U.S. Forest Service · Deschutes National Forest · OR

Sunset Cove Campground

ReservableBookable through October 17; November 28 opens May 28.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Listed not openA database flag with no reason and no date
A night
$25–$50Across the site types the agency prices
Sites
20All of them booked ahead
40 ftLongest rig
4,800 ftElevation
86 ftWater · No-See-Em Creek
23.6 miSW of La Pine, OR
71%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices

In the agency’s own words

Located next to Odell Lake, Sunset Cove Campground is in the midst of sparkling lakes, tranquil streams and nearby scenic peaks that provide visitors with the perfect backdrop for fishing, boating, hiking and biking throughout the area. Keep reading

Recreation

Odell Lake also offers beautiful campsites tucked away in thick forests and some excellent opportunities for water recreation as boating, fishing and wind surfing are all popular. Boats are the most effective way to fish this lake but be aware of afternoon winds as the lake can get rough. Both motorized and non-motorized boats are allowed on this body of water.

Facilities

Sunset Cove Campground can accommodate RV, trailer or tent-campers however water and electric hookups are not available. All sites are equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill and the campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. This campground offers a boat ramp with access to Odell Lake as well as a handful of first-come, first-served boat slips.

Natural Features

This area offers a beautiful mix of Oregon forest types with Douglas fir, white fir, hemlock and a few ponderosa pines towering over a variety of springtime flowers. Huckleberry is common in the underbrush of the campground. Wildlife found in the area include deer, elk, pine martens, ravens, native fish and an occasional black bear. Diamond Peak stands as a sentinel over Odell Lake as one of the blue giants of the Deschutes National Forest and the most prominent peak in the nearby Diamond Peak Wilderness. At an elevation of 8,744 feet, this shield volcano formed as the entire Cascades mountain range was undergoing volcanic activity and uplift.

Nearby Attractions

Campers can explore wilderness areas, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and approximately 1,600 miles of trails that comprise nearly 2.5 million acres within the Deschutes National Forest and the adjacent Ochoco National Forest. Visitors can enjoy traveling the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, known as Oregon's Highway in the Sky, which climbs into the clouds on a 66-mile drive through the Cascade Range, weaving past snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes. Lava Lands Visitor Center in nearby Bend, Oregon, and the unique geological landscape of Newberry National Volcanic Monument draw visitors to the region as well. It is a great starting point for visitors to learn about the diverse landscape and history of the area through interpretive programs and exhibits. Visitors can also explore the Lava River Cave, located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. At 5,211 feet in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous lava tube in Oregon. A nearby resort on Odell Lake offers lodging and a general store with camping supplies, coffee, snacks and fishing licenses.

Charges & Cancellations

Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.

What the agency tells you

Rule

Prevent the spread of invasive species by inspecting and cleaning packs, equipment and tires before using lake or trails.

Rule

Please Note: One RV with tow vehicle per single site or one vehicle per single tent site. Two RV’S with tow vehicle per double site or two vehicles per double tent site. Most sites can accommodate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation fee. Extra vehicle will be charged a per night fee and collected at the campground.

Rule

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions may be imposed at any time due to hot, dry weather conditions, at which time campfires and charcoal fires may not be allowed.

Everything else this campground posts · 6
Rule

During your time in Central Oregon, you can find wildfire, prescribed fire and smoke information at centraloregonfire.org

Rule

Reserved Sites will be held until check out time (NOON) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of that following day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests. Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.

Rule

Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).

Rule

Click Herefor more information about Deschutes National Forest  Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Pacific Northwest forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

Rule

Camping or otherwise occupying a single location (including leaving camping equipment and/or related supplies) for a period longer than 14 consecutive calendar days is prohibited. ‘Location’ means the occupied area, the occupied campsite, and the National Forest System lands in the immediate vicinity thereof. Camping or occupying any location on all National Forest lands for more than 28 calendar days total during a calendar year is prohibited.

