Deschutes National Forest › Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District › Oregon › Deschutes County › Bend › Lava Lake Campground

Lava Lake Campground, OR - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

Lava Lake Campground is located in the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest (48 min west of Bend, OR) with an elevation of 4,744 feet. There are a total of 44 campsites including 5 tent-only sites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of May to mid October. 38 sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 24 and 40 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Fees range from $24.00 to $48.00. Some amenities include drinking water, boat ramp, marina, fish cleaning station, restroom. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking trails, floating sports.
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Lava Lake

80 reviews
Total sites: 44
Available Today: 26 FF*
Available this Weekend: 5 + 9 FF*
Booking Window: 6 months

4,744 ft
71°F
49°F

poor
Tents allowedRV's allowedTrailers allowedWater hookupsRestroomHiking trailsBoatingFloating sportsFishing
*First-come/First-served (FF) sites have no availability guarantee.
We
79°
55°
Th
65°
54°
Fr
68°
52°
Sa
69°
47°
Su
65°
45°
Mo
69°
44°
Tu
71°
48°

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (80)

4.1 out of 5

5 star
53%
4 star
23%
3 star
9%
2 star
10%
1 star
5%
@JacobS9807253 · Camped on Jul 17, 2025 at Campsite #22
Place was great! Fair amount of shade. Campsites and bathrooms were clean. The whole campground was extremely quiet after 10pm, but might have just gotten lucky. The lake was really nice, fishing was really good in the morning. Kayaking was fun. Only real downside to the experience was the bugs. As long as you're prepared with mosquito repellent and stuff you're good to go. Highly recommend a 10x10 pop up canopy, it was a lifesaver during the day. I would definitely go back again.
@GregK7205418 · Camped on Jul 16, 2025 at Campsite #3
A great campsite after a long day on the trail.
@RandyL2841359 · Camped on Jul 11, 2025 at Campsite #4
We enjoyed our stay here in mid-July. Our campsite didn't have a very private feel, but it's a short walk to the water faucet and bathroom. You can walk to the lake in just a couple minutes. Also, it's close to the adjoining Lost Lake Resort, which has a convenience store and showers for $1.50 for 3 minutes. We could have carried our paddleboard down to the lake, but in the late afternoon, there was plenty of parking at the boat ramp, so we parked and launched from there. The water was green with algae, but the backdrop for Lava Lake is beautiful. Little Lava Lake is nearby and is even nicer, but beware of mosquitoes in that area. They are vicious and incredibly numerous in the evening. They weren't as bad at our campsite, but still annoying, so bring good spray. We actually chose Lava Lake because it had open sites and was a short drive to beautiful paddling lakes like Sparks, Hosmer, Elk, Devils, and Cultus Lakes. Lots of great hiking in the area, too. We would stay here again if nothing were available at Cultus or Elk Lakes. Our campground host did a great job keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked. We also liked that this campground is not near enough to the highway to hear it.
@LeiZ455F998718 · Camped on Jul 3, 2025 at Campsite #40
Pro: Huge site, beautiful location, easy access to the lake. Love the general store, reasonable price and can also purchase token for hot shower and flush toilet. Con: the toilet was okay on day 1 morning and pretty smelly the entire 7/4 long weekend; my neighbor was very loud almost every night, sometimes till 1am, however no management over that.
@JaynaH92B4AA1E · Camped on Jul 3, 2025 at Campsite #15
Our tent site was quite spacious but the sites were close together overall. The mosquitoes were very bad. They seemed immune to bug spray and campfire smoke. The staff at the resort store were great. The lake and views are beautiful but there isnt a lot of shore space to enjoy the lake.
@BARRYH3340879 · Camped on Jun 29, 2025 at Campsite #10
Great campground and lake. The lake is terrific for kayaks as there is a speed restriction and the folks fishing are spread out. We saw Herons and Eagles on our trip. Hosts this year were outstanding. The folks in the campsite we reserved got confused and thought they had another night so they were still in our site when we got there. They apologized for their mistake but it did take them 2 hours to vacate. The hosts made a special effort to come by as soon as they left to clean the site of a lot of popcorn left on the ground. Restrooms were always kept clean.One thing to note at the Lava Lake Resort is that you can pay $12 and that lets you fill up your RV with fresh water and also dump at the end of the stay. It is so worth i!
