Mazama Campground: Everything You Need to Know to Stay in Crater Lake National Park

If you’re planning a trip to Crater Lake, staying at Mazama Campground is hands down the most convenient option. It’s the main—and really the only—campground located within the park, giving you the best access to hiking trails, the scenic Rim Drive, and even lakeshore access.

Since Crater Lake is pretty remote (the closest larger towns are Eugene, about 120 miles away, and Bend, around 90 miles away), my preference is to book a site here so you can truly settle in and soak up the park without worrying about driving in and out every day.

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What to Expect at Mazama Campground

There are 214 total campsites at Mazama Campground, most of which are basic—meaning no water or electricity hookups. Each site comes with the essentials: a picnic table, fire ring, and bear box. When you first enter, you’ll notice a sign warning that bears are in the area. That means taking proper precautions, like storing anything with a scent—food, toiletries, and even beauty products—in your car or the provided bear box. (Note that we did not cross paths with any bears during our time here).

The campground has bathrooms with flushing toilets, which felt a bit like a luxury after dusty trail days and pit toilets throughout the rest of the park (besides Rim Village). Showers are also available: there’s a free one located in Loop F and paid showers (75 cents) at Mazama Village Store, which is also where you’ll see Pacific Crest Trail backpackers stocking up on supplies.

If you’re traveling with an RV, you will be happy to know that there are tons of pull-through sites!

Sitting at about 6,000 feet in elevation, the campground is surrounded by forest. Most sites get a mix of sun and shade depending on the time of day, but the ground is definitely on the dusty side.

How to Book Mazama Campground

The campground is typically open June through September and can be reserved on Recreation.gov. We booked our site in late April for a trip in late August and still had a few sites to choose from. I’d recommend locking yours in early if you’re visiting during peak summer weekends.

Bestie Tip: A handful of sites have scenic views of Annie Creek Canyon—like F11—so if you can snag one of those, you’ll get a little extra bonus with your stay.

How Check-In Works

One thing that surprised us: there really isn’t a formal check-in process at Mazama Campground. You can arrive after 4 p.m. and head straight to your site. When we arrived as the sun was setting, there were no rangers at the entrance station, so we just drove in and found our spot in the dark. Reserved sites are marked with a slip of paper that includes your name and reservation dates.

If you need to double-check which site you booked (and don’t expect to have phone service in the park!), there’s a big board posted outside of the Mazama Cabins & Campground by the store. That’s also where you’ll find a camp map and a water bottle fill-up station.

What to Pack to Mazama Campground

A few tips from our stay:

• Ice – Bring as much as you’ll need for your cooler! A bag of ice at the store was a shocking $11.64 in August 2025.
• Fuel – If you need to fill up, you can do so at Mazama Village for what we thought was a pretty reasonable price of $3.70 per gallon (cheaper than back home in western Washington).
• Bear safety – Don’t forget to use your bear box for anything scented. It is a good idea to bring bear spray, just in case.

Overall, we had an amazing time camping here. Can’t wait to visit again!

This post was all about what it is like to camp at Mazama Campground in Crater Lake National Park.