Searching for a tent camping spot near Crater Lake? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Crater Lake campsites are perfect for tent campers.
CLOSED ALL YEAR 2024 Lost Creek___Campground is managed by the National Park Service. It usually opens in early July and closes in mid-October, depending on weather and other factors. It is for tent campers only--NO RVs, buses, trailers, or vans and truck with toilets. Registration is self-serve on the day of arrival. No advance registration is available. The campground fills by mid-afternoon. The only means of knowing site availability is upon arrival at the campground. The elevation 6,000 ft. (1,829 m).
Scott Creek Campground is located 50 minutes southwest of Chemult, Oregon. This site lies off the beaten path and is an ideal camping destination if you want to relax in a serene and remote setting. A mix of conifers like lodgepole, ponderosa pines, and white firs shade the six campsites. You’ll find each site with a picnic table and fire ring. There is one vault toilet and an information board. Scott Creek flows peacefully through the north side of the campground and you may see a few small trout swimming in the creek. In the fall, this campground is popular amongst hunters. There is no potable water. Visitors need to bring an adequate supply of water.
Mill Creek Campground sites are located along Mill Creek, with its pleasant mix of Douglas-firs, cedars, and maples providing a pleasant backdrop and shade in the heat of summer. The gurgle of the creek is audible throughout the small campground. This is a popular fishing location for rainbow trout. The entrance to Crater Lake National Park is approximately 20 miles northeast of the campground, making this a great place to overnight for your planned day trip into the park. Additional day trips to consider are the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, and the Rogue Gorge. Facilities 10 campsites with picnic tables and fire pits 2 vault toilets No drinking water No garbage disposal - Please pack it out
South Diamond Sno-Park is near the intersection of Interstate OR-230 and OR-138, in a plowed section of Forest Road 6592. At this location, recreationists can cross-country ski, snowmobile or enjoy dog sledding. Nordic trails include Pizza Connect Trail , Horse-N-Teal Trail , Outback Trail , Diamond Lake West Trail, Silent Creek Trail , and North Crater Trail .
The trailhead and surrounding area is a Day-Use only site, open from sunrise to sunset. Toketee Lake Campground is the closest overnight campground. Provides access to: Umpqua Hot Springs Trail #1444 North Umpqua Trail Amenities No drinking water Vault toilet Limited garbage disposal - Please pack it out
Jim Creek Group Campground provides your group with a peaceful camping experience in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Woodruff Bridge picnic area is nearby and provides access to the Upper Rogue River Trail. The Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) mostly parallels the Rogue River for about 47 miles from near the rivers headwaters at Boundary Springs in Crater Lake National Park to the North Fork Dam outside Prospect, Oregon. A managed off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail system with two play areas and an OHV friendly campground are within a few minutes drive of this group campground.
__This campground is very secluded and is set in an old growth grove of Douglas-fir trees adjacent to Abbott Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River.
Visit Crater Lake National Park and learn about its unique natural and cultural history. At a depth of 1,943 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the ten deepest lakes in the world. Experience 172 miles of river and mountain landscapes along the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway. Travel from rolling oak-covered hills and towering coniferous forests, to roaring white water rapids and incised inter-canyon lava flows.
$40 / night
Nestled in a mixed conifer Forest, Lake in the Woods is a 4 acre man-made lake that is 8 feet at its deepest point. The trail cabin located on the site was built in 1907. Facilities 8 campsites with picnic tables and fire pits 2 double campsites with picnic tables and fire pits 1 tent campsite with picnic table and fire pit 1 picnic site with grill 4 flush toilets (1 vault toilet during the winter) No drinking water Garbage disposal
Lemolo Lake is in the Diamond Lake District, and is surrounded by a mountain setting. The North Umpqua Trail #1414is in the area. North Umpqua Trail Information ACTIVITIES Camping: Bunker Hill Campground Poole Creek Campground East Lemolo Campground Lemolo Lake Resort Fishing: Fish Species: Brown trout, rainbow trout, kokanee Fishing Access: 2 X 4 Fishing Methods: Angling Season: Year Round Depth and Size: Fishing License Oregon state fishing license required. See Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at http://dfw.state.or.us/ for more information. Hiking Wildlife Viewing
Scout
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.
Traveler
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Scout
Stayed at site PRV 18. Site is right next to the road with no sound barrier. Very loud traffic late evening and early morning. You won’t get a decent nights rest. The positive: staff very friendly, clean bathrooms, and warm showers.
Ranger
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.
Ranger
We absolutely loved camping here. During our off season stay it was fun and with all the ATV trails it was our favorite place to camp.
Our neighbor campers decided they could ride the trails without helmets and found out the hard way that is is a no no. They were brought back to the camp without their bikes and in the back of a National Forest Service Enforcement vehicle. After being spoken to about the importance of following the rules of the trails, they were left at camp and had to find their own way back to their motorcycles.
Fortunately we did not have the same experience. It can get very dusty so just be prepared for that. The trails are absolutely great and access to the Rogue River is just icing on the cake.
It was so nice to have areas provided for unloading bikes and ATV's so folks could safely load and unload their toys.
Guide
All sites by river. Small but spacious. Deep forest feel. Minimal highway noise. Got a site mid afternoon on a Saturday in mid September. Sites were pretty level.
Traveler
Nous avons passé 2 nuits dans ce camp très agréable même si les couches sont tièdes à froides. Possibilité de faire du feu
Traveler
Sur les conseils d une rangers nous avons passé une nuit avant d obtenir une place a mazama. Très calme
TravelerStayed for over a week and the only thing is it buts up to a quad/dirt bike trail. Other than that quiet and peaceful!