@MickeyC4383619 · Camped on Jun 27, 2025 at Campsite #37
Great camp host. They keep the bathrooms and grounds very clean
@AaronS9956434 · Camped on Jun 24, 2025 at Campsite #34
The campsites were huge with several tentable spots. The lakes are within easy walking distance. The views from the lakes are lovely. Good stuff.
@WadeKE0FD8BDFA · Camped on Jun 16, 2025 at Campsite #30
We were there midweek and campground was very quiet, only a few sites being used. However, it looked like they were nearly all reserved for the upcoming weekend. Friendly host, although fire wood was cheaper at the store. Great spot to camp.
@DeraRDF42CF09B · Camped on May 23, 2025 at Campsite #20
My son and I had a wonderful time at Lava Lake Campground. The host and his wife were fun to get to know and they did a great job keeping the campground clean. We will definitely be returning.
@BradleyW579022 · Camped on Sep 1, 2024 at Campsite #12
Great spot. Close access to kayaking and hiking.
@JamesP3218459 · Camped on Aug 12, 2024 at Campsite #5
This campground is on Lava Lake. We had a very relaxing stay. It is well maintained. Plenty to do with trails for hiking and biking from the campground. It has a good boat ramp to launch boats and other water craft. We stayed during the week and it was not crowded. We have stayed here for the past three years in August. Lots to do in the area.
@StevenQ0C053B2 · Camped on Jul 29, 2024 at Campsite #24
Didnt have our name on site even though we reserved. No camp host for 3 days. Could use some tree maintenance.
@BenjaminS87598 · Camped on Jul 29, 2024 at Campsite #15
I love Lava Lake. The campground is always clean and the sites are typically really, really large. Even the tent-only sites have room for multiple tents and space. Great service now, too. I had two-three bars on Verizon. Always availability and good access to the lake.
@LindaM3264387 · Camped on Jul 26, 2024 at Campsite #36
There are 2 small beaches on either side of boat ramp, but family's are using dock for their water fun making it hard for boaters to use ramp. Kayakers also need to be aware. I am a kayaker and stay to the farthest side of ramp. Please be considerate.
@DeniseW6070805 · Camped on Jun 30, 2024 at Campsite #44
Loved this campground, not only were the camp sites very site but the views were amazing and the staff at the camp store was friendly as well as helpful. The only drawback was all the mosquitos but they have no control over that - bring spray or non toxic mosquito candles.
@DanielF1136472 · Camped on Jun 7, 2024 at Campsite #3
Overall a good spot with clean facilities. The mosquitoes were thick in June and some of the campsites don't have a lot of shade so plan accordingly!
@ThomasG8527799 · Camped on Sep 10, 2023 at Campsite #30
Very nice campground with large sites. Easy access to both Big and Little Lava lakes, plenty of trails in the area. Pit toilets were kept clean with daily service. The nearby resort has a camp store to buy propane, gasoline, food, and has a RV dump site. This is a good base to paddle the popular nearby lakes like Hosmer, Elk, Fawn, etc. Sites are heavily wooded so a portable solar panel helps to chase the rays that make it to the ground.
@BrookeK7764526 · Camped on Aug 25, 2023 at Campsite #42
We couldnt stay due to the heavy smoke out there unfortunately! It looked like a nice place but we had to turn around and leave due to wildfire smoke:(
@JenniferV36797 · Camped on Aug 17, 2023 at Campsite #31
This is one of our favorite places to camp. Friendly people who work at the resort between this year and last year. Will be back!!
@MarilynY544118 · Camped on Aug 7, 2023 at Campsite #28
Well kept pleasant campground.
@ZanaW7CEA5CD22 · Camped on Aug 6, 2023 at Campsite #34
My campsite was ready and neatly raked before I arrived, offering a "Welcome to Lava Lake, enjoy your stay" greeting. The toilet clean upon arrival and cleaned daily while we were there . The camp hosts friendly and helpful. There are a variety of trails, and each visit I discover a new trail to hike on.
@GregoryM823083 · Camped on Jul 20, 2023 at Campsite #8
Well kept campground. Very nice location with swimming, paddle boarding, etc. on the lake, and hiking in the nearby mountains. Bring sunscreen, and bug spray.
@GeraldG1880894 · Camped on Jul 18, 2023 at Campsite #20
clean quiet campground and hot
@LevisDE706641D · Camped on Jul 8, 2023 at Campsite #1
Great campground. Mosquitos were an issue, but they went away by 10pm every night.

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