Best Tent Camping near Etna, CA

We camped in a tent, but most others were in RVs. It was very rowdy and loud at night but the campgrounds are in a good location next to Shasta Lake.

Stayed in a tent site for some car camping. The sites are well spaced out and offer a lot of privacy. Tons of amenities. Showers are free!

Beautiful spot at the foot of Mt. Shasta! Lovely little town I’ve stayed here twice now once in April and once in august. They have four tent camping sites with electric hookup and fancy seating among many other types of sites

, but it appears as though the folks in their RVs were happy as could be so I would say for tent camping if you’re actually camping, not so much but in an RV it’s probably fine anyway, the people were very nice and took care of us

Nice, lots of amenities. Minus one star because of the cold shower that should have been hot. Other than that, the beach is nice, the tent sites are nice. A bit bustling busy during the summer, great for kids

Cute town and peaceful campground. Clean bathrooms and showers. Pool, game room, shuffle board, basketball court and off leash dog park. Lots of trees in the sites great for hammocking (in the tent sites). I would definitely stay here again.

Named for a unique tree that grows here, Tree of Heaven Campground is a sweet little spot. I had tent site right on the river and nearly had the place to myself. Basically it’s set up as a loop with a large grassy area and restrooms in the middle, and a put in spot for rafters up near the larger beach. Peak summer months are very warm and ticks are plentiful, especially in the grassy areas.

I did not camp overnight here, but spent the day sitting with my laptop in the soft grass under a big shady tree. This is a well-maintained city park that is friendly to tent camping. They ask for a $5 fee. Shower tokens can be purchased at Ray's Market, located a few blocks away. Restrooms are open to the public. There is a charging station and hiker's box that was full of good stuff. They have a nice picnic shelter and plenty of space to enjoy. The town has nice restaurants and cafes all in walking distance.

Truly and amazing place! I’m looking forward to going back after Covid. We met our family half way and wanted a campground we could all find easily. It’s a bit pricey but for the convenience it was well worth it! Tent sites are huge and so is the campground! We stayed pretty far away from the beach and we were all by ourselves! Might try some of the dispersed camping in the area and use the campground day use and store next time?

General: There are tent sites, partial hookups, and full hookup sites, as well as cabins and cabooses that can accommodate either couples or families. It was pouring when we were there, so we opted to stay in a caboose! There is also a dining car

Site Quality: The camping sites are nestled among the trees; some are pull-throughs and others are back-in (mostly the tent sites). Most of the sites appeared level, but not all of them (beware of Site 34). The pull-throughs in the center are less private (but I believe these are the ones with full hookups). The best sites in my opinion are the ones that back up to Little Castle Creek. Especially after a good rain, you can be lulled to sleep by the sound of the rushing creek! 

Bathhouse: Keypad entry so I was not able to see the inside (we stayed in a caboose and therefore did not have entry). There are showers and also a very nice laundry facility. 

Activities: There is a pool in season and also a hot tub that was open when we were there. It is covered but it was cold and rainy, so we didn’t try it out. There is a short hike at nearby Hedge Creek Falls and you are close to Mount Shasta. 

We stayed here 25 years ago in a caboose with our daughters, and it was nice to see the place has been kept up nicely. We would definitely return and stay in the campground next time (weather permitting).

The first time we saw Trailer Lane it took our breath away. A quaint little old campground tucked into the forests of Siskiyou County, with the most spectacular views of Mount Shasta from its chaparral covered hilltop, we felt like we had found a hidden gem.

We've spent the past 2 years updating and upgrading the campground, adding tent sites and a camp store, unlimited Starlink WiFi, game courts, glamping units, community fire pit, gardens and hobby farm... our guests really seem to be loving the homey atmosphere and say that it's the perfect place to stop & stay a while. We hope that you do too! -Karen & Jay

When I'm up in Mt. Shasta this is where I camp. It's easy for both vanlife and tent camping as well as car camping. 

I hesitate to tell anyone about this place because it's one of the less expensive campgrounds in the state, has a group camp, and the sites are far enough apart to offer some privacy. It's very basic. No showers. But there are vault toilets. The running water comes down the mountain in the form of a creek, and there is a water pump at the well for those who would rather not test their constitution with the stream. 

The elevation is not as high as Panther Meadows and the access to the camp at McBride is easier.

Deer wander through the campground and sometimes visit the tents.

Bring everything you need or plan on running into town (about seven miles) to go shopping or out for meals. It's about another seven or eight miles to the Old Ski Bowl trail head where both campers and locals gather to watch the sun rise or set over the mountains.

The lake is beautiful! Perfect swimming temperature. Lots of fish from Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout. It's surprisingly clear too. The campground was very clean, there are 23 campsites. Each one has a USFS fire pit and a USFS water bucket for your fire. The site sizes are great for tent camping and trailer. Not much for firewood though. If you drive down the road a mile or so and just walk into the woods a little ways, you can find a bunch of decent firewood. Lots of shade and sun in most of the campsites. There are 4 pit toilets that they keep pretty clean. They also have drinkable water that comes from a spring at the top of the nearby mountain. There is a 1.5 mile hike around the lake that is completely paved. I took my wife and kids there for a few days and everybody loved it. We will definitely be back.

