Takhlakh Lake Campground

Nice large site. Close to the day use area, but still felt very private. We had no one walking thought the site. One large tent pad and we were able to find a spot for another tent. Short walk to the lake.

Small site in the trees. Close to other sites, but a lovely spot. Short walk down to the lake.

Day access patrons left incredible amount of garbage - don't be that person

It's a beautiful area and if you choose carefully, some campsites offer space and even a little privacy that you can't get other places. There are trails to explore and the lake's beauty speaks for itself. Though you have to endure some dust on forest service roads to get there, that probably keeps the place from being overrun by massive crowds at the end of the day. The road in the campground is paved to my great surprise and that's greatly appreciated. The bathrooms are pit toilets but are kept clean and stocked by the camp hosts.

We had a problem with chipmunks and mice eating our food though we were careful about not leaving it out. A mouse even found a way into the back of the pickup with a closed canopy. I'll take measures next time. Finding mouse droppings and food that had to be thrown out wasn't too cool. One morning, a flock of birds came around for breakfast and was not shy about landing anywhere and everywhere. We had to be on our guard while eating and cooking. It's part of camping but worth noting.

Takhlakh Lake is a beautiful place with a very close view of Mt. Adams. The campground sites are spacious and the bathrooms are clean. Campers are encouraged to pack out their trash, as the campground is very remote and self maintenance is appreciated.
There are the usual campground yahoos but in general the long drive keeps out most of party crowd. Bring earplugs and you’ll sleep fine. If you can’t read, the entrance sign might be telling you to not make a campfire, in August, during a drought, in the busiest fire season in years. But you be you, you won’t be the only one.
The only possible negative is the drive in. The road can be rough in spots, and you are a long way from any services.

Beautiful spot. Campground was quiet and clean. It was my first time but hopefully not my last!

Such a beautiful campsite!! The lake is stunning with Mount Adams in the backdrop. There’s some great hikes and views nearby. I wanna give people a heads up though, the rodents are no joke (Including the chipmunks)! We would pack up our food and scented items into our car since there’s no bear bins, but they somehow found a way into the car and I found some food had been nibbled and some droppings all around inside. So learn from my mistake and pack EVERYTHING into sealable containers! They even chewed up a toilet paper roll I had in the car. Also, this is a pack in pack out campsite, so make sure you pack out your trash!

Campground was clean, restrooms also clean and well stocked. Helpful campground host. Nice trail around the lake with great views of Mt. Adams. NO WATER at campground so be sure to bring your own. I had reserved a spot in the tent only section but it was not suitable for me so I found a more suitable site but couldn’t transfer my reservation and had to pay for the new site. Recreation.gov should correct this problem. Other trailheads near the campground provide access to the Mt. Adams Wilderness. Easy to launch small boat or kayak.

The reservation system said Friday and Saturday were FCFS.booked Thursday, was going to stay the weekend. The host had booked the spot out for Friday and Saturday. Ended up leaving and going down the road to another camp for the weekend and didn’t stay at takhlakh.

The campground and lake setting are spectacular! The campground is layed out well, though site 26 is small and lacks a tent pad. Lots of paddleboards and kayaks on the lake.