We decided to hike to Pamelia lake as a labor day backpacking trip, and this trip did not disappoint! One of our friends was a beginner, so we decided to tailor the trip to his experience. This hike-in dispersed campsite was easy to get to, about 2.4 miles one-way from the parking lot. We setup our basecamp right by Pamelia lake and was able to do day hikes from there. We summited Grizzly Peak and saw beautiful views of Mount Jefferson.

Sites were very spacious, we could have easily fit 8 people at our site. Since the hike in was relatively easy, we felt comfortable bringing some camping luxuries like a backpacking chair and hammocks. Be sure to bring your own water filter! The best place to access water was about 0.4 miles away from our site; there is a main stream that feeds into Pamelia Lake. The ranger we spoke to advised us against getting water from the lake or the river we passed on the hike-in due to the algae bloom. We were easily able to access water the entire time we were there.

One big thing to note about this campsite is that permits are awarded via lottery. We were lucky enough to snag a permit the week before and we were very glad we did since we were asked to show proof of our permit twice during the 4 days we were staying there.

No mosquitos up here! We didn't camp at the very top of Big Huckleberry Mountain because there were already a couple other parties, so we decided to camp at the base of the last ascent to the top. I'm glad we did because the grass was lush from having rain a couple days before and we had clear blue skies that gave a beautiful, uninterrupted view of Mt. Adams.

We met some PCT hikers along the way; some were heading towards the Crest Camp Trailhead. This was the trail we followed: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/big-huckleberry-mountain-via-pacific-crest-trail

Bring your trowel and TP to stay at these dispersed sites. There are two main water sources on the trail so be sure to stop at one before you arrive. We brought a 6L and filtered it before getting to the top and it was enough to last us for our group only 1 night. The first water source is a PVC pipe that trickles water out; making it easy to fill up your filtered water bottle or a small camelbak. The other is a stream (you'll see a sign made of wood with the word "WATER" and an arrow carved into it) that you'll have to stick your filter bag into. The water is cold; I think it may be snow melt.

The night was peaceful; I bet you could see stars but we camped close to a full moon so it didn't get very dark. I would definitely come back here again.

We camped here for one night and it was delightful. Bathrooms are vault toilets and were kept clean enough. The drive to this specific location showed us a ton of other dispersed sites along the side of the road; we saw plenty of other cars that pulled into one of them before we got to the main campground at the trailhead. This place is a popular spot for PCT hikers, on the day we arrived we ran into a group that had organized a camping meetup.

We camped here in early June which meant mosquitos; I was definitely under-prepared, so I'd advise anyone coming here to bring lots and lots of bug spray. Not the organic stuff that fades after 2 hours, but actual Deet. Our Thermacell and citronella candles did nothing in preventing mosquitos.

If you're into it, there are popular dirt biking trails around. We saw many people hauling their bikes up to the campgrounds.

Some sites have picnic tables, others do not. We built a small fire pit out of rocks and were able to find some dried wood that had fallen around us to burn. There were also plenty of pinecones to use as fire starter.

We car camped here in February to test out winter camping for the first time. Luckily we already had an Oregon sno-park permit so we were able to put it to good use in this area. We snowboarded during the day, headed into downtown Bend for some dinner, then headed back to this sno-park afterwards to setup camp (aka, the back of the car). The first thing we noticed was that the parking lot was still pretty full for 7pm at night. We spoke with some people and heard they were going on a late night hiking trip to the warming hut for a couple of hours. It sounded really exciting and definitely something I would try in the future!

There's bathrooms in the parking lot and near the information signage, overall this sno-park is really peaceful at night and we were able to get a good night's rest. It is pretty busy during the winter months, but we didn't stick around the area since we were mainly snowboarding Mt. Bachelor during the day.

We chose to car camp at this location after another sno park was full for the night. Since we were just sleeping in our car, we parked close to the bathrooms. That night was set to bring a ton of snow due to the storm and we noticed a lot of RVs parked in the lot waiting for the next morning. No one bothered us and it was relatively peaceful. You do need a parking permit for this (and any Oregon sno parks) during the winter months. You can typically purchase them at gear shops or Walgreens (I haven't tried this, I've typically bought them online and had them mailed to me). That being said, this is a great option you don't want to pay for a night in Mt. Bachelor's parking lot and you can use the permit for the entire winter season.

Heads up: lots of snowmobiles frequent this location, so if you're not okay with being woken up by them you can park further away or choose another sno park that is in the area.

Stayed at this campground in early fall when temperatures started to drop. Because of this I think it was easy for us to not make any reservations ahead of time. It's a 4 minute walk to the beach, perfect if you're staying in the area for surfing. 

Showers and bathrooms were clean and well maintained; camp hosts are very attentive to their campground. We ran into an issue where our car battery died and they had jumper cables for us to use. 

While you're in the area, I would suggest hiking the sand dunes, surfing, or checking out the coffee shop/Pelican Pub nearby(all within a 5 minute walk!) 

If you like bunnies, I highly recommend staying here. They roam around the campsite and I counted 47 during our two night stay there. Dogs are allowed with an additional fee.

We selected this campsite due to its proximity to Paulina Lake. We brought SUP boards and only had to make a 7 minute drive before we got to the boat dock. It was also an easy drive back into town in case we needed something.

My only advice is to try to pick a campsite close to the river. The terrain is a little more flat around the river and you'll be able to listen to the water as you fall asleep. We stayed further away and I found myself sliding a little during the night. 

Be sure to bring your own water to this campsite, there isn't potable water here!