Rainbow (Or)

Mt. Hood National Forest — riverside, fishing, hiking

Location: Estacada, OR, OR

Price: From $26 per night

Rating: 3.8 out of 5 (12 reviews)

Season: May through October

Rainbow Campground provides ample access to the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River. The campground offers a great location to enjoy peace and quiet in the beautiful mountains of northern Oregon. Visitors enjoy fishing, hiking, biking and rafting.

Cell coverage (FCC estimate): none signal. Actual signal may vary in remote areas.

Amenities: Fire Rings, Picnic Tables, Vault Toilets, Drinking Water, Fishing

Availability alerts: Set a free cancellation alert at camperwatch.org/campground/rainbow-or to be notified when sites open up.

Rainbow Campground offers excellent access to the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River with popular fishing for winter steelhead, spring Chinook, and late summer Kokanee salmon. Campers consistently praise the river and trailhead access, friendly staff, and peaceful mountain setting (4.4/5 rating from 13 Google reviews).

Wildlife alert: American Black Bear, Townsend's Chipmunk, Pacific Wren, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and garter snakes present in the area.

Insider tips for Rainbow (Or): Book early—this is a popular federal campground with only 17 sites Camp host Dan is based at Ripplebrook for dumpster access Site #7 noted as secluded; site #13 available with open sunny spots

Skip Rainbow (Or) if: You need electrical or water hookups—none available. You're visiting outside May-October seasonal closure. You prefer heavily forested sites—some areas show fire damage.

Best time to visit Rainbow (Or): July-August — Peak season for late summer Kokanee salmon fishing and warm weather camping within the May-October operating season..

Nearby campgrounds: Ripplebrook (Estacada, OR), Riverside (Mt. Hood National Forest, Or) (Estacada, OR), Indian Henry (Estacada, OR), Raab (Estacada, OR).

Cell Phone Coverage at Rainbow (Or)

Cell signal at Rainbow (Or) (Estacada, OR): none overall signal based on FCC broadband data.

Coverage data source: FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC). Actual signal may vary due to terrain, tree cover, and distance from towers. Camper reports are more reliable than coverage maps in remote areas.

CamperWatch
CamperWatch›OR›Rainbow (Or)
Rainbow (Or) — photo 1
Rainbow (Or) — photo 2
Rainbow (Or) — photo 3
See all photos
Mt. Hood National Forest — riverside, fishing, hikingLive availability via Recreation.gov· synced every 30 min

Rainbow (Or)

Share:
Estacada, OR, OR★ 3.8 (12 reviews)From $26/nightFederal campground · book on Recreation.gov
On this page ↓OverviewConditionsPlan Your TripCommunity

Rainbow Campground provides ample access to the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River. The campground offers a great location to enjoy peace and quiet in the beautiful mountains of northern Oregon. Visitors enjoy fishing, hiking, biking and rafting.

Best for:AnglersHikersWildlife watchersFamiliesSites:Tent
LIVE · weather + fire + AQI + availability + wildlife

Verified facts

RIDB / Recreation.gov official database
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
SeasonMay through October
Stay limit14 days
HookupsNo hookups.
PetsAllowed
Max/site6 people

Amenities

RIDB /facilities /campsites · owner-verified
Essentials
Fire RingsDrinking Water
Recreation
Picnic TablesFishing
Family & Pets
Vault Toilets

Straight talk

CamperWatch intel · curated from camper reports

Known issues, each with the workaround. Read before you book.

Known issuesFederal campground — book early. No hookups at most sites. Seasonal operations.
Skip it if:✕ You need electrical or water hookups—none available✕ You're visiting outside May-October seasonal closure✕ You prefer heavily forested sites—some areas show fire damage

Insider tips & when to go

CamperWatch intel · hand-curated entry

Book early

this is a popular federal campground with only 17 sites

Camp host Dan is based at Ripplebrook for dumpster access

Site #7 noted as secluded; site #13 available with open sunny spots

Best: July-August

Peak season for late summer Kokanee salmon fishing and warm weather camping within the May-October operating season.

