PORTLAND, Ore. — If you're planning to go camping in Oregon soon, you may want to find a lower-elevation campground — at least for the next couple weeks.
Several popular campgrounds in the Mount Hood National Forest that normally open around this time of year are still covered with snow, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Heather Ibsen.
"The above average snow pack on Mt. Hood is good for summer water supplies, but it will delay some of our campground opening dates," Ibsen told KGW in an email Tuesday.
Campgrounds at Trillium Lake and nearby Still Creek are still under snow and likely won't open for a couple more weeks, she said. Campgrounds at Timothy Lake are scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend, and Ibsen said her team is "feeling pretty good about those dates."
The U.S. Forest Service website has a comprehensive list of campgrounds, trails and recreation areas in the Mount Hood National Forest that includes information on closures and projected opening dates.
Ibsen added that lower-elevation campgrounds should still open on time, and some of them are already open. She said recreation staff and campground concessionaires are regularly monitoring conditions and updating information on the conditions.
Ibsen said the snowpack is above normal due to heavy snow in early April and early May, as well as "a couple months of below-average temperatures."
KGW chief meteorologist Matt Zaffino explained that, depending on elevation, Mount Hood's snow depth increased by 3 to 4 feet in April, and by about another foot so far in May.
