Diamond Lake

This is a large Forest Service campground stretching along the shores of Diamond Lake. It is difficult to do a full review of this campground as we were there at the end of the season when it was cold, windy, and rainy. There was no staff on-site, and it was only the next morning that I saw an occupied host site way at the other end of the southern part of the campground. The north end of the campground had already closed for the season, and I believe the south end closes at the end of October. Reservations are only available June through Labor Day, but we pretty much had our pick of sites on a weekday in mid-October. 

The road and camper pads are paved, and a good amount of foliage between sites provides privacy. 

As far as activities, there is a paved bike path that winds through the campground. In season, there is boating (there is a boat ramp in each end of the campground), and there is a fishing dock too. 

In each end of the campground, there is one “nice” bathhouse that is clean, heated, well-lit, and has showers. Depending on where your site is, it may be quite a walk to get to these bathrooms. Note that showers are free but there is a donation box. I wouldn't be surprised that at some point in the future, they will require payment. Sprinkled throughout the rest of the campground are very basic bathrooms with one sink, two stalls, cold water only, no soap. It had last been cleaned three days before we were there and there was no toilet paper in the men’s bathroom closest to our site.

There is also a dump station with a donation box.

Rates are reasonable, especially if you have the senior Golden Access Pass, however, there was a note that each transaction also incurred a $3 transaction fee. Didn’t know if that was if you reserved online, used a credit card, or no matter. We included it in the envelope for a total of $14.

This is a highly recommended campground. Great spots right on the lake and it's a huge campground with tons of spots in general. Cellphone service is hit or miss depending on where you are. We found a level spot, not all spots are level. They have trash and a dump/water station.

Showers are available via a donation..campsite rates are very reasonable for amenities and location.

10 miles from Crater Lake, 1 mile from the lodge with a little store and restaurant. Restaurant was pretty darn good for the middle of nowhere. 100 years old.

Stayed at diamond lake for 3 days. The specific site didn’t have any reviews or pics, but took a chance on it. Our site didn’t have any shade so it was a little rough. And it was a little dirty throughly the entire campground. You could tell it’s highly used, sad that people don’t take a little more pride and leave it a little cleaner then they found it.

We have Verizon and had 1-2 bars LTE. Couldn’t make or receive calls and really couldn’t text or email.

The bathrooms were fairly clean given you are in the middle of nowhere. They showers were available, but we didn’t use them.

The camp hosts were awesome! They gave our free firewood and had free WiFi you could use.

I camped at diamond lake for the first time in about 15 years and can’t believe how rundown it has become. Most toilets in bathroom are broken. Our nearby water spigot not functioning. And lots of litter in camp site. Beautiful lake though.

This is a very large campground with over 200 sites.  I stayed overnight, July 3, 2023.  I was a walk in .  The ranger office was closed when I arrived and they did not have a list of available sites posted.  I found a site, K11, without any reserved tag and spent a wonderful night.  There was a very strong onshore breeze from the lake that kept the mosquitoes grounded and I didn't really need repellant.

The campground is two halves.  In the upper half, the campsites are higher, above the lake.  To the south or east, the sites are closer to the lake.  Water was only available (non threaded faucets) outside the flush latrines, which were not very well kept (mostly due to the dead bugs).  There is not electricity and I was only able to get 2 bars on Verizon.  I could get a text through, but rarely a photo.

I have camped throughout Oregon and what impressed me as different were the large number of tent campers.  More than half were tent camping, though the site would fit small to medium size rigs.  I only saw one Class A and few trailers.  Noisy neighbors can be a problem, as the sites though not exactly next to each other, are still close.  The roads and parking for sites are paved, but some have very steep driveways.  Be careful in your site selection if you have a long trailer or RV.

There are some nearby stores and gas station if you need, but very little else.  A very beautiful spot with lots to do and see nearby.

The scenery is stunning and the sites are large and roomy. The water access doesn’t have much of a beach to speak of, but it is a great lake to paddle.

This campground was in a great location to go see crater lake (15 min drive or less) as well as nearby Hot Springs (30ish min drive) and waterfalls. The campground itself was wooded and very close to diamond lake, it was a very beautiful location. There were lots of close by walking trails which was wonderful.

