Mt. Hood National Forest › Hood River Ranger District › Oregon › Clackamas County › Government Camp › Clear Lake Campground

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

Clear Lake Campground is located in the Hood River Ranger District, Mt. Hood National Forest (1 hr 5 min southeast of Gresham, OR) with an elevation of 3,592 feet. There are a total of 27 campsites including 12 tent-only sites. The campground is normally open from the end of May to mid September. 15 sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 20 and 34 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring with grill. Prices start at $26.00 per night. Some amenities include drinking water, boat ramp, restroom. Activities include boating, fishing, floating sports.
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$26

Clear Lake

88 reviews
Total sites: 27
Available Today: 8 FF*
Available this Weekend: 3 FF*
Booking Window: 6 months

3,592 ft
72°F
52°F

poor
Tents allowedRV's allowedTrailers allowedWater hookupsRestroomBoatingFloating sportsFishing
*First-come/First-served (FF) sites have no availability guarantee.
We
85°
56°
Th
71°
58°
Fr
66°
54°
Sa
68°
52°
Su
65°
48°
Mo
68°
47°
Tu
69°
51°

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (88)

3.7 out of 5

5 star
39%
4 star
25%
3 star
16%
2 star
8%
1 star
11%
@LoraV8D22802F3 · Camped on Jul 15, 2025 at Campsite #6
Mid July lake was shallow with mud 6 deep over 50 directly out from high and dry boat ramp. Should be renamed Mud lake. Sites were nice and large but on a slope so hard to find flat tent space. No mosquitoes so that was nice. Only 15 mile drive to Timothy lake so spent the day there. Would I reserve again? Only if I couldnt get a spot at Timothy as we love to float in clear water.
@TraceyK8254102 · Camped on Jul 11, 2025 at Campsite #12
Not the best experience compared to other sites in the area.The bathrooms were pretty spread out and smelled horrible. There wasn't much bath tissue in them and there was junk on the floor. The sites themselves are decent sized, but really open. I could see into camp spots 3 and 4 over because it was so open and not much vegetation or barriers between them. Was hoping for a bit more seclusion. Lots of loud groups with music blaring. Not very easy access to the water without driving or cutting through someone's camp site and the water level was super low (though that is out of the camp's control). Water from the pump was brown... very iffy for using for with cooking or drinking. Overall, probably won't go back. But if you bring your own water, prepare for a drive or decent walk to the lake and expect a fair number of other campers seeing right into your site, it is a good locational home base to go and see other things in the area.
@LandonF4B62CCB · Camped on Jul 6, 2025 at Campsite #3
Was a decent spot, though we went at the end of the fourth of July and it was noisy at times it shouldn't have been.
@JudyM6637149 · Camped on Jul 6, 2025 at Campsite #20
The campsites could really use some grooming. Our site had no level spots for pitching a tent. I had to pick up trash around the site and it was very noisy late at night our first two nights. I kind of felt like anything goes. And $10 for a small bundle of wood. That's the most I've ever paid at a campsite. I won't be staying there again.
@SarahM1574964 · Camped on Jul 3, 2025 at Campsite #26
This is a great campground for summer camping.
@ToddK2697433 · Camped on Jun 26, 2025 at Campsite #11
Park is not well maintained. Camp site had trash in it and the bathrooms no TP.
@JanetC4565717 · Camped on Jun 22, 2025 at Campsite #25
Campground was well kept, vault toilets were clean and always had enough toilet paper. Dry firewood available from campground hosts on self-serve basis. Clear Lake is a nice lake for canoeing, not too crowded. Trillium Lake is nearby and beautiful, but very crowded even on a week day. Timothy Lake is also nice for canoeing. A nice short side trip is Little Crater Lake, which is tiny but beautiful!
@LeeN776971F4B5 · Camped on Jun 8, 2025 at Campsite #10
Peaceful. Great camping spot
@MelanieAFC61DC · Camped on Jun 6, 2025 at Campsite #4
Location is beautiful and site is next to one of the bathrooms, but thats about it. The water location is much further down the loop and the site is next door to 5- If youre a group itd be great, but youre at the mercy of your neighbors (who were pretty cool on our trip, at least).The biggest issue is the host- There was a group in site 7 and/or 8 that was definitely toeing the 8 person per site limit and came to party. During the day there wasnt anything outside of what would be expected on a nice summer day by the lake, but as night fell they grew rowdier. Loud music that shouldve been at a club was going off until 2 in the morning, and they went back to it at like 8 am. They would also hoot and yell through the night. Some of the driftwood at the lakeside was collected onto a pile of rocks and set on fire, although whether they were also involved or it was a separate group is hard to know. Regardless, the host would have easily seen it and definitely heard it from their campsite, but did nothing to try and keep the peace.The bathrooms were also in an appalling condition, with the clipboard at the time noting it hadnt been cleaned since the month began. The toilet seats and doors to the bathrooms were also continuously left propped up, resulting in the collection of swarms of flies. TLDR; Location is great, but be wary of the timing of the visit, and who your host is.
