Lost Creek Campground

lost lake loop

This was our first time camping here, although we had visited twice during the off season to walk the lovely paved 3/4 mile handicapped (and stroller) accessible trail. The Burnt Lake trailhead and the Ramona Falls (very popular) trailhead are both located nearby, During the off season the big brown gate is locked, although there is a small parking area outside the gate so that you can walk in. The campground is up the road from Zigzag, OR, and you turn from US 26 onto the Lolo Pass Road. (The forest service office is also located at this intersection, as is the Zigzag Cafe, which has awesome french toast!) The directions are good on the Forest Service website, and we had no trouble finding it. The road was paved the whole way in.

The campground had been renovated at some time in the past, and the nature trail/boardwalk was added at that time. There is also a wooded deck built out over the creek for fishing. The RV/tent sites are in loop A, and they are all quite level and paved.
There was no host when we visited just after the 4th of July, in fact the camp was quite deserted. An employee of Mt. Hood Recreation showed up around supper time to check our ID and golden access passport (for our reservation). The A loop has 11 sites, but 2 of them have yurts on them, so only 9 RV sites are available. Of these 11 sites, only sites #1,7,8, and 10 are first come, first served, and no one showed up until Friday to claim them. Sites 2, and 10 are double sites, having 2 separate parking spurs. There were 5 very defined tent sites that had their own parking area,,,then you carried your gear in. There was also a picnic area for day use along the creek. With 5 vault toilets (2 in loop A, 2 in the picnic/tent area, and 1 on the loop trail) for this small campground, they were lightly used and clean. Water was available at the hand pump, but it had quite a lot of sediment.

Because the campground is in such a lush wooded area, our solar panel was pretty useless. If you need sun, the nearby McNeil campground is more open, drier, and with less vegetation.

The Lost Creek Campground lies three miles south of east Rim Drive on Pinnacles Road. It consists of 16 individual sites open for tents only. The facility lies at an elevation of 6,000 feet along the banks of Lost Creek in the Sand Creek drainage.
Each site at this facility is available on a first come, first served basis. Campers can expect a picnic table and fire pit at their site with drinking water and flush toilets maintained at the facility. It is usually open by mid-July and closes in mid-September, although these dates are subject to change due to extreme weather conditions.  
More information: http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/planning-visit/services/campgrounds.htm