Devils Lake Campground (Deschutes NF, OR): which site to take

Devils Lake Campground

Beautiful Lake with many open spots, each with a lake view and water access. Watch out for the mosquitoes as they can get quite vicious early in the season

Devils Lake is a small, strikingly green lake on the Cascade Lakes Highway, 50 minutes from Bend, with a lava field on one side and the trail to South Sister starting beside it. The campground is ten tent sites a short walk in from the trailhead parking: no cars at the sites, no motorboats on the lake.

Nearly every site looks at the water; 6, 2 and 5 sit right above it. As our note says, the mosquitoes can be vicious early in the season.

Quick facts

Sites: Ten hike-in, tent-only sites (Forest Service); 11 numbered on our map
Parking: At the South Sister / Devils Lake trailhead; camp only in the designated sites
Fee: The $5-a-day recreation fee per vehicle, or a pass that covers it ($30 a year)
Toilets: Vault toilets
Water: None listed; bring your own or treat lake water
Rules: Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; no motorized boats
From Bend: About 28 miles, 50 minutes, west on the Cascade Lakes Highway
From Portland: About 200 miles, under five hours

Which site to take

Right above the water: 6, 2, 5 About 10 to 35 feet from the shore.
Most room around you: 1, 2, 3 150 to 170 feet to the next site.
Among the lava boulders: 10, 11
Furthest from the highway: 5, 4, 1 About 680 to 790 feet from it.

Every site

Site	To the lake	Next site	In our photo
1	60 ft	170 ft	a fire ring and logs, the lake through the trees
2	30 ft	170 ft	logs around a fire ring, the lake just beyond
3	60 ft	150 ft	a tent among firs, logs and rocks
4	70 ft	70 ft	a big clearing in the trees
5	30 ft	70 ft	a tent at the edge, the lake right below
6	10 ft	110 ft	a gravel bench above the water, a big log
7	80 ft	50 ft	a table and fire ring among thin firs
8	90 ft	50 ft	a table and fire ring, firs round it
9	110 ft	60 ft	two tents and a table in an open clearing
10	110 ft	110 ft	a table beside a boulder, lava rock behind
11	220 ft	110 ft	a table among lava boulders
unnumbered	10 ft	130 ft	a gravel beach on the lake

Distances are straight lines from each pin, to the water and to the nearest neighbor, so read them as “about”. Photos from June 2020.

Questions

Can you drive to the sites?: No. You park at the South Sister / Devils Lake trailhead and walk in; every site is tent-only.
What does it cost?: The Forest Service charges the $5-a-day recreation fee per vehicle, or you can use a pass that covers it.
Can I bring a boat?: Not a motorized one. Fishing is allowed.
Is it the trailhead for South Sister?: Yes. The Forest Service calls it one of the most popular routes up South Sister, and a gateway to the Three Sisters Wilderness.
Any warnings?: Our note: watch out for the mosquitoes, which can get quite vicious early in the season.

Checked October 2026 with Forest Service: Devils Lake Campground and OpenStreetMap (Devils Lake). Been there since? Tell us what has changed: support@tentspots.com.