Best Tent Camping near Helena, CA

Recent Tent Reviews near Helena, California

306 Reviews of 54 Helena Campgrounds

• 

  Renee W.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Lakeshore Villa RV Park

  More RV Park than Campground

  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.

• 

  David F.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 4, 2022

  Redwood Coast Cabins & RV Resort

  Borring

  Well let’s see where do I start? The coast”ocean” is about 500 yards away. There is absolutely nothing to do here. It’s being remodeled/renovated because it’s a new owner. The on property store has limited supplies. I asked for plasticware they didn’t have it. I asked for allergy pills, they didn’t have it. I asked for ice, guess what? Didn’t have it. I just left the store and drove into town which takes about seven minutes. Can’t go for a walk around the camp because somebody just murdered somebody today and he was seen behind this camp in the forest. Of all days right? Doesn’t matter if you could walk around there’s nothing to see but people that I’ve been here probably months on end and it’s just “boring“ and it’s overpriced for boring. I stayed at humbug in Oregon after 101 it was $18 a night it was the best place I’ve ever been, and I love tent camping. the website says Wi-Fi, let me tell you something there is No!!!!! WI-FI The bathrooms are locked and they give you a code to open them. What the heck is that about right? The tent sites are very odd it’s a strip of grass with a picnic bench every 5 yards. it’s not fenced. There’s no trees or shrubs separating anybody it’s just very “odd“ you’ll be camping 25 feet from the next guy. I had to turn my tent facing the fence because any other way people can look in. A little privacy would be nice in a place like this but you won’t get it. You better have unlimited data on your phone plan because you’re going be using all your data out here because there’s absolutely nothing to do. Sit in your tent or at the table and hopefully have somebody with you or you better love movies “a lot “

• 

  DirtyMountainBoy A.

  Guide

  

  May. 26, 2021

  Skunk Point Group Campground — Shasta Trinity National Forest

  Nice parking lot ha !

  Big parking lot picnic benches and one group tent site

• 

  Tyna B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2018

  Mary Smith Campground

  awesome

  So pretty. Did the normal tent camping which is nice at the upper campsites, got a paddle board and pretty much had the whole lake to ourselves

• 

  Claire B.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 8, 2019

  Boise Creek

  Boise Creek

  Bathrooms really nice. Sites big for tent camping. Creek is absolutely beautiful. Not great for swimming but good for a quick dip in the pools. It’s about a 1/4 mile hike down there.

• v

  valerie T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2021

  Peltier Bridge Primitive Campground — Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area

  Beautiful creekside camping

  Loved listening to the creek while falling asleep, lots of shade and the staff was friendly. Sites are nicely spread apart #8 #9 being the best that were open. not rv accessible tent sites

• T

  Tara D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 20, 2024

  Old Lewiston Bridge RV Resort

  Quiet, peaceful

  Great little park. Lots of shade and green grass, good management, Clean restrooms and well kept grounds. Close to river and lakes for boating and fishing. There is a great area for tent camping or a place to dry camp with your RV just below the main RV park. There are targets set up for bow hunters in the pines below the park.

  Our 35 foot fifth wheel easily navigated the space.

• L

  Lawrence L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Redwood Coast Cabins & RV Resort

  Most frustrating part is reservation

  The campground is ok. The closest bathrooms near our site were closed due to renovation. The main bathrooms were good looking. The men’s bathroom kept running out of paper towels. One of the staff told me they can’t buy any toilet paper or paper towels anywhere. My wife had to keep bringing in toilet paper as they ran out. The pool was warm and spa hot. The most frustrating part was reservations. The website showed only tent sites with water and electricity. I then clicked on military discount and the website showed me a higher price. I called and left a message to get clarification. No one called me back. Turns out they apply the discount after you check in. Check in was another issue. The office was closed early and they gave me a tent site without electricity or water. So I had to call their after hours number to get them to change my site. Later in the office they told me that they aren’t responsible for their website. Campground is ok, but customer service needs work. Wish there were more options closer to Eureka. The WiFi worked good until the last day. The 15A outlet worked until the last day.

• 

  Meg R.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 26, 2021

  Etna City Park

  Nice stopover for hikers

  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.

• 

  Francis N.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2019

  Beehive Point Shoreline Campground

  One of our favorite spots

  Beehive point offers camping right on the waters of Shasta Lake and has absolutely amazing views. We have been up there a few times and it has rarely been busy. Depending on the water level real estate on the beach can get tight, but there are spots off the beach that are wooded. You can tent camp or bring your travel trailer. The entrance is a little rutted so if you bring a trailer just be cautious. the beach has a ton of drift wood for fires, we have yet to bring our own. There are some small stores and boat launches near by.

