Best Tent Camping near Crater Lake, OR

This is a cute little campground, only a few miles from crater lake. We stayed here on our way through while we were exploring the crater. It has both RV and tent sites. All the ones I saw looked nice and flat and not too close to other people. The campground has a store, showers, food storage lockers, and a gas station. Everything you need really. 

Like usual when we camp, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time at the campground. I would definitely recommend hitting Garfield peak trail and Cleetwood cove trail. They had some beautiful views of the crater. The area has some amazing hikes that range from easy to super hard, so it is something for everyone.

Collier State Park is a typically nice Oregon State park, with the benefit that there's often spaces open only a few days out that you can book online and just 30 miles from Crater Lake. There's enough to keep kids busy for a day or so, including the free logging museum across the road. Clean bathrooms and showers and tons of rangers/employees getting sites ready, picking up litter etc. Prices were great, just $19 for tent sites and $29 for a full RV hook-up, including a few pull-through spots, plus flush toilets and showers. On our recent road trip in a 32-foot RV, this was probably the best deal of anywhere we went. For a state park, though, spots were right on top of each other, with very little in terms of privacy.

Pros:

• Nice, well maintained facilities
• Good deal, especially for RVs with hook-ups.

Cons:

• Spots felt very crowded and on top of each other.
• Horrible mosquitoes kept us inside the RV in the evening.

The campsite was great, the views of the lake were stunning, minutes from crater lake NP. Be prepared to fend off mosquitoes if you're going in the summer! The showers and bathrooms were clean and well maintained.

4.5 hour drive from Portland and 30 mintues from Crater lake. Very clean campsites, had access to clean water and toilet facilities. Short walk to the Rogue River gorge viewpoint then a nice hike down the river back towards the site. Plenty of places to fish.

Campsites are nestled among large pines.  Your site may not see much sun but the trees add their own warmth.

The campground is not far from Crater Lake National Park, about 25 miles so it is conveniently located to visit the Park.

Nice, fairly new restrooms and showers.  The campsites for the most part have good separation. 

We ate at the pizza/brewery place across the road and it was great.

 A campground with full hookups, clean bathrooms& showers& access to a very nice lake. Off the beaten path-you're camping in the pines of South Central Oregon. Yes, it's dry& dusty, but it's summer& they're in a drought. We were in site 28, which is by the bathroom. Convenient for us, since we have no shower in our trailer. Laundry has 2 washers& 2 dryers, both worked while we were there. There's cabins for rent as well.

  The tent sites by the lake looked outstanding! If I was tent camping I'd totally want one. There's also some tent sites at the main campground facing the woods. This is an old fashioned campground. There's no jumping pillows. Swimming is done in the lake. The kids camping next to us entertained themselves. There's a boat ramp, fishing& a very small camp store.

 When they say you're "away from it all", that means stock up on supplies BEFORE you get to your campsite. There's restaurants at Crater Lake& I think Diamond Lake. 

The worst thing I can say about this campground is that I hated the tokens. The girl who registered me told me the reason & I understand it. The tokens for the showers are free to registered campers & given out every day for the asking. This campground sits alongside a Forest Service campground within easy walking distance. No showers or laundry there. Maybe a business opportunity for the KOA? $5 for a shower for the unregistered & stinky? I wish there was a way though to insert the tokens INSIDE your shower so you don't have to trot back to your shower wrapped in a towel!

My husband & I liked this campground very much. I would recommend it if visiting Crater Lake& the surrounding National Forests.

Not quite my style of camping with hot showers and flushing toilets but I understand that with the site being along the PCT some people would be in heaven there. The sites are all very close and not very secluded. 

The wildlife in the campsite was awesome for my 2yr old. They campground was very clean as were the  restrooms. Trails were well maintained and so many options. 7 miles from Crater Lake Rim Village.

Great campground that offers trash cans, water and bathroom. There is a nice trail on the site that brings you to the state park (1.3 miles). Only $10 a night!!! About 40 minutes from crater lake. There’s a very nice camp host. No fire wood for sale but, lots to go and grab. Huge sites and great trees to provide shade! 20 sites and all pretty far apart. Would come back for sure.

