The Barlow Road* was used by pioneers on the Oregon Trail from 1879 to 1915 as they headed west toward the fertile Willamette Valley, but apart from this history, the 13 campsites now located there are rather modest. There are no showers or RV hook-ups at Tollgate Campground. Despite being 9 miles west of Mount Hood and moderately used, the campground remains relatively quiet and the white noise of the adjacent Zig Zag River drowns out most of the noise from the highway.

If the campground is full, try Camp Creek Campground just 2.4 miles farther up Highway 26, nearby Green Canyons Campground on the Salmon River or McNeil Campground near the trailhead for Ramona Falls.

* The 100-mile long Barlow Road was actually a branch of the Oregon Trail that ran from the Tygh Valley all the way to Eagle Creek. The road was constructed to allow covered wagons and livestock safer and less expensive passage than floating down the Columbia River from The Dalles. When opened by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster, the tollgate originally charged $5 per wagon and $.10 for every piece of livestock. A replica of the tollgate is located just east of the campground alongside two big leaf maples that date back to that period.