Lava Lake Campground

A great campsite after a long day on the trail.

We enjoyed our stay here in mid-July. Our campsite didn't have a very private feel, but it's a short walk to the water faucet and bathroom. You can walk to the lake in just a couple minutes. Also, it's close to the adjoining Lost Lake Resort, which has a convenience store and showers for $1.50 for 3 minutes. We could have carried our paddleboard down to the lake, but in the late afternoon, there was plenty of parking at the boat ramp, so we parked and launched from there. The water was green with algae, but the backdrop for Lava Lake is beautiful. Little Lava Lake is nearby and is even nicer, but beware of mosquitoes in that area. They are vicious and incredibly numerous in the evening. They weren't as bad at our campsite, but still annoying, so bring good spray. We actually chose Lava Lake because it had open sites and was a short drive to beautiful paddling lakes like Sparks, Hosmer, Elk, Devils, and Cultus Lakes. Lots of great hiking in the area, too. We would stay here again if nothing were available at Cultus or Elk Lakes. Our campground host did a great job keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked. We also liked that this campground is not near enough to the highway to hear it.

We enjoyed our stay here in mid-July. Our campsite didn't have a very private feel, but it's a short walk to the water faucet and bathroom. You can walk to the lake in just a couple minutes. Also, it's close to the adjoining Lost Lake Resort, which has a convenience store and showers for $1.50 for 3 minutes. We could have carried our paddleboard down to the lake, but in the late afternoon, there was plenty of parking at the boat ramp, so we parked and launched from there. The water was green with algae, but the backdrop for Lava Lake is beautiful. Little Lava Lake is nearby and is even nicer, but beware of mosquitoes in that area. They are vicious and incredibly numerous in the evening. They weren't as bad at our campsite, but still annoying, so bring good spray. We actually chose Lava Lake because it had open sites and was a short drive to beautiful paddling lakes like Sparks, Hosmer, Elk, Devils, and Cultus Lakes. Lots of great hiking in the area, too. We would stay here again if nothing were available at Cultus or Elk Lakes. Our campground host did a great job keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked. We also liked that this campground is not near enough to the highway to hear it.

Our tent site was quite spacious but the sites were close together overall. The mosquitoes were very bad. They seemed immune to bug spray and campfire smoke. The staff at the resort store were great. The lake and views are beautiful but there isn’t a lot of shore space to enjoy the lake.

Our tent site was quite spacious but the sites were close together overall. The mosquitoes were very bad. They seemed immune to bug spray and campfire smoke. The staff at the resort store were great. The lake and views are beautiful but there isn’t a lot of shore space to enjoy the lake.

Pro: Huge site, beautiful location, easy access to the lake. Love the general store, reasonable price and can also purchase token for hot shower and flush toilet.
Con: the toilet was okay on day 1 morning and pretty smelly the entire 7/4 long weekend; my neighbor was very loud almost every night, sometimes till 1am, however no management over that.

Pro: Huge site, beautiful location, easy access to the lake. Love the general store, reasonable price and can also purchase token for hot shower and flush toilet.
Con: the toilet was okay on day 1 morning and pretty smelly the entire 7/4 long weekend; my neighbor was very loud almost every night, sometimes till 1am, however no management over that.

The campsites were huge with several tentable spots. The lakes are within easy walking distance. The views from the lakes are lovely. Good stuff.

The campsites were huge with several tentable spots. The lakes are within easy walking distance. The views from the lakes are lovely. Good stuff.

Great campground and lake. The lake is terrific for kayaks as there is a speed restriction and the folks fishing are spread out. We saw Herons and Eagles on our trip. Hosts this year were outstanding. The folks in the campsite we reserved got confused and thought they had another night so they were still in our site when we got there. They apologized for their mistake but it did take them 2 hours to vacate. The hosts made a special effort to come by as soon as they left to clean the site of a lot of popcorn left on the ground. Restrooms were always kept clean.
One thing to note at the Lava Lake Resort is that you can pay $12 and that lets you fill up your RV with fresh water and also dump at the end of the stay. It is so worth i!