Camping at Cultus Lake Campground, Oregon

Katie and I headed to Central Oregon on Thursday for a long weekend of adventures. We packed up our gear and pulled our tent trailer to Cultus Lake about 46 miles outside of Bend off the Cascade Lakes Highway. We arrived shortly before dark to what appeared to be a full campground. Luckily we were stopped by a gentleman who had an extra site he wasn't going to use. It ended up being a nice site with plenty of room for both our truck and trailer. We sure lucked out.

Motorboats are allowed on Cultus Lake, so it can attract a different crowd than other public campgrounds. We were kept awake late into the night Thursday by our loud neigbors. We managed to get some rest before waking at 5 AM to climb South Sister.

When we returned from our hike we had new neighbors. Luckily they were a smaller party and somewhat quieter at night.

Before heading to dinner at the Cultus Lake Resort, we enjoyed the convenience of a warm shower. There is water available at the Cultus Lake campground for refilling RV freshwater tanks. Friday night was all-you-can eat rib night at the resort, so we ate like royalty and enjoyed the lakeside view.

After dinner we took our dog Bella for a walk partway around the lake. There is a well-maintained trail around much of the lake, but we only walked about a mile. It was too late in the evening to let Bella swim, much to her disappointment.

   

   

On Saturday we hiked Tumalo Mountain in the morning and then climbed Mount Bachelor in the afternoon. Before climbing, we rode the chairlift up to the Pine Marten Lodge where we enjoyed lunch with my parents who were staying nearby in Sisters.

Back at camp, we took Bella for a swim in Cultus lake before preparing a dinner of fire-cooked potatoes and corn with barbecued sausages and fresh zucchini. My stomach growls just thinking about it.

While Cultus Lake is a beautiful place, we will probably not return again to camp in the campground. The boater crowd is just not our scene. There was a mix of younger people and families camping, but be prepared for loud neighbors which might be alright if you stay up late anyway.