Viento State Park: Camping in the Columbia River Gorge

In the digital world that we live in, you’ve probably seen a photo of Multnomah Falls and other waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge.  It’s a beautiful area!  And camping in Viento State Park will allow you to stay on budget and explore the incredible area!

Viento State Park offers affordable camping in a very popular location.  And with running water and hot showers available, it’s a great place to stay.  

Plus, you can’t forget that you have easy access to a 73 mile bike trail and you’re walking distance from the Columbia River itself.  So let’s jump into everything you need to know about Viento State Park.   

Important Links

• Viento State Park website
• Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway State Trail Map
• Camping at Viento State Park – Make Reservations Here
• Camping Checklist Freebie – A Useful Camping Checklist
• Camping Journal – Never Forget Your Camping Trips Details Again!

Location

Let’s start with the location.  Viento State Park is located right in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge.  Just about an hour from Portland, OR, this park is also only 25 minutes from the famous Multnomah Falls.

As for other major cities, Viento is 2 hours from Salem, OR and about 5 hours from Seattle, WA.  Now let’s take a look at the fees for the park.

Day Use Fees

Viento State Park has a daily fee, just like all Oregon State Parks.  Even if you are just going to walk down by the river, you have to pay that fee to park. 

The fee is $10 for Oregon Residents and $12 for Out of State Visitors.

At the parking lot there is a QR code that you can scan and use to pay the fee.  

BUT, the good news is, this daily fee is waived if you are camping here.  So if you are camping here, you can park right down by the river and not have to worry about the fee.

Time to Spend Here

Viento State Park isn’t a very large state park. So if you want to just stop for a quick visit, you would only need a few hours here.  Unless of course you are parking here to windsurf or use the bike path, then you’ll want a whole day.

But if you are planning on camping here and thoroughly exploring the area, you could camp here for a few days or even a week while you explore.  Whether you are there to explore the nearby waterfalls, or hike in Washington, or to explore the Mount Hood area, there is lots to do.  

Viento State Park is a great homebase for this area of Oregon, so let’s get into what to do here.  

Windsurfing

Viento is the Spanish word for wind, and the Columbia River Gorge has PLENTY of wind.  People come from miles around to windsurf here.  

If you’re visiting for the day, you’ll be parking at the Day Use Parking Lot and have to pay the day use fee.  This fee is $10 for Oregon residents and $12 for non-residents.  There are pit toilets here and several picnic tables so you can enjoy your day of wind surfing.  

Biking and Walking

Viento State Park isn’t particularly known for their hiking trails.  However, the park is located right along the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway State Trail.  

This 73 mile trail runs from Troutdale to The Dalles.  The trail has many stops, including the famous Multnomah Falls.  

About 12 miles of the trail is safe for walkers/runners, as no motorized vehicles are allowed here.  However, the remainder of the trail overlaps with some of the historic highway and is only acceptable for bike use.  

Now that you know what there is to do here, let’s talk about camping!

Camping Season

Viento State Park is open for camping from mid-March to the end of October.  The exact dates change each year, so be sure to check the website. 

2026 Dates: March 21 – October 31

Weather

The word “Viento” means wind in Spanish, so you can definitely expect some wind when you are camping here.  We had a few days that were quite windy, but in the month of June the wind was manageable.  

And as you already know, the state park is not open during the winter months.  This of course means that you can expect all 4 seasons to be represented here.  

Be Warned!

Before we get into all the things that make Viento State Park a great place to camp, we need to cover the negatives.  

First off, because of how skinny the Columbia River Gorge is, the campground is smack dab in between the highway and a set of train tracks.

In other words, if you are looking for peace and quiet, this is not the place for you.  

For example, we camped in Standard Site A09 and it was far enough away from the highway that we barely heard the road noise.  On the other hand, we were less than 50 yards from the train tracks.  The train runs all day and all night, blasting the train horn at all hours.  

There is also no dump station at this state park.  We had to drive over to Ainsworth State Park to use their dump station.  And while that was annoying, it was only about 10 minutes up the road.

Now that you’ve been warned about the negatives, let’s get into why Viento State Park is still a great place to camp. 

Campground

Camping in Viento State Park is a great way to see the popular Columbia River Gorge while on a budget.  We’ll get to the costs in a minute, but with the popularity of the waterfalls in the gorge, you can’t beat this affordable place.  

This campground has 60 campsites, 50 with electric, 3 are ADA and 7 are tent sites.  

The campground has bathrooms with running water and hot showers.  There is also easy access to the 12 miles of paved historic trail.  And even easier access to the Columbia River for boating, fishing and of course, wind surfing.  

Let’s take a look at the amenities and then jump right into the difference in the types of sites. 

Amenities

• Bathrooms
• Hot Showers
• Purchasable Firewood
• 7 Tent Sites (non-electric)
• 50 Standard Sites (electric)
• 3 ADA Sites
• Walking Distance to Columbia River
• Walking Distance to Paved Historic Bike Path
• Easy Drive to All Popular Waterfalls in Columbia River Gorge

Tent Sites (non-electric)

Let’s start with the cheapest option, which is the tent site.  There are 9 tent sites in total, 7 regular tent sites and 2 ADA compliant tent sites.  

5 of these sites are located in the North Campground, and the other 4 are located in the South Campground.  Both areas have bathrooms and showers available.

Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, a place for your tent, and a place to park your car.  

Standard Sites (Electric/Water)

The only other option for camping are the standard sites.  There are 50 standard sites and 1 standard site that is ADA compliant.

All of these sites are located in the North Campground, which is the larger of the 2 camping areas.  Unfortunately, this area is smack dab in between the highway and the train tracks.  

This area has restrooms and hot showers available to all campers.  There is also the bike trail and the Columbia River within walking distance.  Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table available for use.  

One final note, make sure you research the size of your site.  Campers are welcome and encouraged, but there are some small sites and some large sites here.  So make sure to read the fine print.

When to Book

Each of the campsites can be booked up to 6 months in advance.  So if you want to go camping in October, you’ll be able to book in April.

You can use this link to book your preferred site.   

Price Comparison

Camping at state parks has been a traditional way to take a family vacation without breaking the bank.  And camping at Viento State Park offers some great prices for both tent (non-electric) sites and standard (electric) sites.  

*Disclaimer: These are the prices as of 09/2026.  Prices are subject to change.  The numbers below DO NOT include taxes and fees.  They are just listed to give you an idea of what your budget should look like.*

Tent Site

• $24 per night (OR Resident)
• $30 per night (Non-Resident)
• $168 per week (OR Resident)
• $210 per week (Non-Resident)

Camper/RV Site

• $31 per night (OR Resident)
• $39 per night (Non-Resident)
• $217 per week (OR Resident)
• $273 per week (Non-Resident)

Again, these prices are just to give you an idea of your camping budget.  

Things To Do in the Area

Whether you decide to camp here or not, there are plenty of amazing things to see and do in the area! 

The Columbia River Gorge is famous for its waterfalls, particularly Multnomah Falls, Latourell Falls, Wahclella Falls and several others.  You can find all you need to know in these links if you want to visit here.

You are also pretty close to Mount Hood if you want to do some awesome hiking.  Head to the Timberline Lodge parking lot and hike some of the trails around Mount Hood itself.  You can then head over to the Mount Hood Brewing Co. for a refreshing beer. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Viento State Park is not exactly the peace and quiet that people want when they are camping.  On the other hand, the park makes an amazing homebase for exploring all locations inside the Columbia River Gorge.  

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to help you plan your trip!

-Happy Camping!