Rufus Landing | Wild Camping

May 11th, 2024 by Chasing.The.Sun

Great place to hang out for a few days. Large mostly level gravel lot. Some road and train noise, but worth being camped right on the water. Place was very clean (no trash laying around) 👍👍👍

April 15th, 2024 by thefriskalatingdusklight

Just wanted to update that this spot is actually open April 1st - October 31st. I decided to check it out even though other reports said it it was closed til May, and it’s totally open! Huge area with lots of other vans, RV’s, trucks and a couple tents. I have 3 bars LTE, which is way better than a lot of places I’ve stayed! Super windy, so it’s not a place to hang out and have a campfire or anything, but very nice for an overnight and feels safe.

September 19th, 2023 by pampas.overland

This is a gravel lot with 2 pit toilets in good shape, clean and well stocked with toilet paper. The water views are lovely. It is surprisingly nice for being a gravel lot that's so close to the highway. Noise-wise, there's the highway and both an OR as well as a WA side train, both active. But there is no crossing here so the trains do not blow their horn or whisle, you just hear the machine going. The highway is more of a little bit of white noise. This is a very windy area, we arrived with 30 knots blowing West-East and it gets very annoying quickly, so plan accordingly. Due to this being a windy area, you have lots of kiters, which is a cool view. They park closer to the water, and I saw no vans or RVs in the area where they were parked, not sure if due to some unspoken local rule or just because the gravel can get a bit more soft for bigger vehicles closer to the water. RVs and vans, I counted around 10, so while accessible, it's also not a super hot spot, at least mid September. This is a well connected place, Google Fi is fine and using the 5G network and Starlink has zero obstructions, so if you need a place to hang out for a day or two, this is fine. Safety-wise, we have been feeling safe, and while not the cleanest place, we also did not see obvious signs that led us to believe this is a hot spot for drinking or drug use.

(we try to report on connectivity for people trying to work off grid; IG: @pampas.overland)

September 18th, 2023 by Ashlyn Swenson

This place looks awesome, wish we could’ve slept here but had to keep moving.

September 12th, 2023 by smokythebus

awesome spot to stay. Huge spot for many rigs all sizes. it is very windy and lots of locals come here to do water sports which is very cool to watch. the water is also great to refresh in hot days. there are bathrooms but we did not go since we don't need them.

August 18th, 2023 by Lust4life

A great place to go if you don’t wanna make any more decisions and just need a place to stay that’s safe. Swimming and a place to filter water is a plus.

July 12th, 2023 by jack

Large flat gravel lot. Road noise competes with wind noise, but not too bad. Lots of wind surfers camping even midweek. 2 bars Verizon.

June 30th, 2023 by clare0rise

Beautiful spot. The day use section is nicer/windier. Gets packed, even on a Wednesday/Thursday there’s lots of campers.

October 30th, 2022 by Lyn

Huge flat area for lots of campers. Large clean outhouse. Very windy which I assume is typical based on all the wind turbines in the area! Free overnight camping allowed til Oct 31, then day use only. We happened to be there Oct 30 😊. A few trains thru the night, on the other side of the river. No whistles so they aren't too loud. Could have slept thru them, if I'd been able to fall asleep in the first place. But the highway traffic kept me awake. Was hoping it would quiet down thru the night but it didn't. If you need quiet, you probably won't like this place. But otherwise it was a great stop.

October 14th, 2022 by ozymandias.steiner

Great spot, clean and maintained. Be warned, seasonal only May 1 to November 1.

August 25th, 2022 by seekandenjoy.life

Rufus Landing
Large, flat, and easily accessible for any size rig. Plenty of space for a bunch of RVs, trailers, vans, etc. There’s a pit toilet but no other services.

If you happen to visit on windy days (over 30mph) you’ll likely be treated to watching a bunch of wind surfers and kite boarders out on the water. We happened to get there the day before 2 solid days of wind and there had to be 100 people out there!

Train (no horns) and highway noise was minimal. Didn’t bother us at all.

Not much close by besides a couple gas stations and some burger/deli places. The Dalles is about 20 minutes away for groceries. Oh, and there’s a great fruit stand just across the bridge on the WA side which is only about 10 minutes away. Best watermelon we’ve ever had came from there!

Great AT&T download and upload speeds. Verizon cell signal strong as well.

July 24th, 2021 by stihl.warrior

Huge gravel lot, maybe 30 vehicles already here. Was tough to get a waterside spot, and no shade. Super hot in the summer on the gravel but fun to watch the kite boarders. Be sure you arrive with a lot of water and preferably a canopy.

July 20th, 2021 by weroamawayfromhome.com

Lots of RVs and vans. Flat spots with a spectacular view. Very close to Hood River for fun times. As others said, not much privacy but good service and good vibes.

May 3rd, 2021 by The Olive Van

Good spot to camp for a day or several. Not much privacy, but clean area and
good Verizon signal. Very windy

April 3rd, 2021 by skoolienamedotis

Great boondocking spot for the weekend or longer

September 27th, 2020 by theroadthroughmyeyes

BEAUTIFUL place to call home for a bit - riverfront parking, swimming and kayaking from the rock beach. Big open gravel lot with several other campers around, feels very safe. Windmills on th hills across the river, Mt Hood in the distance, trains do pass by a couple times each day, but not too loud. Two stall bathroom which was very clean. Great service with Verizon.

August 31st, 2020 by rman310

Stayed here for 2 nights. Still labeled "Day Use Only" but several RV's / kite surfers stayed here while we were here without any issues. The pit toilets are closed due to COVID 19 but there are clean port-a-johns and wash sinks right next to the bathrooms. For only being a huge rock & sand lot, the constant breeze and occasional kite surfers, along with easy access to the Columbia River made this a great stay. Would definitely recommend.

April 8th, 2020 by eliejordyn

Stayed here for 3 nights as a stop over for our final Coronavirus destination. This parking lot was technically closed but there are people that live here year round and it didn’t seem like it was going to clear out anytime soon. The portapoties are closed at the moment, but that wasn’t an issue for our RV. Lots of space and nearly a beachfront property! Very quiet. We loved staying here.

May 19th, 2019 by pptasker

Stayed for 3 nights, if I’d know the conditions of the next place I had planned to stay, I would have stayed a few days longer. It was peaceful and quiet, except for my girls barking at the birds and other kids around ! 🤪, although there were trains running across the river & I think on the other side of I-84, but that didn’t bother me. The road to the area is paved up to the “first” area, then it’s gravel after that; oh and there is a geocache in the area. It was quite windy, but apparently that’s normal for the area, I would definitely stay here again.

December 22nd, 2018 by Pacific NorthWest Yetti Expeditions

empty in the off season. During summer holidays, or windsurfing conditions packed full. it is patrolled by game and fish. Verizon 4G service.

October 12th, 2017 by Flip Flop Cowboy

large gravel lot with a pit toilet along the Columbia River. Free, easy access. Tons of room.

Nice view of the river and windsurfers in the summertime.