The longest day of the year is an excellent time to soak up the sunshine while camping out beside a lake, and the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway between Bend and Willamette Pass offers some of the finest lake camping I have yet to discover. With 14 Alpine lakes offering a range of camping options from boat-in sites, unimproved Forest Service camping, campgrounds and a couple of lodges, there is something suitable for just about everyone wanting an outdoor experience. Here is a great map and interpretive online pamphlet from the US Forest Service with a map and information on each lake: Cascade Lakes Byway Map.
This past weekend we packed up the truck with our gear and some dinner
to roast over the fire, and headed to the other side of the Cascades for
some relaxing time together in the outdoors. I had discovered some unimproved campsites along a Forest Service road on the South shore of Crane Prairie Reservoir camping with friends a few years back, so we poked around until we found a perfect, unoccupied spot right on the lake with beautiful views of the Three Sisters and Mt. Bachelor.
to roast over the fire, and headed to the other side of the Cascades for
some relaxing time together in the outdoors. I had discovered some unimproved campsites along a Forest Service road on the South shore of Crane Prairie Reservoir camping with friends a few years back, so we poked around until we found a perfect, unoccupied spot right on the lake with beautiful views of the Three Sisters and Mt. Bachelor.
The water was warm enough that the kids spent most of the afternoon swimming and building sand fortresses along the shore. My son, being very concerned with safety, made sure his fortress had a Tsunami barrier wall against the large waves coming in with the afternoon winds. With them being at an age where they would much rather bury their nose in a book, it was great seeing my two pre-teens having so much fun playing outside again.
Although Crane Prairie Reservoir was our pick for this trip, there are quite a few other wonderful places to visit along this Scenic Byway. Wickiup Reservoir, pictured above, offers some great campsites out on peninsulas and even seasonal islands that you can reach by boat or canoe. I have many fond memories of camping trips there and have had abundant migratory bird sightings including pelicans, bald eagles, loons, great blue herons and various waterfowl. Aside from the many undeveloped campsites, there is one particularly nice developed campground next to a crystal clear spring that flows out of the ground and forms a little creek that feeds the lake, and an excellent hiking trail along some lava flows. Wickiup and Crane Prairie are the best bets for some seclusion, as they are the largest and farthest from Bend.
The next major lake heading north in the chain is Crane Prairie Reservoir, where I felt fortunate on this trip to see a flock of white cranes flying over the lake. We also encountered loons, a bald eagle, and several other bird species. I saw a lot of folks out on the water enjoying fishing and boating, so I assume it must be a good spot for that too.
Lava Lake and Little Lava Lake (pictured above) offer beautiful mountain views, nice campgrounds and good boating. I think the grassy shores of Little Lava Lake are the perfect spot for a summer picnic.
From here, as you drive towards Bend, there are several other lakes with campgrounds, getting progressively more crowded the closer you get to civilization. One of which we passed called Devil’s Lake that was bright turquoise blue and had a lot of paddlers out on their watercraft. Some people had set up boat-in campsites on the far shore from the highway that looked like a lot of fun. We stopped and had a picnic lunch at Sparks Lake (pictured above) and that looked like the happening place for paddlers from Bend to spend a Sunday afternoon. The campgrounds looked nice and I hear there are great boat-in sites there as well. My son reported that the swimming was fun, but cold.
Nothing beats a campfire by the lake at the end of a sunny day playing in the water. I feel fortunate to have so many good camping lakes nearby that offer enough variety where I can still have my secluded campsite without neighbors, and other folks can have their lodge experience and day of boating with friends. Since there truly are all different kinds of campers out there, it is good to know that on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, there is something for everyone.
As always your posts are beautiful and inspiring.
Thanks! I feel fortunate to have such beautiful material to work with!