Agency-listedUSFSFree
Ottertail Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · OR · 45.58445, -121.77807
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 site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. 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 Ottertail Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,814 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Ottertail 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 Ottertail Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- WWater7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- DDump9 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- AAir-up14 mi
- +Urgent care15 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- PPropane26 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 — Ottertail Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,814 ft
State
OR
Coordinates
45.58445, -121.77807
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Ottertail Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWahtum Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townDee · ~7.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.3 mi
- FuelChevron · ~8.0 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~8.0 mi
- Dump stationStevenson Trailer Sewage Dump Station · ~9.3 mi
- GroceriesColumbia Market · ~8.0 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~14.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicProvidence Hood River Memorial Hospital · ~14.8 mi
- HardwareMcIsaac's Hardware Store · ~9.9 mi
EV charging — from Ottertail Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.0 mi straight-line NW — Thunder Island Brewing - Charli Charging, Cascade Locks, OR (at a brewery / winery) · Non-Networked · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-10-13 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach12 within 25 mi · 121 within 50 · 260 within 100 · 586 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO8.0 mi — WCEH Cascade Locks, Cascade Locks
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.0 mi — WCEH Cascade Locks · 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 charger$0.45 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 428668 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ottertail Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWahtum Lake · ~0.8 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWahtum Lake · ~0.8 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlack Lake · ~2.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRainy-Wahtum · ~3.0 mi N · USFS
Open Ottertail Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Ottertail Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Wahtum Lake Campground~0.9 mi
- Black Lake~2.3 mi · fee
- Indian Springs Campground (not maintained)~3.0 mi
- Rainy Lake~3.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Ottertail Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Ottertail Lake are set by Mt. Hood National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Ottertail 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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Ottertail 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 — Ottertail Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →