Lost Lake Resort And Campground — Mt. Hood National Forest

I had high hopes for my visit to Lost Lake, Oregon, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a major letdown. Despite its reputation, this location is far from being accessible for handicapped visitors. The handicapped parking is inconveniently located nowhere near an ADA-accessible lakeside spot. We were forced to camp in the parking lot near a bathroom, which was hardly the experience we were hoping for. 

The only positive aspect of our trip was the stunning view of the lake and Mt. Hood, but even that couldn't make up for the numerous shortcomings. The drive and entry cost were simply not worth it, especially considering that most day-use sites are first-come, first-served. By the time we arrived, all the sites that were accessible for someone with disabilities were occupied by individuals who clearly did not require the access. 

To make matters worse, the overall organization and management of the site were severely lacking. There was no effort to ensure that handicapped visitors had fair access to the lakeside areas. It felt incredibly unfair and frustrating to see those who didn't need the accessible spots taking them up, leaving us with no options. In summary, if you or someone in your party requires accessible facilities, I strongly advise you to avoid Lost Lake, Oregon. The beautiful scenery cannot compensate for the lack of accessibility and consideration for handicapped visitors. This was a thoroughly disappointing experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone in need of accessible amenities.

On our way to Alaska for the SF Bay Area we stopped at several different camping locations along lakes and mountains. The only one we went out of our way to stay at when coming back was Lost Lake Campground. The sites are plenty big, have tables and fire pits. The entire area is amply wooded to provide privacy and the sense of seclusion. The bathrooms were clean and always had TP. There is running water spigots dispersed  throughout the camping areas. If I'm ever in the area it will be the 1st place I go.

It can be super crowded, but this place is a gem. It reminds me of summer camp. There’s a store, rental boats, etc. The pit toilets and lack of running water keep things in perspective. I wish they would cap the number of day users though. Once they all leave, it is really peaceful at night.

We have stayed at Lost Lake a couple of times now, once in a tent and once in a yurt. The lake is fun for fishing and renting a little boat or canoe to get onto the water. The store has a little of everything, though as you would expect, a little pricey.

Out of the way, a bit, but that was part of what we enjoyed.  Felt far removed from "The City" and the drive was scenic.  

Very popular campground.  We tent camped at this one.  Good tent sites shared in our site.

Clean shower facilities.  Boat rentals, Great walk around the lake.  

Our site seemed very private in amongst the trees, even though the resort was busy.  Would recommend!

My family has been coming here for decades. Unfortunately the last 5-6 years is become way over crowded.

This campground has great privacy and a nice feeling of being tucked away in your space. Plenty of room for tent and chairs with a long picnic table. The camp store offers essentials as well as fun souvenirs. The lake has rentable canoes and kayaks. The trail around the lake is gorgeous!

There are more “beach” spots than there were last year but still difficult to find a spot for the kids to play in the water. You have to get there early an setup you spot. There is a small area right past the boats that we found this year and really like because it’s so small that only we can fit. No one tried to get too close, which was nice!

Lost lake is one of our favorite spots to take our kids camping and on day trips. The general store is expensive, but it’s so convenient!! We stayed on B6 and the spot was really nice and well thought out. My only complaint was the RV campers. Our neighbor showed up at 9:30pm with backup sirens and lights blaring until 11pm. The next morning we found out they didn’t even have a reservation. They just took an empty spot for the night. I wish there was more enforcement of quiet time hours. Next time, we will try the tent only spots.

Awesome lake and campground. Set up mostly on the hills. Mixture of very private to simi-private spots. Our space had plenty of privacy with spots for 2 tents and an RV. You wouldn’t know the campground was full on a Tuesday. There is a lodge, boat house and general store mostly filled with plunder. Be prepared, it’s a crowded area. There are some first come first serve sites. One gal at the store was inquiring on the possibility of getting one of those. The store clerk told to to watch and hope you see someone breaking camp and pounce, or your not likely to get a spot tomorrow. Anyway, you get the point. Make reservations well in advance.

This would be a fun day trip but camping here was rough. Only porta potty’s, no sink with soap to wash hands, showers cost $6 for 15 mins and it’s a hike to get to them. It’s a beautiful place, but we couldn’t have a camp fire then it rained all day/night soaking our kids tent and sleeping bags. I’m sure it’s fun when the weather cooperates but that’s Oregon for you. We left a day early because of the rain. It was kinda expensive fir camping

We have camped here three times over the last 7 years.  Sometimes for full vacations, sometimes just as part of a larger trip, and I always love it.  The lake is beautiful, with great views of Mt. Hood.  The little store has snacks and some food as treats and rents kayaks, row boats, etc.  The showers are very nice and clean.  The campsites are huge and very private.  There are even a few trails which leave from the campground if you want to hike.  And for those that want less rustic they even have yurts!

