Crane Prairie Campground

Changed plans at the last minute to come here; great choice! The camp host was great, and helped us find a nice, quiet spot. The blue loop is right on the lake, with beautiful views. The mosquitos are abundant, so plan accordingly. Vault toilets and a few water pumps are available. Overall a great visit, would definitely return!

We stayed at Crane Prairie Resort for 4 months in 2021. I fly fished most every day. The fish are mostly wild; about 5 percent are hatchery. Fishing is among the best in the West. Crane Prairie Resort is my favorite place to stay while fishing this lake. Other reviews describe how nice the campground is and how great the owners are. But I wanted to emphasize that if you have a fishing boat you can't find a better place to make your fishing headquarters.

Only spent one night at Crane Prairie, and that was a Sunday night. The campground was clean and well maintained and the sites were large. The lake seemed nice, though we didn't have a chance to get on the water.

Crane Prairie is about a 30 minute drive from Bend, so far enough to feel like you are getting away. 

The store is right by the boat launch, is well stocked and had friendly staff.

It did appear that there were a lot of no shows, which was too bad, as many prime spots by the water were booked. The plus was that we had quite a bit of privacy.

I'd be happy to stay here again.

Crane Prairie is a popular spot in Central Oregon off the Cascade Lakes Highway west of 4 season resort town of Bend, OR.

The spots are all a little different and many are downright huge. Of course, people like to camp lakeside but those are actually not the best for privacy.

We prefer the blue loop sites 120 and up. And the even number ones on the ridge like 138 are supreme because they back up to open wilderness and can accommodate several tents and RV.

The lake is accessible from many points and small beaches. The resort lodge rents watercraft, sells ice and food and propane. Super nice folks as well.

The place is clean, and friendly. You see kids riding bikes and walking in groups all over the huge space with adults watching out for everyone.

Can't go wrong with Crane Prairie. One quirk brought me pause this last year. People were having a hard time with the camp host getting into spots where no shows weren't arriving. They claimed they don't give away those spots the next day, which is the Forest Service typical rules. It was a PITA for some people and too many were denied a spot in a sparsely populated weekend. That was sad.

Stunning views, amazing fishing, clean campground, but hiking around the area is full of ants that crawl up your legs and bite. Stay in the water and enjoy the beauty.

Looked like a good campground, the reviews said cell service and were generally positive. We arrived late, setup camp, and were immediately covered head to toe with gnats. Unbearable. We decided to split and try out ff on another campground we knew. It worked out and we moved. Will never return. Also, theres very limited cell service so the other reviews are not accurate for verizon or tmobile.

We had a beautiful tent spot right up next to the lake but had to leave because the ants were insane. It was like the ground was moving. There were ant hills two feet tall. We ended up going to elk lake and had a wonderful time.

We pulled in late on Friday at about 6:00pm only to find there was only 1 spot open. We stayed at site 33. The Orange loop we were in was super quiet, for being a completely full campground I was shocked how peaceful it was.

My wife I have been trying to go camping once a week this summer and it's been awesome. This was one of our stops! We went to the tent camp sites, I believe we picked spot 14 and were first blown away by the view. You're right on the water and overlooking the entire lake. We set up camp and the only big bummer for us the whole trip was there wasn't really a spot that we could find to avoid the huge number of ants! They didn't really bother us and our stuff but they were everywhere.

Also I'm a huge fisherman so Crane Prairie was also picked for the fishing AND the camping. But this is a very large lake so unless you have a boat the shore fishing is a challenge. I was able to pull a few off the point we were camping at but it's just so sad seeing a whole lake you cant fish because you don't have a boat.

We still had a blast, the bathrooms were conveniently located close to the tent camping but not to close. The spots were plenty far apart that if we had had company or would have been no bother.

All in all we would love to come back but the lost of other camping spots is so long its gunna be a while.

beautiful views of the cascade mountains, gorgeous reservoir. free camping. dispersed, first come first serve. no amenities. LEAVE NO TRACE!!!!

road is a bit rough but I made it in with a Honda Accord though I wouldn’t recommend for low clearance vehicles.

fire rings available during burn seasons. plenty of fire wood. please do not burn during no burn/dry seasons. the forest is very dry!

bring plenty of water during the summer it’s very hot and dry. you can probably drink the reservoir water if you bring a good filter.

We stayed here for the first time in 2017 and coming back in 2018.

RV camping was fun and quiet and the staff was very friendly. Fishing was not too bad also.

nice places to fish and walk.

I've stayed at this campground several times and always have a great experience. Single spots along the water usually have direct access - some spots have nice beaches, some are more marshy. There's lots of space between most campsites, so you get some privacy from other campers.

The yellow loop is great for big groups, with 15 spots separated from the rest of the campground. There's a small private beach beside the boat ramp, and a bigger, more sandy beach near the day use area.

There are lots of trees for hanging hammocks and giving shade in the afternoon. The reservoir is great for kayaks & paddleboards & floating & swimming. And if you keep your eyes on the sky, you just might see a bald eagle - we see him every time we go, so now we call him Earl.

If you forget anything or just need an ice cream, there's a cute little resort store that's only a short walk from anywhere in the campground.