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2025

Spots in North Sierras

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  • River Pines Resort
  • private business Graeagle CA
  • Nice little resort motel in the Reno getaway party town of Graeagle.

  • Salmon Creek Campground
  • Tahoe National Forest, Sierra City CA
  • hyper-busy tonight, first night of the season, Memorial Day weekend. It would be restful and pleasant next to the happy little creek most nights I think. As a campground, this is nicer than Sardine up the hill. I walked up to Sardine Lake, which was a very pleasant hike, with some excellent sunset views ... if you don't mind walking along the highway. They raised the price again this year here too.

  • Tule Lake NWR
  • Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, Tulelake CA
  • Migratory birds. long auto tour, beautiful setting, short hike up the ridge at the Vis Cen, camping at Lava Beds Nat'l Monument. Next to Lower Klamath NWR. August: Coots, Buffleheads, and Clarks Grebes - love those grebes!

  • Eagle Campground
  • Lassen National Forest, Susanville CA
  • very pretty, next campground has wifi, level enough to bike around

  • Gold Lake Campground
  • Plumas National Forest, Graeagle CA
  • In the Lakes District between Graeagle and Bassett. The other campgrounds on this road are $20-24, but this one is $10. It has no water, and is pretty rough around the edges, but it's on the lake and pretty sweet. The boat launch area is in the campground. There are a few select campsites right on the lake, but they are close together and crowded with big rigs, so I elect to go down the road a bit. By rule all sites are on the away from the lake side of the road; but the lake is still very close. I did not check it out, but I think there is a trail all the way to the Gold Lake Highway, and maybe even all the way around the lake.

  • South Klamath Lake NWR
  • Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, Tulelake CA
  • ring-necked pheasant many, many red tailed hawks, most intimate ever for me a coyote a noble 10-12 point mule deer buck, then later a whole herd of lesser mule deer northern harrier Northern Spoonbill, (I think) buffleheads and redheads Sandhill crane (couldn’t stop to get a good look ):

  • Ponderosa Flat
  • PG&E, Chester CA
  • Here three days, for a Labor Day party with friends. Sites 7 and 9 are the PERFECT sites, roomy and shaded, and adjoining the lake. Everybody else has to walk around the edges of us to get to the lake. Pretty excellent place to hang out for the three day weekend. The only drag for me is that $25 is pretty steep for little ole me to hang out in the van. For me and six of my friends, whole different story!

  • Manzanita Lake Campground
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park, Old Station CA
  • My campsite karma failed tonight, and I am 40 feet away from overweight theater troupe, who act as if they've never been out of the city before and are being very, very loud very late into the evening. Elevation 5900', so it's pleasantly cool here, even while Redding, 50 miles west and 5500' lower is hitting 101.

  • Modoc NWR
  • US Fish and Wildlife, Alturas CA
  • A must stop for me if I am in the area. There is a nice auto tour around a little lake. My impression is that the Sand Cranes are the star attraction here.

  • Willow Creek Campground
  • Modoc National Forest, Adin CA
  • Small but very handy campground 50 mile north of Susanville. Very near the road, but the road is not heavily traveled. The stream is very small but pretty

  • Fowler's Camp Campground
  • Shasta-Trinity National Forest, McCloud CA
  • On the McCloud River, within hiking distance of the three waterfalls. Apparently heavily used in the swimming months, but pleasantly uncrowded tonight. The hike to Lower Falls is less than a mile and very scenic. Hike to Middle/Upper Falls is a little more than a mile. You can walk the paved road back to make it a loop if you wish.

  • Battle Creek Campground
  • Lassen National Forest, Mineral CA
  • quiet, road nearby but it's not busy, in a young redwood forest, at the edge of the National Forest. First good place to stop east of Red Bluff.

  • Summit Lake South Campground
  • Lassen National Park, Old Station CA
  • Lovely spot at 7,000'-ish on the south side of a little alpine lake. On the north side is Summit Lake North Campground which costs $2/night more. It has flush toilets and sinks with running water. It has the shambling, kinda charming disorganization I associate with National Park campgrounds. Sites are not very level, but there's a lake to swim in and you're in an awesome place!

  • Hat Creek dispersed
  • Lassen National Forest, Old Station CA
  • A mile or so north of Cave Campground is a gravel road (called Wander Lane on the Google map) and a bridge over Hat Creek. If you follow that road you will see a couple of good campsites.

  • Ramhorn Springs
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Ravendale CA
  • A washboardy, dusty couple of miles off 395. I clocked it at 2.7 miles. Very cool little spot once you get here ... in a lonely, boring kind of way.

  • Cattle Camp Campground
  • Shasta-Trinity National Forest, McCloud CA
  • About 6 miles from Fowler's Camp. I've not stayed here, but I did a drive-thru and it looks very nice. Big, level shaded sites. It lacks the cool factor of being on the river near multiple waterfalls but there is a "swimming hole" a couple of miles away,

  • Sardine Campground
  • Tahoe National Forest, Sierra City CA
  • busy but pretty quiet, very scenic. nature trail. a short hike past the swimming pond to a great sunset over non-swimming Sardine Lake, shining off the Sierra Buttes to the left.

  • Summit Lake North Campground
  • Lassen National Park, Old Station CA
  • Lovely spot at 7,000'-ish on the north side of a little alpine lake. On the south side is Summit Lake South Campground. This one is $2 more, but well worth it, a much nicer campground. B Loop is reservable, A Loop is first come first served. There's a lake to swim in or just admire and you're in an awesome place!

  • Frenchman's Lake
  • Plumas National Forest, Chilcoot CA
  • A simple loop campground on an east-facing hillside above Frenchman's Lake. I like the inside of the upper loop with my living room facing the lake. It's quiet and pretty and the sun is on the other side of the van. Eight very scenic miles north of Chillcoot. For much of the drive the beautiful Sierra Valley spreads out to your left. Then you enter the canyon of Last Chance Creek, the outflow of the lake. Hundred foot lava cliffs, dramatic formations. Then boom! you're at the dam. The other two lakeside campgrounds have flush toilets. Maybe they are more deluxe?

  • Potato Patch Campground
  • Lassen National Forest, Chester CA
  • Passed by this many times on the Chester to Chico run on Route 32. Really pleasant campground about 30' above Deer Creek, a picture perfect trout stream. 40 miles from Chico, 30 miles from Chester.

  • Travelodge
  • Wyndham Hotels, Eureka CA
  • Not actually fancy despite my designation, but very very user friendly! Fridge, microwave, good wifi.At the southern end of the 4th Ave (US 101) straightaway, so only a few blocks from downtown Eureka, such as it is,