Grasshopper Fire Damages Five Campgrounds, Reaches 98% Containment
By Joshuah Albert
The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 17, 2026 — The Grasshopper Fire damaged at least five Mt. Hood National Forest campgrounds and destroyed Flag Point Lookout during its nearly two-month run through the forest, fire officials reported Thursday as containment climbed to 98%.
Firefighters and resource advisers have now assessed most developed recreation sites within or near the 93,966-acre fire perimeter, providing a clearer picture of what was damaged — and what firefighters managed to save.
Bonney Horse Camp, Bonney Crossing Campground, Little Badger Campground, Fifteenmile Campground and Badger Lake Campground all sustained some level of damage, according to the incident management team.
The extent varies by location. Damage can include fire-weakened trees as well as burned or destroyed picnic tables, signs, hitching posts and other infrastructure. Thursday's update did not provide a site-by-site accounting of the damage or estimates for repair costs.
Flag Point Lookout was destroyed July 31 as the fire spread through the area.
Other recreation sites survived without damage.
Firefighters successfully protected Pebble Ford Campground, Eightmile Campground, Underhill Campground and Lower Eightmile Campground, according to the update. Camp Baldwin, a private Scouting America property within the area, also escaped damage.
Final uncontained section remains in Boulder Creek
The lightning-caused Grasshopper Fire is now 98% contained with 206 personnel assigned.
Boulder Creek remains the last uncontained section of the fire.
Crews extinguished hot spots there Wednesday while firefighters elsewhere continued searching for and cooling scattered pockets of heat.
Near the western edge of the fire, engine crews mopped up hot spots identified by an unmanned aircraft equipped with an infrared camera, allowing firefighters to locate heat that may be difficult to detect from the ground.
The shrinking suppression effort comes as some repair projects approach completion.
Repair work nearing completion on some lands
Suppression repairs on many private and state properties are nearly finished.
Heavy equipment operators have repaired dozer lines, cleared culverts and hauled woody debris at several locations, including areas near Pine Creek and Shell Rock Road.
On steep firelines where heavy equipment cannot safely operate, hand crews are digging drainage channels to reduce erosion.
Crews using chippers cleaned up debris along Forest Road 3540-640, Forest Road 4891 and at Bonney Meadows Campground.
Farther north, repair work has been completed along Forest Road 4420 and on several dozer lines within the burned area.
The work is intended to address the extensive footprint created not only by the wildfire but by the firefighting operation itself. Dozer lines, firelines and other areas disturbed during suppression are being repaired to improve drainage, stabilize exposed soils and reduce erosion.
Dry weather returns
Temperatures around the fire are expected to reach the mid-60s Thursday, with relative humidity falling below 40%.
Northeast winds could gust to 15 mph along ridges before shifting to the northwest later in the day. Dry weather is forecast to continue for several days.
Fire officials warned that fire danger is increasing as conditions warm and dry and urged the public to continue following restrictions.
Evacuation notices remain in effect in Hood River and Wasco counties, and a Mt. Hood National Forest closure remains in place.
The Grasshopper Fire was sparked by lightning on July 23. Despite reaching 98% containment, firefighters continue to find isolated pockets of heat, particularly in heavy fuels and the difficult terrain around Boulder Creek.
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