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My favorite camping trip of the summer was our stay at Suttle Lake in Central Oregon. We had visited Suttle Lake in the past, staying at the Suttle Lake Lodge. Well really at one of the remodeled Forest Service cabins they rent out. It was right after they had opened in 2015. It was October at the time and ever since we’ve said we should go back to Suttle Lake in the summer time and go camping!
So we took a two night camping trip last month, leaving on a Saturday (half weekend, half as busy right?). Suttle Lake is near Sisters, Oregon, but closer to Black Butte, between Mt Washington and Three Fingered Jack.
Camping at Suttle Lake and playing at nearby Scout Lake was such a nice reset and unplug being in the woods and lake side. Especially compared to some busier and big campgrounds. Yes, we were in a real campground, but with only 24 sites, it felt spread out and much more private. And we were near the water, so it felt like your own private lake, well almost. We spent our time kayaking, walking around the lake, playing at our site, and visiting Scout Lake. Scout Lake is only one mile away. It’s a much smaller lake and has some nice shallow areas that are clear and great for swimming. The morning we left, we went to Scout Lake and were the only people there for a while! Scout Lake is perfect for playing in the water in summer. After paddling around the Oru kayak, I traded up for paddling around logs floating in the lake. So fun and ridiculous!
We also kayaked over to the Suttle Lake Lodge Boathouse one evening to see if their shop sells ice cream. We didn’t find any ice cream, but it was fun to revisit that side of the lake and the docks. Hoping to go back post-COVID. And without further ado of our camping recap, I will post some fun pictures from our trip.
Suttle Lake Camping & Scout Lake Pictures
Suttle Lake Camping Info:
Suttle Lake Campgrounds:
There are three campgrounds around Suttle Lake – Blue Bay, South Shore, and Link Creek. They’re all operated by the US Forest Service and bookable online at Recreation.gov. Scout Lake campground is also one mile away, and The Suttle Lodge has old forest service cabins that are remodeled and rentable on the east side of the lake (which you can also rent in winter!). Suttle Lake is about 20 minutes from Sisters, Oregon and 45 minutes from Bend, Oregon.
Good to know:
The lake had a bit of Swimmer’s Itch warning signs posted for the shallow areas. We didn’t experience it, but did wash off after playing in the water, and we didn’t let our kiddo just sit and play in the shallow water like we normally would have.
Happy camping!
