Mckay Crossing Campground
October 2026
About
Overview
McKay Crossing Campground is located off the beaten path along Paulina Creek. It provides campers with seclusion from the main road and the tranquility of hearing the creek flow. This area is good for bird watching, particularly in the wetlands located west of the campground.
For more information about the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=66159
Recreation
Boating, swimming and fishing are popular activities enjoyed by visitors during spring, summer and fall months, while skiing and snowmobiling are popular during the winter.
Anglers have the opportunity to fish in the surrounding clear, cold lakes and streams for abundant salmon and trout.
Hikers and backpackers have access to a variety of trails in the area, including several in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
The Crater Rim Trail is a favorite high country trail, boasting vast stretches of forest, deserts and mountains extending from all sides of the trail.
Nearby Peter Skene Ogden National Recreation Trail parallels Paulina Creek, passing several waterfalls along the way, as it ascends 8.5 miles to the spectacular Paulina Lake.
Facilities
McKay Crossing Campground can accommodate RV, trailer or tent-campers however electric and water hookups are not available. All sites are equipped with a picnic table and fire pit and the campground has vault toilets available.
Natural Features
Paulina Creek divides this campground into two sections with sites 1-5 in one loop and sites 6-15 in an adjacent loop. A large waterfall is within a very short walk and brings the sound of falling waters to the camp sites near by.
Nearby Attractions
Visitors enjoy traveling the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, known as Oregon's Highway in the Sky, which climbs into the clouds on a 66-mile drive through the Cascade Range, weaving past snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes.
Lava Lands Visitor Center in nearby Bend, Oregon, is a great starting point for visitors to learn about the diverse landscape and history of the area through interpretive programs and exhibits.
Lava River Cave, located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument is also nearby for campers to explore. At 5,211 feet in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous lava tube in Oregon.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (541) 323-1746.
Charges & Cancellations
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
Amenities
Phone: 541-383-5300
Is MCKAY CROSSING CAMPGROUND fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches MCKAY CROSSING CAMPGROUND for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
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