Best Tent Camping near Gazelle, CA

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.

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.

Castle Crags State Park is a family favorite park, as is the hike to the Crags via Crags Trail. The park doesn’t have a ton of trails on offer, but it does have some great ones.

The campground itself is pretty standard. Sites along the road are less desirable in my mind because of the constant traffic going by, but the Upper Loop has some great sites. The Upper Loop is fairly densely wooded so sites don’t seem as on top of each other as other campgrounds. I have not personally stayed in Little Loop before, but with just four sites it seems like it could be nice and quiet.

All campers at Castle Crags State Park, and within a 10-mile range, should be aware of the well-traveled train tracks that parallel highway five. Several train pass each night and you will hear them. Even if you sleep like a bear (more on them later) you will likely hear the train. This isn’t as much of an issue in the Upper Loop, and I imagine Little Loop, but campers in the Lower Loop and Riverside Campground should definitely be aware of this. The train is by no means a reason not to camp here, but maybe bring ear plugs if you think you’ll be sensitive to the sound.

Personally I’ve camped there about half a dozen times and have seen bears more times then I haven’t. Because too many campers aren’t responsible with their food bears in the area have gotten pretty used to people and often come into camp. On our last trip a mom and two cubs were walking just 50 feet north of us in site 52 when the two cubs decided to come closer for a look. They got within about 10 feet of us and the picnic table before mom called them back, but it was a bit concerning (my wife was on top of the picnic table!).

I am not aware of any bad bear encounters where people or bears have been injured, but you may want to check with the ranger station about bringing bear spray. At least bring a whistle or some other way to startle the bear, remember they are pretty used to humans. Most importantly, remember to always lock up your food and any other items with scent inside the bear box. This is extremely important for your safety, for the safety of the bears, and the other campers around you.

As for the hikes in the park, you can’t beat the hike to “the Crags” via Crag Trail. It’s a tough hike and I highly suggest you start early when hiking in the warmer months. You can access this hike from all the camp loops or if you want to shorten the hike a bit you can drive up to the Vista Point. Plan on a side trip to Indian Springs for a water bottle refill and refreshing head-soak. The top section of the trail is very exposed and there is no water, so make sure you bring enough. The trail is steep and requires a bit of scrambling over rocks. Once on the top, after you catch your breath, you will be treated to spectacular views of Mt. Shasta and the surrounding area and lots of great places to explore the Crags. Summiting Castle Dome is possible but includes some class 4 climbing (don’t do this without proper gear or training).

Castle Crags State Park is also nearby the towns of Dunsmuir and Mt. Shasta. Dunsmuir has a good brewery and Mt. Shasta has about anything you could need, including a great outdoor store called The Fifth Season. Other nearby hikes to check out include Black Butte and Castle Lake.

🌲🐸 If you’re reading this review, do your part to keep this lake pristine and quiet.

Toad Lake is a pristine mountain lake accessible only via a long, rough, and rocky single lane dirt road (Toad Lake Road 40N64). Take this road only is you have a 4x4 or AWD vehicle with suitable clearance and are comfortable driving on such mountain roads, there are very few places to turn around. The road is very rough, so expect to bounce around for about 1.5 hours while traveling at an average speed of 5mph. There are several unmarked forks while driving in - be sure to stay on the road that looks the smoothest and you’ll make it there fine. At the end of the road is a small parking lot with an information sign that sits at the trailhead to the lake. A short 15 minute hike (it would be hard to bring an ice chest) takes you the lake, where there is 2 picnic tables and a fire pit. DO NOT USE THE FIRE PIT - fires are not allowed and it is an illegal fire ring. Bring a gas stove to heat your food instead. The lake itself is small and surrounded with life! Beautiful flowers are everywhere. This is a very fragile ecosystem so please tread carefully. Be respectful to nature and your fellow campers. When we were there, there were four other groups dispersed camping around the lake. Sound carries very easily, so normal level conversations can be heard all the way across the lake. Please be quiet and conscious while you are here. There are no bear boxes, so make sure you bring a bear canister to keep your food (and the bears) safe. We carried one of our inflatable kayaks up the trail and to the lake. It was difficult but well worth it, it was such a peaceful ride. I would love to go back to Toad Lake. I highly recommend it, but only if you have a sturdy vehicle and are willing to keep this place pristine.

Nice, small campground near the edge of Trinity Lake. Approximately 8 campsites can be reserved and 8 are available on a first come, first serve basis. There are no showers available, but there are showers at the nearby Bushytail campground up the road. Site 1 is the only site with electric hookups. The nearby lakeshore is quite muddy (depending upon water level), but provides great fishing and boating opportunities. A nice trail runs along the campground. There is no wifi or cellular coverage. Booking the site was a little confusing because the website noted "dry camping" - we did not know what to expect based on this description. However, there IS running drinking water and bathrooms with flush toilets and sinks on-site. Advise picking up firewood before arrival. There is no firewood available for purchase on-site. However, you are able to gather available wood. There is also a small store which sells firewood 10-15 minutes away  (Pinewood Cove).