Looking for tent camping near Black Butte Lake? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Black Butte Lake, including sites, reviews, and tips. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Small creek flows through camp early in the season (dry in late season). Camp is situated amidst oaks and ponderosa pines.
Dispersed camp site not as developed as the regular campgrounds. No traffic control such as paved loop road and parking spurs that you find in "developed" campgrounds, and no water system. Pack out garbage.
The Wilderness Act of 1984 established 23 new wilderness areas including the 60,000-acre Snow Mountain Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest. The Snow Mountain Wilderness straddles the summit of the North Coast Range within Colusa, Glenn and Lake counties. The area is less than a four-hour drive from San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento. The central feature of this wilderness is the large broad topped Snow Mountain, which drains water toward the Sacramento River on the east and the Eel River Basin on the west. The wilderness also has the largest known waterfall on the forest. Elevations range from 1,800 feet in the gorge of the Middle Fork of Stony Creek to 7,056 feet on the summit of East Snow Mountain Peak. The deep canyons skirting the Wilderness compress ecological life zones creating a unique biological sky-island. Forty miles of trail are located in the wilderness. This leaves a vast amount of acreage very remote and highly conducive to cross-country exploration. The moderate hike to the top of East Peak affords visitors a magnificent view of the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, Clear Lake to the southwest, the Coastal Mountains to the west, and the timbered mountains of the Mendocino National Forest to the North. Good drinking water is scarce in the Snow Mountain Wilderness during much of the summer. Plan ahead and refill canteens at every opportunity. Mountain streams may look inviting but they may not be safe for drinking. Treat all water for drinking and cooking by either processing through a portable water filter or by boiling over a portable cook stove.
Black Rock Campground is a dispersed campground situated in the Oak Woodlands along Mill Creek. 6 sites are available for primitive dispersed camping. Grills and tables are provided at each of the 6 sites. Black Rock Campground is open year round.Black Rock Campground is located on the Northeast corner of the Ishi Wilderness. Hiking in the Ishi and along Mill Creek is wonderful and the fishing in Deer and Mill Creeks can be very rewarding.__Black Rock Campground is accessible via Highway__36 east from Red Bluff to__Ponderosa Way. Ponderosa Way is a dirt road, not recommended for RVs, that leads to the Ishi Wilderness.
Has 6 developed sites and 1 vault toilet. No water.
Small, quiet camp amidst large oaks and ponderosa pines.
Situated in forest at the edge of a meadow. Thomes Creek is located about five road miles from the camp and is a popular fishing and swimming spot.
Set amidst fir and pine trees along the edge of a large meadow.
Scout
Long drive on a narrow bumpy levy road to find a full time trailer park. NOT A RV RESORT!
Guide
We stopped here on our way back from Oregon. Unfortunately, we arrived late and left early so we didn’t really get to enjoy the amenities. We were in site A10 which we found a little difficult to connect the sewer hose without two hoses. The family room was handicap accessible and included a shower, sink, changing table and a toilet. Even though we were far from the office the internet access was strong. Overall, the stopover served its purpose well, providing a restful break before the last leg of our trip home.
Legend
Heh, well, there's only one other review for this place, and it's from me from 2 years ago. So I won't repeat it all, because basically everything is the same except:
We arrived mid week with no reservations and the place was practically empty. It filled up on the weekend with loud partiers but overall it was a quiet and pleasant experience.
Great place to camp! Read my last review for more details!
Guide
This site is awesome, right on the river, close to the cal fire station and walking distance to the local Butte Meadows businesses. So many great hiking trails near by and it is about an hour from lake Almanor.
Scout
We just spent one night in sight 6 with our 24’ camper and we had a good experience. Didn’t really have neighbors too close and had a great view of the lake. It only took a couple minutes to get down to the water, however, there aren’t a lot of places to sit and relax for the day (i.e. not many beach spots) close by. The site itself was mostly level side to side but our back stabilizers were nearly fully extended (with blocks) and the front ones we barely had to put out. The water spigot is close-by but in an awkward spot where other folks were skirting the boundary of our campsite to get to. It’s close to the bathrooms/showers which we didn’t use much, they were mostly clean but were inundated with insects. Note: there were LOTS of bugs everywhere when in late May and early June.
