Campgrounds on measured US lakes
Public campgrounds from the USGS National Map, each within about 3 miles of a lake with nutrient and algae readings on record. The readings describe the water; the campground is where you sleep.
2,226 lakes have a campground nearby across 49 states (United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs.).For Europe, see lake campgrounds in Europe.
| Rank | Lake | County | State | Campgrounds | Nearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timothy Lake | Clackamas | OR | 8 | Pine Point Campground (Timothy Lake, OR) (0.1 km) |
| 2 | Applegate Lake | Jackson | OR | 6 | Hart-Tish Recreation Complex (0.4 km) |
| 3 | Flaming Gorge Reservoir Sheep Creek Bay | Daggett | UT | 5 | Sheep Creek Bay Campground (0.5 km) |
| 4 | Third Dam Lake | Cache | UT | 5 | Spring Hollow Campground (0.5 km) |
| 5 | Crescent Lake | Klamath | OR | 5 | Contorta Point Group Camp (2.3 km) |
| 6 | Green Mountain Reservoir | Summit | CO | 4 | Elliott Creek (0.2 km) |
| 7 | Lake of the Woods | Klamath | OR | 4 | Rainbow Bay (0.2 km) |
| 8 | Dam Lake | Alleghany | VA | 4 | Coles Point (0.4 km) |
| 9 | Lake Oroville | Butte | CA | 4 | Floating Campsite 8 (0.5 km) |
| 10 | Ferron Reservoir | Sanpete | UT | 4 | Ferron Reservoir Campground (0.5 km) |
| 11 | Bolar Mtn. Campground Lake | Bath | VA | 4 | Bolar Mountain Recreation Area (0.6 km) |
| 12 | Holland Lake | Missoula | MT | 4 | Holland Lake Campground (0.7 km) |
| 13 | Flaming Gorge Lake | Daggett | UT | 4 | Mustang Ridge Campground (1.2 km) |
| 14 | Crescent Lake | Klamath | OR | 3 | Crescent Lake Guard Station (0.2 km) |
| 15 | Joes Valley Reservoir West Arm | Emery | UT | 3 | Pavilion B Group Site (0.3 km) |
| 16 | Tropic Reservoir | Garfield | UT | 3 | King Creek Campground (0.3 km) |
| 17 | Lake Mcdonald | Flathead | MT | 3 | Apgar Campground (1.2 km) |
| 18 | Swan Lake South End | Lake | MT | 3 | Swan Lake Campground (1.4 km) |
| 19 | Tippy Pond Pine Arm | Manistee | MI | 3 | Government Landing Access (1.8 km) |
| 20 | Terra Park Lake | Polk | IA | 3 | Cottonwood Recreation Area (4.2 km) |
| 21 | Beaver Lake | Carroll | AR | 2 | Dam Site River (beaver Lake) (0.2 km) |
| 22 | Lake Meredith | Hutchinson | TX | 2 | Sanford-Yake Campground (0.4 km) |
| 23 | Lake Tahoe | Douglas | NV | 2 | Zephyr Cove RV & Campground (0.5 km) |
| 24 | Wilson Lake | Russell | KS | 2 | Sylvan Park (0.6 km) |
| 25 | Clearwater Lake | Wayne | MO | 2 | Piedmont Park (0.6 km) |
| 26 | Melvern Lake | Osage | KS | 2 | Outlet(melvern) (0.7 km) |
| 27 | Goose Point Lake | Franklin | VA | 2 | Goose Point (1.0 km) |
| 28 | Crescent Lake | Klamath | OR | 2 | Contorta Point (1.6 km) |
| 29 | Greers Ferry Lake | Cleburne | AR | 2 | Devils Fork (1.9 km) |
| 30 | Council Bluff Lake | Iron | MO | 2 | Council Bluff (wbr) Cg (2.8 km) |
| 31 | Folsom Lake | Placer | CA | 2 | Folsom Lake State Recreational Area Folsom Lake Campground (2.8 km) |
| 32 | Traders Bay Lake | Cass | MN | 2 | Stony Point Recreation Area (3.4 km) |
| 33 | Fdr Lake | Okanogan | WA | 2 | Spring Canyon Campground (3.4 km) |
| 34 | Lake Almanor | Plumas | CA | 2 | Almanor (3.7 km) |
| 35 | Wallingford Pond | Rutland | VT | 2 | Greenwall Shelter (3.7 km) |
| 36 | Odell Lake | Klamath | OR | 1 | Sunset Cove Campground (0.1 km) |
| 37 | Upper Stillwater Lake | Flathead | MT | 1 | Stillwater Lake Campground (0.2 km) |
| 38 | Fourmile Lake | Klamath | OR | 1 | Fourmile Lake Campground (0.3 km) |
| 39 | Posey Lake | Garfield | UT | 1 | Posey Lake Campground (0.3 km) |
| 40 | Bridgeport Middle Lake | Morrill | NE | 1 | Bridgeport State Recreation Area (0.4 km) |
| 41 | Cadotte Lake | St. Louis | MN | 1 | Cadotte Lake (0.4 km) |
| 42 | Greeley Lake | Itasca | MN | 1 | Cutfoot Horse Camp (0.5 km) |
| 43 | Clam Lake | Monroe | AL | 1 | Isaac Creek (0.5 km) |
| 44 | Abiquiu Reservoir | Rio Arriba | NM | 1 | Riana - Abiquiu Lake (0.6 km) |
| 45 | Fenske Lake | St. Louis | MN | 1 | Fenske Lake Campground (0.6 km) |
| 46 | North Star Lake | Itasca | MN | 1 | North Star (0.7 km) |
| 47 | Ninemile Lake | Lake | MN | 1 | Ninemile Lake Campground (0.7 km) |
| 48 | Gull Lake | Cook | MN | 1 | Trails End Campground (0.7 km) |
| 49 | Silver Lake | Addison | VT | 1 | Silver Lake Campground (0.8 km) |
| 50 | Horseshoe Point Lake | Patrick | VA | 1 | Horseshoe Point (0.8 km) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a campground here?
A public campground in the USGS National Map inventory that sits within about 3 miles of a lake with water-quality readings on record. 2,226 lakes currently have at least one. A lake with no nearby listed campground shows nothing rather than a vague “camping available” — the absence means USGS has no site on record there, not that camping is forbidden.
Can I book a campsite here?
No. The USGS inventory records where campgrounds are, not what is available. Where the source gives an official reservation link — recreation.gov or a state system — the lake page passes it through. The cabin and hotel search on lake pages does not cover campsites.
How is this different from the Europe camping page?
The Europe page lists designated bathing waters whose official names mark them as campgrounds, classed under the EU bathing-water directive. This page lists US public campgrounds near lakes with nutrient and algae readings from state and federal monitoring.
Top camping lakes
Clackamas County, OR · 8 campgrounds
Jackson County, OR · 6 campgrounds
Daggett County, UT · 5 campgrounds
Cache County, UT · 5 campgrounds
Klamath County, OR · 5 campgrounds
Summit County, CO · 4 campgrounds
Plan your lake trip
EEA bathing waters named as campgrounds
Cabins and rentals on measured lakes
Public launches on big water
Named USGS launches near measured lakes
Every CA lake with its published measurements
Every Oregon lake with its published measurements
Source: USGS The National Map Structures — Campgrounds. Campgrounds matched to lakes within 5 km (about 3 miles). U.S. government work.