Blue Bay Campground, Suttle Lake (Deschutes NF, OR): which site to take

Blue Bay Campground, Suttle Lake

Spots along the lake are truly great

Blue Bay is a Forest Service campground on the south shore of Suttle Lake, a small, still lake below Santiam Pass, 20 minutes from Sisters. Most sites are within a short walk of the water, and the boat ramp is shallow enough for a kayak and not much more.

Sites 19, 20 and 21 sit right at the water; 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 look at it through the pines. As our note says, the spots along the lake are truly great.

Quick facts

Sites: 25
Booking: Reservations at Recreation.gov
Fee in 2019: $18 a night; check Recreation.gov for this year
Water: Drinking water
Toilets: Vault toilets
Vehicles: One RV with a tow vehicle per site; an extra vehicle pays a nightly fee
The lake: 253 acres, 1.4 miles long, 3,438 feet up
From Portland: About 140 miles, three hours; from Bend, 37 miles, under an hour

Which site to take

Right at the water: 20, 21, 19 About 50 to 70 feet from the shore.
The lake through the pines: 7, 2, 8, 5, 1 90 to 120 feet from the shore; at 5, 7 and 8, behind a rail fence.
Furthest from the road: 2, 1, 19, 5 About 470 to 550 feet from Suttle Lake Road.
Nearest the road: 13, 11, 10, 15 140 to 180 feet from it.

Every site

Site	To the lake	Next site	In our photo
1	120 ft	110 ft	the lake through the trees, behind a log
2	100 ft	110 ft	the lake through tall pines
3	230 ft	60 ft	big open pad, grass at the back
4	230 ft	80 ft	among tall pines and firs
5	110 ft	80 ft	the lake behind a rail fence
6	210 ft	80 ft	open pad, young firs behind
7	90 ft	80 ft	the lake behind a rail fence, brush on one side
8	100 ft	90 ft	the lake behind a rail fence
9	180 ft	90 ft	scattered pines, logs at the edge
10	270 ft	80 ft	set back from the road, a big stump
11	320 ft	80 ft	among firs, a big pine beside the table
12	320 ft	60 ft	open pad, stumps and rocks
13	420 ft	110 ft	autumn brush behind, pines
14	340 ft	60 ft	open, firs around it
15	460 ft	130 ft	long sunny pad, two tables
16	340 ft	100 ft	boulders around the pad
17	370 ft	150 ft	sunlit, firs behind
18	260 ft	60 ft	open, a weathered stump
19	70 ft	140 ft	the lake beyond the trees
20	50 ft	80 ft	right on the lake at sunrise
21	60 ft	80 ft	right on the lake, pines framing the water
22	180 ft	120 ft	open, a hollow stump
23	300 ft	50 ft	a big bleached snag beside the pad
24	310 ft	50 ft	brush and pines around it
25	270 ft	130 ft	pines, a short path in

Distances are straight lines from each pin, to the water and to the nearest neighbor, so read them as “about”. Photos from October 2019.

Questions

Can you reserve a site at Blue Bay?: Yes, at Recreation.gov.
Is there drinking water?: Yes, and vault toilets, Recreation.gov says.
Can I launch a boat?: A small one. The ramp is shallow, and Recreation.gov does not recommend it for larger boats. Boat-launch parking is day use only, with its own fee.
Did the 2003 fire reach Blue Bay?: The B&B Complex fires burned the forest around Suttle Lake in August 2003, along the ridge south of it and, in spots, its southern shoreline, where Blue Bay is. Firefighters fought to protect the camps and campgrounds around the lake. Our photos, from November 2019, show green forest around the sites.

Checked October 2026 with Recreation.gov: Blue Bay, Wikipedia: Suttle Lake, The Nugget, August 2003 and OpenStreetMap (Suttle Lake). Been there since? Tell us what has changed: support@tentspots.com.