Lost Creek Campground
42.8797, -122.0387 · Park boundary: National Park Service
CLOSED ALL YEAR 2026 Lost Creek Campground is managed by the National Park Service. It usually opens in early July and closes in mid-October, depending on weather and other factors. It is for tent campers only--NO RVs, buses, trailers, or vans and truck with toilets. Registration is self-serve on the day of arrival. No advance registration is available. The campground fills by mid-afternoon. The only means of knowing site availability is upon arrival at the campground. The elevation 6,000 ft. (1,829 m).
Closed all week
CLOSED ALL YEAR 2026 Lost Creek Campground is located on Pinnacles Road, about 12 miles from park headquarters. The campground opens once snow and debris are removed East Rim Drive and Pinnacles Road, and portable toilets are delivered. The opening date is generally July 1. Closing dates shift depending on weather forecasts and other conditions (i.e. hazard or downed trees, road closures) which may require an earlier closing than the established date.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
All sites are tent-only and are $5 per night. Payment is due the day of arrival when you self-register for a site. Payment is by cash (exact change only) or a check made out to the National Park Service. Credit cards are not accepted. Senior Pass and Access Pass holders are entitled to a 50% discount. Maximum number of people per campsite is 8 with and a maximum of 2 vehicles. Lost Creek Campground is limited to 30 days each calendar year with no more than 14 consecutive days in any park campground.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Lost Creek Campground has 16 sites for tents only. Registration is self-serve on the day of arrival. No advance registration is available. Payment can be made by check or exact cash. Credit cards are not accepted. Senior and Access pass holders are eligible for a 50% discount. The only means of knowing site availability is upon arrival at the campground. The campground typically fills up, so arrive early to secure a site.
- Food storage lockers
- Yes - seasonal
- Toilets
- Portable Toilets - seasonal
- Trash & recycling
- Yes - seasonal
- Amphitheater
- No
- Camp store
- No
- Cell reception
- No
- Drinking water
- No water
- Dump station
- No
- Firewood for sale
- No
- Host on site
- No
- Ice for sale
- No
- Internet
- No
- Laundry
- No
- Showers
- None
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
- RVs
- Not allowed
- Trailers
- Not allowed
- Access roads
- Unpaved Roads - All vehicles OK in good weather
- Classification
- Limited Development Campground
- Cell service
- There is no cell tower or guaranteed cell phone service in the park. However, around Rim Village and other locations, intermittent cell service may be available.
Some of the portable toilets at Lost Creek are accessible but no campsite is designated accessible or specifically known to be manageable by wheelchair or other mobility assists. Picnic tables are not designed to accommodate a wheelchair. There are accessible sites designated at the Mazama Campground.
There are no campsites designated accessible or specifically manageable by wheelchair or other mobility assists. The camp sites are generally level. Some uneveness is due to natural elements such as rocks, tree roots and other plants. If no site seems safe enough to navigate, check with Mazama Campground for an alternative or accessible campsite. Three of the portable toilets at Lost Creek are accessible. Lost Creek Campground may be considered primitive as there is no water, or any other utility available. Be aware that there is no potable water in Lost Creek Campground. All water must be brought in by the campers.
Wood campfires are not allowed. Gas stoves and self-contained charcoal grills are permitted.
FOOD STORAGE: The park is home to many animals, including black bears. When not in use, all of your food, garbage, cooking equipment, storage containers (e.g. ice chests), and toiletries (soaps, toothpaste, etc.) must be kept in your vehicle or in the bear-resistant locker provided at your campsite. WATER: No water is available in the campground. Bring water with you. A faucet with drinking water can be found outside the Visitor Center at Park Headquarters, 12 miles away, and a water-bottle filling station inside the visitor center when the building is open. OTHER FACILITIES: The closest facilities are at Mazama Campground,16 miles away. Mazama Village has multiple water sources where you may fill containers. Mazama Village Store sells groceries, camping supplies, and gasoline during designated hours. The store also has hot showers and laundry machines. They take quarters; a change machine is on site.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
CLOSED ALL YEAR 2026. Lost Creek Campground is located three miles off of East Rim Drive on Pinnacles Road. From park headquarters travel 9 miles on East Rim Drive, turn right onto Pinnacles Road (near Phantom Ship Overlook). Drive 3 miles on Pinnacles Road. Lost Creek Campground is on the right.
