Kachess

Beautiful lake and campground.

We came to Kachess not knowing what to expect. Safe to say we will be coming back many more times. We chose campsite 175, and boy was it BEAUTIFUL. It was one of the smaller ones, which we were unaware of and it adjoined another site which we were also unaware of - but that didn't put a damper on our trip. There are many trails you can do, beachy shores you can bask in, water spickets close to the campsites and the bathrooms were incredibly clean for campsite bathrooms. The host was super nice and helpful. My 8yr old enjoyed walking out into the lake and looking at all the wildlife! The only downside to this was the CRICKETS! Oh my gosh, it hit 9:30pm and they were all you could hear! It was a constant buzzing that was never ending. But that's camping for you, wildlife! All in all, I would suggest this campsite to young and old!

We ended up staying on site 2 and then 1. Site 2 was not marked as reserved when we arrived and I did not remember which sites were FF or reservable. The camp host was not on site. We took #2. She showed up later after her arrival to mark #2 as reserved so we had to move everything. Site #1 is great with lake view but it has its caveats. All people going to the beach walk by your site or through it. There is a nice day use area that borders to that site but gets mistaken for camping sites although clearly marked as day use area. I would recommend a different loop or site.

Great camp ground, host was very nice and attentive. Bathrooms and grounds were clean and well tended. It was a bit chilly over night as it is still fairly early in the season but there were still people kayaking and enjoying the lake.

The wait getting in was horrendous...!!!! I had my pass, but there was no special line to let in passholders with campsites already paid for. The computer system at the gate was weak and very,very slow, which compounded the wait. I estimate the line of vehicles to be a minimum of 3/4 of a mile long. No bathrooms along the road. Great campsite, beautiful lake.

Spacious, private sites surrounded by trees and a hiking trail throughout the campground with access to the lake. Long drop toilets were clean. No showers, but ok for a weekend. Great hike (medium level), up and down along the south side of the lake with great views.

This has been overall a good campsite over the years. Camping early to mid summer is best for water level. Campsites are adequate with drinking water close by. Pay attention to other reviews as some campsites are in better locations. Some are close to swampy areas (bugs). Some near the lake are good location, but then you get a lot of traffic around and through your campsite from people to don't respect others' space. There is a trail that runs right through the back of camp sites, so people will walk right along and through your site. This year we camped late (Labor Day Weekend) to hike Rampart Lakes, which this is a good base camp for. The lake is reduced to pretty much a pond that you have to walk about a half mile to get to - don't camp this time of year for the lake. The first night we had loud campers move in next door late at night and kept us up until 2am. The next day we went on our hike and came back to our camp site for the second night and it started raining, and the loud campers now had 3 cars (sites are max 2) and about 10 people partying at the site. They didn't have a receipt on their post, so they did not pay. Rather than fight it we packed up and left. People sneak in after hours and overload camp sites (there was another loud packed one a couple doors down) and there didn't seem to be any camp host rolling through the entire time. Unfortunately we just don't have enough funding to keep parks nice and staffed. Oregon has the best state parks/camping. They are well funded, keep their sites clean, and they have dedicated hosts throughout campground that are helpful (Silver Falls is my favorite). I probably wouldn't camp at Kachess just to camp or fish, but when water level is high enough it's ok for boating, and it does make a great camp for Rachel Lake, Rampart Lakes, and Alta Mtn. If you want any semblance of privacy, there are lots of cabins nearby for rent.

Beautiful place to camp, walk up camping needs some organizing. Get there early!

This is a beautiful campground. We stayed a few nights at the end of August so it was very quiet and most of the sites were vacant. The only drawback is that the bathroom was quite a walk away.

Our family had a great time on an over night trip to this campground. The campground is well maintained and has flush toilets which was very nice for our kids. The camp sight was flat and had several options for our tent. There were also very few insects, not a single bite on anyone. The lake leaves a bit to be desired in august because it is at a very low level and the banks are all muddy.