• J

  Joseph C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 26, 2022

  Kangaroo Lake Campground

  Beautiful High Altitude Lake and Campground

  The RV/tent sites are all well designed with good separation.  Most of the campsites have nice views of the mountains that surround the lake.  Some walk-in campsites are located close to the lake.  It appears that a lot of the walkways and facilities are designed to accommodate people in wheelchairs or people with walkers.  It looks like everything is maintained at a higher standard than I've seen at most Forest Service campgrounds.   The 7-mile-long winding access road is narrow with a sharp drop-off on one side. It can be a little nerve-racking to negotiate with 2-way traffic.

• 

  Chris F.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Douglas City Campground

  Pretty good campground

  The campground is pretty good, but I was shocked by the lack of camping etiqette from our fellow campers. In particular there was just a lot of noise- generators running loud and at all hours. Thankfully, the camp hostess was great and mostly got it under control.

  Given how hot it gets up there I'd have liked there to be a little more shade. The sites on the perimeter of the campground are better than those in the center. While I generally like campsites close to the river, those set against the hill seem to provide a little more shade and privacy. The exception are the couple near the end of the loop where the campsites are closer to the river and set away from the road- best for those tent camping. 

  It was a nice place, though a long 4.5 hour drive for us. We had spotty access with AT&T.

• 

  jojo B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Hirz Bay Campground

  beautiful bear playground

  oh wow what a fantastic and gorgeous location. really well maintained when it comes to their bathrooms (flushing & sinks) and trash cans… but holy bear. around 4am a black bear (maybe 500lbs?) came through our site and pulled on the bear box and kept it moving to check neighboring sites (which were vacant) only to come back shortly later for a few sniffs. this would’ve been less scary had we been in an RV buuuut tent camping + bear is not the vibe guys. it definitely smelled us and knew exactly where we were & we’re incredibly fortunate but of course we were terrified. i’d definitely come back with different equipment and plenty of mace and really wish there were more signs about the likelihood of bears in this area at this time. there were a handful of signs but so small and easy to get lost amid all the other super valuable information.

• K

  Kimberly W.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 19, 2020

  Hayward Flat

  Loved this campground

  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.

• 

  Mandi W.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 30, 2023

  Beehive Point Shoreline Campground

  Beautiful spot!

  This spot is so incredibly scenic for a free campsite. Camp right on the lake/river. We stayed on a Thursday night until Friday morning and there were only a few other people there, we could see any of them from our spot so we felt totally isolated. High clearance helps to get to some spots but we did make it all the way through with our minivan after a little trial and error. Had like 1 bar of spotty service only enough for maybe a phone call (Verizon). Very hot during the day, not chilly at night but cool enough to tent camp and enjoy a fire. The kids loved playing and swimming in the river. One star off because there is quite a bit of trash at the entrance of this place, lots of broken glass so keep your shoes on, and the mosquitoes were bad when the sun started to go down but wasn’t a problem with a fire, thermacel and bug spray. Don’t forget to get a CA fire permit if you want a fire or to use a camping stove it only takes a few mins to obtain online

• A

  Austin W.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2020

  Trinity Lake KOA Holiday

  Great home base - excellent if you have a boat

  We stayed here for 4 nights in a towable trailer.  I highly recommend getting a spot near the tents and exit to the river road if you are towing a trailer.  We were on the end of Raccoon Rd and it was fantastic.  The tent sites looked great with plenty of space for you to set up.  Several people even brought small trailers like RPods into the tent area and just didn't use hookups.  There are plenty of dirt paths out to the lake both from the KOA and nearby.  Many people brought ATVs to utilize these and it looked like a great time.  We used out truck and mountain bikes to tootle around on them and had a great time.  This place would be great if you tow a boat and just want to set up with tents in an RV site as well - we saw many people doing that.  Kayaks were available to rent in set 2 hour timeslots, banana bikes available if you are into that.  There are plenty of games like bocci and ladder ball.  All in all we had a great time and would highly recommend it.  Great place to use a base camp to hit nearby rivers, ponds, trailheads, or even the lake.  20 minutes away from the main marina on the south side of the lake where you can rent a boat for the day too!

• M

  Michelle H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 10, 2020

  Del Loma RV Park and Campground

  Beautiful Trinity River

  En route Phone GPS was not reliable, luckily they have a big sign. Check in was ok, family run business and the office was a mess. Small store carries some essentials. You have to drive through several long term older Travel trailers that look like they have been there for years. I camped at site 28, which was actually a group site. It was great to have a large unoccupied area to one side, but the other side had an unoccupied long term TT that stunk like rotten fish. It was so bad we never put out our patio rug, or cooked outside. Across the way was a clean small pool which was very nice. We enjoyed riding our bikes around the loop, and walking down to the Trinity River. There are 2 river spots from the campground. Both are scenic, only one is safe to enter the water and that spot had a very small river rock spot to set up a couple chairs. If you are tent camping or in a smaller RV, their are some better sites that are further away from the permanent old Travel Trailers closet to the entrance. If you are there over a weekend they do have a very large outdoor laser tag area. They technically do have a free Wi Fi, however it is very weak, almost nonexistent. Verizon had no cell coverage.

