Best Campgrounds near Chemult, OR

Seems like it would’ve been a cool spot to stay out there, but there were some serious red flags.

First off, there was a rusted out old truck on one of the dirt roads by the spots. Next to that was a makeshift beat up tin shed and a pickup truck leaning on it. I went close to it, but didn’t feel great about truly investigating without a gun.

Second, there was trash everywhere. And not like camping trash. In addition to the beer cans and bottles were bags of who knows what in them. The few wrappers I saw were for frozen burritos.

Lastly was the furniture around one of the campsites as well as some rope tied around the tree and on the ground. Almost looked like someone got tied to a tree and freed themselves.

I didn’t take pics of everything but there was enough there to trust my gut and leave.

I’m an athletic man and confident I could defend myself, but something felt wrong about everything back there.

Maybe someone else is braver than I and will go investigate the trash and the trucks, but I’d advise you just to go closer to the park and even suck it up and pay a fee to avoid whatever is going on back there.

Beautiful forest camp near a lake.

We loved this campsite. There were fire pits available for use at the sites. We were able to see soooo many stars in the sky!!

Not available

Accessible by almost any vehicle.  Can be stuck there if it rains, and FS Rd 413 has huge potholes that fill with water and become almost impassable, even with a 4WD.  Firepits and a picnic table at one of the 3 sites.  No services of any kind.  No cell coverage.  Not recommended for winter travel.

Campground was very quiet. Amenities close by.

Found the location to be good. Close to Crater Lake and other outdoor nature spots. The bathrooms and showers were clean. The laundry was reasonably priced and convenient. Will stay again.

It was first come, first served when I was there.  What you expect from free USFS campsites. Fire rings.

Google will take you down some crazy roads. Look at the map before getting on the dirt road and choose the roads that are the straightest; those will get you there easiest. Panhandle rd on the north side of the creek will take you most of the way.

After parking right off the trail head and hiking down about 0.8 miles, you have three “established” spots to chose from. I say established in quotations because they are marked with plaques but are all the way rustic sites. The middle sight is definitely the biggest and is where me and four others stayed for two nights. This is a very busy national park in the summer months but going the first week of October (as suggested by the ranger) made it so that we were the only ones in this area. We did have a couple backpackers stop for the night at the first site but other than that is was really quite. The lightning springs trail itself is incredibly long and we only went to where water was flowing so that we could fill up. We opted to hike out the first day and then drive to the Watchman Lookout Trail head and do that one first. It was only 0.8 miles long but I believe a 400 foot elevation change. Absolutely incredibly view. After that we drove north and did the Cleetwood Cove Trail which was around a mile with a 600 foot elevation change. This allows you to get right next to the water. Both hikes we semi challenging but well worth it. While the backcountry campsites do not allow fires, there are other location around Rim Village that have established sites that you can. When we went it was a little colder and windy but the tree coverage offered some shielding from that. There are plenty of other longer hikes as well in the area and other established sites if you are looking to have a more traditional camping experience. The Rim Village center was open and we were able to get a meal and visit the gift shop as well as go farther south and get our NPP stamped. Definitely recommend checking the NP website to see what is opened and closed as well as fire bans. We were lucky that the entire loop was open and got to drive all the way around the second day. While not directly at these sites, there are trash and bathroom areas really close. Really all around incredible views and an incredible weekend stay.

Great spot. Go all the way to the end of the road to reach the top. There is ample room to turn around, in spite of a step climb.

Was able to pull 15' trailer up with 4wd.

Wide open sky for solar and starlink.

Mid 60s f during day in early October. 40 f at night.

Well groomed, park like sites, with a backdrop of this epic lava flow, and Davis lake water.

Toilets nearby, away from main highway.

If you get the right spot at edge of campground, there is ample sky exposure for solar and starlink

Only about 70 yards from main road. Super fine dust, everything will be dirty.

Tall trees so no good vantage point for starlink or solar.

No water features right at site.

Free. Nice location. Except for generator noise from larger rigs on both sides of our site, this free campground is quiet. Only a few campers here. Sites are not numbered. Picnic areas are mixed in. There are a handful of sites. We were in a pull-thru site along the reservoir. Not level, but okay. Clean picnic table & metal firering on site. Gravel campground road & site driveways. The single vault toilet is stocked & reasonably clean. Several cows were grazing in the area. Some waterfowl on the reservoir. Access to campground from Highway 31 is on a wide & well maintained gravel road. There were a few folks bank fishing. Volcanic rock is everywhere; may make tent camping in some spots hard. Didn't see opportunities for hammock camping. Did not see hiking trails. This was a good campground for an overnight stay. Convenient to Highway 31. T-Mobile LTE service. No AT&T cell service.

Another fabulous camping experience. We loved this place.

Only 3 sites allow you to hit the trails from your site with your ATV and they have power and water too.

Nous avons passé 2 nuits dans ce camp très agréable même si les couches sont tièdes à froides. Possibilité de faire du feu