Little Crater Campground

Stopped by in off season to grab a first form first serve site. Super peaceful. Was pretty luck to get a place as it was mostly booked. Great Lake front camping sites. A bunch of trails. Will visit again for sure!

We truly enjoyed our stay here.  Had a site reserved that we couldn't really fit in to.  Got lucky that our 3 nights were available in a waterfront site and we were allowed to move.  

Felt like plenty of space between sites.  The pull through site along the lake was spacious and looked right out on the sunset.  We so enjoyed watching the otters, the birds and the chipmunks.  Even the fishermen!

Had a great hike just off the campground to the top of the ridge. and a nice drive up to Paulina Peak.

Very peaceful stay on the lake.  September was perfect.  Chilly nights and warm days.

Beautiful lakeside camping. A light breeze during the day helps to moderate warm days. Quiet camping. This campground is best suited for RV's with fewer sites that work well for tent camping.

We keep most of our fave spots "secret" from others, as I've made the mistake of inviting some friends along to our family trip, swear them to secrecy (lol)  they end up loving it of course , tell some friends inevitably, and then it gets harder and harder every year to book!  We have a pop up camper, nothing uber fancy, but bring lots of toys (kayaks, paddleboards, bikes) and our kids love love it. Paved pathway for the kids to safely bike on while you're setting up or cleaning up.  

Be wary of camping in too early of June (can be snow and very windy), or late August (smoke can settle here from fire season nowadays), but July is usually the sweet spot.  It can get very windy on the water from midday-4pm most days, and as we learned one trip, don't attempt a paddleboard across the lake to the hotsprings..it's a BEE-yatch to make it back safely!  My arms and legs nearly fell off from THAT treacherous paddle.  We always bring tow lines for our younger kids when they tire out of paddling their kayaks too, and the best time on the water is morning until noon, then again between 4-6pm, when things usually calm down.  Motorboats are allowed (lots of fisherman hit this lake early morning), so the parking area in middle of campground can fill up, but the views, the sunsets, the easy access to some fantastic obsidian hikes up the Butte to the right of the lake, the steep climb /  big Paulina hike or bike ride (whew!) , and Paulina and East Lake lodge a hop skip jump away for when mama is tired of cooking ...this place cant be beat!  Bring sunscreen!  And a Shade Tent!  Many campsites are not very shaded, and don't let the 75 degree and a lovely breeze fool you.

It was nice that all campsites had easy lake access for boat launching. My campsite had some trees that I was quite allergic to, but the setting made up for it. It was an easy 1/2 mile walk to the trailhead for the Obsidian Flow hike. My campsite did have some smells from the camp toilet that was nearby.

Nice lakeside campsites, easy water access and hiking. Little crowded, little load near boat launch

This is a really nice campground, with access to Paulina Lake and some really great hikes.  Definitely an underrated National Monument in my opinion.  The stars out here are absolutely nuts too!

Easily found a spot midweek in June, but was still pretty chilly at night. Hiked out to the hot springs (they’re basically shallow puddles of hot water along the shore, but still enjoyable). Basic campground- picnic tables, fire rings and pit toilets. Not much privacy, but everyone was pretty quiet so overall a nice place to spend a night or two.

This is a beautiful spot but it's fairly open without a lot of privacy. It can be pretty windy, too. We weren't lucky enough to get a spot right on the water, which was OK because it was less windy away from the water. The campground is basically one long strip with sites on the left (as you drive in) being on the water and campsites on the right being up against a hill. You can still see the water from the sites on the right and you have the added benefit of a bit of privacy because of the hill behind the sites. Our site, site 30, was right next to the toilet which is not my favorite thing in the world but other than that it was a fine site. The camphosts were extremely nice and helpful. 

There is a lot to do in this area. We did the 8 mile hike around the lake which was absolutely stunning. We passed the hot springs but didn't go in...kind of looked like sad mud puddles when we saw them. We rented a canoe from the lodge and canoed across the lake- found a great, private little beach to swim at. 

All in all, maybe not my favorite campground in the world, but the sheer beauty and things to do make up for it.

This campground is good if you have an RV, or don't really care about privacy. The Camphosts were very involved. The views of Paulina lake are nice and if you have "lake toys" you will enjoy it. The trail to the hot springs isn't horrible, but isn't the easiest. The hot springs themselves are nice, the closer to the trail, the hotter they are.

More busy and crowded than we like, however Little Crater has returned from a trashed local party spot to a lovely campground. Kudos to the Forest Service for managing it's own properties!

The lake is comfortable, thanks to geothermal activity. It's at 6500 ft so it gets chilly at night. Wind off the water also. I would give it a 5 star if not for the chill.

This is an awesome campground for stargazing.  Much more open than Paulina Lake Campground on the other end of the lake, and a direct view to the sunset.

However, things to keep in mind:

- It's more open in terms of trees in the sites so it gets windy (a lot) and there is little to no shade in some of the sites.  If you are bringing your popup shade, I highly recommend upgraded stakes.

- The water access at some of the sites is a bit more difficult - especially with heavier kayaks.  It's also more windy on this end of the lake so a tougher paddle.

