East Lake is next to Paulina Lake just south of Bend. I brought my nephews to swim while I was…read morefishing from the shore. They had a great time playing out in the water. I had a few on and only reeled in one, but I was happy with my nice Kokanee. I tried different ways to interest the fish, but worms are what they really seemed to like. What I really didn't like about where we were had to do with people that had previously been there. We picked up quite a bit of broken glass. I wish people would respect the outdoors and everyone's right to enjoy it.

This lake is located in the Newberry National Monument. It is one of the two lakes that are located…read morein the crater below Paulina Peak. Both of these lakes have hot springs in them, but in my opinion, the hot springs at Paulina Lake are much better than the ones here at East Lake. But as with those springs be better in quality, you might find the East Lake springs to be less crowded. East Lake is a bit further away than Paulina, but very much worth the trek. Both of these lakes can be fished from shore or a boat. Sailboats are often found at these locations and make for some really stunning photos. You can hike the shore from around this lake and will have many photo opportunities if you are a fan of wildlife. All while hiking through this lake you can see the peaks from the Paulina Crater that constantly remind you, that you are traveling inside of an active volcano. If you have an interest in geology you need to come here and just soak it all in. Nearby there are cinder cones, shield volcanos, calderas, and obsidian lava flows all within a few square miles. If it's hot out and you need a break from the heat, this lake is a great option. Just remember to bring some cash for the fees and to respect the environment to avoid any tickets. Here is a link to the land management agency that manages this area. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=66159 Here is a link to some other information about this lake https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recreation/recarea/?recid=71988&actid=42

We just stayed one night, right before the campgrounds closed for the year. The grounds were nicely…read moremaintained, and we enjoyed a very peaceful and quiet stay. Some sites are fairly tight, while others had some nice room. The trails here were very enjoyable. Serene surroundings around the river and through the trees. We saw lots of deer, birds, and other critters scrambling about. I'm sure it would've had a slightly different feel during peak season, but we very much enjoyed our night and day of off season.

August 26-29, 2025 - La Pine, OR…read more We've stayed at La Pine Campground a few times over the years, and each visit reminds us why we keep coming back. The campground is divided into three loops, each with its own character. The North Loop offers water and electric hookups, with sites that are more widely spaced than the others--something I really appreciate. That extra room makes it feel quieter and more private, and it's probably where we'll book our next stay. The Middle Loop has full hookups, while the South Loop is the busiest, featuring full hookups as well as some cabins. . There are many hiking/cycling trails (dog-friendly), and the Deschutes River runs through the campground. There is a short hike to a waterfall, and a large dog park. Unfortunately, we were a bit restricted in our outdoor activities because of the smoke from the two fires in the area. There was actually ash falling on one of the days. Also, there had been several sightings of a mountain lion in the area, so that added a bit of caution to our activities. Nevertheless, we will definitely come back.

This was an ok trip but I had mixed feelings about it…read more Pros: The guide was nice (we had Lane), which made the ride more enjoyable. He knew all of our names before we even left the parking lot. The trail was in good shape from recent rain so a beginner would have no trouble participating. Cons: The email confirmation and website mentioned the bike shortage and that riders had to be a minimum of 4 ft tall with a 24 inch inseam but didn't really explain how to measure that, etc. Sure, I know what an inseam in pants is, but turns out an inseam measurement for bike riding is different. Would have been nice to know without having to look it up the night before and then worry my kid wouldn't be tall enough. Lots of standing around. We were on the 10-4 tour and though we arrived at 9:45 no one directed us to have our kids take the bike test to see if they could go and nobody got fitted for bikes until everyone in the booking had arrived. Then, the large 10 am group was split into two smaller groups and if you were in the second group, you had to stand around for 20 minutes killing time to give the first group a head start. Why not just stagger the starts and have a 10 am and a 10:30? From a customer perspective this sort of sucked. This was billed as a Mountain bike ride with waterfalls and slides, but it was more like, walking/hiking to see 3 waterfalls and then a very mellow 3 mile single track ride to finish. It would have been nice to sort people by skill or interest (shorter vs longer rides) as we definitely had some gung ho dudes in our group and some newbies like me. Two of the waterfalls (at least) were accessible via McKay campground, which was a little disappointing. I thought we would be off the beaten path, checking out a little known spot, etc. Overall, our young kids, 8 and 10 enjoyed it and had fun. It was their first time mountain biking. I'd rate the ride and scenery 4 stars but the administration and organization only 2 stars (I'm a fan of efficiency and customer service) , hence my 3 star rating.