• C

  Corey L.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 2, 2019

  Old Lewiston Bridge RV Resort

  Very quiet, close to lots of fishing

  This is a great little mom and pop rv campground. There are tent sites away from the rv part, but we never checked that area out. The rv spots are very clean, and even though they’re close together with no privacy it was an amazingly quiet park. The park is about 1/4 full time residents, 1/4 permanent vacation spots that people keep trailers at and visit from time to time and the other half is campers. We stayed for a week and became buddies with the camp host Craig who gave us great fishing tips for the area and had some great conversation with as well. The owners were very nice and run a tight ship. The rv spots are full hook up with nice green grass, no cable but ok Verizon signal and we got a few local channels on the tv antenna. They have a nice little store and a fish cleaning stand. We fished Lewiston lake less than 10 min. away and Whiskeytown Lake about 20-25 min. away with great luck. The little town of Lewiston is pretty cool and a 5 min walk from the campground as well is the trinity river. We will definitely be back.

• s

  stephanie

  Guide

  

  Jun. 19, 2021

  Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park Campground

  RV and Travel Trailers Beware

  We stayed for one night as we were passing thru from Oregon to Central California.

  Pros

  • No cell service
  • In the trees, very secluded
  • Flush potties.
  • Nice swimming hole, the water was warm in mid June. This seems to be the primary attraction for this area. Most of the families were gathered along the shore and playing in the water.
  • Hiking straight out of the camp ground. But, it is a very steep trail, so make sure you bring a walking stick(s) and wear proper gear. This is also a heavy bear area, so pack your bear spray.
  • Best for tent or car camping.
  • Nice fire pits, wood for sale at office
  • Fantastic place for kids… so many families with young children.
  • The camp host and other campers were really friendly.

  Cons

  • Close to the road, we heard vehicles all night. We were in a hard sided camper two rows away from the road and could hear them inside. It’s got to be really loud for people closer and in tents.
  • Tight spots and everyone is packed closely together (Check out the video).
  • No electric, site water, dumping, or showers.
  • Not suited for most RVs and travel trailers, you need to be very small and fully self contained. Our 19’ A-Line barely fit into our spot. The sites are close together, short, with roots coming up in the road and parking areas, and sharp angled turns to get into your spot. A lot of spot have over hanging tree limbs. We made it in our spot because our camper is super low profile during travel mode. Would not have been able to fit under the tree limbs with a normal camper.
  • Hwy 36 from the 101 is very curvy with lots of narrow areas and very few turn offs.
  • Not a good place for dogs, very few areas they are allowed other than your camp site. Upon arriving we receive a yellow sheet letting us know why our dog was a problem for wildlife in this area and all the reasons we should not bring him with us next time.

  Over all, I this campground would be a fun place for families, wanting to disconnect from technology for a weekend of tent camping.

• 

  Dawnielle C.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 17, 2018

  Shasta Campground

  Ranger Review: RŌM Pack at Shasta Lake

  Campground Review: No matter where you find yourself on Shasta Lake you will be surrounded in houseboats and the beauty of the lake. On the way in (heading south on I-5 you will see Mt. Shasta in all of its glory standing in a blanket of hills and trees. There are plenty of cool places to drive for a better view if you can stomach some hilly land and loose sand, and the spider webbed lake won’t disappoint any way you approach it. When you’re camping in a roof top tent (Kukeman 3 by Tepui) any place with semi flat ground is a good place to camp! Though the drive from Seattle is quite long, it’s worth it once you get a load of the view of the lake and the bridge you’ll soon forget the hours you spent in the car. I highly recommend coming here and tent camping, car camping, cabin camping, or houseboat camping.

  Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get to review some great and often very practical products. This trip I was lucky enough to review RŌM Pack, a blanket, poncho, and tent in one.

  This little combo is heavy duty and ready to take a beating. It may start out as a backpack, but as soon as you need a place to sit the soft inside and waterproof outside is ready for the job. I went straight to the RŌM Pack when I spilled water on the mattress of my Roof Top Tent and it kept us dry all night. The poncho feature is very warm, and it was very warm at Shasta Lake (about 80 degrees) so I didn’t get to test out that feature too much, but the pack is very comfortable on your back, as a blanket. And as a way to keep you warm once it cools off. There are plenty of places to stash things (like a snack or a drink)! I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a tough blanket for outdoor activities, but also a durable bag and poncho. It’s very nice looking, stylish, and durable.

