Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Alturas, CA

Confused? This lake must be seasonal because we could not find it while traveling around this campsite. There is a small marshy area and grass as if the lake is there at other times of the year. The campsites have very little privacy, but there are bathrooms, amenities, nice day-use area, pet exercise area, etc. This park is on the border of California near Lakeview… so while I did not necessary think it was worth the drive to go see this campground, the nearby town is a great little American escape for groceries, a great little Saturday Farmers Market, a nice cup of coffee, or just to explore.

Pros: Totally isolated (during the week). Stunning views of surrounding mountains and forest with a crystal clear lake (Cave Lake) for swimming and fishing. Sites equipped with fire pits and picnic tables. Pit toilets. Camped directly next to lake. Stargazing was absolutely breathtaking. One of our very favorite sites just over the Oregon-California border.

Cons: No water. Difficult climb/drive without good tires or 4WD (very steep, high grade road that is mostly dirt and large rocks).

Tips: 4WD/AWD is a must. And drive slowly (see above). We popped a tire in our SUV on the way up, but totally worth it.

This sight is great for boon-docking campers; it has maintained camp sights, picnic tables, and a few fire rings. A short walk from the camp sights there is a vault toilet that’s maintained during the dryer months. Great fishing, stargazing, and kayaking. But be prepared for no cell service at the campground, however about 2 miles south on the main road will provide 2 bars of service for those with Verizon. Also pack lots of food, water, and fuel as the closest gas is in Alturas and or Standish Litchfield “45 miles north or to the south on hwy 395.” I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the lake as the lake has been know to have very small leaches sad for swimming but great for fishing. Don’t forget to check your local fire restrictions and obtain a fire permit before heading out.

The park was easy to find, but a slow drive from the turn off in Likely due to the road being a little rough. Then the road leading to the park was a bit more narrow and it seemed like you were driving onto a private ranch. Our nightly rate included the weekly 1/2 price golf package. Check in was easy and we proceeded to back-in site 14 with FHUs. The road at the site was wide so back-in was easy. The utilities are more toward the front of the site, which made them very convenient for our rig. Great water pressure so suggest using your reducer. Our site backed up on the meadow and we were told this was an off leash area. The sites along the meadow had trees that provided some shade. The playground is on the far side of the meadow, however per reviews, this place is not considered kid friendly and that is a positive draw for us. We came to relax in the quiet and play golf, not have to hear and watch the campground babysit people’s kids as we are seeing way too much of that these days. The very nice lady at check in said we probably would not get WiFi in our far back location. Our Weingard Connect 2.0 did pull in some signal, but it wasn’t very good. However, we did get three bars on Verizon and our MiFi worked fine. We got 4 OTA channels so we put out our satellite and were pleasantly surprised we got an easy shot of the southern sky with the trees around the site. There are pull through and group sites up near the club house, but many were quite close together and not many shade trees. There are also a variety of tent sites available, some with 15/20 AMP. Our pups enjoyed the 1.4 mile nature trail, 3 mile trail around the golf course, and running off leash in the meadow area. The pups were allowed to go golfing with us, but we opted to leave them in the a/c as the temps were unseasonably high. We had a blast playing the golf course plus checked out Mill Creek Falls and Blue Lake both about 30 minutes away. Alturas has your main amenities plus we found reasonably priced diesel 5 miles out of town on US 395 North at Chimney Rock Travel Center just past the CA Agriculture check.  We’ll be back!

Howards Gulch Campground • Modoc National Forest • $12

Northern California • Basin & Range Birding Trail 15 Northeastern location

Just past a hundred miles of farmfield coming from the North we enter the Modoc National Forest, and turn left against our GPS’ wishes into Howard’s Gulch Campground (Forest Service). Pay attention to the signs. It's analog but it's right. It’s a small, primitive camp in Northern California with 12 sites. Two which are walk in only and none which are for large RV’s. The fee is $12 which is significantly more than the next campground down the road which is free, but the consistency of the Forest Service sites makes it worth it. 

The trees are tall and red, and according to a conveniently placed sign, coniferous. There are also signs indicating common birds of the area and their habitats, along with a 1.5 mile trail built by the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and the California Department of Corrections. The trail has been dedicated “for your hiking pleasure…” This campground is also part of the Basin & Range Birding Trail system of Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Like all forest service campgrounds there is a fire pit and a picnic table in each site. Most of the sites are spaced relatively privately, but since you’re in the middle of nowhere you’ll probably be sharing the camp with one, maybe two other campers. In addition, some sites have a stand alone charcoal grilling set-ups.

Trails like this one lead right from camp. Bring your binoculars.

There are plenty of water taps. At least five, but since it isn’t potable there isn’t really much benefit. Since the water is being “treated with chemicals” I wouldn’t even recommend boiling it for use leaving it for the dousing of fires, but the camp is under no-burn restrictions. Rightfully so, considering the summer California has had so far.

Toilets are standard vaults, but there are three of them for 12 sites. Two of which are recent new builds. Being low in the gulch you’re surrounded by walls on three sides to the outer side of the camp loop. The inner loop still backs up to a cliff wall for an unusually located tall mound...and OHMYGOD MY WIFE JUST CHOPPED HER THUMB! SHIT! SHIT!SHIT!SHIT!SHIT!SHIT!SHIT!

...

The reason to camp here is…you’re on your way somewhere else most likely. Coming from Oregon to Yosemite or Tahoe or vice versa. But if you do you won’t be disappointed and if you like birds you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The nearest town is at least 20+ miles if you need anything so come prepared. My Wife's thumb is fine by the way. Despite a serious scare at the time. She field dressed it like a boss using our first aid kit (which we've since upgraded). She'll have a reminder scar, but her badass level went up like a million points. I give Howard’s Gulch 3 Tent Stakes of Awesomeness for being a solid campground with nice sites and trails leaving right from camp but not much else going on. Also, there is no indication of who Howard is. I certainly didn't meet him.

Pro-Tip #1: Prepare for summer heat. You aren’t at elevation here.

Pro-Tip #2: Bring binoculars.

Pro-Tip #3: Bring water and anything else you might need. No place near by to get anything.