Was excited to go. Day of the trip for our group smoke was heavy. Hazardous in fact. His terms and…read moreconditions explain that you must show up no matter what the conditions. From there the group will vote and you must conform to the group decision. We were the only ones who showed up. The owner, Todd, decided after getting various voice messages the day before and the morning of, but he would cancel the event. Great! No pick up the phone and call your customers to make sure they don't waste their time and come all the way out to the top of a mountain only to find your experience was canceled. He claimed to have sent a text in the early morning hours. But I didn't get it until after the fact. Oh well, not great but not terrible. Did waste a lot of our time driving out there on a horrific weather day for smoke. Talked to Todd personally later, and he said "no problem I'll give your money back." Refund it all of it except our deposit, then wouldn't answer the phone or return multiple calls. In my final message I reminded him of his neglect as a business owner and a conscientious honest human. Told him repeatedly he needed to refund my deposit, as there were no terms or discussion of anything other than a full refund. Really annoying to deal with business owners who aren't conscientious. Really detracts from your credibility. So here's the review I promise to leave you if you went another two weeks without returning my calls again. Gave you four chances Todd.

Kyle and I love to come to this lake in the summer. It's nice small lunch is always good at the…read morerestaurant.. Great little atmosphere!

It was a little smokey due to all the fires. The lake was nice and the scenery was peaceful &…read morebeautiful. Our family had a nice picnic & day. The kids loved seeing all the butterflies, dragonflies & frogs. We'll be back again.

Lucky lake is one of my favorite options in the cascade lakes. The 1.3 mile hike in is just enough…read moreto keep it from getting super crowded most of the time but is short enough that you can hike in some chairs and a blow-up paddle board. There are some great little camp spots as well and you can head out on some over night backpacking to the 6 other lakes close to it. I highly recommend checking it out!

Beautiful lake on the cascade lakes highway with the most incredible emerald color of water when…read morethe sun hits! It's also the starting point for south sister and it's fun to camp here the night before to get an early start. The camp sites are phenomenal right on the water, complete with fire pits. Great Lake for water activities for just to come hang out/walk around. Do watch out for mosquitoes though!

Another jewel on the Cascade Lake trail. Plenty of camping here. Beautiful views everywhere…read more Lakes here were formed by volcanic activity. This particular lake is in average 9' deep. Very clean banks and areas surrounding the lake. Plenty of places for day use and picnicking.

Absolutely love this camp ground. Best to go midweek if you like the serene campground vibe. Been…read morecoming here for many years & have noticed a big difference as the trees around campground are dead, I think a beetle is killing valuable trees that provide most needed shade during the warm summers besides it looking sad without the greenery. The lake is slowly growing some sort of algae, I'm not a scientist so don't know the scientific name. Yet there are plenty of areas that are free of it & yet so stunning you can see the fish in the water, it's that clear & so very refreshing to take a dip in. The 7 1/2 mile hike is spectacular, picturesque at its best that pics don't do justice. With the lodge at about the half way point. Talk plenty of water should you decide to hike as it's worth the breath taking views. The caveat.. mosquito's lots of mosquitoes on the low spots of the marshy lake so be prepared with repellent. There's also hot springs! You can get there by hiking in, paddle boarding & kayaking. It's well signed if you decide to detour during the hike. It's also a popular spot for fishing so be prepared when campers or locals start their engines at o dark thirty. It isn't much of a problem because it's so darn relaxing you could take a nap midday if that's what you choose to do. New Berry National volcanic monument is nearby for an outing but be prepared as it's a rough ride but the sights are spectacular! So if you want to check out with very limited cell service, breath in that lake fresh air, get some exercise & have Bend, Sisters nearby than this is your campground. No power or water connections for RVs. We took our kayaks & paddle board & always have a spectacular time.