• P

  Patti M.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 24, 2018

  Etna City Park

  More like a city park, that you can camp on

  We were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and came off the trail to get food/resupply in the town of Etna. At the grocery store, we were told we could camp at the City Park. It's a rather small park. Tent camping is ok. There is no room for RVs. The camping area is to the left back corner of the park, around a loop. But people were setting up tents in any green space on the right side too. There's a large shelter with picnic tables and electric plug-ins to charge your phone. Another plug set was on a post near other entrance of the park, opposite the bulletin board The bulletin board had city park rules, and numbers of locals that will help hikers out. Also there were envelopes requesting a donation of $5 per person to stay at the park. It works on an honor system, as there is no one there to monitor the park. There's a playground and restrooms. The restrooms were ok, looked like they get cleaned enough. But the dumpsters on the side of the building were near full and unfortunately left a terrible stench if you were upwind. There's a shower room behind the restrooms. You need to get tokens at the grocery store. The shower room is clean. I was the first to use it that particular day and the water was cold, until the very end. Every hiker after that had hot water. So I would make sure you aren't the first to shower. There are lockers on the side of the restroom you need tokens for at the grocery store. The grocery store, in fact the whole town, is all within walking distance. The town is small. Enjoyed the restaurants and coffee shop. Good food. Good coffee. We didn't use it but heard there is a community pool for free public use. Town is very friendly towards hikers.

• 

  Kathryn T.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 28, 2020

  Douglas City Campground

  A Great Surprise - July 2020

  My husband and I were desperate to add a couple days on to the end of our scheduled vacation to the Dunsmuir, CA area as we didn't have to be home until Sunday, but had to check out of the Railroad Park RV Resort on Friday, and there were zero campsites available in Siskiyou County.
  We stumbled on the Douglas City Campground using a great brochure/map we got at the Whiskeytown Information Center.
  We have a 25' pull-behind trailer, so our boondocking options were very limited as most in that area that we could find were set for tenters or very small rv's.
  The incline down to the campground at Douglas City is very steep - maybe a 12% grade, and we didn't have a clue what sort of place we would end up at. Wow, were we pleasantly surprised! A small, cozy campground with host, right on the Trinity River, for $10/night! We grabbed the one pull-through site, but many are easily backed into, and all are nicely paved and mostly level. There are some cute tent sites as well. The days were very hot - probably 100° - and there are no hook-ups so we siesta'd in the afternoons. The river is gorgeous, cold, clean, and refreshing. The Trinity River is popular for rafters so we had fun waving at rafts full of happy people floating by. The night temps dropped nicely after the sun went down behind the mountain, so we were able to cool off. We watched a bat aerial show in the evenings, and listened to the many bird calls as well. The moon and stars were well visible as their is no light pollution in that area.
  I would have given the campground 5 stars except - they have two lovely looking bathroom/shower buildings that are locked up tight with notices that they are closed due to Covid-19, but they supplied the campground with 2 portapotties instead. (??!) I took a star away for that lack of common sense. 😁 We are self-contained so it didn't affect us too much, but tenters would have more of an issue with it.
  All in all - it was a wonderful stay, and we will definitely stay again. 2 take-aways - the river is filled with iron lyrite/fool's gold, and is really pretty when the glakes sparkle in the sun. Also, there is a decent amount of poison oak here and there, so beware. Leaves of 3, let it be!

• 

  Timothy

  Guide

  

  Sep. 1, 2020

  East Fork Campground

  Drive by

  Drove by here looking for a place to pitch a tent. It looked like a nice campground, but we settled for one a little father down the road.

• t

  tere

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2021

  Redwood Coast Cabins & RV Resort

  Easy lication

  I tried along the 101 corridor in the area to no avail. This location had several sites available, tent, and cabins, as well.

• 

  Maureen F.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 1, 2020

  Castle Crags State Park Campground

  Shakedown PCT hike here

  Excellent for tents and small Class B Vans. Don’t miss the views at the top of the single lane road to a 360* viewing area. Nice hot showers too.

• 

  Deleting App D.

  Legend

  

  Feb. 23, 2021

  Van Duzen County Park - Pamplin Grove

  Gorgeous

  The Campsite itself is closed due to Covid. However, 8am to 8PM it is a swimmer's Paradise. Really nice Camping spots and cannot wait to visit here when open. $25 a night to camp in tent and $1 per pet.

• 

  Amanda R.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 29, 2020

  Shasta National Forest Bailey Cove Campground

  Not much too it!

  The sites are narrow. The water was really low down. No beach. It was really hot! Not much around. Plus will we were there at least two trees came down. Thank goodness they did not land on our tent! There are a lot of Geocaches though.