Today was the last day of our kayaking adventures in Central Oregon. In two days, we had already kayaked Waldo Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and Hosmer Lake. Each adventure was fantastic and I will definitely go again in the future! And, so should you!
I want to talk a minute about where we stayed the last two nights.
We stayed in a small cabin at LaPine State Park. Below you will find a map of the state park.
The campgrounds are pictured on the left, but the state park is quite large. There are three separate campgrounds, accommodating every type of recreational vehicle. The south loop campground is where we stayed. You can see from the map that the Deschutes River borders and passes through the state park. You can easily kayak here. You put in at the pet exercise area and finish at the bridge which crosses the river as you enter the campground area. The river is absolutely gorgeous!
My kayaking partner and I stayed in a small cabin. As shown in the campground map below, it was cabin #4 in the South Loop.
The campground is extremely nice, maybe one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed in. It had a very nice heated restroom, with showers on the opposite side. They are well lit and open 24 hours. After kayaking two separate bodies of water in one day, the very hot and long shower was the perfect end to the day.
They also have a recreation room, a play area, trails all around the river and beyond, as well as a full-service trash area which included recyclables. There is a campground host at each loop to help with whatever needs you might have during your stay.
Our small cabin was perfect for our stay. We spent most of the day kayaking and just needed a warm and dry place to sleep. It offered more than that.
Our cabin was equipped with two full-size beds, two small tables, and chairs. It also had an electric heater, which worked very well. There are several outlets for all of your electrical needs. There were four windows, all of which open and are screened. It was very clean and a great place to stay. My only advice – take something to make your sleeping more comfortable. The mattresses are thin and about as hard as sleeping on the ground. I folded up my blanket and that helped. But next time, I’ll be taking my air mattress to put on top of the bed.
One of the other “treats” of staying in the state park – everything mother nature has to offer, including the white-tailed deer who were all about.
If you forgot something, need something or really want junk food – the city of LaPine is only a few minutes away and Bend is only a 30-minute drive. LaPine State Park is centrally located and that’s why we stayed there! It was perfect! I highly recommend staying at this campground.
So, on Tuesday morning, after an exhausting sleep, we arose and began to pack our vehicles to return home. We were planning on kayaking at one more place on our way home. We chose Suttle Lake. From the campground, it was just over an hour’s drive. I have never been there and I was excited to get on with my kayaking adventures!
PROBLEM! It was so windy when we arrived in the morning hours. We walked out on the dock and it was like watching the waves at the coast. OK, maybe they weren’t that big, but they were still huge. Now, both of us are very strong paddlers and very capable of handling any water condition. However, the thought of paddling against the wind and getting slapped with water didn’t appeal to either one of us. And to no one else either as the parking lot at the dock was empty. We spoke briefly with a gentleman inside the store and he said it gets like that about every other day. We had such perfect kayaking conditions our previous two days – it was disappointing to say the least.
So, we decided to continue west on Hwy 20 and go check out Big Lake. It is located at the Santiam Pass. You turn south from Hwy 20, heading downward on Big Lake Road (Forest Road 2690) and follow Big Lake Road for 3 miles to Big Lake.
I had no idea this lake even existed. There is a fairly nice campground, but it’s much more remote than all of the places we had been in the previous two days. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing here as well. I don’t think it was blowing as hard, but typically the wind speed increases as the day moves forward. We walked around a bit and decided we would return here for a kayaking adventure, soon!
At this point, we decided we would each head for home. Even though we didn’t kayak today, it was still a perfect day. I was able to see two future kayaking spots that I had never seen before. But, the best part, just being outside in nature with a very good friend!
I highly recommend all three places we kayaked – go check them out! If you have specific questions, please, leave a comment and I will respond.
(Note: the first picture seen is Sparks Lake, also located in Central Oregon and where I’ll be going first during my next Central Oregon kayaking adventure).
