Well, Mother Nature always wins. A two-night adventure to the Morrison Creek Campground, a mere 2.6 miles from the timberline of Mount Adams, was cut short to a one night stay after high wind, rain and temperatures dropping to freezing for the slated second night of the trip, all of which prompted an early departure.
Since the weather was truly unknown, my girlfriend and I were the only two to give the Morrison Creek Campground a try on Friday, June 26, into Saturday, June 27. The primitive campground sits around 4,800 feet in elevation surrounded by the remnants of the forest burned by the Cascade Creek Fire of 2012. The charred forest provides a better view of Mount Adams and also offers a glimpse of the natural cycle of forest rejuvenation as the understory and new pine trees are regrowing the forest of the future.
Getting there
From Trout Lake, head north on Mount Adams Highway (Highway 141), turning right at the Trout Lake General Store and gas station. Continue to the Y-intersection with Forest Road 23, then stay right and travel about one mile before turning left onto Forest Road 80, which is signed for the South Climb route. Follow Forest Road 80 to its end at the junction with Forest Roads 8040 and 8031. Turn right onto Forest Road 8040 and continue north until you reach Morrison Creek Campground, located on the left at the junction with the 500 spur road. The primitive campground serves as a popular base camp for hikers heading to the South Climb Trail and Mount Adams Wilderness. Drivers should note that the final forest roads are rough, with the U.S. Forest Service advising they are not recommended for trailers or large motorhomes. The campground offers primitive campsites and vault toilets but no potable water or camping fees.
I ultimately did not adhere to the high-clearance vehicle recommendations by many reviews of Forest Road 8040. And, as a result, I found out the road really isn’t that bad, at least to the Morrison Creek Campground. I cannot speak to the rest of the way to the popular South Climb trailhead.
All in all, the road is doable with low-clearance vehicles by driving slowly and being attentive to potholes, dips and some small whoops in the road. Enough that I, too, would not recommend a trailer or motorhome, especially inside the campground. Road access within the camping area would require high-clearance vehicles in spots.
Also, the National Forest Service website lists the site as temporarily closed, but a forest ranger clarified the campground is open before planning this adventure.
The experience
Oddly enough, this year’s excursion into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest fell on the same calendar weekend as the Mount St. Helens camping trip a year prior, “In the shadow of Mount St. Helens,” which also had its moments of rainy, cloudy weather. Obviously, it was known the weather across last weekend, mainly on Saturday, June 27, was not going to be favorable; however, the weather forecasted for the Mount Adams area was certainly better than the truth of high wind, 42 degrees and heavy rain on June 27.
Upon morning arrival on Friday, June 26, the lower fifth of the mountain above Timberline was visible, which provided a sense of hope to see Washington’s second tallest mountain at 12,281 feet in height and a prominence of 8,116 feet.
The mountain is also the largest stratovolcano by volume in the state and second largest in the Cascade Mountains behind California’s Mount Shasta. Mount Adams is also known as “Pahto” and “Klickitat,” according to Native American tribes.
One aspect of the mountain that drew me to wanting to camp close to its timberline is the fact Mount Adams is the second most isolated stratovolcano in Washington in terms of access, with the first being Glacier Peak to the north of Mount Rainier. Every time I am out in Ridgefield and see the classic tri-mountain view, Mount Adams has always filled me with curiosity.
During the setup of camp around 9 a.m., the ridgeline to a summitter’s camping area known as “Lunch Counter” became visible, adding to the hope that the peak will reveal itself.
At 11:25 a.m., the peak shedded its short-lived lenticular clouds and subsequently provided nearly an entire day of full mountain views. Mount Adams and its extended southern slope really fills the view to the north of the campground. To the south, views from Morrison Creek Campground include the peaks of the highlands above the Columbia River Gorge.
The glacier-fed Morrison Creek flows by a couple of the camping sites, so we chose a site next to a shelter in the campground, which maybe we should have utilized come Saturday. But nonetheless, exploring the area surrounding the creek was incredible. The creek and pooling areas behind logjams are crystal clear and lively with wildflowers using the wet, sandy soil.
Bird life in the area was enjoyable. Countless mountain bluebirds, warblers, sparrows, swallows and hummingbirds flew all over the area. The best was by far the contrast of the vibrant blues of the mountain bluebird amongst the blackened, burnt logs. By nighttime, the epic common nighthawk sharply swooped for flying insects.
Both the mountain bluebird and common nighthawk land on the 2026 photography goal by me to photograph 26 lesser seen animals in Southwest Washington.
I ended up missing an opportunity to capture a photograph of what appeared to be a Cascades frog, which is common but usually occurs at a higher altitude. The frog species would have likely landed on the list, since it isn’t too common in the direct Reflector coverage zone.
By evening, another fun wildlife encounter was a female Columbian black-tailed deer that was rather curious of us campers, which lasted until we decided to go to bed.
After watching for wildlife and exploring photo opportunities near the campsite, it was time to enjoy it by making a steak dinner with broccoli and asparagus on the campstove.
By nightfall, we went to sleep around 10 p.m. with a goal to wake up and watch the sunrise around 5 a.m. The rapidly dropping temperatures with the wind and rain made it tough to sleep comfortably without a safe in-tent heater.
Checking on the mountain for sunrise, it was blocked in low clouds. After a couple extra hours of sleep, the mountain was out with partly sunny conditions, though not even 40 degrees in late June. After a little walking around for photo opportunities, it was time to start making breakfast, which was great, but ultimately became uncomfortable with heavy rain and wind.
After weathering it out for a couple more hours with no end in sight, it was time to cut my losses and agree with my girlfriend to abandon the second full day near the mountain and head home, especially since new weather reports showed even colder nighttime conditions for Saturday into Sunday.
Despite the weather, the experience, views and time spent far from urban sprawl was unforgettable. I would recommend giving the Morrison Creek Campground a try to anyone who enjoys primitive camping.
