North Fork Elk Group Camp

Party of 14 - we camped for two nights at the North Fork Elk Group Camp. it was very nearly perfect. As described, this is a tenting group camp site, without electricity or hookups. We had actually had 8 tents, but the 7 tent pads sufficed, since several of the tents were 1 person tents. The site is "multi-level" - meaning that some of the tent pads were uphill from the table area. This meant that our tents had more privacy that some group sites afford. There are really big trees on the site, and the sound of the nearby river was everpresent. There are 4 big picnic tables - plenty of space to spread out for cooking and card games. There is a fire pit that we were able to use (purchasing firewood from the camp host - more on that in a minute). There was also a BBQ that we didn't use. There is a spigot near the tables for fresh potable water. There are NOT flush toilets. But the pit toilet was just beyond the parking area and was clean with plenty of TP and hand sanitizer. We had six cars there and fit them into the site's parking area fairly easily. Finding the site was pretty easy too. On the main road (NF-23) the sign at the entrance to the group sites was clearly marked, then keep following the road in until you get to the dumpsters and the little "ELK" sign. There are 3 group sites along the west side of the North Fork Cispus River, and then the regular campground is along the east side of the river. There is a foot bridge across the river very close to the Elk group site that is lovely, and takes you into the campground. Near the main entrance to the regular campground is the camp host. There you can purchase firewood. The only drawback to the Elk site was that it is also located very close to the dumpsters that are used for all the camp sites and campground, and while we were there it was very warm (80-90 degrees) so whenever we walked to the river and the foot bridge we had to pass the smelly dumpsters. The website warns of bears, and to keep food in bear-proof containers. We saw no evidence of bears, and judging by the simple garbage cans and dumpsters, there must not be much of an issue with bears there. Still, we kept our food in our cars, just to be safe. Oddly enough, we didn't even see chipmunks or ground squirrels. Hope this is helpful. We would definitely choose this group site again in the future. Attaching photos of the group site, the tall trees, the pit toilet, the parking area, the picnic tables, and elk that we saw along NF-23 (about MP 6).

This is a great campsite. We fit 8 tents on the site (most were smaller tents) although some weren't necessarily on a designated pad. The toilet was a vault toilet but was clean and well maintained, and there was convenient potable water onsite too. We had 8 cars (the limit is supposed to be 6) - I've seen on other reviews that the camp hosts can be strict on this but we didn't have any issues. There are three nice picnic tables surrounding the fire pit. They are all in the hot sun for the main part of the day but have shade in the morning and late afternoons. We walked to the river and put our chairs out in the middle for the afternoon. It was fantastic - not terribly hard to get out there if you use a stick to keep from slipping. The only negative comment was that the main dumpster is nearby and we were catching the smell occasionally (although it was also nearly 90 degrees when we were there). Not many mosquitos compared to other sites I've rented which was great! Would definitely stay here again.

Super cool group campground nestled in the woods. Quite a few kid-friendly hikes in the area, and a freezing cold river to dip your feet in.