3.388 reviewsPrice
$2 - $6/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
20 campsites
Season
05/15 - 10/15; 10/16...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Price
$2 - $6/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
20 campsites
Season
05/15 - 10/15; 10/16...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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42.9614, -121.0928
Spring anglers and birders who arrive weekdays get the best of it: rainbow trout and kokanee feeding actively in May and June, Sandhill cranes and pelicans on the water, and a quiet lakeside site for under $10. Bring all your own water and a bear canister.
No potable water on-site is a hard stop for campers who don't want to haul everything in from Silver Lake, 40 minutes south. Summer visits add low water levels that strand boats in shallows, plus mosquitoes and the recurring trash and toilet paper problems that worsen with weeken
Reference information about Thompson Reservoir Campground sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p>Located 40 minutes south of Silver Lake, Oregon, Thompson Reservoir Campground is a developed campground ideally situated on the three-square-mile reservoir with pretty vistas of nearby Hager Mountain. There are 19 campsites with picnic tables, fire rings. Other amenities include hand-pumped water, and three vault toilets. There is also one large group site.</p><p>Tall ponderosa pines and a few aspen trees lord over the high mountain setting of Thompson Reservoir. Recreation opportunities include fishing, hiking, and exploring. The reservoir is stocked once a year with rainbow trout and there is a boat launch. </p><p>This campground typically opens mid-May and closes mid-October. Heavy snowfall prevents this campground from being used in the winter and early spring. </p><p>Thompson Reservoir campground is located across the reservoir from the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/fremont-winema/recarea/?recid=59773">East Bay Campground</a>.</p>
The elevation is 5,000 ft. The campground, located in the Oregon Outback, is on the west bank of Thompson Reservoir. It is a great spot for bird watching where eagles and osprey fish in the reservoir. Migratory shore birds use the reservoir as a nesting place along with grebes, pelicans, Sandhill cranes and more. Most campsites overlook the reservoir. Because Thompson Reservoir is used for irrigation, beginning in May, the water level will drop throughout the summer. Three campsites before the picnic area have undefined parking aprons and are classified as pull-throughs in this survey. This is bear country; practice safe food storage techniques.
Open May 15 through November 15. Fremont National Forest 155
The water spigot is a handpump.
Thompson Reservoir is 1,600-acre irrigation lake. Power boats are limited to 10mph.
The parking aprons are gravel.
From Silver Lake, OR, take State Rt. 31 west 0.5 miles to campground sign. Turn left at sign onto Silver Creek Rd. (Forest Rt. 27) and go 14 miles to campground sign. Turn left onto Forest Rt. 287 and go 1 mile to campground.
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May and June deliver the most reliable experience: daytime highs in the 50s to 70s, nights dropping to the upper 20s and 40s, and peak fishing as trout and kokanee feed actively. Wildflowers bloom across the meadows, and trails dry out enough for comfortable hiking. Summer warms up but brings lower water levels and mosquitoes (reviewers strongly recommend repellent). The campground closes November through April under heavy snow. Weekdays stay quiet; holiday weekends see more traffic.
Spring and early summer bring best fishing, comfortable weather and wildflowers.
Potable water is not available at this site.
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