The sites are varied here. You have tent sites and RV sites and all are spacious. I didn’t feel like I was on top of my neighbors at any point.  Each site did have a fire pit and picnic table though not all sites had near boxes. Mine did not so I kept all my stuff locked away in my car.

Lots of good options for hammock hanging. 

There are sites closer to the shoreline and others that are a bit more of a walking distance. Some are reserved sites but they also had some first come first serve. I drove up on a Friday afternoon and was able to find a great FF spot. 

When I went the water level was low as they drain Trinity Lake into Whsikey Town but it was still pretty. Plenty of kayakers, paddle boarders, and jet skiers on the lake. Not overly crowded though.

We stayed at the Railroad Park Resort near Dunsmuir, CA for 5 nights. It was fine, with a couple small issues.. The rest of the park might be wonderful - converted train cars and cabooses, cabins, and a small motel - but the rv portion sort of felt like the red-headed stepchild. I believe our fees were $280 for 5 nights. Full hook-ups, pull through site (many were back-in only) and zero privacy, although the rv park is in a pretty stand of very thinned trees at the far end of the RRP property. There is a teeny store with some basic supplies and snack foods, and ice and wood available for purchase, wifi advertised, as well as a swimming pool. The bathrooms are decent and include showers. We are a family that prefers a little more privacy away from the world, but this park was our only option as we didn't book until 3 weeks prior to our last minute trip to see family in Dunsmuir. Siskiyou County campgrounds are currently full to brimming, and people are lining up at 6am for the few fcfs sites at the FS campgrounds. Reservations are all booked out until the end of August at least.
We signed a list of rules when checking in to the RRPR, that include a strict "No marijuana use anywhere on RRP property", yet continually got wafting pot smoke from several other campsites. I complained once, and the young man at the store apologized and made a note about it. Also, the woman working in the store in the mornings and during the day was quite rude and snippy, and reiterated at least 4 times that campground guests were only to use the swimming pool down near the cabooses between 10am and 3pm - as if we weren't to meddle with their upscale guests in the train cars and cabins. It felt a bit awkward, but we did use the nice pool one day when we didn't go swimming in Lake Siskiyou.
Wifi was advertised and a log on with password provided, but we were unable to log on the entire time we were there.
There were many huge rv's including full sized busses that seemed to navigate the park just fine, and some tent sites around some of the edges.
All in all - it was not a fantastic experience, but was alright, and we met a few other wonderful campers which is always a neat experience.
Sorry - I didn't take any pictures, but there are some decent ones if Googled.

I stopped at this campground with my daughters on a road trip to California. We were able to slip in without any reservations. There were almost no campers due to the smoke from the wildfires and the water slides and pool were closed for the same reason. They looked pretty cool, but I can’t vouch for that or tell you how much the fee is. The fee to tent camp is $20.

There are warnings about rattle snakes around which freaked out my daughters a little bit. We didn’t see any. It’s mainly a warning to be aware of your surroundings.

The lake is disgusting and slimy. There is a boat launch and were people fishing on the lake with boats. There are warnings for pregnant or nursing women not to eat fish from the lake. Before we went down to the water, a staff person at the campground was very kind when we asked about swimming. She said it was safe, but seemed to have some apprehension and added that it was murky. When we got down to the lake there was a dog and the dog’s owner and one other person in the water. The other person got out of the water rather quickly. My daughters and I got out of the car and stepped down into very slippery sludge. It was thick and stuck to the bottom of your foot or shoe like when you step in cow dung.

We continued to try to brave it wading into the water. It was extremely slippery. I looked for something firm to stand on and saw a strip of what looked like blacktop nearby. I went to stand on it only to find myself nearly knee deep in a clutch of - what my uncle later told me was bullfrog eggs.

At that point we got out and decided to try to find a different place to swim. We had to scrape our shoes to get the sludge off then we drove to the city pool which wasn’t very far away. Unfortunately it was closed too. Then I found out that there’s a swimming reservoir at the very top of Lithia Park. It took us a little while to find it, but it was PERFECT. The water was very cool and very clear with a nice pebbly bottom. I recommend finding this spot. it’s heaven. This is the address of the pinned location on my maps: 632–698 Granite St, Ashland, OR 97520

Sleeping at the campsite was pleasant. The birds were vibrant during the day and early morning. The night animal noises were also pleasant. The campground was quiet as there were few campers. The staff were kind and checked in on us.

The bathrooms were clean except that I think the showers were turned off. It’s 50 cents for a 4 minute shower, but the coin slots were blocked. Maybe because there were so few campers?

Overall the campground was good and probably very popular on a usual basis. I would avoid the lake altogether and find the swimming reservoir instead. I will probably stay here again if in Ashland in the future. The price is very reasonable, the staff is helpful and friendly, the bathrooms are clean, and the nearby swimming reservoir is heaven. I didn’t give it more stars because the lake is so disgusting.