Traveler
Nice camp ground, if you want solitude. Lots of birds chirping around. There is a small creek flowing. Clean toilets.
ScoutParking spot was good and level. Hosts were very nice and helpful. Bathrooms were horribly maintained. We ended up going to Truck Stop for a shower.
ScoutWe stayed there long term after Paradise Camp Fire. Many spaces had their own private grassy areas, which management took care of. We had pottd plants and yrd art and potted veggies. .y site didn't have a cemented space but there was an old picnic table and it was small gravel so easy to get trailer leveled. Allowed to put up a dog containment fence, outdoor screened room on the awning and a small storage shed. We also started a community veggie garden where residents could plot their own veggies. Many spaces are spacious and ours backed up into a wooded area. Our neutered cat loved to roam the woods at night. Pool is refreshing but there are a lot of kiddos, so don't expect quiet "no splashing" moments unless it's a dinner time. Bathroom/showers/pool area are clean, grounds are green and colorful with flowers, there's a club house used for parties and management puts on Christmas and Halloween events. There's a newly built sunshaded playground for the kids, ultimate course on grounds and a small boat ramp nearby to Sac River for fishing access. I wouldn't launch my kayaks or paddleboards due to under currents, but that's just me. I prefer Whiskeytown and Shasta Lake for kayaking/paddle boarding. Overall, I had a wonderful year staying there. Rules aren't so rigid that it makes it uncomfortable. Basic common sense and common RV etticate are expected, like picking up after your pooch, don't let you barker bark too long without duct taping (just kidding) doing something about it, keep area clean and not junked out and just chill out.
ScoutQuiet great people everything g bear buy. Walked to bakery and the Olive Pit store and Restaurant
Traveler
We travel with 2 dogs in a 38’ class A with a tow. We did not make reservations just took a chance, success! The woman at the counter was very nice and cheerful they did have a spot that we would fit without unhitching. This is an older park so we were somewhat squished together but not bad. Very nice dog area (not fenced). Seemed to be mostly long term river’s here. Not bad for a one night stay. Those with longer rigs 40+ may want to think twice because of the tight turns and narrow lanes
Guide
It is a nice campground for a one night stop. Easy access right off hwy 5 and surprisingly quiet being so close. The camp hosts were nice, I would like to see the hosts do a little more maintenance around the CG. Clean up would be nice. Cigarette butts in the bbq, trash in the fire pit. Didn’t use the showers but the bathroom was average, needed a code to access which was emailed when we registered online. Not a more than one night place for me but nice enough.
Guide
Nice relaxing camp, 5 - 10 sites. No water, 1 pit toilet. Quiet and beautiful area. Follow the M5 route from M10 coming from Stonyford. Don't rely on Google maps or you'll spend hours trying to reroute after trying to drive up a ATV trail. Beautiful single lane dirt road up the mountain once on M5, steep drop offs. Dusty with mild bumps and some wash boarding. 2wd truck easily. Maybe if your adventurous in a civic. Must obtain a permit to have a fire, easily obtained online or through local forest service office.
Legend
Location is great especially if you have a boat to launch or just enjoy being at the river.
Campsites were nicely laid out. Being in the summer, busy as you might expect. Walking around, it looked like several were full time residence not necessarily camp hosts. Some had spider webs growing on them they were sitting so long, others were taking a part, repairing and painting their RV's. Sierra Nevada brewing was a 20 minute ride in the event you are looking to slake a thirst in the hot weather. Staff member Chera was great with the reservations and information.
Traveler
Reservations.gov implied campground was full, we took a chance for the night and MANY SPOTS WERE AVAILABLE! But river access has been eroded in this last year so access is down the way at the county park (under the busy roadway, meh). But beautiful oaks, and a fine spot for the night. Friendly staff and campground hosts
Scout
Beautiful amazing
TravelerCan book same day online. However bathrooms require a code and I arrived too late to get the code. Otherwise was quiet, campsites were clean and spacious. Super easy access to and from the highway.
