Best Tent Camping near Clearlake, CA

Clearlake, California offers a diverse range of tent camping options amid oak woodlands and mountainous terrain. Clear Lake State Park provides established tent sites at Cole Creek Campground, Lower Bayview Campground, and Upper Bayview Campground, all located on Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville. Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest, approximately 15 miles southwest of Clearlake, features primitive tent camping with walk-in access, though portions remain in recovery from the 2015 Valley Fire.

Most tent campgrounds in the area provide basic amenities for primitive camping experiences. Sites typically include picnic tables, fire rings, and vault toilets but limited access to potable water. Campers should bring their own drinking water and supplies. Clear Lake State Park's tent sites offer showers and flush toilets, while outlying areas like Lower Hunting Creek Campground provide more rustic accommodations with vault toilets only. During summer months, fire restrictions may be implemented, particularly in the drier forest areas surrounding Clearlake. Several campgrounds permit pets on leash, though regulations vary by location.

The tent camping experience near Clearlake varies significantly by location and elevation. Forested sites provide moderate shade, while lakeside areas offer water access but less tree cover. Areas in higher elevations like Red Mountain provide expansive views and greater seclusion for tent campers. Walk-in tent sites typically offer more privacy and natural settings compared to drive-in locations. A visitor commented that Red Mountain Campground features a "million dollar view of the mountain range and Clearlake" and allows free 14-day stays, though campers must bring their own water supplies. Tent sites in the Buckhorn area provide more solitude but fewer amenities, creating an authentic backcountry camping experience popular with hikers seeking quieter alternatives to the busier lakefront campgrounds.

Best Tent Sites Near Clearlake, California (36)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Clearlake, CA

643 Reviews of 36 Clearlake Campgrounds


  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 13, 2023

    Gualala Point Regional Park

    Small but beautiful county campground

    General: 19 general and six walk-in campsites among giant redwood and Bay Laurel trees on the Gualala River. Sites 17 & 18 are a double site. 

    Site Quality: Level sites with bear box, picnic table, and fire ring. Site One’s camper pad fit our 18-foot camper van, but it would not accommodate anything much larger. Several other camper pads looked short as well. No hookups. 

    Bath/Shower house: Three individual units with toilet, sink, soap, and paper towels. One shower that takes quarters – three minutes for $2.00. 

    Activities: There is a trail that leads through the walk-in sites, under Highway One, and to the beach, approximately 1.5 miles. You can also drive to the day-use area for a shorter walk. We were there on a weekday but there were many activities scheduled for the upcoming weekend including kayaking on Bodega Bay, outside yoga, and healthy hustle circuit training – I was sad to miss all of these options. 

    This campground is beautiful and peaceful. But note that although we did not encounter any, several other campers experienced over-eager raccoons while eating dinner. There was also a sign warning of mountain lions but we did not encounter any. Shout-out to the ranger who shared a lot of good information about the area.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 1, 2018

    Sunset Point Campground

    The name says it all

    Super cool place to camp in Sequoia National Park. I drove in from the south and passed quite a few full campgrounds before I finally made it to Sunset and scored a spot that I thought was great- up high and dry, no neighbors, a nearby source of downed wood. It looks like the Park Service stays busy downing dead/dying trees, however there were lots of trees providing cover. The closest neighbors were even able to hammock (though I was not due to lack of trees). When noisy neighbors moved in at the adjoining site, I was able to move to a primo site the next day. The new site (52, I think) was right on the edge of the granite slope with an amazing view of the sunset (hence the name of the campground). All sites had the usual amenities of picnic table and fire ring (and the mandatory must use bear boxes), but you need to take a look around for a site that is level and has adequate space between the fire pit and the tent site (mine did not, so no fire for me).  There is a visitor center across the road at Grant Grove Village with ranger station, grocery, post office, restaurant, gas station, and cabins. This is a good place to set up camp if you want to see big trees; the big sequoia tree General Grant is in a sequoia grove just up the road (you could easily hike there from the campground).

  • Michi P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 24, 2025

    Middle Creek Campground

    Great place for dry camping

    Beautiful location, campground was easily accessible going up Elk Mountain Road. Camped in Site 11, pull through, no hook ups, nice picnic table, grill and fire pit. Vault toilets, no showers. There is potable water close to the campsites. Very quiet during the week, it did get noisier on the weekends, but everyone settled down for the evening.

  • Lindsay The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 13, 2020

    Hendy Woods State Park Campground

    Convenient, clean, chill

    Location • state park located north of Sonoma and an hour south of Mendocino • in the Virgina redwood forest • closest town: about 6 miles away

    Facilities • Bathrooms & showers easily accesible for all sites - cleaned regularly • some bathrooms updated very recently • Spigots every few sites with good draining • campfire theatre • firewood sold on premises • about 70 campsites • some cabins • day use picnic area • wheelchair accesible trails

    Ambiance • quiet hours 10pm - 8am • mostly families • dogs allowed on leash

    Sites • Small to medium, close together • More open than private; good for groups who need multiple sites • Most hace at least part shade throughout the day • ring fire pits with grill • wooden food locker at each site • wooden picnic table at each site • enough space for 3-4 cars

    Things to do • Variety of easy hikes/walks • drive to Mendocino • wine tasting in town

    Beware • Poison oak

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 1, 2023

    Doran Regional Park

    Large and popular Sonoma County Park

    General: Located between Bodega Bay and Bodega Harbor, this county park has over 140 sites in four campgrounds: Shell, Gull, Cove, and Jetty. There is also tent camping, a group campsite, and a hiker/biker camping area. No hookups in any site. 

    Site Quality: Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Sites all appeared to be level. Depending on your site, you may have more privacy/separation than in others. Site 21 (in Shell) was nicely positioned, however, the sites on either side of us were not occupied during our stay so we had more privacy. 

