. We asked a park ranger if we could walk to Tamanawas Falls Trailhead for a waterfall hike, and he told us sure, we could cross the river by walking across a fallen tree at site 21. We decided to drive.
Any Negatives?
As much as I love this place, it’s not for everyone. The restrooms are well maintained, but they have vault toilets. There’s no water available; you have to bring enough with you. There are no RV hook ups, either, and when we were there, no camp host. There’s no cellular service, which fits the meditative vibe, but isn’t ideal if you have an ill relative or booked a sitter for the weekend. Perhaps most significantly, there’s nothing to “do” — you can’t even walk anywhere, unless you want to risk life and limb (see aforementioned river crossing suggestion). Because of this, active adventurers could find the campsite boring. Go here for rest, not recreation.
Which Sites are Best at Nottingham Campground
Getting a riverfront site is a must. Since it’s late in the year, the reserved sites are mostly booked. Sites 1-5 and 12-14 are first-come-first-served sites, but only 13 and 14 are on the water. On our most recent trip, we lucked out and got site 13, the best of the FF sites. All of the sites on the water are large, but 13 has an incredible view and water access.
As for reserved sites, we noticed that 21 (empty that day) has incredible privacy and water access, but it’s not ideal for rooftop tent or trailer camping, as the parking spot is separated from the site by a row of trees. As of this writing there is no map of the campground available online, but I clicked each reservable site and 6-10 and 15-21 are all marked “riverfront.” I’m not sure I would trust that assessment, though, as 12 was marked “riverfront,” too, but when we were there this month, site 12 was across the road from our site and definitely not on the water. Also, site 13 isn’t listed on the website (perhaps someone is a little superstitious?), but we definitely stayed there. Hopefully the online map will be updated before next January.
How to Book
Go to Recreation.gov to book a site at Nottingham. Plug in your vacation dates, and find sites marked “A” for available. Start checking summer availability in January or February, as the best sites will be reserved months in advance.
If you’re going to try your luck with first-come-first-served sites, this is a great place to do it. There are many other campsites nearby to try if you don’t get a spot at Nottingham. If you’re new to FF camping, we’ve got tips.
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