Scout
I camped here last year before the Ride the Rim bike ride and it was great. You cannot reserve sites this time of year - it is only first come first served. I planned on doing the the same thing this year and when I drive up on Friday September 13 the website still said “open” but when I got there the gates were closed. There was a sign that said “sorry for the inconvenience”. Luckily Thielspn View campground was open on the west side of Diamond lake.
Scout
Vault toilets had no toilet paper, but otherwise a really beautiful small spot. Would stay there again
Guide
Quiet camping area off 138. You come up to what looks like a county shop, but keep going to the left, and you're here. A handful of sites. We were easily able to park out jeep a ways in.
Guide
Self check in campground with reservable sites, pick an unreserved and check in at entrance kiosk. Road is rough but site blacktop are somewhat level but rough old blacktop. Some sites are too close to the road and some nice ones by the river. No showers were available due to water shortages. Bathrooms are a little rundown.
LegendGreat campground. Well kept and sites far enough apart for some privacy. Plenty of hiking throughout park. Stayed while there were several fires around so smoke blocked many views.
Scout
Great place to be. Close enough to a lot of hiking trails, waterfalls and crater lake itself. Structure is good and the staff is super welcoming.
GuideMazama 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.
Guide
They have about 4 first come first serve sites, otherwise sites are available if tag on site is not for the nite you pull in. Plenty were available when we were there on a Sunday afternoon. Most sites are wide but many are not real long, but width allows for unhooking and space for vehicle or creative parking. Sites are spread out nicely. Our site had no site on one side and back to a trail to lake. Toilets were flush with sink. They honor the senior/golden/etc passes. Some highway noise. But quiet at nite.
GuideThe campground is in the beautiful forest a short drive from Crater Lake NP. We had a site along the Rogue river, a short distance from a pebble beach that the kids loved exploring. The campground was busy and several groups were quite boisterous. The sites were semi private with trees in between, but water spouts were few and far between. The vault toilets weren’t very clean. The Union Creek resort stores were just outside the entrance, so it was easy to stay stocked on ice and grab an ice cream cone while we were at it.
Traveler
nearly had the entire place to myself minus a couple travel trailers, but there’s enough room to spread out to where no one even notices each other. Plenty of trail to hike in the summer and great place for dogs to walk. Very quiet and hard to realize you’re so close to the main highway. Dump station is present on site. Definitely will stay here again.
ScoutThe Cabin is perfectly fine, but don’t expect any frills. No cell service or WiFi. No tv. No fridge. The water is hot. Note that this“cabin” is actually four different hotel rooms that all walls. You are not in a quaint cabin in the woods. You are in a bare bones hotel room with thin walls and no amenities. There is a picnic table outside but no real lounge area despite being in the middle of a gorgeous national park.
I ended up in this cabin because the system that manages the reservations screwed up. I booked and RV site 6 months ago and was called two weeks before and told that they overbooked. The only way to accommodate me was to have me stay in one site for one night and then move to a different site for 8 nights. However the 8 night site turned out to be too short for my RV when I showed up there(I was always up front about the length of my rig). I was told the only thing open for the length of my stay was a cabin and were told to park the RV in the cabin parking lot and stay in the cabin.
Things that occurred over the course of 9 days:
Housekeeping knocking on my door at 730am on a Saturday provide service while I was asleep. They typically knocked on my door 2-3 times per day to ask when I was leaving.
running out of toilet paper and having to walk 3/4 mile to the camp store to get more(there is no phone in the room and no service)
the power going out
and my favorite, getting home from dinner at 10pm to find that our keys had been deactivated because“they thought we were leaving that day” and having to drive up to the crater rim(30 min round trip) to get new keys because the camp store closes at 9pm
The campground advertised laundry but the laundry is broken with no timeline to fix.
All in all, I just wanted what I paid for, a campsite with electric that fit my RV. Not a weird parking lot spot and a half-baked hotel room.
Unfortunately this campground is the only game in town. Good luck with your visit to crater lake.
ScoutThis was a lovely place to camp for the night. There were probably 10-15 campsites, and I was the only one there when I showed up. Campsites have picnic tables and fire pits and there is a pit toilet. Many trees which provide shade. Some mosquitos but not too bad. Very easy to find with the directions and it was also on GAIA GPS.
Legend
Full service RV Park in the national Forest 40 minutes from Crater lake rim. Large Park in the woods. Visited in late July and it was only half full. For the weekday pretty quiet and peaceful. Some deferred maintenance like roadways crumbling in spots but all the basics were met. Great little pizza restaurant on the lakes edge is just walking distance.
GuideCame here not really knowing what to expect and we were surprised with what we got. Road was was easy to get up, however 4x4 is definitely needed for the spots up on the rocks. Lovely view where we were! Lots of little camp fires scattered around the area .
Traveler
We constantly sleuth campgrounds and map sites that will fit our 30 footer. We scoped out over two dozen CGs. We love the spacing of the sites. All are full hookups. We loved their showers and restroom facilities. Amazing water pressure! Nice shade, too.
Scout
Hamaker Campground has been abandoned for nearly 10 years and is now "free dispersed camping" without any improvements. There are no bathrooms. There is no host. ODFW is not present here. To call it Douglas, OR is untrue!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Crater Lake, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Crater Lake, OR is Lost Creek Campground — Crater Lake National Park with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Crater Lake, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 58 tent camping locations near Crater Lake, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
