A forested campground near hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.
The lake itself is the focal point for activity: visitors commonly swim, sail and water-ski off the boat ramp when conditions allow, and anglers find productive water around the shoreline. On land, the Patjens Lakes Trail starts near the campground and follows Big Lake's western shore before heading south into the Mt.
Length limits vary by campsite.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 48 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 030 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 042 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 027 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 043 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 041 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 044 tent only nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 038 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 040 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 039 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 045 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 023 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 033 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 036 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 035 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 034 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 020 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 016 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 024 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 007 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 047 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 025 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 014 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 008 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 029 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 001 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 010 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 006 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 004 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 002 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 026 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 013 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 021 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 032 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 018 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 012 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 037 tent only nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 019 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 005 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 017 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
| 015 standard nonelectric | – | – | $28 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Hookups (individual campsites): 48 no-hookup individual sites.
McKenzie Ranger Station, 57600 McKenzie Hwy., Blue River, OR 97413
Open in Google Maps ↗
Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (105 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“Beautiful and clean campground. I’ve stayed there three years in a row and will most likely go back next year.”
“Big Lake is really beautiful and the campgrounds are nice!”
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights3 sites open for every night
First come, first served
No sites offered for these dates48 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent, van or small RV, no power
46 sites · $28/night
Loops: AREA BIG LAKE (25), A LOOP (14), B LOOP (7)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
Tents only, no power
2 sites · $28/night
Loops: AREA BIG LAKE (2)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 60 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.
Camper van · 19 ft · sleeps 3 · 31 mi from campground
$199/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Class C motorhome · 25 ft · sleeps 6 · 34 mi from campground
$199/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 27 ft · sleeps 3 · 37 mi from campground
$120/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rentalPaid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.
Bend area · 2.5 hr · from $119/person
Bend area · 1.5 hr · from $89/person
Bend area · 4 hr · from $140/person
Bend area · 2.5 hr · from $300/person
stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For August weekends, book about 181 days ahead. Three in four August Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 128 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 76 days ahead | 130 days ahead | 57 days ahead | 111 days ahead |
| June | 95 days ahead | 154 days ahead | 85 days ahead | 152 days ahead |
| July | 134 days ahead | 179 days ahead | 110 days ahead | 181 days ahead |
| August | 128 days ahead | 181 days ahead | 141 days ahead | 181 days ahead |
| September | 68 days ahead | 158 days ahead | 56 days ahead | 167 days ahead |
| October | 14 days ahead | 38 days ahead | 21 days ahead | 107 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (9,045 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
Bend area · 3 hr · from $140/person
Bend area · 4 hr · from $160/person
Bend area · 3 hr · from $215/person
Bend area · 1.5 hr · from $150/person
Bend area · 2.5 hr · from $99/person
