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

Suzanne J

Verified

August 24, 2020 Stayed at: 18, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Great quiet little campground

Marnie B

Verified

August 20, 2020 Stayed at: 09, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

3

Site Number 9 was sits above the lake but is in a small dark hole covered the fire pit and table. plus the table was not level and unable to move it.

KELI R

Verified

August 11, 2020 Stayed at: 16, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Beautiful, peaceful & plenty for the kids to do

Rebekah M

Verified

July 28, 2020 Stayed at: 09, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

4

Road noise is pretty loud at times but great access to dunes. Lake is beautiful with Osprey nests and great for light paddling around.

Jennifer L

Verified

July 16, 2020 Stayed at: 23, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

This is a charming campground. The lake is beautiful and easy to access. The sites are spacious and private for the most part. There are certain sites that have the lake available from the site, and then there are some sites that have no privacy or tree cover, but generally this is the nicest campground we have been to. The hosts are fantastic and kind. We will be returning here for sure.

Shyla S

Verified

January 16, 2020 Stayed at: 04, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

My family has been camping at Carter Lake for over 30 years. It's small, and quiet. We love that there is a lake, sand dunes, and hiking trails all in the campground. It's only a short drive to Florence, if we need or forgot anything. The amenities are basic: running water, bathrooms only-no showers. Most spaces are small, so I recommend driving through before reserving...especially if you are tent campers. If you're looking for a quiet, non-crowded campground, and are okay with basic amenities then this might be the place for you.

Deborah V

Verified

January 10, 2020 Stayed at: 04, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

5

Everytime I camp at Carter Lake, I and my family have had a great time. The trails to the beach are gettting grown over a bit, but other than that no complaints. It was a perfect vacatiion as we stayed for a whole week.

Midge H

Verified

December 19, 2019 Stayed at: 22, Loop: AREA CARTER LAKE

4

Very nice campground, somewhat small campsites. Easy access to the lake.

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.

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations