Ainsworth State Park, Cascade Locks, Oregon
Ainsworth State Park is located 35 miles east of downtown Portland, just off of Interstate 84 (I-84) in the spectacular Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. All campsites at Ainsworth State Park are full hook-up sites and the park offers restrooms with flush toilets and hot showers. Surrounding the State Park are miles and miles of hiking trails and scenic waterfalls. In fact, situated at the eastern end of Historic Highway 30, from Ainsworth to Crown Point to the west, you'll find the world's greatest concentration of high waterfalls (like Multnomah Falls at 620 feet). Of the 43 campsites at Ainsworth State Park, 24 are pull-through campsites. Within a short drive are several additional state parks with day use facilities for fishing, windsurfing, hiking, biking, and swimming. Shopping and restaurants are available in Cascade Locks, 10 miles to the East. If you are a light sleeper, avoid the even numbered camping sites in the "B" loop as they are near very active railroad tracks.
While searching Reserve America for a last minute campsite I found Ainsworth State Park. It was only available for one night, but it was just thirty miles up the Columbia from us, so we jumped on it. I'm glad that we did. It was close enough to Portland that two of my sisters (and their significant others) joined us for dinner and my daughter drove out the next morning (Father's Day) and spent a couple of hours with us before we had to pull in the slides and drop the jacks. Early Sunday morning we hiked west along the gorge to Horsetail Falls. Had we more time (and better shoes) we could have continued up to Ponytail Falls and several others. The other nice thing to note about the Park is that although it's located on the old Columbia River Highway which is not recommended for large RV's, it is only a 1/4 of a mile from the interstate so that wasn't an issue. We're looking forward to a return visit so that we can have more time to hike.
On our second visit here, the first thing we did was play tourists and drove a couple miles down the road and visited Multnomah Falls again.
Ainsworth State Park website link
Nestled in the awe-inspiring Columbia River Gorge, Ainsworth is equal parts waterfall wonderland, hiker's playground, and camper's delight. Situated at the eastern end of Historic Highway 30, from Ainsworth to Crown Point to the west, you'll find the world's greatest concentration of high waterfalls (like Multnomah Falls).
By leaving the park on Nesmith Point trail, you'll end up with a splendid view of St. Peter's Dome, a majestic basalt monolith rising 2,000 feet above the mighty Columbia River. Hiking is definitely something you'll want to do while camping at Ainsworth State Park.
Ainsworth is located in close proximity to Interstate 84 for ease of access as well as close to a working rail line that runs through the entire Columbia River Gorge.
Campground info
40 full-hookup sites canopied in a laid-back, tree-filled setting
Six walk-in tent sites
Designated bike-in camp area
Flush toilets/showers
Firewood
Interpretive programs