Now, it is busy, especially on the weekends.  There is a reason for that.  If you want to spend the day at one of the spots on the lake, you have to get up early and get your spot (by 9am, even on a weekday).  On the weekend it can be a bit of a mad house with people coming from outside the campground, so I recommend staying during the week.

Also, the bathrooms are pit toilets.  They aren't bad, but still pits. :)

Pros:

* Beautiful lake

* Close to Hood River

* Hiking from the campground

* Store with treats

* Very nice showers

* Very nice campsites with lots of space

Cons:

* Very crowded on the weekends

OK:

* Pit toilets

We love lost lake! Busy in the summer, but beautiful!

The campground is pretty remote-don’t expect any cell service-I didn’t have any with AT&T. The last 15 miles on the road to the campground is very winding and narrow-you have to drive 25mph for safety. The road was in good condition though. The campground is also very hilly. The C loop that I was on was pretty steep but the campsites had some privacy and decent space between spots for the most part. My campsite had 3 different areas that you can set up a tent on. The parking area at my campsite was actually pretty flat despite having to back up the hill to get to the spot. My campsite had quite a bit of shade in the afternoon which was great since it was in the 80’s and kinda humid. The only complaint I had was the flies! There were TONS of them everywhere and bug-spray did nothing to keep them at bay-then again you are in the forest so it’s bound to happen. My suggestion is to bring a screen tent. Parking is a premium by the general store and the boat launch and lake. It was packed when I got here around 4pm on a Saturday (not surprised) and I couldn’t get a spot so I drove to my campsite and walked there on the trails instead. It is a lot longer of a walk than I really thought and I was exhausted by the time I got to the lake and then even more tired when I got back to camp. The old growth trail and rhododendron trail had some beautiful trees. I was the only one on the trails at the time. The walk along the lake itself by the north day use area was shaded, flat, and pretty nice. Lots of picnic areas that were tucked away just off the trail. Some picnic spots were literally right on the waters edge. There was a fire ban but I saw people with little propane grills or hot plate stuff to cook yummy food. Lots of people were swimming. You can rent kayaks and paddle boards. The water was super clear and clean and a bit chilly but refreshing on a hot day. The toilets in the campground loops are vault toilets but they are pretty clean and even had hand sanitizer in them-which was a first that I have seen this summer. The showers are near the general store and you have to pay to shower. It was $6. They give you a key and take your ID and when you give back the key they give you back your ID. The shower room was super nice. Definitely looked like something that would be in a fancy hotel and was very clean. For $46 for 1 night with no electric or water hookup I was hoping that the shower would be included so that was a bit disappointing-although I was just grateful for the shower so $6 was worth it. The general store had lots of souvenirs and clothes (I bought a lost lake puzzle, a new hat, and water shoes). The store also sold hot food, coffee, snacks, soft serve ice cream, and some basic camping gear-which is nice in case you forgot something. Overall I would come back here.

I love Lost Lake. The view of Mount Hood is spectacular from the middle of the lake. It’s a beautiful, moderate drive from Portland. You’re close to Hood River and all the great fun there. The water is clear and pleasant in the shallows. There’s a little store to rent SUPs, pedal boats and more. You can buy ice cream. It’s a kid paradise, basically!

We were able to snag a relatively private site this past June. The bugs were buggin’ though, if we had a breeze it would have helped immensely. Nothing to do about that but just an FYI to bring all the citronella.

Like others mention, it’s hard for those camping to get into the water since day users come with everyone (and their mom) for the day. So, claim a lakeside spot for swimming EARLY. None of this camp breakfast at 8 AM business. Eat a bar and then grab your spot. It was just super mayhem busy. I would strongly advise to avoid weekends or just understand that it’s sort of like carnival camping. There is no cell service BTW.

It’s not cheap to camp, we paid about $75 for two nights. I think the people running the park (third party for the state?) could have invested more in picking up sites and trail maintenance. Some trails were impassable due to downed trees presumably from winter storms.

Just a heads up, for FCFS camping, you’re supposed to set up your tent then pay. This caused a minor argument when we set up camp and someone drove up claiming to have dibs to the site. Set up your tent first, then pay.

This place gets CROWDED, and is hard to drive around/walk around due to the amount of day users.  Stayed in a cute yurt which was a bit of walk from the lake (~.25 mi) which is fine but getting my kayak down was a bit of a pain due to the amount of people occupying the road/parking etc.   Stunning views and didn't see anybody on the hike up to lost lake.  Store was poorly set up and chaotic, check in process took quite some time and was confusing.

