Best Cabin Camping near Medford, OR

What a fantastic lake! Secluded in the mountain back country of the Southern Oregon area - not far from Medford / Grants Pass / Siskiyou National Forest / Crater Lake

Great boating lake for water sports, good fishing, excellent hiking and great campsites and in nearby campgrounds not listed on The Dyrt yet, you can get some really secluded sites that are just beautiful... but do not expect more than an outhouse and a spigot, a picnic table (maybe a bear box?) and fire-ring- which to me is PHENOMENAL camping. Fresh water, a bathroom and nature. Works!

The Willow Lake County Park offers more amenities though and great wilderness. Its a beautiful little gem and gets amazing weather- from warm and sunny to random rainy thunderstorms that do not last long. Truly God-sent sunsets and sunrises.

Great place to make some wonderful memories with streams, creeks, the lake, the forested areas, trails, canyons, fishing, hiking, canoeing and more.

Campground review

Mazama village campground is located just inside the south entrance to Crater lake national park, about 5 or so miles from the rim.

Mazama village is a very large campground with cabins, a motor lodge and 7 loops with about 30 sites per loop. Each loop has flushing toilets and running water in the gender specific restrooms, and water bibs as well. Each site has a bear box, fire pit, table, and some have RV power hookups. They don't seem to have dish water troughs though.

What I found strange was the check-in process. I made reservations months in advance, but when I arrived; it wasn't a specific site I reserved, but a chance to choose a site. Sites are allocated by RV and tents; by size. There is only one loop, E that is specifically for smaller tents, so I was forced to choose from only 5 sites. I was able to luck out and find a decent site with shade and some privacy, as it was hot and dry and a lot of the sites did not offer much for privacy.

Upon entering the campgrounds you find the Annie creek restaurant and gift shop, I had chili and cornbread for dinner and wasn't too impressed with it for the price. There is also a general store, fuel pump, laundry mat and pay showers. You can also make bookings for tours and other activities at the general store.

Crater lake itself was amazing and there were tons of hikes and activites to take advantage of around the rim. It is a drive though, getting from the campground to points of interest on the rim, luckily the vistor center is the first thing you come across as you head up the west rim drive. There they also have a little gift shop and info on the national park.

On my last night in the campground I was exhausting my options for hikes and had been trying to find the nearby Annie creek trail. I ended up walking through the campgrounds and found the trail head behind the amplitheter; that happens to hold church service on Sunday. The trail was pretty sweet, it is a 2 mi. loop and either direction you start it's quite a drop into the gorge to a creek oasis running through the middle. It was quite a treat to find as the sun was going down on my final night.

All said, it was an okay campground not the best I've stayed in, but I made the most of it and had an amazing time visiting my own states national park; Crater lake.

Product review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get the chance to test and review outdoor gear from time to time. This is my testing and review for the Baltoro 65 ruck sack from https://www.gregorypacks.com/

https://www.gregorypacks.com/backpacking/premium/baltoro-65/916BAL65.html?dwvar_916BAL65_color=Onyx%20Black&cgidmaster=#q=baltoro+65&start=1

Let me start by saying this pack is AWESOME! I have never been able to afford such a quality pack in the past and have always had an inexpensive pack. I am amazed at the difference in quality when it comes to a true backpacking pack made by a reputable company.

I have always been a big guy and after hurting my knee many years ago, I never found the inspiration to start real backpacking. For the past 10 years I have been building my gear box and moving more toward lighter and more quality gear. With the help of TheDyrt and Gregory as well as other fine outdoor companies; I have finally rounded out my gear especially with this pack being the final touch. I now feel I have the confidence, gear, and with growing experince to tackle harder, longer and steeper treks.

I received this pack just before my road trip to Crater lake. I tested it a few times before my departure and then many times while on the way to the park. I kept if full, around 40+ lbs. on all hikes, including 11 mi. on the Diamond view lake trail, Rosary lakes PCT section trail and the Howlock mtn. trail at Diamond lake. Then to top off the week; 5 mi. up Mt. Scott at Crater Lake. I was amazed at how good it felt and how well it handled the weight. It was real nice with all the adjustments that can be made, to make it fit me perfectly and make it actually comforable to carry.

Other features I like include:The zipper front that allows you access to the main ruck sack compartment w/o having to open the top. This way you can get to items on the bottom of the pack without having to remove the others on top. Another feature is the removable water bladder holder that can be used as a daypack/hydration pack when you don't want to take your full pack on a small jaunt. I also like the water botlle holder that is stowable and has a shockcord(like the trekking pole holders) that helps keep the bottle from falling out.

The quality of this pack is unreal, the ripstop holds up to branches, the zippers are strong with good loop pulls. All the materials used seem to be of high quality and were put together very well. I look forward to many adventures with this pack as I feel it will last me quite a while. It will help motivate me to go further and tackle harder, longer trails and stay out for more nights now that I can carry everything I need and with such ease.

