Agency-listedUSFSFee
Elk Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · OR · 44.82243, -122.12783
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 Elk Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,730 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elk 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 Elk Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- EVEV fast charger6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- ShShower7 mi
- WWater8 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- HHardware32 mi
- LLaundry32 mi
- DDump34 mi
- PPropane35 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, 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 — Elk Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,730 ft
State
OR
Coordinates
44.82243, -122.12783
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Elk Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townDetroit · ~6.2 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~8.4 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesRiver's Run · ~5.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~17.8 mi
EV charging — from Elk Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.0 mi straight-line S — WCEH Detroit · 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 reach7 within 25 mi · 71 within 50 · 273 within 100 · 351 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)6.0 mi — Detroit Lake, OR - Tesla Supercharger, Detroit
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.0 mi — WCEH Detroit · 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 332771 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elk Lake · Willamette National Forest · OR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletElk Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGold Butte · ~2.5 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFox Creek · ~4.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Arm · ~5.2 mi S · USFS
Open Elk Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Elk Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Willamette National Forest~4.7 mi
- Fox Creek~4.7 mi · fee
- Humbug~5.2 mi · fee
- Detroit State Park~6.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Elk Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Elk Lake are set by Willamette National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Elk 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 2026-08-23: $12 per night, single site; $22 multiple site; $6 per extra vehicle per night. The forest page and recreation.gov listing 10165285 (0.029 mi from our pin) agree; first-come first-served Jul 1 - Oct 31 2026, paid on site. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/willamette/recreation/elk-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 Elk 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 — Elk Lake
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Camping with a dog →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 →