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Ice Cap Campground is 17 miles east of the McKenzie River Ranger Station on Hwy 126. It sits on a bench above the McKenzie River and Carmen Reservoir. However, the river is not visible from the campground. It is shaded by big, beautiful conifers. Recreation The McKenzie River National Recreation Trail is a hiking and biking destination. The McKenzie Wild & Scenic River is well known for boating and fishing as are Carmen Reservoir, Fish Lake and Clear Lake. There is a 3 mile loop trail to Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls. Facilities Ice Cap offers 22 campsites with 9 that are walk-in tent sites. The other 13 can accommodate either tents or RVs. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. There are vault toilets, firewood for sale, and a host onsite. Natural Features Located in central Oregon in the Willamette National Forest along the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byway. Koosah and Sahalie Falls are readily accessible from the campground. Nearby Attractions This area of the Willamette National Forest is a destination spot for hiking, biking, fishing, and water sports. A boat ramp and lake access are within one mile, and hot springs, river access and a non-motorized boat ramp are within ten miles. Visitors also enjoy the views along the National Scenic Byway. ADA Access: N
From McKenzie Bridge, travel 17.3 miles east on Hwy 126. Turn left at the Ice Cap Campground/Koosah Falls Sign. Follow signs about half a mile to the campground.
This place is clean, loved and amazing. We had site 21, which, I guess, is love it or hate it. We LOVED it. It was well maintained, plenty of room, and a little piece of river running through the back of it. The vault toilets were literally maintained daily and smelled like lysol. The grounds were shady, cool and beautiful. Best stay ever and we WILL be back. Ice cap campground for the win! Thanks guys.
Met a ranger around and guided us to our beautiful view of the falls. Glad to hear the fire at blue pool has been mostly contained.
Ice Cap Campground was super clean and had larger than average sites. The many trees made sleeping in a little easier. The picnic tables were beautifully redone. We fit a 7 person, a 6 person and a 2 person tent on the site. It had plenty of room for our 2 vehicles, but an RV would have been at a severe slant at site 6. I would recommend getting a site on the river side (1-8) as the reservoir is basically empty. Do not plan on using the Carmen Reservior as a lava tube has opened up and is sucking all the water down through it. We were told it will be 2021 before the "issue" is resolved. However, the hike to Koosah & Sahalie Falls is beautiful and an easy hike. We went up to clear lake so the kids could play in the water.
The camp host could honestly not have done a better job! I've never seen a grill at any other camp site that was as clean as the one here. Not only that but the bathrooms were impeccable! Clean, with toilet paper stocked, air fresheners, and dare I say I the bathrooms even smelled good! The campsite was raked and clean as well.
The camp itself is perfectly located along the McKenzie River trail! It is a quick 3 mile hike to the Blue Pool and in the opposite direction from camp a 3 mile hike to Clear Lake. There are also really easy and quick hikes that are less than a mile from camp to Koosah falls and Shalle falls. If you are going to camp anywhere along the McKenzie River you should camp here!
Great location for a lot of hiking. perfect for family time. The have restrooms but they are indoor portable restrooms so no running water but they clean them often. Space for large vehicles.
