Best Tent Camping near Dorena Lake, OR

 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 the place to take a big motorhome and no cell service but nice if you want to tent camp in the woods

Not super geared toward tent camping, if you have an RV or trailer it may be better. Super open with sites right on top of one another.

Shady with RV and tent sites. Pay showers at guest services. Flush toilets at campground.

We love this campground. We’ve only tent camped here. The site we’ve always stayed at is huge, way far from any other sites, and has a neat little trail between the parking spot and camping spot. The river is a short walk away and has wonderful spots for the kids to play in away from the main channel. The one downside is the train that goes during the night across the river, but we were usually tired enough it didn’t bother us too much. We’ve since moved away from Oregon but will always remember this spot fondly and will camp there anytime we can when we’re back in Oregon!

Blue Pools is a great family campground, open for walk-ins during the summer. The sites are large and versatile between RV and tent sites. There are paved paths that are great for bike rides. Some campsites require a walk in with parking nearbye.

Beautiful. About 30 min away from groceries and stores. Came in late to this campround. No reservation needed. Lucky they had a couple of tent sites open. We ended up staying an extra day. About $21 for a night with a car. Extra vehicle extra $7.

Staff was extremely friendly, professional and attentive. They have everything super clean on bathrooms, kitchen and around the park. Tent sites has electricity and picnic tables. They also a full kitchen to cook with free coffee and perishable food. They had free movie night on big screen with free popcorn and a nice forepit.

Great spot for a quick stay. There are only a few flat spots for RVs but quite a few decent spots for tent camping next to the pond. The west side of the pond has at least 2 spots that are a good distance away from the others. At the moment, no fires or barbecues allowed but propane stoves and lanterns are fine. Look for Bandits blue squeaky disk! We lost it and never found it.

I stayed here on a Monday night (and reserved ahead since it's small and popular with boaters) in a tent site. Sites are big, some face the water but ours was a bit further in the trees. There is a road to a dock on the water and a trail that leads to Shelter Cove. Mosquitos were pretty awful, so we made a fire early and left at dawn.

The on-site host is available by phone at 1pm to 2pm and I believe 4pm to 5pm. Otherwise you have to call the main line and book a space. It’s $20 or $30 for a tent site and $30 for a rv site. I have stayed there multiple times. It has showers and bathrooms and it is clean and safe. It’s a great place to stay close to town and avoid the hotel scene.

Tent campers beware! The tent sites have cats that roam the area and the world is their litter box. The smells at night were rough. The cats caused dogs to bark all night. People playing loud music throughout the night. Screaming kids and adults all night. People throwing rocks. And again, the smells are awful. Very Overpriced. Go up the road or just find somewhere else. I camp 6-7 times per week for the last few months across the country. This is by far the WORST campground I’ve ever encountered.

This was a great campsite. We were in a walk in Tent site right on the lake which was quiet for the most part. Right next to hiking path that went around the lake. There didn't appear to be a boat put in around the area, but there is one down the street. We stayed in Campsite 28, which helped get away from the chaos of the big group sites which I would strongly Recommend! Beautiful place.

Large, spacious tent sites with fire rings & tons of trees. The hosts are great and deliver firewood to your site. The showers are HOT and have great water pressure. Dumpsters & a recycle bin near the bathrooms. There is a road near some of the campsites but I didn’t mind the road noise. I was able to show up and get one of the 6 camp sites for 2 nights without reservations. There are a ton of mosquitos - bring bug spray!

Camped at Poole Creek Campground and had a great experience. Lake is good for swimming, camp site has lots of room, and lots of trees for shade which was nice since it was like 102!

If your bringing a boat, there is a boat ramp, bathrooms are available, and there is no cell service. Really nice and affordable at $15 for tent site.

Good place to stay and play if your traveling through to check out all the waters falls.

This campground has 0 privacy, even the picnic tables for the RV spots, you have to walk thru a tent site to get to them. Half the sites are reserve online. The entrance to the park is hard to find in the daylight, and near impossible to find in the dark. There is one good thing about this place, it is only a couple minute drive from a great hot spring....so if you can put up with everything I have already said, I strongly recommend you go just for that hot spring.

One option when looking for a campground last minute during the summer close to Eugene, Oregon. This one is not usually very busy during peak season in my opinion.

This is a primitive campground so no hook ups for your rv. Bring the generator if your needing a power source during the day.

There are restrooms/ showers on site along with drinking water, a playground, and an rv dump station. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Trails are nearby along with a beach/ swimming area at Dorena Lake. Watch for signs of Algae or Swimmers Itch as it has been present the past few years at Dorena Lake.

Overall its a great last minute campground not far from town ( Cottage Grove- Eugene), but doesn't make my list of top 5 if I can make reservations a head of time.

no hookups in this little campground but you can’t beat the location. nestled on the shores of Dorena Lake east of Cottage Grove in the trees. little boat dock. stocked lake. rental kayaks and swimming hole. one of our favorite places.

This campground is very family friendly. The lodging is definitely built for RVs. For this quick trip, I decided to use our tent because it was only a three day visit to Crater Lake. The tent sites are nice, and they have a very outdoor rustic feel. Upon arrival, we will be given a spot that is completely dirt, and covered by high desert pines. Our site was large. Some sites are not that large, and they are situated within 10 feet of other campers. We were so close together, I could hear our neighbor snore the entire night. I think he needs to get sleep tested for sleep apnea. If you camp here, be prepared for neighbors right outside your tent. The managers are awesome and the staff are extremely helpful. The bathrooms are okay. There are two showers and it is pretty clean. The bathroom counter height is tall, so my five-year old son struggled to use the sinks. The store is well stocked, and the cell reception for AT&T is great. There is no WiFi. I heard. Verizon works well too. If you choose to stay here, bring all necessary supplies and food. The nearest store is about an hour away.