Four camp sites are available at this primitive campground. Water is available for horses, there is a stock tank with spring water.
From Government Camp, OR take US Highway 26 east for 2 miles then head north on OR Highway 35 for 13.5 miles. Turn right (east) on Forest Service Road 44 (Brooks Meadow Road) and follow for 5.7 miles. Go left (north) on Forest Road 17 (Surveyors Ridge) and follow 5.6 miles to the campground.
There are 3 campsites with nice horse stalls. The camp has a vault toilet, and the sites have fire pits. There is water nearby that comes from a spring, it can be found about 250 yards down the draw from camp. It comes up a pipe and runs into a trough before heading down the mountain in a stream. Mosquitoes weren't too bad, but the ground was a bit soggy in the draw which makes me think that they could be moderate at times, but probably not horrific like some camps.
To the best of my knowledge there is basically only one loop trail that takes off from there. I'm sure you could ride other places from the loop, but it isn't necessarily in a big crossroads with a lot of immediate options, so that's a drawback.
Mt. Hood is great to explore and reasonably full of diverse wildlife, especially in that area. There are deer, elk, bear, cougar, raccoons, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, and a lot more that call that specific area home, so it could be a really rewarding place to view wildlife on a ride or hike.
I believe that the fee per night is a whopping 8 dollars, and 5 for day use. There is a pay station at the information board to take care of that. This campground is run by the National Forest Service, which tend to be my favorites. They rarely have utility hookups, so there are rarely a lot of people in them which is a major plus for me. All in all I say meh to this particular camp, there are better nearby, but it would do the trick for a getaway.