Kinzel Lake Campground

Took the NF route out there was about 35-40 minutes in my husband and I’s ford ranger 4x4. Pretty bumpy road all the way there and some deep dips. It was a beautiful site and not many people out there.

We stayed at Kinzel Lake during our 2 day backpacking trip in the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness. The reason I am giving it 3 stars is because the lake was pretty low and you cannot see if from your campsite. The campground is also off an OHV road so I can see that it's probably a better spot for people who are driving up. Not the greatest campground but it is decent.

This is one of my favorite places to camp near Mount Hood. The road leading into the campgrounds (NF-2613/Kinzel Lake Road) is primitive and just challenging enough to keep most folks away. You will want a motorcycle or 4WD vehicle to get here. It takes me about 25 minutes by motorcycle from Government Camp.

Once at the lake, you'll see lots of places to setup camp, even a few picnic tables and fire pits (although they are quite old). I usually camp in the grass near the lake. There are no fees and I've never seen another person down here.