U.S. Forest Service · Fremont-Winema National Forest · Silver Lake, OR

Thompson Reservoir

Located 40 minutes south of Silver Lake, Oregon, Thompson Reservoir Campground is a developed campground ideally situated on the three-square-mile reservoir with pretty vistas of nearby Hager Mountain. There are 19 campsites with picnic tables, fire rings. Other amenities include hand-pumped water, and three vault toilets. There is also one large group site. Tall ponderosa pines and a few aspen trees lord over the high mountain setting of Thompson Reservoir. Recreation opportunities include fishing, hiking, and exploring. The reservoir is stocked once a year with rainbow trout and there is a boat launch. This campground typically opens mid-May and closes mid-October.

Closed for the seasonReservable · Recreation.gov20 sitesFrom $6 per nightTents only

More like this: reservable in Oregon · tent only in Oregon

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Thompson Reservoir
Photo from the area. Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
1fire
active
Coyote Rx (prescribed burn) · 8 mi away
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups19
Host/management1
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
FeesOvernight Use: Single Site: $6 per night Additional Vehicle Fee: $2 per vehicle per night. $6/Night for single unit, $2/Night for extra vehicle

3 Vault Toilets, Potable Water (seasonally available by hand pump), and boat ramp

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
Season05/15 to 10/15; 10/16-05/14 Open with reduced services
ForestFremont-Winema National Forest
BookingFirst come, first served.
Fees$6/Night for single unit, $2/Night for extra vehicle
RulesLimit your stay to 14 days or fewer. 10 mph speed limit on the lake.

Fremont-Winema National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Thompson Reservoir20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.96 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.89 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.17 inches of precipitationApril: 0.80 inches of precipitationMay: 1.48 inches of precipitationJune: 0.85 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.48 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.38 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.46 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.60 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.82 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.43 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 30.1°F averageFebruary: 33.2°F averageMarch: 37.3°F averageApril: 41.9°F averageMay: 50.0°F averageJune: 56.7°F averageJuly: 65.4°F averageAugust: 63.5°F averageSeptember: 55.8°F averageOctober: 45.7°F averageNovember: 35.4°F averageDecember: 28.2°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Silver Lake RS, 11 miles from the campground at 4,385 feet, station USC00357817 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year. The shaded span is the published season, May 15 to October 15.

Getting there

Thompson Reservoir Campground is located 25 minutes south of Silver Lake, Oregon. From Silver Lake, take Oregon highway 31 west for approximately one mile and then turn left onto County Highway 4-11 (also known as Marsh Road). County Highway 4-11 will become Forest Service (FS) Road 27. From FS Road 27 take a left onto FS Road 2700287.

Nearest townSilver Lake, Oregon
Coordinates42.9614° N, 121.0928° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Coyote Rx

    8 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 2.6 mi
    Auger Valley Trail
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4.6 mi
    Hager Spur ↗
    1.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike · national_recreation_or_other

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Fremont-Winema National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Natural features

Thompson Reservoir, Silver Creek, Hager Mountain,

Recreation

Recreation opportunities in the area include picnicking, flatwater water activities, fishing, hiking, bird watching, nature viewing. The National Recreation Trail #160 is within close proximity to the Campground.

Nearby

National Recreation Trail #160, Hager Mountain Lookout, Sycan Marsh, Winter Rim

Guidebooks for Oregon

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Thompson Reservoir?

Sites at Thompson Reservoir are reservable on Recreation.gov. First come, first served. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Thompson Reservoir?

Overnight Use: Single Site: $6 per night Additional Vehicle Fee: $2 per vehicle per night. $6/Night for single unit, $2/Night for extra vehicle

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Thompson Reservoir open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season 05/15 to 10/15; 10/16-05/14 Open with reduced services.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Thompson Reservoir have?

20 sites, including 19 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I bring an RV to Thompson Reservoir?

Thompson Reservoir is listed for tents only.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Thompson Reservoir?

Recreation opportunities in the area include picnicking, flatwater water activities, fishing, hiking, bird watching, nature viewing. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Thompson Reservoir?

Silver Lake, Oregon. National Recreation Trail #160, Hager Mountain Lookout, Sycan Marsh, Winter Rim

Source: Getting there

What if Thompson Reservoir is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are East Bay Campground (1.9 mi), Silver Creek Marsh (3.8 mi), and Duncan Reservoir Campground (10.7 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby