Battle Ground Lake State Park is a camping park with 280 acres of beautiful, forested land in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The lake itself is of volcanic origin and is considered to be a smaller version of Crater Lake in Oregon.

This park offers five miles of horse trails and a primitive equestrian camping area. The spring-fed lake is stocked with trout and is a favorite of anglers. The lake is said to be a "miniature version" of Oregon's Crater Lake.

Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.Winter: 8 a.m. to dusk.

The park is open year round for camping and day use.

Camping:Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.Check-out time, 1 p.m.Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Environmental FeaturesPhysical Features The park is largely evergreen forest with trails around the lake. Annual average rainfall is 35 inches. The lake's origin is volcanic, and is believed to have been formed as a Maar volcano. This type of volcano is the result of hot lava or magma pushing up near the surface of the earth and then coming into contact with underground water. This is thought to have resulted in a large steam explosion, leaving a crater that later formed a lake.

This area was named for a battle that settlers at Fort Vancouver expected to happen in 1855 between U.S. Army soldiers and some Klickitat Indians. The battle never occurred.

Captain Strong, the post commander, allowed some Indians to leave the fort on the promise that they would return after burying their chief, who had been accidently killed. Most fort residents believed a battle would ensue to get the Indians to return, and therefore dubbed the spot "Strong's Battle Ground." The Indians, true to their word, returned peacefully, but the name took hold. Later the area was simply referred to as "Battle Ground."

The park store is a privately operated concession. It offers burgers, fries, ice, firewood, fishing supplies, soft drinks and candy. The store has game horseshoes available for rent and is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The park has 25 standard campsites, six hookups sites, four cabins, 15 primitive sites that require campers to hike .25 to .5 mile from the parking lot, one RV dump station, two restrooms and four showers. Maximum site length is 35 feet (may have limited availability).

Group Accommodations:

Group camp has four adirondack (three-sided) shelters that each sleep eight people. The camp offers a covered cooking and meeting area, a group fire ring, room for 32 people in tents and two pit toilets. Due to a small, unlevel parking area, RVs are not allowed in this camp. There is a minimum group size of 25 people.

Four cabins are reservable year-round. Each sleeps four and is equipped with heat and lights, bunk-beds, a futon bed, a picnic table and a porch with a grill. A utility hookup and water are outside, and restrooms with showers are nearby. Bring your own bedding. For reservations, call (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.