The amenities were nice enough, sometimes the showers are hot and others times was not. Most of the laundry machines were working with several out of service, and worked well enough.

The staff was helpful and gave suggestions for nearby hiking and Hot Springs. Sites included fire ring, a picnic table, and full hook ups. The stars at night were incredible.

This is our stop-off as we pass through before heading into the woods to explore waterfalls. It's a clean stop with a picturesque lake, clean sites, restrooms, and showers. Sites are roomy, and all of them are different. There are bookable sites and first come first serve sites. Dog friendly. 

Make sure your reserved tag is visible on your site. We have had a few people try to take our site because they were not paying attention. We drive a Jeep with a Roof Top Tent or our Van, so we are self-contained without the need for a tent to leave at the site.

Loved this campground close to Crater Lake. Good spot for biking around as the campground is long and narrow - I read that the trail goes all the way around the lake, although we didn’t get that far.

Our campsite was pretty close to Diamond Lake Loop Rd and the road noise was not great. Traffic seemed to pick up at around 5:30 with water/garbage trucks noisily passing by. I would try to get a site closer to the lake if possible.

Diamond Lake had such great amenities and had all the basics which was very nice. Hot showers, nice bathrooms, picinic tables, fire rings, trash, and boat launch/dock. BUT. The sites were so close together, and there was basically no privacy. I know that isn’t a problem for everyone, but I have done too much dispersed camping to enjoy a packed campground. Great place for families and close to Crater Lake which is why we stayed!

A very long stretched campground along the water of diamond lake. Nice view on the mountain. Some boats in the water. Swimming not recommended due to algue.

Closed until June I believe. Very frustrating since there was NOTHING open on this entire 5+ hour stretch of road, ended up getting stuck in a storm, would have loved to have stayed here for the night. Wish the parks in the area would coordinate so at least one campsite was open to stay.

Beautiful views over Diamond lake. No leveled tent spots. Nice amount of trees to create shade and some privacy between campsites. Non native tree variety caused me terrible allergies. Hot shower access was a great connivance. They do ask for extra donations for shower use. Employee at entrance booth was extremely unhelpful. Campsite was conveniently close to the north entrance of Cater Lake NP.

Loved the lake, loved the atmosphere but two rows back from the water isn’t quite as spectacular as waterfront. Showers far and older. At some sites it isn’t easy to find a level pad for the tents, ours had that issue. Also, inland sites are closer to the road and do get some noise - not bad but adds to the unevenness. Would def come back but get waterfront next time.

Stayed here in late June and found reservations for a week night only a few days before.  This campground is HUGE.  Water-front sites are hard to get and have amazing views but even second-row sites have views because they are built high above. Site K-15 was on the second row but still had great views for example. Some peak-a-boo views of Diamond Lake and Mount Bayley from many sites.

This campground is huge, and it is wonderful. Lots of spaces. Many are on the lake. It’s VERY popular, but we were lucky to get an unreserved space on the lake for our one night stay. If you’re in an RV, leveling can be a challenge, and some of the sites aren’t suitable for RVs but better for tents. Still, there are so many in there, with many loops that you should be able to find something. The lake is beautiful, and you can swim or boat in it. There were bugs - but it’s the outdoors. Cell service was ok - data took some time to load, but it was there, on Verizon. The FS personnel who were working were friendly and helpful. We stayed one night - I could see going back for a week and having so much fun. Wonderful bike trails - we saw many families out biking. Highly recommend.

Nice campground with views of the lake. There are several loops to pick from, but the best sites obviously face the lake. I was partial to K 27(and nearby sites) because it wasn’t ON the lake but had great views and nice shade. This is one of the only campgrounds on the lake staffed by actual forest service rangers. You can reserve sites in advance or work with the Ranger to find what suits your needs. You are really close to the marina and the resort with all the resort offers (restaurant, store, rentals). Right across the street from the campground is the forest service office with a cool little museum to check out.

Beautiful!

Fire pit, picnic table, showers, flush toilets and large campsites.

Really good balance of privacy and community.

Bikes and Boat Rentals nearby as well as a small general store and restaurant.

