Best Cabin Camping near Crater Lake National Park

For us, Umpqua’s Last Resort was, well, a last resort! This was all about location for us. Close to the North Umpqua? Check. Camping Cabin? Check. Available? Check. Expensive? Nope. It worked, but there is nothing fancy about this place. It is fairly small, was definitely quiet, had lots of blackberries ready to pluck, and has a little store down the road where we were able to get what we needed. The cabin was fine, but the shower house had seen better days. Trails and creeks were accessible from the property and it is in the neighborhood for a great day rafting, fun swimmin’ holes and Crater Lake National Park. In 2015, cell reception was spotty.

This campground is huge! We stayed at K035 which was an awesome site right off the lake. We had a great view of Mt. Bailey, and also access to the lake from our site. We were not super far from the restrooms so that was also great. The restrooms aren’t too bad. The women’s restroom was clean, but the men’s restroom wasn’t as clean. The boat launch which was a three minute drive from our site has showers and bathrooms also. These showers are warm, and don’t forget to donate to the shower box to help maintain it. The water felt really awesome and we kayaked from our campsite right in. There are a lot of black bugs that just land on you almost every other minute here. You get over it though. There’s a store down the road from the area we were at which was the marina and boat rental store. They sell a bunch of groceries but of course they’re pricier than normal it’s a camp store. The location makes it’s perfect to visit Crater Lake National Park being 30 minutes or so away. It is also about 40 minutes or less from Toketee falls which is an easy hike and pretty popular. Beautiful views the whole way, definitely worth staying at.

The Mazama Village campground at Crater Lake National Park is located 7 miles south of Crater Lake's rim. A small grocery store, restaurant and gift shop are all within walking distance of the campsites, making for a well-sourced camp stay. Campfire wood is available at the office, as well as hot showers (bring quarters). The campsites are spaced throughout a wooded area, and some sites have more privacy than others. Bear boxes are located in every campsite for storing food. While you probably won't see a bear, you will see plenty of chipmunks and ground squirrels scouring the campsites for food, so keep it locked up at all times. Each time I've stayed here, Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers were coming through on their trek from Mexico to Canada (or vice versa).

Mazama Campground offers a serene retreat nestled within Crater Lake National Park, surrounded by a lush forest that provides privacy and tranquility. The reservation process requires you to provide your dates and size of RV and are assigned a site when you arrive. As I walked around it appeared pull-through sites were for RVs and trailers, and back-in sites that were assigned to tent or car campers. The pull through sites were long, some are asphalt and others dirt. Our site D5 was asphalt and level. The amenities, including clean bathrooms, accessible water spigots, and regular trash collection, contribute to a comfortable stay. The general store is a convenient spot for registration, fuel, and showers, it's also the starting point for exploring the breathtaking Crater Lake via tour bus or personal vehicle. Even though a forest fire limited visibility of the lake, Mazama Campground remains a memorable destination for its natural beauty and well-maintained facilities.

One of two campgrounds officially in the park, outside of a backcountry permit, Mazama Village is certainly not a place of solitude, notching in around 200+ sites, but if amenities are your m.o.—camp store, restaurant, showers, gas station—for $21/tent site, you won’t find a better option, other than the historic lodge on the rim of the lake. 

Combined with RV spots, and the popularity of Crater Lake as a Seven-Wonder of Oregon bucket-list spot, the village is pretty much at capacity all season long, as such you’re bound to have a diverse social experience from tourist to family to rowdy glamper, but in my handful of experiences here, everyone pretty much respects the 10 p.m. quite hours in favor of waking up to those gorgeous ponderosa pine blanketing the grounds.

Otherwise, re: solitude—giddy-up a dash for Mazama’s much more low-key, tent-only 16-site sibling a few miles closer to the rim, Lost Creek, which ditches reservations entirely, instituting a first-come, first-served option, and Pro-Tip 🤫 : is only $10!