Next to Annie creek a few sites are available. 2 asphalt sites then maybe a dozen drive in/tent sites. Annie falls is right up the road and the creek does bring cool air from the mountains. I stayed here 3 nights, close to Crater lake and an organic grocery/motel/TV park that I loved. Smoke from Bootleg fire drove me away.

The 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.

Among the trees on a dirt road off the highway not far from crater lake. One large lot that had several RVs parked when we went and a few small slots among the trees a bit further up the road.

No amenities —just a nice spot among the trees.

Did find a butchered deer abandoned in the back of our spot in the morning but would still recommend.

Thought we were at the end of the road (passed the big lot, and another slot before pulling into our slot) but truck drove past us in the morning and didn’t come back so there must be more to see further down.

No cell service - excellent dark spot for stargazing.

Great location minutes from Crater Lake. We walked in with no reservation and easily found a spot. They have some electric hook ups but we took a dry spot(same price, $31.00). Many pull through. Bathrooms and free showers. Store, gas station. Picnic tables and fire pits at every spot. My only gripe was since the campsites are so large you get lots of families utilizing one spot so it gets really loud once everyone gets back from day excursions. We had 2-3 families in one spot next to us with 4-5 screaming kids riding their scooters around until dark. So perhaps look for a spot that doesn’t have 8-10 chairs around it if you’re looking for a quiet spot.

Saturday night I pulled up to Crater Lake… It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and even looking at the pictures I took during my time there I can’t believe it was real! The amazing thing about Crater Lake is that if you sit in front of it for any amount of time the entire thing changes. The colors, the way the clouds reflect on the lake, parts start to look like glass while other parts look frozen. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. The first night we pulled up the water was a deep navy with areas of purple and even darker blue. The next morning we pulled up and the blue was so bright and intense I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. When visiting Crater Lake you have to take the drive around the Rim and see the lake from every angle, it is so worth it, and you have to take the hike down to the lake. Remember that you are at a much higher altitude than you are probably used to, so bring water, and pace yourself if you don’t hike much (especially on the way back up!) Make sure you at least touch the water, put your feet in it, your hands, your face! The water is so clear, so refreshing, and everyone wants to say that they put their hands in a body of water so majestic.

The campsite is about 7 miles from Crater Lake, a short drive, and honestly a great campsite! People complain about the dust, but I got much dustier on my hike down to Crater Lake than I did at the campsite. We paid for one of the small sites and had two 3 man tents and a hammock set up in it. We also had room for our jeep, had a picnic table, and a great little fire pit that even had a rack that we used to make popcorn and and corn on the cob. Once we set up camp we spent the evening eating and drinking warm drinks around the campfire (firewood can be purchased from the same area where you check in, and you must get firewood on site and not bring your own) , gazing at the amazing sky full of stars and the Milky Way, and as bundled up as possible! It was about 32 degrees by midnight and extra layers of down were much appreciated.

The freezing cold weather is where my Rumpl Iron Puffy became much appreciated! (http://www.gorumpl.com/collections/puffy-rumpls/products/iron-puffy) I was able to cuddle up in this blanket by the campfire and all of my friends were jealous! I got this blanket from my Cairn Obsidian box, which I got with my giftcard from the July Dyrt contest! I’ve cuddled in this blanket on every camping trip I’ve taken since, but especially appreciated it in the very cold Crater Lake National Park.

All in all I would highly recommend Crater Lake, and the Mazama Village Campground. Its pretty quiet, has bathrooms on site, and everyone is so in awe from Crater Lake that they can’t possibly be in a bad mood!

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!

This campground is an excellent choice for an overnight stay when visiting Crater Lake National Park. The sites offer flat ground, making it easy to set up a tent. Although it is close to the road, it is secluded enough to provide a peaceful night's sleep. Be aware that during our visit, we encountered many hungry and persistent mosquitoes, so I highly recommend bringing insect repellent and other mosquito-prevention measures.

The tent sites can be found by following an unpaved road downhill from the large parking lot. There are two basic restrooms located at the entrance, but there is no potable water available, so be sure to bring your own. If you don't use the entry restrooms, please practice Leave No Trace principles to keep the area clean and natural. The proximity to Crater Lake allows for convenient early morning starts to explore the park. Overall, it's a great spot for both solo travelers and families looking for a comfortable camping experience.