Short drive to Crater Lake National Park.

Note: I recommend getting a site near the water if you can. The Forest is very buddy but better by the water.

We enjoyed this spacious site with access to the lake and close to the restrooms. It was a little buggy and rainy, and we couldn’t seem to find shower facilities as the park mentioned.

Our group got in pretty late at night, but luckily there were plenty of signs to get us to our reserved site just fine. It was our first time there so we were delighted to wake up in the morning to see how close we were to the water! Our site was next to one of the many bathrooms around the campgrounds but wasn’t smelly or annoying, quite opposite actually when venturing out in the middle of the night! We busted out the floaties in the late afternoon since the water felt pretty nice, but the wind and choppy waters cut our float short. Access to free showers (donations welcome!) was great afterwards and the warm water felt sooo luxurious. All-in-all, we enjoyed our scenic site and the lively energy of all the campers –and camp pups!!!– at Diamond Lake.

This campground is huge! We stayed at K035 which was an awesome site right off the lake. We had a great view of Mt. Bailey, and also access to the lake from our site. We were not super far from the restrooms so that was also great. The restrooms aren’t too bad. The women’s restroom was clean, but the men’s restroom wasn’t as clean. The boat launch which was a three minute drive from our site has showers and bathrooms also. These showers are warm, and don’t forget to donate to the shower box to help maintain it. The water felt really awesome and we kayaked from our campsite right in. There are a lot of black bugs that just land on you almost every other minute here. You get over it though. There’s a store down the road from the area we were at which was the marina and boat rental store. They sell a bunch of groceries but of course they’re pricier than normal it’s a camp store. The location makes it’s perfect to visit Crater Lake National Park being 30 minutes or so away. It is also about 40 minutes or less from Toketee falls which is an easy hike and pretty popular. Beautiful views the whole way, definitely worth staying at.

We have been camping here for over 10 years in our motor home and boat. The views are wonderful from every angle. The are a variety of campsites some more conducive to tent camping and yet there are many pull through sites for trailers and motor homes.

All of the amenities you would expect from a popular campsite, but some really incredible views over Diamond Lake, toward Mt. Bailey.

We were very happy with our campsite at Diamond Lake. We had paid a little extra for a lakefront site, and we were so glad we did. I highly recommend lakefront as each of them has a private beach for direct lake access. We had trees on our site, plenty of places for hammocks, and much more space than we needed. I definitely want to go back soon. It's close enough to Crater Lake to day trip easily.

Huge campsite but it doesn’t feel that way when you are at your site. The sites by the lake appeared to be much larger than the ones further up the hill.

Thankfully we had two sites because on the map, it looked like both sites had a pull through area for cars, but the first one had “parking” which was just an enlarged shoulder on the narrow road going through the loop which would not have fit a Prius, let alone our two SUV’s. Just beware the campground map can be a little misleading!

If I had to choose my favorite time of year to camp at Diamond Lake I guess it would have to be Winter.

For many years my family rented a cabin a year in advance and we stayed there from December 23- January 2 with a very large group of our friends.

It was totally luxurious!

You can also rent a hotel room there.

Going down the inner tube slide was a blast, also hanging out in the lodge getting warmed by the fire.

They also have a huge market on site - almost like a mini Department store. You can buy warm clothing and other supplies there.

Fishing is kind of a big deal at Diamond also- which we did as a family.

I remember riding a snow mobile to this Pizza Chalet and getting hot pizza in the middle of nowhere!!

Such a cool place. Definitely going there this winter to play in the snow ❄️ ⛄️

I better reserve now !!!!

Some of the sites are right next to the lake are spectacular. The ones closer to the road are noisy. Dump and fill site available.

We had a tent spot next to the lake. Was pretty buggy. Close to our neighbors but still had some privacy.

The views are wonderful. It’s quiet and clean. The showers are great. There aren’t really any paths to the bathrooms so you feel like your walking through others camps. But if you stay on the roads you can get everywhere.

Nice campground near Diamond Lake. There is a resort, swimming, bike path, fishing. It’s not too far from Crater Lake, and awesome waterfalls down highway 138.