Things to do nearby

RIDB /activities /recareas + intel

Conditions today

Live
at campground coordinates

Cell signal

FCC BDC · quarterly dataset
T-Mobile
4G · 0%
Verizon
4G · 0%
AT&T
4G · 0%

FCC maps are theoretical — camper reports confirm signal.

Wildlife nearby

iNaturalist · research-grade · 8 km
Alert: American Black Bear, Townsend's Chipmunk, Pacific Wren, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and garter snakes present in the area.

Location

Leaflet · OpenStreetMap tiles
Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
503-630-5721· Mt. Hood National Forest
Getting there →

From Estacada, travel east on Highway 224/Road 46 for 26 miles to the campground.

Campground entrance

Google Maps API

Community

#community · posts, photos & Q&A · AI-moderated (Claude Vision)

Pro tips

  • Book on recreation.gov exactly 6 months ahead at 10am ET — Mt. Hood National Forest fills fast in peak season.
  • Check current road conditions at Mt. Hood National Forest before arrival — seasonal closures common.

Frequently asked questions

RIDB facts + intel · FAQPage schema, speakable
How much does Rainbow (Or) cost per night?+
Rainbow (Or) costs $26 per night. Hookup options: No hookups.
What season is Rainbow (Or) open?+
Rainbow (Or) is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.
Does Rainbow (Or) have hookups?+
No hookups.
What is the maximum RV length at Rainbow (Or)?+
Rainbow (Or) is primarily a tent camping facility.
How do I make reservations at Rainbow (Or)?+
Rainbow (Or) is a federal campground — book 6 months ahead at Recreation.gov. Set a free CamperWatch cancellation alert to be notified the moment a site opens.
What is the cell service like at Rainbow (Or)?+
According to FCC coverage maps, cell signal at Rainbow (Or) is rated none. FCC maps show theoretical coverage — actual signal in remote or heavily forested areas may be weaker.
What season is Rainbow (Or) open, and what are check-in times?+
Rainbow (Or) is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.

Official resources

Print Facility MapForest Service Concessionaire
Compare campgroundsPlan a multi-stop trip
●Data sources on this page
Recreation.gov — Live site availability — updated every 30 min
recreation.gov · RIDB API
National Weather Service — Live hourly forecast + active alerts
api.weather.gov · open-meteo.com
Google Air Quality API — Live AQI at exact campground coordinates
airquality.googleapis.com
iNaturalist — Research-grade wildlife within 8km
api.inaturalist.org
Google Pollen API — Today’s tree, grass & weed pollen forecast
pollen.googleapis.com
FCC Broadband Map — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile 4G/5G coverage data
broadbandmap.fcc.gov · quarterly
Sunrise-Sunset.org — Sunrise, sunset & golden hour for today
api.sunrise-sunset.org
Google Street View — Campground entrance & access road imagery
maps.googleapis.com
RIDB — ADA sites, hookups, toilets, pets, campfire rules, bear boxes, max RV, activities, contact, directions
ridb.recreation.gov · /facilities /campsites /activities /links /recareas

CamperWatch never fabricates data. Where data is unavailable, it is not shown.

$26 /night★ 3.8 (12)
SeasonMay through October
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
Reserve on Recreation.gov ↗
Dates full? Get an availability alert
FAQ
How much does Rainbow (Or) cost per night?+
What season is Rainbow (Or) open?+
Does Rainbow (Or) have hookups?+
All 7 questions →

Nearby Campgrounds

Ripplebrook

Estacada, OR

From $26/night

Riverside (Mt. Hood National Forest, Or)

Estacada, OR

From $26/night

Indian Henry

Estacada, OR

From $22.29/night

Raab

Estacada, OR

From $90/night

Own a campground nearby?

List free on CamperWatch — we take 5% only on bookings we send. No monthly fee.

List your campground →
$26 /nightNo booking fees
+TRIPCheck availability