ScoutNo rules established online or in documents about dry camping not being allowed. However, after I arrived to an empty office, my info packet said in bold lettering that dry camping wasn’t allowed. So I left and had to find a new campsite for the night. (Sycamore Grove Campground is nearby for any dry campers)
Scout
Pitched 2 tents on asphalt. 3 other cars here. Picnic tables and an outhouse. Saw/heard great horned owl, fox, then cows in the morning.
Traveler
Great camping and fishing. Lots of smaller bass and trout. Nice remote lake with amenities. The M10 as down when we went up so we needed to take the M5 which requires a 4x4 high clearance vehicle.
LegendWe are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We were in site 11 for 4 days in mid May. The CG is clean, quiet(except for some I-5 road noise) and fairly well maintained, except for the low hanging branches that could use some trimming around the CG loop and on the drive in/out. The CG varied from half to 3/4 full over the weekend. The men’s shower had a sign that there was not hot water and my wife said she’d not use the women’s bathroom or shower as they were a little nasty. There are several nice walking trails around the recreation area. There is also a nice winery, Tuscan Ridge Estate, about 10 miles west of town. AT&T coverage was very fair, ranging from 1-2 bars of 5G, with speeds up to 3MB/s. Site 11 has one large tree at the back of the site that provided some welcome shade, especially in the afternoon when temps were pushing the mid 90s, but it didn’t block access the western DISH satellites. Starlink had speeds between 2 and 14 MB/s. We didn’t try any OTA channels with our fixed omni antenna.
Scout
My dog loves clearlake state park. In Kelseyvile, CA. And I have to agree with her.
Scout
The owner of the park is a spineless bastard fired the best manager they had because he couldn't handle the truth the park is going downhill now they got a drunk running the damn place the manager Pam they're so called on site manager doesn't know what he is doing and it's going to end up burning the place down if code enforcement would come through and inspect that Park they would shut it down I would not go here unless you like to deal with druggies are people that call you Liars like the owners who don't know what the hell they're doing . People that are giving this place a good review only stayed here maybe 2 days but it is more of a full-time Park so they really don't know what they're talking about. And don't even get me started on all the cameras they have all over that Park including watching the bathrooms now where the cameras are at and what they're watching God only knows place is lit up like a prison but then it has to be because they have nothing but child molesters and drug dealers living there
ScoutI stay here a lot as I pass through. Every single time there has been a methhead staying who is a ranting and raving lunatic dropping f-bombs this and m-fer that for the whole campground to hear. If they stopped taking cash it would fix a lot of problems separating vagrants from true nomads.
ScoutWe went in late October but weather was nice and the grandkids had fun, spaces a little close but had fairly level concrete pad. Store is small but right down the street is a well stocked general store with a great little deli, had numerous people tell us the double burgers were to die for. Only small complaint was we couldn't get the cable to work and don't count on a strong internet, couldn't get anything but just used phone as a hotspot so kids could watch a movie. If you go definitely pay the little extra for the river front very nice views. All in all nice time and grandkids already asking to go back.
GuideThis was a short one night stop on a camping roadtrip but it was nice. The park was beautiful and on the way in we passed a bison conservation area nearby which was cool. Falling asleep to the shrieks of distant coyotes was cool too. Heard lots of critters in the night, owls, deer, rabbits. In the morning was woken up by woodpeckers. Site 22 was huge and had plenty of space for our two tents and more. Our loop was full of RVs full of people having a great time. Weather was perfect and couldn’t ask for a better night in the middle of nowhere.
ScoutGreen & leafy campground right on the Sacramento River! Full hookups (30 amp), with very clean bathhouse and a community lodge available during the day and also picnic and grill area. There's also a fish cleaning station and a seasonal fishing dock and water access to a small beach for dipping your toes in. If you like to walk, there's access to the wildlife refuge and the county river park, both next door. Lovely and Serene!
ScoutFriendly staff. Super clean and well kept property from the grounds to the toilets.
Pull through and full hook up.
Tent camping near Black Butte Lake in California offers a serene escape into nature, with various campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful retreat.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Black Butte Lake is Sugarfoot Campground with a 2-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 39 tent camping locations near Black Butte Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
