OutReserve

Carter Lake

Blue lake with sand and grass covered shore in foreground and conifer forest in background.
CARTER LAKE southside
CARTER LAKE Restrooms
Carter Lake entrance sign
CARTER LAKE information board

Featured amenities

Pet Friendly
Pet Friendly

About Carter Lake

Carter Lake Campground is a family favorite in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. This campground is located on Carter Lake, perfect for fishing, swimming, and boating. The Carter Dunes Trailhead is located within the campground, and the Pacific coast is just a short drive away.

Number of accommodations: 21

Campground Amenities

  • Pet Friendly
    Pet Friendly

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently closed - Opens on May 1

Sites & Availability

21 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 02, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 04, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 05, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 06, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 07, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 08, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 09, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 10, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 11, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 12, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 13, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 14, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 15, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 16, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 17, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 18, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 19, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 20, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 21, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 22, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 23, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE
No Hookups
$22.00
/ per night

Reviews (88)

What Guests Are Saying

Carter Lake campground offers a pleasant and quiet experience with spacious sites, clean facilities, and friendly camp hosts. The lake provides enjoyable activities such as swimming and kayaking, and nearby trails lead to beautiful dunes and beaches. However, some sites may have accessibility issues, and there have been mixed reviews regarding cleanliness and the maintenance of certain amenities.

Review Summary

4.1
88 reviews
5
51.1%
45
4
25.0%
22
3
11.4%
10
2
9.1%
8
1
3.4%
3

Susan W

Verified

August 4, 2022 Stayed at: 07, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Information on the individual sites would be helpful, such as slope on driveways, walking distance (ascending or descending) to camp site. This info could possibly be ascertained if there were pictures of the sites, as well.

Jeanette P

Verified

August 3, 2022 Stayed at: 09, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Very nice, clean, well taken care of camp. Had a moose walk through our campsite in the evening. Didn't do any harm, just making it's way through the campground to the other side.

Betty M

Verified

July 29, 2022 Stayed at: 07, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

4

Was very quiet campground but we were there during the week. More people came in Thursday night. There is only one restroom for 18 camping spots but there is a man's and woman's with 2 stalls. So it was no problem.

Lake was nice. You could fish or take out your paddle board or kayak or just play in the water.
Only 10 miles from Florence.

Maria H

Verified

July 25, 2022 Stayed at: 10, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Quiet and beautiful ! Very relaxing

Bob A

Verified

July 14, 2022 Stayed at: 14, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

GREAT campground for my wife & I. Campground is not "Too Big" so much more of a "camping experence than staying in a large city park! site was slooped to limited oppertunity for tent, but the parking was GREAT for our small RV (Truck Camper). short walk to bathroom, water and beach. Friendly and ery helpful "Camp Host".

Misty R

Verified

July 5, 2022 Stayed at: 14, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

I travel all over at the Pacific Northwest annually and this has been my favorite campsite by far. The host was super friendly and even though the campsites are not very far apart they are very private and everything is within a two second walk to the lake it was absolutely wonderful! I try to visit new places but I will definitely be back to Carter Lake. 🤍🤍🤍

Melissa O

Verified

July 5, 2022 Stayed at: 16, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Wonderful small campground right on little Carter Lake. We had spot 16 with a nice area for our tent, a lake view, and direct access to the lake, which was great for our kayaks. We also enjoyed the trail to the beach. There was some road noise, but overall very peaceful.

Natalie N

Verified

September 9, 2021 Stayed at: 12, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

We were in site 12. Super nice, lots of trees - so pretty much completely shaded and a great amount of privacy. Most spots here seem to be very small and good for a pup tent. Ours fit our large tent. Close to the lake which was beautiful. Very uncrowded. We were usually the only ones at the lake. A trail from the campsite leads through woods and dunes and woods and dunes and then opens up onto the ocean beach. Again, we were the only ones there! So many little rocks and shells and it was a long stretch of beach so we could walk for quite a ways. Very ideal. It was a really great camping trip.

I’d say spots 19 and 21 would be great for a couple of families traveling together. They both have lots of trees and privacy and have a path that connects both sites. Really great place for kids to run around and play. Highly recommend! :)

Shawn W

Verified

September 9, 2021 Stayed at: 13, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

4

Absolutely great we were in #13. Secluded, quiet and clean. The only problem is there are some steep steps and I am disabled. It hard to go up and as steps really need repair and not be so high. But my husband carried everything down and me and my little dog Bella just went slow.🤗

Lillian O

Verified

September 8, 2021 Stayed at: 04, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

4

Excellent campground. The campsites are all well situated. The restroom was extremely clean as was the entire campground. The trail over the dunes to the beach was easily accessed at multiple points in the campground. The trail was lovely, good for adults and children and the beach was beautiful. The water level for Carter Lake was significantly lower than previous years so our plans for boating had to be changed. Kayaking would still be enjoyable but limited in distance. If the lake had been full this would be a five star campground.

Location Carter Lake

Address:
Oregon Dunes Visitor Center
Reedsport, OR, 97467
United States

Latitude & Longitude: 43.8567 / -124.146

Elevation: 16 feet

Policies & Rules

Category About
General

Guidelines for a safe visit to the Siuslaw National Forest
The Siuslaw’s campgrounds, day use areas, and trails continue to be open for public enjoyment. While you are visiting the Forest, please adhere to the following guidelines. These guidelines will help ensure a safe and healthy visit for you and your family, our employees and volunteers, and other visitors: 
Please keep in mind that restrooms are generally cleaned and disinfected at least once daily at the more popular campgrounds and day use sites, and once to three times a week at other sites.
Be prepared to provide your own soap, sanitizer, or disinfectant.
If no trash receptacle is provided, please protect your public lands by packing out your waste and trash.
For more information on COVID-19 in Oregon, please visit: https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19  

General

There is a 14-day in 30 rolling days camping limit on the Siuslaw National Forest. The 14 days does not have to be consecutive. The 14-day limit covers the entire Siuslaw National Forest and not just this campground as shown in the Rules Section. This means you cannot go to other campgrounds on the Siuslaw National Forest after reaching the 14-day limit.

General

Forest Service-operated campsites on the Siuslaw National Forest are currently available by online reservation only.Visitors can make reservations online through this website (preferred), or via phone by calling the recreation.gov phone line at 877-444-6777. If you call this number, please be prepared for longer-than-usual wait times. Please note that the Siuslaw National Forest does not have any control over the recreation.gov phone line, so we ask you to please prepare by making reservations well in advance.

General

Sites must occupied within first 24 hours of arrival time. Otherwise unoccupied sites will be considered a "no-show" and will be released.

General

No off-road vehicle use allowed in campground

General

For more information on Siuslaw National Forest, click here

General

Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Pacific Northwest forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

General

Two vehicle maximum per site.

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