Panther Creek campground

Gifford Pinchot NF Mt Adams Ranger District
CARSON, WA 98610

Overview

The Campground sits along Panther Creek at the intersection of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Driving on FR65, 4.7 miles upstream from the campground, visitors can enjoy an easy hike to Panther Falls.

Campers can enjoy the privacy provided by a variety of shade-loving plants and a thick forest of cedars, ash, firs and alder.

Recreation

Hikers have close access to the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans 2,663 miles from Mexico to Canada. Outstanding scenic views are available all along this trail.

Facilities

The campground consists of 33 back-in sites with parking spurs that vary from 20 to 40 feet in length.

The campground's Premium Sites are adjacent to the creek and each site comes with a picnic table and grill. Potable water and vault toilets are also available.

Natural Features

Located in southwest Washington State, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument established by Congress in 1982.

Panther Creek Campground is located in the Mt. Adams Ranger District. Elevations here range between 1,200 feet at the Wind River Work Center, 12 miles north of Carson, WA and 12,276 feet at the summit of Mt. Adams.

The Mount Adams Ranger District offers a diverse array of habitats and natural features, from old growth to second growth forest, wetland areas, low and high elevation meadows, glaciers, and low and high elevation lakes.

Contact Info

This location has limited staffing. Please call (509) 427-3677 for general information.

Nearby Attractions

Panther Creek Campground makes a great base to explore Mount Adams and the Columbia River Gorge.

The town of Carson is nearby, which is known for its hot springs. It also has a golf course, restaurants and shopping.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations

Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.

A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

No-Shows

A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date.

No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.

Refunds

Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended.

Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay.

For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.

In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.

Camp site features

Across 33 camp sites:

Fire pit: all 33 sites
Picnic table: all 33 sites
Pets allowed: all 33 sites
ADA accessible: 1 of 33 sites
Longest RV: 40 ft
Largest party: 12 people

Fees

Extra Vehicle Fee $8.00

Directions

From Carson, WA: Travel 6 miles north to Old State Highway, (follow signs) turn right and then take your first left on Panther Creek Road. Proceed on Panther Creek Road for 4 miles to the campground.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

167 reviews

5 stars

126

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Monona W

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

Panther Creek Campground is in a beautiful setting - tall pines and right next to Panther Creek. The campsites are all far apart and spacious. This is a "primitive" campground - the pit toilets are a bit of a hike depending where your campsite is. There is a water pump and no other water source other than the creek. We loved camping here.

Kurt K

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

Panther Creek Campground Pros: Most campsites aren't directly adjascent to each other. Vault toilets are clean and stocked w/TP. Many miles of hiking direct from the campground. Panther Creek itself is awesome. It's a direct connect to the PCT. Campground is not too far from civilization but just out of cell range. Nice moderate hike to Wind river from the campground via the PCT. Cons: *Many sites have logs embedded around the tent sites. Many are too small for even a medium sized tent and the logs make it extremely difficult to use if your tent doesn't fit insite. *Vault toilets. *No cell service. *Biggest complaint, LACK OF FOREST MAINTENANCE! Way too much underbrush and fuel for wildfire especially in the dry summer months. Don't know who's in charge of this, but they need to be fired. *1 of 2 water pumps has been non-functional for at least the last 3 years. Conclusion: Panther Creek is a great campground for what it is. Federal. It could be so much better if the forest was maintained better and small things like the water pump being fixed and working. I just hope it doesn't burn down in a preventable wildfire like so many other great forested areas in the northwest have suffered. Most preventable by responsible forest management which is sadly missing.

Jimmy T

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

Peaceful

Judy S

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Beautiful old growth forest campground with lots of room (and understory) between campsites. Bathrooms were very clean and well maintained. Panther creek is a small, crystal clear stream with lots of small paths leading to sandy or rocky beaches, perfect for a cool respite on hot afternoons.

Nadine A

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Beautiful, clean, private (far enough from neighboring sites). Access to the creek is such a treat on a hot summer weekend.

Paula C

Loop:Area Panther Creek

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

The campsite, grounds and latrines were clean and well tended. While many sites were marked as Reserved, it seemed many did not come so it was very quiet for the most part. The Camp Kitty, a Siamese, frequented out site looking for handouts. She appeared to have young ones but only one person in our group caught a glimpse of two others. The host was uninterested in helping catch the cats when Carson locals stepped up to help. I guess it wasn't in his job description.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve