McNeil Campground is located just outside Zigzag, Oregon in the Mount Hood National Forest. It is a large campground providing little charm in rustic sites among a sick looking grove of sparse trees. Although there are old taps scattered around, there is no drinking water. Vault toilets are tired looking. Camp site amenities are limited to well worn picnic tables and a hodgepodge of thrown together fire pits. The scenery is dominated by a BPA clear cut for high tension lines. The whole site feels dry, dusty, and like a transplant from Oklahoma. If you need to camp in this area, drive by McNeil and head for lost Creek.
We actually like it here. We were up over the fourth of July weekend and while everything else was busy and full…this campground was quiet with only a handful of campers. I kind of liked the fact that it was so different than the other campgrounds on Mt. Hood 🙂
Kim
The reason the trees are “sick-looking” is that this is a rather recent volcanic lehar . Makes for an extremely interesting ecology with lots of mosses and lichens. It is drier than surrounding areas, meaning less mosquitos.
I camped at McNeil way back in the 90s and always enjoyed it.
After a decade or so I went back and still like it. It is less maintained, and has no potable water. But has also been free. THere has been no one there to handle payments and the payment box was closed.
And yes, it’s forest type is drier, more like the east side of the mountain.