Lava Lake Campground

Lava Lake is not for those that glamp. It’s real camping with dirt, pitch, dust and bugs - and it’s pretty cool. There are several lakes to paddle on, many trails to hike and conveniently located not to far from Sun River.

We stayed in site 35, which is a back in. The site was easy to get into and level. Privacy was about a 5 out of 10 only because there is a walking path next to the site.

Days can get hot and nights can get cold - pack accordingly.

The fire rings in my opinion appear to be on good shape, but the picnic tables were worn; exposed legs and checks may get a splinter or two :(

Camp host was friendly but didn’t hover. Bathrooms were clean and dumpsters were not over flowing (dumped regularly it appeared).

We used solar panels to charge the trailer batteries and had no issues.

We camped at Lava Lake for 4 nights. The campsite is small, which was nice. I think there are about 40 sites total. The lake was so beautiful, with nice views of sisters and bachelor. The Lava Lake store rocked too. Open 7 - 7 and they have everything and anything you could need. They also rent fishing boats and paddle boards. The only bummer is that the lake has quite a bit of algae. We were still able to to enjoy paddle boarding but it wasn’t a great swimming lake.

There seems to be some confusion or mixing of campgrounds in the Dyrt reviews.  There are only two campgrounds at Lava Lake and one at Little Lava Lake which is right next door.  

I did not see any dispersed campsites. However, there is a private campground run by the Lava Lake Resort and you can only make reservations there by phone (541-382-9443).  Their campground is the only one with full hookups, power, water and sewer.  This is also the only dump site in the area and costs $10.  They also have propane, gasoline, showers and a small camp store.

The NFS Lava Lake Campground has nicely spaced sites, but not large parking areas.  They only have 2 or 3 drinking water sources and because they are not threaded you will need a bucket or 'Water Bandit' to fill you fresh water tank.  I saw only 1 or 2 places tent campers could dump their dishwater.  There are no showers, but the vault toilets were exceptionally clean, odorless and well stocked with TP.  We were able to get 1-3 bars on our Verizon phones that took a while to eventually send photos.

We were there mid June, 2021, and the mosquitoes were moderate, but well controlled with repellant.  The lake had a toxic algae bloom and was closed to swimming and pets.  What we really enjoyed were the many trails that were nearby along the Cascade Highway, like Blue Lagoon and Lucky Lake, non of which required advance reservations.

Lava Lake Campground is about 45 mins from Bend, OR. The sites are large, though close together. The abundance of trees makes it feel more spread out.

They have multiple vault toilets, water spigots scattered throughout and trash/recycling by every restroom.

We are right on the lake, so bring your paddleboard, kayak, float to take advantage of the water.

Hiking trails are scattered throughout the mountain.

Crater Lake is about 90 minutes away.

Note that Bend is a great spot for stocking up. They have REI, Patagonia, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, etc.

It was really fun camping here I went out onto the lake with a kayak and fished didn’t catch anything but it was still fun out there. They also have some trails and lava rocks which was cool to walk on.

Lava Lake is a favorite annual spot for us, and our appreciation grows each time we visit. The CG is great, with trees for shade, lake access, incredible views of South Sister from the boat ramp, the resort store a short walk away, and surprisingly quiet and chill (at least mid-week). This is a popular spot for fishing and mountain biking, and we still love coming here, even though our activities of choice are paddle-boarding, hiking / trail running. A short drive to other day-outings is well worth it to us to stay here. This is not a swimming lake, but nearby Elk Lake has good beaches (though it gets very crowded for day use). Pit toilets really vary in terms of cleanliness, mostly with how busy it is. Firewood for sale at camp host and the resort store a 1/4 mile down the shoreline. The trail (heading north )on the east side of the lake is really pretty and is about 1.5-2 miles to the end before it heads out into the dusty wilderness (and all the way to sparks lake). A trail also heads over to Little Lava Lake, which is also worth checking out and not far.

Excellent campground. Hosts were right outside when I pulled in and they told me of the 2 spots available for the night. Huge site, my site was pretty close the the next but again, huge area! There is as trail around the lake and trails to little lava lake from the CG too. Enjoyed!

Great spot! Gigantic camp sites with fire ting and vaults. No road noise, just birds and campers. Hosts are very friendly. Got a spot even though it said full...always drive they and look at the reserved placards for the dates!

Gorgeous lake. Amazing trail systems! Lodge is great with boat rentals as well. There are two campgrounds right next to each other- lava lake RV park and resort, and lava lake campground. Both have boat ramps. Then, little lava lake campground is a short walk/drive away. Some sites at lava lake are great, others are very open and not well secluded from each other...

We’ve been coming here for 37 years. Nice big rv sites. Each site has plenty of trees for a little bit of privacy. The lake has never changed it is still beautiful and pristine. Beautiful views of the Mountains from the lake. The Little store has everything you need.

Great big cg on big lava with two loops and plenty of walk in sites

What a wonderful place! My family and I had a absolute blast! Friendly staff, and Beautiful scenery. I fished on big Lava lake and caught a nice looking trout. Will Definitely come back and camp here again...we also saw some deer walking by are camp site.

We have a 45ft 5th wheel and it fit here, was a little tight but it works. Very pretty area, the lake had great fishing, you can rent boats here as well. We loved the wooded sites and we even had some deer napping outside our camper after dinner. Amazing campsite hosts as well, their store has everything from fishing gear to wine to breakfast food and souvenirs, also a skate boarding frenchie! Highly recommend!

It is a nice campground with reserved and 1st come come sites. The pit toilets are non smelly, a lodge across the road with some supplies and boat rentals. Lake is right next to campground. Has excellent trout fishing. You can kayak on big lava but little lava, about a mile away, is better . There are some camp sites at little lava and a rv park at the resort. We are still talking rustic sites just with hookups. Campground will hold big rigs (our new motorhome is 36ft). Nice trees sites and level parking. Opens some time when snow clears , usually in June.

Great campground. We’ve been going there for decades. It is a high mountain lake, so days can get decently warm in summer (mId 80s), but also near freezing at night. The little resort store/marina is great, you can buy a few food items, rent a boat or paddle board, or pay for access to a shower. The campground itself is a dirt campground with vault (pit) toilets and water spigots between every few sites. There‘s awesome trout fishing and mountain bike trails. The lake is a “slow lake” so no inner tubes or wake boarding, which makes it a peaceful getaway.

Great view of Mt. Bachelor, long docks to walk and deer roaming.

They have everything you need within walking distance. It's a quiet place tucked away between two lakes! It looked like some had trouble lugging their boats through the narrow roads, but seemed to make it.

Bring mosquito repellent this time of year!!