Rule

NO generator use is allowed in campgrounds between 10:00PM and 7:00AM (36 CFR 261.10). Silent power banks or battery powered devices are allowed.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Tents and rigs

Sites
20
Hookups
None
Longest rig
40 ft
Accessible sites
None listed
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Vault Toilets
“…ring with grill and the campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. This campground…”
Drinking water
Yes
“…and the campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. This campground offers a boat ramp with…”
Boat ramp
Yes
Store
Nearby
Stay limit
28 nights
recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026
Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Lake, River, Creek
Night sky · 270th darkest of 770 in OR
Bortle 2
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:43 UTC

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.

Booking windowThrough October 17Bookable now through October 17, 2026, the end of the reservable season. On November 28, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through May 28, 2027.recreation.govAdd to calendar (.ics)
Max stay28 nightsthe facility record
A night$25–$50plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$58–$108DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itVista RecreationA private concessionaire under permit from U.S. Forest Servicethe operator link
Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

We’ll write once, when the season that starts Fri, May 28 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 13

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
A night, per site$25–$50
Standard Nonelectric$25
Standard Nonelectric-Double$50
Rates for the season the campground is in now, May 29, 2026 to Oct 17, 2026.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
One nightDerived$33–$58
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$58–$108

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $25–$50 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

“Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.” · this campground’s own terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

recreation.gov availability, read 16:43 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

21 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 20 mapped sites
92 ftbetween you and the next site, typically
Least roomMiddle 004 59 ftMiddle 005 59 ftLoop 1 013 73 ft

All 21 records

21 of 21 records located
Standard20Host pad1
SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 20 of the 21 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Loop 1006standard nonelectric32 ft91 ft126 ft$25–$50
Loop 1007standard nonelectric32 ft91 ft213 ft$25–$50
Loop 1008standard nonelectric32 ft115 ft322 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1009standard nonelectric30 ft115 ft236 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1010standard nonelectric32 ft97 ft336 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1011standard nonelectric32 ft97 ft265 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1012standard nonelectric30 ft73 ft259 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1013standard nonelectric36 ft73 ft255 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1014standard nonelectric32 ft73 ft191 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 1015standard nonelectric24 ft73 ft216 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 2016standard nonelectric32 ft345 ft595 ft$25–$50
Loop 2017standard nonelectric28 ft81 ft316 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 2018standard nonelectric32 ft81 ft236 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 2019standard nonelectric32 ft111 ft146 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 2020standard nonelectric28 ft123 ft189 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Loop 2021standard nonelectric32 ft123 ft310 ftOdell Lake$25–$50
Middle001 Multistandard nonelectric40 ft109 ft229 ft$25–$50
Middle002 Hosthost pad40 ft176 ft
Middle003standard nonelectric36 ft92 ft124 ft$25–$50
Middle004standard nonelectric32 ft59 ft32 ft$25–$50
Middle005standard nonelectric30 ft59 ft26 ft$25–$50

The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It names it a host pad. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon70°Mostly Sunny
Tonight39°Partly Cloudy
Saturday60°Mostly Sunny
Saturday Night36°Mostly Cloudy

NWS forecast for Crescent Lake, OR

Typical weather

Typical October night 30°F, day 55°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical December night 20°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

80°32°10°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: ODELL LAKE-EAST, OR (USC00356252), 0.9 miles away and at about the same elevation

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless
Maiden Peak26,432 acres · 3 mi · inventoried roadless area
Roadless
Maiden Peak9,627 acres · 5 mi · inventoried roadless area
Roadless
Waldo - Fuji15,273 acres · 10 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Who answers for this land

Cliff Bentz, official portrait

Sunset Cove Campground is in Oregon’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Cliff Bentz (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: U.S. Forest Service’s own recreation database flags it not open and publishes no reason and no date. That’s a flag, not a notice: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: Crescent Lake, OR, 2.5 mi NNW (a census designated place). Straight line.