Agency-listedUSFSFee
Big Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · OR · 44.37808, -121.87048
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Big Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,681 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big LakeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Big Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- +Urgent care0 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- PPropane13 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- ShShower13 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- MMechanic31 mi
- DDump32 mi
- LLaundry35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Big Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,681 ft
State
OR
Coordinates
44.37808, -121.87048
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Big Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBlack Butte Ranch · ~10.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.5 mi
- FuelFuel · ~12.6 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~12.6 mi
- GroceriesCrockett Lodge · ~6.3 mi
- PharmacyBi-Mart · ~16.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicBLYC Clinic · ~0.5 mi
- HardwareHoyt's Hardware & Building Supply · ~16.8 mi
EV charging — from Big Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.2 mi straight-line E — WCEH Sisters · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 35 within 50 · 242 within 100 · 325 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.3 mi — Sisters, OR - Tesla Supercharger, Sisters
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.2 mi — WCEH Sisters · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 73410 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Lake West · ~0.5 mi W · USFS
- RestroomPatjens Lakes · ~0.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSantiam Staging Area · ~0.9 mi NE · USFS
Open Big Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Big Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Big Lake West~0.5 mi · fee
- Lost Lake~4.1 mi · fee
- Lost Lake Campground~4.2 mi
- Cold Water Cove Campground~5.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Big Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Lake are set by Willamette National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Lake
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-31: $28 per night, single site; $10 per additional vehicle per night; $10 per vehicle per day for day use. The Willamette NF page, the Forest Service recreation-sites record and recreation.gov listing 232287 (0.043 mi from our pin) all agree at $28, standard and tent-only, for both 2026 season blocks, May 15 - Oct 31. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/willamette/recreation/big-lake-campground.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Big Lake
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Big Lake
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Off-grid communication →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →