Ripplebrook Campground - Clackamas River, Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon
RippleBrook Campground Details
- Reservations Available: Yes
- Number of Campsites: 13
- Avg. Overnight Fee: 18
- Drinking Water: No
- Toilets: Vaulted
- Camphost on Site: No
- Fires Allowed: Yes
- Cell Service: No
- Nearest Store (Miles): 2
- GPS: 45.08043, -122.04201
- Showers: No
- Firewood for Sale: No
- Address: Ripplebrook, OR, 97023
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Very well maintained by a pair of friendly, informative rangers. There’s good tree cover/privacy between campsites, with easy access to the water from most of the sites. The sound of the water drowns out pretty much all conversation from your neighbors, as well as the sound of the occasional car on the nearby road. Very quiet and peaceful. There’s no drinking water, but the ranger station is just 5 minutes up the road, and the vaulted toilets are kept very clean. Most of the sites are well spread out, and it’s a beautiful, modest little campground for not being on the Clackamas itself. Worth the extra drive time.
Nice campground with several (6-7) great river access spots. Sites range in size for intimate group of 4 or larger sites for families and friend – groups 6-10pp comfortably. Great for water dogs with shallow easy water access.
A wonderful gem to which we’ll certainly return. We were lucky to be in site #3 (late-season, mid-week), which felt insulated from both the other sites and the roads. The water was incredibly beautiful, but too cold to swim, let alone stand in, for more than a minute without feeling the first signs of frostbite. I’d eagerly return to other than #3 too, as many sites were attractive and had advantages. The walk-in at #14 is especially intriguing. The toilets are well maintained – and for just 14 sites, 2 mens/2 womens/1 unisex was great coverage. The rangers were great and the camp store (a mile back down the road) was an easy source of firewood and ice. A wonderful, peaceful retreat.
Thanks for the feedback! Ripplebrook is one of those campgrounds you stumble across and then return time and time again. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi there- my husband broke his leg and we are looking for somewhere with relatively easy river access- he is pretty good on crutches but obviously can’t go down a steep trail 🙂
Site 5is available when we want to go- I am just wondering how easy if at all e can get to the river ? Thanks so much!!
Hello, is the river easily accessible from the campsites (particularly site 5). My husband is on crutches and i am wondering if he can get to the river from this site.
I am not sure how accessible it is from site 5. I know that most sites have a steep slope to get down to the river. There are other access points you could use but on crutches all of it would be difficult.
We were hoping to reserve a spot for Friday and Saturday nights. There was one spot left (13), but someone nabbed the Saturday slot as I was making my reservation. Are there any first-come-first-served spots at the campsite?
Hi we are going next week to camp, I was wondering how far do you have to go for cell service??? Thx
Cell service is spotty up the Clackamas River and it will depend on your provider. You may have to drive as far as Estacada to get service which is almost an hour away.
Hi Chris,
we booked the only remaining camp site for this weekend, which is site #7. I remember walking through it when we were staying at site #5 a few weekends ago, and it looked like a nice spot, although on the other side of the road from the river. However, when I booked the spot, it had a disclaimer that said that one would have to walk 50-60 feet from the campsite to the fire ring and picnic table. Is that correct? I appreciate your response.
It isn’t abnormally far at all. You can see the site and table from where you park and the photo on this site is taken from the road through the campground. I wouldn’t worry about it. Have fun!
Hey there! Nabbed a spot here for an upcoming camping trip, but not on the river. I saw a swimming hole in one of the pics, is it accessible from the campsite without having to have a spot right on the river? Also- how accessible is the water from 13 if you know? Thanks for any and all help!
Theresa
The campground is on the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River and it is more of a creek than a river. Swimmability really depends on the water flow. Site 13 is on the river and towards the end of the campground so if you aren’t happy with the “swimming hole” adjacent to your site you could probably walk up river until you find a spot you like. You could also drive to the Clackamas River for swimming as well which is not far at all.
Thank you a lot for the information! Really helped.
We have a group going in a couple of days but will likely have more than two cars per site. Is there a place for extra cars? How picky are they about the two car max at each site?
In my experience as long as you pay the extra fee for each car (usually something like $5/vehicle) and the cars fit within your designated parking area you shouldn’t have a problem. Just be upfront with the camp host when they make their rounds and ask them the best way to handle it.
Hi there,
What are water levels like on this fork of the Clackamas right now? Thank you!
What are the water levels like in early September? Are the waterfront sites safe for young kids (no steep drop off)?