Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Elk Creek, CA

This place was a very nice spot for any overnight stay on the way up to Oregon. The woman at the front desk was friendly and helpful. There is great shade in our site (A6) and a nice table. Kudos for the large dog park, now if I can only solve for the a*holes who can't be bothered to pick up after their dogs at every dog park I've ever visited. Don't expect a ton of privacy here and the sites are all gravel and/or dirt except for strips of grass in between neighbors. With all that said we will definitely use this as an overnight stop again.

We originally were going to Fouts Creek Campground but it was HOV weekend (Presidents). Lots of dirt bikes and law enforcement. National Forest pulled in officers from surrounding forests and Sheriff Depts.

With a 35' Class A our options were limited. A Ranger suggested Letts Lake. There is a narrow one lane newly paved road that goes up to Dixie Glade equestrian camp, from there it is dirt. Taking it slow, we made it to Letts Lake and parked in spot 12. It was a tight fit, but we made it.

There are two additional campgrounds at the opposite end of the lake but they are closed for winter. As there was no water or trash service there was no fee. Typically $5.00)

The lake is small with no motors allowed but easy to walk around. Pet friendly in fact all but one campsite had at least one dog.  Fire damage to the forest is substantial but new growth is already starting

PROS:

+ FREE overnight parking for RVs, trailers, and camper vehicles.

+ Very safe and heavily traffic location. Lots of travelers here spending the evening! Signs say for Olive Pit Customers Only but we spent 2 nights here (along with a few other campers) and no one ever disturbed us.

+ Very flat, leveled, and long paved spots (great for up to 35-foot long fifth wheelers and even 50-foot rigs).

+ Huge lot with lots of available spots. Around 10 spots for larger trailers and RVs, and lots of small spots for campervans and car rooftop tent campers. We saw 4-5 other campers around us who mostly were very private and to themselves

+ Super convenient location near lots of fast food joints, a Starbucks, Rite Aid, and supermarket. The lot shares the same entrance as the Shell Station and Olive Pit Cafe & Store where you can conveniently pick up food/beer/supplies.

+ The Olive Pit has a great cafe and wine tasting room. They sell specialty items such as olives, balsamic vinegar, etc. And they have a great breakfast!

+ There is a giant dumpster for trash disposal behind the Olive Pit

+ There is also a pet area that has a small white fence around a dirted area for pets to relieve themselves.

+ Lots of palm trees in the backdrop giving the place a very California vibe.

CONS:

+ No tent camping, unless it's a car rooftop tent or a pop-up tent trailer

+ No fires/no showers/ no toilets (Although you can walk to the Shell Station to use their toilets which were super clean and well-maintained.)

+ Loud 24 hour carwash at the Shell station. Usually quiets down around 9 pm

+ Bright security lights in the parking lot. Just don't park directly under one. There are a few darker and less lit spots

I came to Colusa for work and only needed to stay for a couple of days, but I found the campground a comfortable spot to settle in for the week and catch up on some writing. I enjoyed biking the path along the river and fishing in the evenings. There are stray cats around town and the park. I lured one in with some treats.

Pros: If you are a person who likes to either stay all day at your campsite or are a water sport/water toy type person this campground is for you. Cons: Bathroom near our campsite wasn’t working. Campsites were overgrown with foxtails, not good for my dogs. Trash in our fire pit. A few campsites away from ours had a huge poison oak plant at the back where you park your rig. A walkway near the campground popular for fishing had a tree fall on it, instead of clearing the tree, the park rangers closed it off. Not much hiking in the park, and if you decide to walk the couple short hikes, don’t bring your dogs, NO DOGS ALLOWED. For the number of workers this park employs you would think these things would be dealt with, but no. I guess this is typical of State Parks in California, so much potential but sadly California parks slowly deteriorate.

People leave their trash everywhere. People let their dogs run lose, and were loud. I doubt most of these people even paid. Anyways beautiful place if people respected it. Drive was nice, most people do not have cell service. A lady flipped her quad and was life flighted out so.... my quiet weekend was a bust.... I'd come back if people cleaned up after themselves and respected others . I was afraid to let my dog out because the lady had no control on her off leash pitbull.. that's why dogs have bad reps because of irresponsible people like this.

Stayed here for 3 nights with our 2 toddlers and our dog. Lots of shade and some space between campsites. Only the lower loop of sites was open when we stayed here early April. Very dog and kid friendly. There's an easy trail that loops around the lake that's just over a mile long and a place to put in a boat in the lake (there's a bunch of fish in there!). The water was turned off during our stay but all the 4 pit toilets were open, no hand sanitizer. The drive to the campsite is a long 19 miles on combo of narrow paved and windy road and dirt road. 4wd wasn't necessary when we went but lower clearance cars might not fair so well.

Great place to stop along I5. Well cared for with nice pull through sites, the best grassy, clean dog run and a refreshing pool to cool off in after a long day of driving.

Stayed here for a second time driving from Southern California to Oregon. The sites are spacious and there is a pool to cool down during the hot summers. There is wine tasting as well. Management kept in communication with us through text (my preferred method). Easy access to I-5, very close to a Pilot for larger rigs. Definitely somewhere I plan to stay on my journeys through California.

I have stayed here several times as a waypoint on my travels between California to Washington.  It is a nice safe quiet park that has many pull through spaces for RVs spending the night.  I have used their website to reserve a space and then pick up the paperwork outside the door of their office.  so far I haven’t met any of the owners or staff but all the hook ups work and I believe they have Wi-Fi as well. 

General: There are four campgrounds in Clear Lake State Park: Upper Bayview, Lower Bayview(both of which were closed when we were there in April), Cole Creek, and Kelsey Creek. This review focuses on Kelsey Creek. 

Site Quality: The sites all appeared to be level with paved pads. No hookups throughout the park. Not a lot of privacy between the sites but decent separation. 

Bathhouse: Clean but as we have found in other California state parks, no soap! Showers take tokens which must be purchased on-site 

Activities: Limited hiking on a short nature path. In season, there is boating, swimming, and fishing. It was very quiet when we were there in April but I imagine there would be quite a different vibe come summer when the campground would be full (which is why we like camping in the off-season!)