Shasta Campground

We Stayed Mid-week in May. Vault toilets were immaculate and the campground was only about half full. We aren’t OHV people, so not interested in all the dirt trails, but there is a very nice paved rail trail for hiking and non-motorized bikes. The few OHV people there were quiet and considerate while driving through the campground. Would definitely stay again.

This place is magical, the pink and yellow flowers mixed in with all the green, the rocks in the water…so pretty. If you get lucky enough to camp when it’s empty like we did the first day it’s so serene and quiet, nothing but the sounds of running water and birds chirping. Saw so many bald eagles.. or maybe I just saw the same one a bunch of times lol, either way, very cool. It was Memorial Day weekend so it definitely got crowded with OHVs and people partying, but was still very peaceful and the host is so friendly and kind. I would give it five stars but the cell service sucks (T-Mobile only with 30 down/18 up) and the security is so extra. It’s easier to get in the pentagon. Having to explain why were leaving and coming back every time was a little much, but it’s obviously very safe. We will still gladly come back!

We knew this was an OHV/ATV hot spot. Since we did not have reservations anywhere, we thought we would check it out for a mid-week. It was more than 100 degrees in the valley and it was still hot up at the campground, but it did cool down. Not much shade available at the camp sites. Official at the dam entrance did not ask for ID or vehicle registration. He just walked around the van and waved us through. There were plenty of spots. It is only June, so the lake was still really cold. The few campers that were there were all very nice, but continued to ride their dirt bikes out to the trails until about 9 pm. Fine for us because we were just eating and knew what to expect. It was a planned BLM camp site so don’t expect driving around to pick your own spot ‘in the wild’.

We had a very positive experience at this location. $10 per night is a steal in California for restrooms, water, a place to park with an amazing view! We saw deer and wild turkeys. The bathrooms are ridiculously clean for vault toilets. There is a paved walking trail that takes you to an old railroad tunnel that was pretty cool along with other trails for access to the Sacramento River. Access was easy although it got very busy on the weekend. It is a very popular OHV area but it seemed at night no one was driving so it was very quiet at night. Adjoining town of Redding was super cool with lots to do!

Loved hearing the frogs at night. It was nice in the end but, we had to cross the damn to get to the campsite, and it was not easy. The guards make you stop, show your drivers license, and make you open up your rig to make sure “you got no bad guys in there” is what the guard said jokingly. He was nice but it was just extra, and we were tired and just wanted to get to the site. We got to the site we thought was BLM which usually equals FREE. It was not free. It was $10/night (Cash or check only) and a big sign said $150 penalty if you don’t pay. Discouraging. After all that we realized we had NO signal and couldn’t check in with our kids. I didn’t read anything that warned us of that.

Otherwise it was beautiful, the river was right next to our site. We could see it from our RV. The hosts were very helpful and friendly. The place was super clean. Quiet, and serene. Don’t think we’re coming back though.