Lava Lake Campground

Mechanical Nature

Nice campgrounds and lodge. Private campground has hookups, but make reservations well in advance, as some families return year after year for their annual vacations. Be aware that the last two years have seen algae blooms in late July as the heat takes its toll on the lake. This year, Little Lava Lake also had algae blooms (which may or may not be toxic). That's a new phenomenon.

Summie Tam

The campground was well kept and the camp host cleaned the toilets pretty clean. Beautiful view of the lake and Mt. Bachelor. However the lake had algae and was not safe for dogs or kids to swim in it. There were some boaters. We drove a few miles to swim in Elk lake everyday instead. There was a rustic resort with a store and shower (might need to pay) right by the campground.

Sean Mooney

Clean site, several lakes close by, and beautiful trails!

John Sanders

Absolutely great place for camping! Our kids had a blast fishing and playing in the water. Nice size trout in the lake. Gorgeous views of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top Mountain and South Sister Mountain. Though, like I always say, I love the forest especially the Deschutes National Forest so i guess my opinion in a bit bias lol. But even though I can come back over and over to enjoy Lava Lake as the only thing that changes there is the seasons the campgrounds doesn't always have the same camp hosts. With this camping trip my family and I just had this past weekend at Lava Lake we had the pleasure of meeting the new camp host for Lava Lake and Little Lava Lake. Steve and his wife have been the host for these two campgrounds for just about a week now. It was an absolute pleasure to have them as our camp hosts. I've camped at many many different campgrounds across the Pacific Northwest and this couple was, by far, the best camp hosts I've come by. Our first day there we felt so welcoming by them. Any issue we might of came across or and thing we needed we knew we could count on them. Very friendly, and was very down to earth. The campgrounds were completely full the first two nights and at night time it was so quiet that you felt like you were the only ones for miles. I've, unfortunately, had some hosts in the past that made you feel uncomfortable and like you were not welcomed but that was definitely not the case with these wonderful people. The lodge at Lava Lake has great prices for boat rentals, paddle boards ect. Very friendly people to find out everything you need to know about fishing the lake, such as what the fish are biting on or what part of the lake has been a hotspot more so than other spots. Only problem I came across was that they didn't sell my Mt Dew by the cases 😭. But that's ok because it's just a little over 30 minutes to the beautiful town of Bend. If you like to explore then you can't go wrong here because from the Lake Mt. Bachelor is just 15 to 20 minutes from our campsite as well as countless other lakes in the Cascade Scenic Byway. Overall, my family and I took our four hour drive back home to the valley completely satisfied that we achieved our goal of adventure, fun and relaxing that we desperately needed. Thank you Deschutes National Forest!