    Bath/Shower: Self-contained units with a toilet and sink with soap, HOT water, and air dryer. One coin-operated shower house for Shell, Gull, and Cove campgrounds, located between Gull and Cove. Additional showers in the tent-only section and the Jetty campground. Generally clean. 

    Activities: Hiking, fishing, birding, beachcombing, wading, and water sports. There was a very short boardwalk and sandy walking paths, although some of these were very overgrown. 

    One thing I appreciated was propane cylinder recycling. We learned there is a program where select vendors will refill the small cylinders and we hope this becomes more readily available. This is a much larger county park campground than we have been in before and it was very busy when we were there on a weekday in late October. Nice but I prefer the smaller and quieter campgrounds.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 8, 2021

    Westside Regional Park

    Great views, but close to the neighbors

    First, you stay here for the views. Great views from the first two rows closest to the water. There are very few plantings between spaces. No hook ups at all, but water is available if you fill before you park. Seven dollar dump station. Each campsite has a fire ring and a wooden picnic table and grass. Since there’s no hook ups between the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM, you will always be listening to somebody’s generator running. Always. No privacy at this campground. I did not check out the bathrooms for the campground, but I did look at the bathrooms for the large boat launch area next-door. No showers in that bathroom, but it was clean. A bit spendy for no hookups. Safe. Zero long term campers when I was here. There are no first come first served campsites at this location. All camping spaces had a reserve sign on them, even though the place was about 40% full. Completely dark at night, which was great.

  • Maddy S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 1, 2022

    Bushay Recreation Area

    Exceeded all expectations

    Since my friend and I decided to plan a last minute camping trip, reservations were hard to find anywhere. I'm from Santa Cruz and hardly ever make it north of San Francisco so Bushay Campground sounded like a nice getaway. However I was a little hesitant since there were so many open sites here and no reviews anywhere but it really was just too perfect.

    We stayed Sat-Mon and it was pretty much empty by Sun (workweek + predicted rain). Everyone else staying the weekend was very friendly and helpful. The rain only made the campsite so much more lush and beautiful and luckily we were prepared for the rain. The sound of frogs and turkeys added a nice touch and we also saw tons of fascinating birds (including a bald eagle!!). I'm used to camping on hard dirt so the cushion of the grassy campsites was really nice, plus the dead grass served as decent tinder. 

    Also, I accidentally left my camping chairs behind :( and an employee reached out to me to let me know! I wish it wasn't a 3+ hour drive for me because I would love to already head back lol.

    Anyway, here are the takeaways:

    • Easy to access, right off the 101
    • Free firewood all around the campgrounds
    • Free showers (no need for quarters)
    • Super clean and well lit bathrooms
    • Ranger patrolling often (we are 2 young women, this helped us feel a little safer)
    • Standard campsite setup (bench + fire ring) but also included a pole with a hook - perfect for hanging lights, a tarp, drying dishware, etc.
    • Heads up! Advanced reservation is required
  • MarinMaverick
    Aug. 12, 2020

    Bullfrog Pond Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Hidden Gem

    Many people do not not know this gem is here. Right by Armstrong Redwoods State Park there is a steep winding road at the end of which there is literally a pond.  The campsites are aound the pond -  some actually on the pond and some in the woods around.  So depending on your sun tolerance pick your site accordingly.

    You feel you are so far from the world when you are not.

    Also there are at least two hike in campsites in this wilderness area - primitive - that we have backpacked into.  They have tables, fire rings and pit toilets in the back country sites. So we have used the campground at the pond to start and finish our backpacking. Remember you will need a permit for the backpacking sites but they are first come first served sites.

    The pond sites are again first come and first served. Well maintained facilities - nothing fancy - no showers.

  • Scott R.
    Dec. 23, 2020

    Spring Lake Regional Park

    Nice local spot

    In the Bay Area there aren’t too many place that you be in a city and feel like you are away. Spring Lake has been that for us. We have been here for 2 weekends in the last few months. It is kid friendly, fun easy hike around the lake (no swimming but you can rent or bring your own kayaks or stand-up paddle boards), great location to way more technical hikes into and around Trione-Annabel State Park. We did a very tough hike in almost 100 degree weather up to Lake Ilsanjo and the cold plunge into that lake was exactly what was needed. On another trip we brought a new family with us, rented one of the bigger spots and helped them get their bearings on camping.

    It is very forgiving here and close to everything in case you didn’t pack enough food or propane or fire starter. The camp host is amazing. The bathrooms are clean with free cold showers or quarters for hot showers. They have fire pits at every location, firewood to buy on site, it is very kid friendly with a fun loop for the kids to bike or scooter around plus easy access to the lake. Highly recommend this and I can’t wait to try a few other sites in the Sonoma Regional area.

    Not a place if you want dispersed camping or a lot of privacy.

    Neighbors were all polite and good about quiet times.


Guide to Clearlake

Clearlake, California, offers a variety of tent camping options that allow you to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

Explore Scenic Trails and Views

Family-Friendly Amenities

  • Enjoy the comfort of private bathrooms and showers at Pine Grove Cobb Resort, making it an ideal choice for families.
  • Old Train Caboose offers unique lodging options, including a caboose and tent camping under walnut trees, perfect for a memorable family getaway.
  • Relax with picnic tables and drinking water at Buckhorn Campground, which is great for families looking to enjoy meals outdoors.

Pet-Friendly Camping Experiences

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Clearlake, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Clearlake, CA is Calso - Boggs Mountain Demo Forest - TEMPORARILY CLOSED with a 4.5-star rating from 2 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Clearlake, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 36 tent camping locations near Clearlake, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.