- Sites are smaller (relative) and closer together, but almost all have good/great lake views (except 30/31/32 - which are by the toilet and have a stand of trees between them and the lake).

- Almost all are pull-through and fairly level for parking, which is great.

Lots of white flies, but no biting...just everywhere.

Will definitely come back to this campground during a meteor shower!  We were at Paulina for the Perseids, and you had to go out to the end of the dock for a big sky view.

Saturday Night in July, #33. Just me and the ladies on a quick overnight getaway. This spot isn’t technically on the water, but there is no site across from you, it might as well be lakefront. It’s tucked up against a hill and surrounded by trees, so it was easy to find shade throughout the day. There’s a picnic table & an L-shaped firepit with a grill - this trip, the grill had broken off the pit and was lying in the dirt. Still functional but didn’t flip over properly. The pit is surrounded by a few tree stumps that work well as seats & tables.

Most importantly, access to the water is quick & easy, the sun was high but not too hot, and the temperature of the lake was perfect.

We glamped here in our 32 foot c class motor home on October 13. Super quite as it is deep in the National Forest. Dry camping only. There is a dump close to the park entrance for $10.00 but no potable fill or Sani flush water was working when we were there. Fun hikes all around.

Great cg if you can get a site has great access to the water and the Paulina lake trail. Also is the trailhead for the hot springs which are rather shallow but very hot!

What an amazing weekend! We got SO lucky and found the ONLY walk up site on the 4th of July. Snagged it as the ground before was pulling out. It must have been fate because we needed this beauty of a weekend to relax and recharge.

So the campground itself is long and skinny. Which is nice because although it was completely full, the campsites are spread out and EVERY SINGLE SITE is either on the water or has a water view. This campground sits on the inside of Newberry National Volcanic Monuments sunken caldera on the shores of Paulina lake. Although we didn’t have any luck fishing, supposedly the rainbow trout are abundant and can be caught from shore.

We snagged campsite number 31. At first I was bummed because it was on the other side of the road from the water but after the weekend I can tell you that this site is PERFECT for a warm weekend. Our site was in the shade most of the day but there is no campsite directly across from us so the lake was in clear view and we could walk down there with ease.

Oh and can’t leave out how awesome our camp host was. Jeff!! Checked on us regularly. Was friendly and made sure the toilets stayed clean.

We will definitely be coming back.

This CG is right on Paulina lake in the middle of Newberry Crater. There are 50 sites along the shoreline. They all have the standard picnic table and fire ring. We had the first site on the left as you enter the CG. It had a great view of the lake and surrounding ridgeline and Paulina Peak. It also allows for a wonderful sunset.

The campground is generally crowded. The sites are decent but you will have other campers relatively close, The CG is easily accessed by foot, car or boat. It does have a boat ramp. RV's / Campers can get into most sites. There are 5 Vault toilets, drinking water, no showers, no hook ups. each site is in close walking distance to the lake. The CG is accessible to various trails in the area including the Big Obsidian Flow trail. A bonus hike should be taken to the Paulina Lake hot springs on the north side of the lake. You can also get to the hot springs by boat.

The good: Dogs allowed, sites directly on the lake, huge site! The 5-yr-old had a great time and the geriatric dog thoroughly enjoyed the lake. Nice hiking in the park and not too far from LaPine.

The bad: The site is on volcanic land, and the campsite is are pretty heavy on fine, silt-like dirt that gets into everything. Ground vegetation is Sparse and full of ants, which is fine if you’re in an RV but not great for tent camping.

The Ugly: The lake allows motorized boats which are disruptive. The posted lake speed limit is 10mph but is not enforced. The park also ran out of annual passes (interagency) so we had to buy day passes.

This was fantastic. Biggest complaint was how busy it was and the lack of privacy between campsites. But I was there on memorial weekend so busy was expected. Lack of privacy is due to lack of trees, they're there, just not that thick. We set up our tent about ten feet from the water and had some friendly little chipmunks running about, but they never bothered us. Camp host and his dog were awesome. Made some new friends here. Soaked in the natural hot springs at dusk. Hiked to the top of Paulina peak the next day. Awesome area to camp and explore. Even though we were there on a holiday weekend this place didn't fill up and we didn't need a reservation. But it does have a day use area and another campground a shirt distance around the lake. There's a hiking trail that goes all the way around, and you can hike to East lake or up Newberry volcano. There is beautiful obsidian all over the place. The hot springs were full of people during the day but at dusk and into night they really cleared out.

Small campground along the edge of the lake; every spot has a beautiful view of the mountains and the lake, and has quick access to the water. Spots on the eastern side of the campground are bordered by a steep hill or thickly forested area, great for providing morning shade and a fun area for kids to hike up and play "I'm king of the world!" Spots on the western side sit right on the lake and all have unobstructed sunset views. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings, nearby vault restrooms, & dish washing stations. The camp host sells firewood.

Campsites are a bit close together, with trailers and tents all in the same area. Some are much bigger than others, but each is unique. Sites near the boat ramp get more traffic, but it's not too busy.

Great for kayaks, paddle boards, or just floating. Hiking trail from the campground goes all the way around the lake, with natural hot springs on the way. There's also the nearby Paulina Lake Lodge, serving meals & cocktails.