Beautiful weekend on Memorial Day. Time on the lake was incredible, camping spaces are private and beautiful surrounded by rhododendrons.

The place would be perfect if rv sites had hookups. They do have a dump location, showers and bathrooms, general store and a plethora of water rentals.

Lost Lake is so wonderful.  Beautiful warm water to swim in and scenic beauty everywhere you look.  Sit by the lake and soak it all in.  This is a very special place.

Lost Lake Resort & Campground is somewhere we go at least once each summer. It has that nostalgic summer-camp vibe. A little more spendy than your typical Oregon campsite, but serene and private. The sites are large and more private than most I have encountered. Lush forest and tall trees are everywhere.  At a high elevation, it stays cold through early summer, but that can be a good thing later in summer.

The store has coffee, wood, anything you forgot, sweets, and a rental shop. There is a covered porch at the shop in case it rains. The rental shop has boats, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats. It's a bit of work to get far enough out on the lake to be rewarded with a Mt. Hood view, but so worth it once you get there. Frigid cold clear water stocked with trout.

It has pit toilets that sometimes give off a scent if your spot is just a bit to close. 

F-loop is particularly private, with some drive-up and some walk-in sites. These are the spots closest to the lake but furthest from the store.

Spent one rainy night here but, despite the weather, it was gorgeous. Our site was large and right on the lake. Plenty of room for a few tents. Nice facilities where you can rent boats, buy snacks, etc.

A couple years ago I rented a cabin here and it was awesome.  The cabin was very nice.  My buddy and I rented a boat and caught fish like it was going out of style.  It was a fun trip. There is a store there and the people are very nice and definitely  know where to tell the people where to fish.

Stunning view of the mountain backdrop- crystal clear waters-access to a small shop and water activity rentals which is fun. There is a resort , and cabins as well as tent camping which I prefer. The lake itself is “busy”with families and kids during the day but nice clean camping otherwise -some might even call it glamping but it’s worth it for the view and having access to the activities the next morning.

This could be a beautiful campground if it wasn’t for all the people. We were there later in the summer so maybe it’s nicer earlier but there was trash everywhere. Too bad some people have no respect for these beautiful areas.

This campground is located on the shores of Lost Lake, with amazing views of Mt. Hood.  It is a very popular campground, it took me years to finally get a spot which I had to book exactly 6 months before.  Because of it being so popular, it was very busy and completely full.  Thankfully due to it's large size it doesn't fell as crowded as you would think.  There are so many activities offered such as water sport rentals, trail around the lake, various trails linking the different camping sections to the resort, a full camp store, movies at night and so much more.  We were in loop D which is kind of in the middle of the campground, and a bit of a walk to the resort and a very long walk to the horse/group camping sites.  Would recommend bikes to get around.  We SUP'd around the lake and it was amazing.  The site we had was kind of open and had a great view of the toilets and parking for the near by walk in sites.  I really enjoyed this campground and would definitely go back.

Tent sites are large and spaced out so your not right next to your neighbors. It’s a little bit of a walk to the lake but enjoyable. We stayed in the A-frame cabin which is right off the parking lot so can be busy but is a generous size lot and has some shrubbery and trees for privacy. there’s a trail out right out the back of the lot. The cabin is small and rustic. Non motorized lake. Canoe, paddle board and boat rentals available and I highly recommend.

Lost Lake is so magical! The crystal clear waters and perfect views of Mt Hood made this an incredible spot to camp. Camp site is very clean and well kept and it was really nice to have a store on site as well! It’s also really close to Multnomah Falls and Oneta Gorge which is a must do hike through water if you have the time

Note: This review is intended for the Lost Creek Campground at Crater Lake NP, not sure how it got filed here, and not sure why that campground doesn't even appear on the map.

We had to wait over an hour for a site to be vacated at this campground (I suspect this was partially related to a lot of Mazama being closed), but our persistence paid off and we were able to put our tag on site 3 as the previous occupant was packing up. 

Upsides: inside the park, convenient starting point to go on a boat tour the next morning, good hammock trees at site, quiet (we hardly heard or saw any of the other campers), cheap!!

Downsides: not a lot of shade, no water at the campground unless you filter from the creek, bathroom building is closed (but the Porta-Potties were clean), lots of mosquitos

All the other loops are pretty cool as well

Beautiful campground. Amazing weather. Smells like green. Kind host. Very clean water. Dog friendly.