@KimberlyQ163E8 · Camped on Jun 6, 2025 at Campsite #6
Quite lake. Clean pit toilets. Thank you camp host! Easy access to boat ramp. Can easily take kayak to lakeside through trails straight from many campsites as trails have been established by others. These man made trails are discreet on the edge of other campsites.Many campsites have sloped ground, so no option of setting the tent on level area at our particular campsite. Wish I had thought of bringing a shovel! All in all we had a lovely weekend.
@LindsayR751458 · Camped on May 23, 2025 at Campsite #25
The site was very spacious, we did not feel like we were on top of each other. We went for Memorial Day, so the lake was full and pretty, not sure how enjoyable it would be later in the summer when the lake is low/empty
@StellaBC0FFDC6 · Camped on Aug 6, 2024 at Campsite #16
Great place very nice and warm lake!
@SamantaS0EC2AC · Camped on Jul 25, 2024 at Campsite #22
The most spacious campsites weve stayed at! We liked that there werent many campsites there so it was pretty calm and quiet. Bathrooms were very clean and they even had recycling available. 10/10 recommend
@IanZ3053959 · Camped on Jul 22, 2024 at Campsite #1
Nice, well maintained campground with clean bathrooms and easy lake access.
@RodWBE0F13F555 · Camped on Jul 11, 2024 at Campsite #10
My only problem with my visit at Clear Lake was the fact that a burn ban went in to effect while we were there and the camp host did not inform or post that notice at the camp sites. Fellow campers informed my son of the fact the second night he had started a fire and they finally approached with the news. It was embarrassing but how were we to know. Posting of burn bans at the sites would help informing campers of the changing regulations when youre not plugged in to the outside world.
@JenniferC92685 · Camped on Jun 7, 2024 at Campsite #4
We love the lake access. The first time we stayed here (1 year ago), it was very loud all night but this year it could not have been more quiet. The camp hosts were very friendly to us. Water level on the lake was fine this time of year and there was a nice space to hang out on the beach. It was very windy each day on the water so paddling was challenging. Potable water available, one on both upper and lower campsites. Sites 04 and 05 are pretty close to each other, FYI. It would be better for maybe one big group.
@MeghaneHB49980 · Camped on Jun 7, 2024 at Campsite #8
The camp host was very nice and the amenities were clean.
@kevinj6487226 · Camped on Sep 10, 2023 at Campsite #10
It's a fantastic location and an excellent spot for stargazing. Just wait until 2-3 am and gaze at the night sky. To be honest, it surpasses Joshua Tree Park in terms of celestial views.
@CorneliaLE4F3C · Camped on Sep 7, 2023 at Campsite #22
Beautiful spot and very clean, but the work hosts were not helpful and it seems to be a party spot so it was really loud late into the night for both nights that we were there.
@TinaA8168212 · Camped on Sep 4, 2023 at Campsite #5
Our early-September trip was great! The host, Robert, was friendly and helpful, the toilets actually smelled nice, and our stay was greatly enjoyed. The lake was very low, with stumps, rocks and mud in view, but that's only to be expected so late in the season.The old-fashioned water pump was fun and gave a good workout to fill our pails, but very, very squeaky. This must have been irritating to the people camping nearby.
@JeanineD0CD95F · Camped on Sep 4, 2023 at Campsite #13
We would normally camp at unimproved campgrounds but discovered this place and love it. Already stayed twice in the last month! Water level was really low the second time but still super peaceful!
@AshleyC2783007 · Camped on Aug 27, 2023 at Campsite #27
The camp host was friendly and helpful, I appreciated her quickly finding my group 2 other available spots near each other so we could move where we had less neighbors. We were a louder crew so wanted extra space. The campsites were large, everyone was friendly, and the lake was beautiful.
@DeloresL5A6B07 · Camped on Aug 20, 2023 at Campsite #24
We had a great time here!
@HenryYCE60F757 · Camped on Aug 13, 2023 at Campsite #19
This is a party campground! Aside from being useless, the camp host even allowed camp fires (current ban on open fires) and parties past midnight. Expect trash or treasure littered throughout the campgrounds. The proximity to Clear Lake was the saving grace of our 2 night stay here. The lake is beautiful and enormous for solitude paddlers. Beware of broken glass littered throughout the shores of the lake (make sure you and your family are always wearing some sort of footwear). I would only return to access Clear Lake for day-use and never camping here again.
@EricS9323236 · Camped on Jul 23, 2023 at Campsite #7
Campsite 007 is very sunny with little shade. Very dusty. Never saw camp host the entire trip. Sheriff mentioned he left for personal reasons. Last couple nights another campsite was screaming until 1:00 am in the morning. Would have been nice to have the camp host enforce the rules. The trail around the lake is obstructed with debris and logs. Make sure to bring TP. They ran out while we were there. May not go back.

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