Cascade Lakes Swim Series : Lodging and Camping
Little Lava Lake instead of Little Fawn Group Camp Site
Little Fawn Group Camp Site was not available to us this year. So instead we are trying out a new site at Little Lave Lake. Only tents or small motor homes are permitted. Camping fee is now $8 per camper over 12 years of age per day - include the total fee with your entry form for Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday night camping to secure your spot. Please note this is a group campsite - you'll need to share spaces with your fellow swimmers - a great chance to share stories around the campfire!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The campground site has become over-crowded in the last few years - so we must now require that you pre-register and pay for camping in advance. No drop-in campers will be allowed into the group campsite. In addition, pre-registration will cut-off at the first 50 people registrered per night.
Other Ideas
Most of the other campgrounds near Elk Lake are on a first-come first-serve basis. So bribe a member of your party to get up to the lake early and reserve a spot if you want to camp near the lake. There are also individual spots available at Little Fawn Campground.
Other lakes nearby offer some reserved sites. Go to www.recreation.gov to see what is available and to reserve a spot. Put in Deshutes NF - NS in the Facility or Park. Or look for campgrounds near Bend, OR. Then look at the map to see how far away from the race start area (South Beach area of Elk Lake). The Deschutes National Forest is a large area - you might find yourself far away from Elk Lake! Some campgrounds nearby that accept reservations are Crane Prarie Campground, LIttle Lava Lake Campground and farther south Gull Point Campground (Wikiup Res.). Another reservations site is www.reserveamerica.com.
There are some cabins available at Elk Lake Resort - and you can swim over to the race start area as your warm up!
There are lots of hotels and motels in Bend, Sisters, Redmond and the surronding area. HOWEVER, please note there are several other large events scheduled in addition to our lake swim during that same weekend. RESERVE your lodging NOW! Allow at least an hour to get from Bend to Elk Lake.
Please carpool to the lake whenever possible - parking will be extremely tight this year. READ the guidelines with the entry form - we don't want anyone getting a ticket or being late and missing their events!