I’ll try to give this campground the benefit of the doubt and not judge it based on the foul weather we encountered on our one day there.

We arrived on the day this campground opens for the season, June 11. This early in the season the campground is first come first served. We arrived fairly late in the day, and didn’t get to the Mazama Village Store where you need to get your campsite until a few minutes after they were supposed to close at 7:00. The gal at the register very kindly accommodated us and got us a campsite assigned even though they were about to close up shop. I don’t know if you normally have the option to choose a site, but we were not given that option. Again, we were late so I was just grateful to get a spot.

When we pulled up to the site we were dismayed. The whole site was basically a puddle, and we were tent camping. There wasn’t a level, dryish spot for us to pitch our small tent. The fire pit was so full of water that starting a fire would have been impossible. Long story short, after some deliberation we decided to forfeit our fee of $21 that we’d paid for the site, and try to find somewhere dry to stay for the night.

We got extremely lucky and ended up getting a room at the Crater Lake Lodge (that is typically booked up to a year out) due to a last minute cancellation. So we got to stay warm and dry for the night and not camp in a puddle. The fog even cleared out the next morning so we got to finally see the lake.

That all being said, the lake is amazing. During a beautiful, sunny day, I’m sure this campground is plenty sufficient and gives easy access to explore this incredible area. It seems well provisioned and there’s even a really nice gift shop and a cafe nearby if you want something warm to eat without cooking it yourself.