Best Tent Camping near Etna, CA

Nice well shaded campground, some sites enjoy lake views although Trinity Lake is very low at this point. Site 67 is a nice size, lots of space between adjacent sites. Two tent flats, table and fire ring. Some sites have bear boxes, 67 does not. Close but not too close to the bathroom. Camp host was friendly. Easy walk/ drive to the lake. I would check site map and reviews if possible, some sites looked very small and unappealing while others were very spacious.(67) No firewood for sale on site. Overall campground was nice and site 67 in particular was very good. 3.5 Stars.

My second time here...dunno why I didn't review it on the first.

Mid-July and a main gateway to the Trinity Alps, I figured this place would be fairly busy.  Exact opposite!!   Not a soul in camp & very few cars at the trailhead parking lot (about a mile up the road).  There are 8 spots, 4 fairly close to a parking 'slot', 4 that you can park in an open area and walk to (at most 10-15 yards away).  There is one pit building with 4 toilets, 2 men/women.  There were trash/recycling receptacles.   All spots had fire rings/picnic tables, several had bear boxes.  There was NO cell service (Verizon & T-Mobile).  With temps into the high 90s, the jewel of this camp was Canyon Creek.  The color of this creek was the most beautiful gray/blue I had seen.  Crystal clear water at a refreshing mid-60s? temperature.  With a hot summer day...it was perfect!!

Not a campground at all. It’s a hotel where they dumped gravel in the parking and erected goat pens for people to sleep in. 

No toilet paper or hand towels in the bathroom. All services were closed. No bar. No coffee. No rentals. The only shade is in your goat pen. 

The goat pen comes with a picnic table and two plastic Adirondack chairs. 

I’m camping alone so I had to move a picnic table by myself in order to set up my tent. On gravel mind you. The website shows an elevated platform. Not the case. It’s gravel. Big gravel. Hard tent piercing sharp gravel. Gravel. 

A car was parked in front of my “campsite”. 

Annoyed and exasperated in 100° weather and no one on staff to talk to I left. It’s June. Nothing is available last minute. I drank a local margarita and decided to suck it up 

The only fire pit was communal. Do not expect privacy. There are goat pens packed in right next to each other. You can hear everyone’s conversations. 

I felt obnoxious as I filled my air mattress due to the noise it made. 

Expect road noise and train noise. All night. 

Pros: the shower. 

Cons: literally everything else.

At highway 66 near Ashland this park has both RV and tent sites. The RV sites are full/partial hook up (30 amp only) and dry camping. Note though that even if you pay for partial or dry you will still need to pay $10/dump your tanks. We opted for just full hook ups here. The tent sites are near the creek.

There was some work being done that appear to be some upgrades. There is a nice pool area, a pond and the creek. The sites are level with picnic tables and fire pits. There are bathrooms, free hot showers, laundry, dog run, playground and store. Also available is propane ($3.50/gallon) book exchange and ice. Wifi was fast and free.

The road noise is noticeable but not too bad. Some of the spots can be close but for a night it wasn't bad. Pets are allowed on leash only but there were a couple of loose dogs running around so be aware. 

NOTE: Google tells you to turn on the street (Neil Creek Rd) just after the park so if you have a big rig then turning around could be difficult. Keep an eye out for the campground and turn into it directly from the main road instead.

All the office and maintenance staff were friendly and helpful and neighbors were friendly and quiet.  We didn't get the tweaker vibe mentioned in some previous reviews. This place is cute - maybe there are new owners (who changed the name from Glenyan to Ashland Creekside, maybe?) who are trying to turn things around.

Good cell service ATT, Verizon and TMobile.

This secluded camp is well worth the effort to find.  I've been 3 times and finally decided to add it to The Dyrt.  Upon this return, I tried to find it online (Six Rivers's official site) but found no info.  There are two ways to this camp, the longer from Willow Creek, or the shorter from Hawkins Bar.  Both ways are via forest service roads that are "fair".  There are 3 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring.  There is one vault toilet that was stocked with 'the papers'.  There is NO trash service or cans and NO POTABLE WATER.  There is a tiny creek running nearby if needed.  There is MAYBE one (1) bar of Verizon service, but it is extremely unreliable.  I came here to see the Perseids Meteor Shower, on a Sunday night/Monday, and did not see a soul.