October through June, most of the park may be snow covered. Annual snowfall averages 42 feet (13 meters). In early spring, it is typical to have ten to fifteen feet (4 meters) of snow on the ground. July, August, and September are drier and warmer. A typical daytime high temperature during these three months is around 67°F (19°C), but can range from 40°F to 80°F or more (4°C to 27°C). Temperatures cool off rapidly in the evening, with a typical nighttime low around 40°F (4°C).
CLOSED to RVs Lost Creek Campground is closed to recreational vehicles, buses, and vehicles with trailers. Recreational vehicles are considered to be any conveyance specifically designed for camping and equipped with self-contained toilet facilities. HOURS You can check in 24 hours a day. Check-out time is 12 pm. Generators are prohibited. Campground quiet hours are 10 pm to 7 am. MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY The maximum number of people per campsite is 8. The maximum number of vehicles per campsite is 2. Camping in the park is limited to 30 days per calendar year, with no more than 14 consecutive days in any campground. FOOD STORAGE When not in use, all of your food, garbage, cooking equipment, storage containers (e.g. ice chests), and toiletries (soaps, toothpaste, etc.) must be kept in your vehicle or in the bear-resistant locker provided at your campsite. GENERATORS ARE PROHIBITED Plan to camp at Mazama Campround where electrical hookups are available or if you must use a generator.
NOTE: This campground does not have running water. You must bring enough water for everyone in your party. Water is available at Steel Visitor Center or Mazama Village. Drive three miles south along Pinnacles Road from East Rim Drive. Turn right after the brown metal directional sign announcing the campground. You have arrived at the entrance. Welcoming you is a brown wood sign with the words Lost Creek Campground carved into the panel and painted white. It hangs from a beam leveraged by five round, multi-sized posts that create the sign’s base. Beneath towering lodge pole pines and Shasta Red Firs are grassy meadows with 16 tent sites distributed in an inner and outer circle. An Information bulletin board and pay kiosk is straight ahead. The bulletin board contains information on how to select a site, pay, rules, regulations and any current concerns regarding the campground. From the kiosk, go left towards site #1 and continue as the road winds around to site #4. If your go right, you will by-pass sites 1 through 4, and turn right in front of site 5. Lost Creek runs behind sites 2 thru 5. Wildflowers highlight the area during summer and fall colors resume their brilliance as the weather cools. Between sites 4 and 5 is Greyback Road, the former East Rim Drive. There is a locked metal gate swung across the road to prohibit vehicle traffic. This road is now considered a trail for hikers, bicyclists, and pet walking. Across from sites 4 and 5 is a native stone and wood structure. This restroom is closed due to water rights legislation which does not give the National Park Service senior rights to use of the water in Lost Creek and its reservoir. Instead, there are portable toilets, several which are accessible, stationed alongside the building. Beyond the closed restroom, the road continues in a circular fashion with access to sites 6 to 16. The road and all campsite parking are covered with small crushed gravel-like rock. Tent areas are mostly dirt and natural debris with some crushed rock. All sites are generally level with room to park two vehicles. Each site has one picnic table; bases are white and formed from concrete; tops are made of heavy planks of wood. Most are in the sun with a possibility of shade at times throughout the day. Each site also has one bear-proof, metal food storage locker. The park is home to many animals, including black bears. All of your food, garbage, cooking equipment, storage containers (e.g. ice chests), and toiletries (soaps, toothpaste, etc.) must be kept in your vehicle or in the bear-resistant locker provided at your campsite. There are tree stumps and logs throughout the meadow and around campsites. Many dead trees stand along and beyond the creek. There are trash and recycling containers in several locations in the campground. The creek is closed to fishing to save and protect native bull trout. Since the campground is alongside Pinnacles Road it is not quiet during the day due to cars traveling to and from Pinnacles Overlook. After sunset when vehicle traffic comes to a halt and sunshine shifts to a starlit sky, and again when quiet hours begin at 10 pm, giving way to the sounds of Lost Creek and the wind, that the campground is quiet.
Drive to Lost Creek Campground
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