Kinnikinnick (laurance Lake) Campground

Campsite 3 was great - fully shaded with a nice large spot for a tent. On one side, there was the road to enter the area, and on the other was the road to one of the boat ramps, so there was some people moving on both sides, but on the weekend we were there, everyone was respectful and moved along quickly. The road in was mostly paved with about a quarter mile unpaved section and one deep ditch that our CRV did fine with. The host was active and welcomed us when we parked and was available if we needed anything. He was selling wood bundles for $10 but also let us know there were plenty of felled trees around we could use for our campfire. Definitely no water or no service but we had a lovely time!

We were rained upon the entire trip, but the campsite itself was excellent. Access to the water was easy, the lake was spectacular, water is clear and clean, the no-bait fishing rule helps with that certainly. It is well maintained and people clearly work to keep the site clear of trash and such. Just a great out of the way spot.

We had campsite 1 right on the water and had a great stay. It was very quiet, and there was room for 2 tents. The bathrooms were well taken care of, as good as a pit toilet can be. We enjoyed paddling on the water with views of Mt. Hood, and fishing.

The camp host this year I believe his name is Pat is doing an excellent job! The bathroom has never been cleaner, the noise drops at 10 pm and we just really had a great time.

Major hike in. Surrounded by trees, but not covered by trees. Spot gets very hot during the day. It was way too difficult to get everything in and out, won’t be back. There is no water, bring your own.

Pros: beautiful lake, cannot hear cars so very quiet, able to see stars on a clear night, great views of Mt. Hood, prime location for exploring.
Cons: We stayed in Campsite #14 and it was NOT ADA Accessible (could not back in, no pavement, steep and uneven slope, etc.). Looking at the website now, all of the sites are listed as accessible but to my eyes, very, very few actually are so if you have accessibility needs, this may not be the campsite for you. I would also rate bear safety and awareness as low to very low. The campsite is also private (as in not USFS) which was fine but I say that because we needed to adjust our expectations.
Tips: Campsite #1 looked to me like the best site. Grateful Vineyard has really good pizza for when you are sick of camp food.

Site 14 is not waterfront. You have to cross the day use gravel parking lot to get to the lake. Also because it is connected to the day use area, it is neither private or quiet. It is directly next to the camp host and people are walking up to the camp host at all hours of the day and can see everything in your site. I would not recommend this site, very disappointing.

The lake is very beautiful, with good swimming and great hikes nearby. However this is not my favorite campground. The campsites are very close together and all adjacent to the day use area, which gets extremely loud and crowded. It was the most noisy and crowded campground experience I have had in the PNW.

We had a wonderful stay. Site 21 was fairly private and there were no mosquitoes. Had a great time hiking and playing in the lake. The road in was fine in an SUV. Firewood is available onsite and nearby.

I appreciated that it was tent camping only and no motorized boats on this fairly large lake. Kept noise levels minimal. Lake water was still too cold for swimming in June. Campsites were not very private. The bathrooms were well maintained, better than most. Good base camp for other daytime explorations in the area.