Campground

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5.0

out of 5

12 Reviews

Reviewed May. 10, 2025

Remote and Serene. Lovely (Super Cold) Lake

Stayed here in Sept 2022.  Awesome Campsite overlooking the south end of the lake. It was a steep trek down to the lake, especially toting Kayaks, but worth it. 

  The morning kayak was on an absolutely flat glass lake. The lake is super clean, but a frigid 38 (they tell me) degrees. Swimming is not permitted for this reason. 

There is a petrified forest under the water from the way the lake was formed by a volcanic eruption. Quite a trail thru the lava field (Not for bikes, we say - but some do). We ended up pushing and carrying the bikes a bit. 

Sweet and peaceful campsite.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Spring feeding the lake and the McKenzie river
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  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Maurice G., May 10, 2025
  • Camp Friend !
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Reviewed Jul. 29, 2022

Nice and well maintained campground

Great campsites with fire pit and table. Nicely surrounded by forest. Clear lake is a nice lake for canoeing / kayaking. There is no beach. The boatramp is nice for small boats. It is a wood construction. Motorboats are not allowed on the lake. The csmphost is friendly and helpful. The site is fully booked in busy season.

Site20
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2022

Clear water!

1000 upon 1000 year old trees growing IN the lake! The water is crystal clear and blue. Extremely clean restrooms, nice campgrounds, on the Mckenzie River! You can see down 35ft into the lake it’s so clear. Highly recommend!

Month of VisitJuly
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  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Autumn O., July 17, 2022
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Autumn O., July 17, 2022
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Autumn O., July 17, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2021

Perfect

Large site. Plenty of spots to hang hammock. Site backed up to volcanic rock area. Kids had fun climbing on the rocks and huge trees. Lots to do nearby. We fit two tents and two cars at our site and had plenty of room. Couldn’t see neighbors.

Site34
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Jenn M., August 15, 2021
Reviewed May. 27, 2021

Lovely place to camp and hike

This is a great campground on the shore of Clear Lake. There is pretty easy access to the lake and a small boat launch for canoes and kayaks. There are no motor boats on the lake. We had a double-site (17) and would stay again. Some of the other spots seemed short (the vehicle parking area) but all had plenty of room for the actual campsite. The host was fantastic and joined us for a song or two with a guitar accompaniment (Eppie, your voice is so rich!) There were very clean vault toilets and an old-fashioned hand pump for water. We hiked all the way around the lake even though we only intended to see the start of the Makenzie River. It is a good, long walk along a (mostly) easy trail. The lake was clear and a lovely greenish turquoise color. A great place to paddle around or fish.

Site17
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2020

One of my favorite campgrounds

When I was a kid my family went here all the time.  It was one of my favorite campgrounds because I always remember it being very quiet.  It has gotten more popular over the years, but will always be one of my favorites.

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2020

Love Clear Lake

This is an excellent campground on Clear Lake. Site#17 was a double site(unbeknownst to us, and bigger than what we needed), and has a good view of the lake. There is accessibility to the lake, but it's down a steep lava rock path. You may be able to navigate a paddle board through it, but it almost killed us to schlep 2 55lb kayaks down and back. The boat ramp is a distance, so unless you have carts for board/kayak, or want to drive around, it's not the easiest water access. It gave us a good story, however, and luckily no major injuries:) 

Was a bit windy so a hard paddle and the water was not as clear, but still awesome overall. GREAT view of Neowise once the sun actually went down(midnight?!).

Site#17
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Gayle B., August 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Gayle B., August 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Gayle B., August 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Gayle B., August 6, 2020
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2019

Beautiful

Nice private sites in the trees with a few having lake views. Beautiful hike around the lake.

Reviewed Jun. 10, 2019

Great Site, Better Lake

Nicely kept campgrounds with all of the amenities/accommodations you’d expect. The lake itself is gorgeous with turquoise-blue water - imagine the Caribbean meets the PNW. Overall a great place to set up camp with tons of recreation in the area.

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2016

Awesome Campground for Lava Viewing

This is a really neat place to camp. It's situated on the east side of Clear Lake, which formed when a lava flow dammed the McKenzie River. The campground is actually built on the lava flow, so it's really cool for checking out rocks. The campground is right off a highway, so it's easily accessible, but isn't near the road so traffic noise isn't bad. The campground itself is pretty large and popular on the weekends, so reserve a spot early or avoid it if you don't like crowds. There is a decent amount of space and vegetation between sites, so you don't feel too crowded.

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2016

Great for boating and hiking

Clear Lake is absolutely gorgeous with its crystal clear water. Not ideal for swimming as the temperatures sit around 50 degrees year-round, but non-motorized boats are welcome. There are row boats available for renting at reasonable prices at the other end of the lake. The campground has easy access to the trail leading around the lake. The nearest town (Sisters) is about a half hour away, and then another 30ish minutes to Bend/Redmond, all of which provide plenty of activities. In general, the entire area is filled with plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy!

Reviewed Jun. 18, 2016

Views, wildlife and fun!

We snagged a great campsite that is just as you enter the grounds on the left. Multi level campsite, easy to access the trail that goes around the lake, a beautiful clear lake that hides a forest underneath, volcanic rock, row boat rentals, cafe and easy access from Portland.

Our first camping trip since moving to Oregon and we were impressed! There are primitive toilets, potable water, trash facilities and a community environment. The hosts of the campground were friendly and helpful.

We look forward to staying here again!

  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016
  • Review photo of Coldwater Cove Campground by Terésa M., June 18, 2016