Very disappointing experience. We waited over an hour for a simple order of chicken strips and…read morefries, which is completely unacceptable. When our food finally arrived, the sauces we ordered were missing. To make things worse, the chicken was hard and definitely not worth the wait. The restaurant also appeared to be staffed by very young, inexperienced employees, and the service was disorganized. Overall, this was a frustrating experience, and I won't be coming back.

Let me start by saying we've been coming to Little Crater as a family for 30 years…read more Our recent reservation was for 2 spots in a cluster for 9 nights and 2 bordering spots for 4 nights. On our 2nd day there, we bought & displayed an extra vehicle tag. Most of our family was scheduled to arrive for the final 4 nights. Every day we took our boat to the lake, where we parked at the ramp, proudly displaying our yearly Parks Forest Pass, for which we paid a $30 fee to get. Every time the boat was taken to the lake, the extra vehicle was moved in our spot to allow passage. 1.  Every day, the camp host harrased us (sometimes multiple times) about the extra vehicle, clearly displaying the pass on the dash. "Oh I guess I did ask you about that car this morning." 2. On our 5th night, the host came to us and said, "I see you have spot 43 reserved tomorrow. It's been abandoned so hurry up and pay for it. I'll make note that we spoke."  So we paid for it and set up tents for our kids. A couple of hours later, the person who "abandoned it" returned. Her tent was up the hill out of sight. Luckily for us, she allowed our kids to remain in the spot. 3. On our 6th day, our truck at the boat ramp was "ticketed" by the host telling us we needed to park at camp since we weren't displaying a forest pass. We advised her that we had a pass displaying in the truck and why suddenlywas it an issue after 6 days? She advised us that didn't matter because the Forest service wanted the ramp for locals. 4. On the 7th day, we received a "2nd notice" on the truck when we parked at the ramp. The host told us she "wasn't going to argue" and would "call the Forest service" on us. 5. On the 7th day, our father arrived for the day. He bought a day pass at the park entrance. The host advised my nephew to have him move his truck and boat trailer from the parking lot since "he was with us and needed to park at camp." My nephew advised her he was a legitimate "Day User" and would park at the ramp, period. This is the day the restroom near our camps stopped being cleaned. Toilet paper was filled, but urine that was splashed around the room by hikers wasn't cleaned. It fell upon us to get bleach and a bucket of water to make the room bearable. 6. On the 7th day, in the evening, Forest service "supervisor" Carol came to camp. She advised us that we were "well within our rights to park on the ramp" if we wanted to, but to keep in mind that the "locals weren't able to make reservations and were having trouble parking on the ramp." Ladies and gentlemen,  the locals are perfectly capable of making reservations.  I seriously doubt they're driving past Paulina Lake ramp, which has double the parking and flush toilets, to park here at Little Crater. During this conversation with "supervisor" Carol, she pointed at the Forest Service Pass hanging from our mirror and told us " technically I could write you up right now since your pass isn't valid. See right there? It says it is invalid without a signature." It wasn't until the next day that we discovered this isn't true. There is NO PLACE on the pass that says it isn't valid without a signature.  We're so disgusted with the aggressiveness, incompetence, harrassment & unmitigated campaign to ruin our vacation by these hosts, that we packed up and left camp a day early.  We couldn't leave this place soon enough for all the stress and anxiety these people have caused. At this point, after two years in a row with the increasing ineffective hosting we've experienced, we don't even know if we'll bother next year.

So much fun! We hiked about 8 miles round trip from our campground. It's a mostly flat hole that…read morefollows the beautiful shoreline. The hot springs are right on the shoreline and you can control the heat by digging into the sand and allowing lake water the flow in. What's better than sitting in a hot spring on the edge of a gorgeous lake!