I highly recommend this pack to anyone and everyone, I don't know what else someone could ask for from a backpack. Great job Gregory!

Lake of the Woods RV and Cabin Resort in Oregon. It is a lake surrounded by trees 30 min West of Klamath Falls. This is truly a cozy hidden gem! It’s rustic and clean with all the amenities you need. The max stay is 14 days and full hook ups are $50-$60. The restaurant and pizza parlor are fantastic! And in Oregon, you pay zero sales tax!

My entire family has stayed here twice for family reunions and it has been a great spot for the entire family! They have cabins (tiny houses) for rent as well as spots for RVs! The lake is absolutely stunning and a great size for boating and fishing. The tiny cabins do have some critters living in them but as long as you don’t leave food on the counters you should be okay!

The 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.

We stayed in the cabins on the lake and in the tent sites(separate occasions) both were very nice! there is plenty of fun to be had here with swimming and fishing and boating! nice restrooms with showers and plenty of water for drinking!

Nice place on an Army Corps resevoir that's pretty low. Sites are smaller, I only saw 5-6 sites that would take a rig larger than 20". Great play area. A couple of cabins to rent also. Lots of trees, so good shade in the heat!

Fantastic campground. All types of cabins, tent, rv camping during Summer Season. Boating. Kid swim area. Little private beaches under the trees. Nice lodge restaraunt and bar. Outdoor bbq and music on weekends. Reserve ahead and driest come camping spots! Big families. Day rate parking too. I love this place.

These quaint cabins are nestled craftily amongst deep woods edging a vast lake. The amenities seem to have been carefully suited to meet and exceed my daily needs, equipped with a restaurant and even additional showers. Would recommend going to the lakeside gazebo during sunset for some spectacular views of the mountain.

We camped in our van for $25 per night. Tent and car camping available. There are RV hookups too. Some small cabins and yurt structures for rent too. On site showers and bathrooms. Developed hot pool for day use, with a discount of you are staying there overnight. Sauna and steam room available. An amazing peaceful place to be just outside of Ashland.

Nice campground at the lake of the woods. It's very close to the lodge and cabin's which seem like they could be very busy during the summer. The camp sites here are closer together and less private than I like. I prefer the very nearby Sunset campground which had much more old growth cover and more space between campsites. Close to many hiking trails.

we found this place because we wanted something remote, but accessible for my SIL’s travel trailer. This place was wonderful. There are only 3 campsites, which are all next to a gorgeous creek made of runoff from the spring. There is also a cabin, and an old barn the kids loved playing in. It’s creepy, in the best kind of way. The spring itself is past a gate. The path is gorgeous; the kids called it the magic place.

Great campsite right on the Lake of the Woods in Southern Oregon. Perfect spot to get away from the valleys heat. Easy to step to the water from your campsite, or in a boat or just watch the kids from the private yet easily accessible lakefront. Campsites are not too close to your neighbors, yet close to restrooms. Easy to drive to the lodge and get snacks or supplies, gas...but secluded enough that you don't feel crowded. Definitely recommend.

Besides being the only National Park in the state of Oregon, Crater Lake is an amazing stop along the PCT. On our month long trek across Oregon, my husband, dog, and I made sure that we spent at least one day here. The best part was that we had friends join us for a great time. There are a variety of camping options available including paid, reserved site camping for tents, trailers, or RVs, private cabins, as well as a separate area for hikers and bikers (bicyclists) who do not have a motor vehicle. It definitely fills up quickly in the summertime so be sure to reserve early as you may not have any luck with day-of walkups. The campground is about 2 miles from the PCT intersection so you can either walk along the road or try your luck at hitchhiking in.

The campground is located right inside the park and has a nice base area. There is a formal restaurant with gift shop in one building then about 100 yards away is a second building with a general store, showers/bathrooms/laundry, and camping check-in. The second building is where hikers pick up their resupply packages so there are always a bunch of them hanging around outside. The general store has pretty much everything you may need and there is a free water refill station right outside so be sure to bring fill up containers as I don't believe they sell individual bottles of water. This is also where you can catch a trolley up to the crater.

The actual camp sites are divided into numbered loops and when you reserve you don't reserve individual spots. You get your spot once you check in (and the person who actually make the reservation is the only person who can check in) so it is a mix of first come, first served and reserved camping. In any case, my friend got a great spot that was near a bath house (flushing toilets but the showers were locked). Since it is a big campground, it would take about 5 minutes to walk from our site to the general store (near the only spot for wi-fi which is paid only).

Our site was tent only and allowed for two cars. You could easily fit 2 (if not one more) tents in the spot. It was well equipped with a table, fire pit, and bear box all in good condition. There were a lot of trees which allowed for hammocks and provided some privacy between the spots. The mosquitoes weren't horrible but they were definitely a nuisance, especially at dawn and dusk, so be sure to bring your deet or other bug repellent if staying in July or early season.

Overall, the camp ground is definitely worth the cost and it gives you great access to one of Oregon's gems.