Boat-In Camping at Sparks Lake

Looking for the beauty and serenity of a backcountry campsite, but with the convenience of car camping? These 20+ secluded paddle-in campsites along the shoreline of Sparks Lake are just for you. Park your car, load up your watercraft of choice with all of your camping supplies, and paddle out to claim your site.

Strewn up and down the eastern and western shoreline, you’ll find a variety of campsites with varying amounts of privacy. You can’t really go wrong with any selection, but we found the sites tucked in along the eastern stretch to provide the most privacy. The most highly sought after sites are those with unobstructed views of South Sister and Broken Top.

Sunrise and sunsets provide daily opportunities to take dramatic landscape photos of South Sister, Broken Top, and Mt. Bachelor. In between these picturesque moments, you can fly fish for cutthroat and brook trout. Learn more about the fishing.

These sites are popular during the summer, so be prepared to get there early if you're hoping for one of the better sites (sometimes even Thursday). Bring bug spray in early summer.

There is a $5/vehicle/day parking fee at the boating site, or you can use your Recreation Pass as payment.

Photo: Lyza