Tent campsites near Macdoel, California provide access to both forested and alpine environments in the shadow of Mount Shasta. The region offers several established tent campgrounds including Martins Dairy Campground, which operates from June to October with six dedicated tent sites, and Panther Meadows Walk-In Campground on Mount Shasta's slopes. These primitive tent sites are primarily positioned within Klamath National Forest, providing campers with scenic mountain views and proximity to volcanic features.
Most tent campgrounds in the area feature basic amenities suited for self-sufficient camping. Fire rings and picnic tables are standard at established sites like Martins Dairy, while more primitive locations may lack facilities entirely. Vault toilets are available at most developed campgrounds, though water access varies significantly. A camper noted that Martins Dairy Campground offers "ample sites with awesome picnic benches and fire pits" at $10 per night. Many sites require campers to bring their own water or filter from nearby streams. Access roads to higher elevation tent sites may be rough and sometimes require high-clearance vehicles, with seasonal closures common during winter and early spring.
Tent camping in the region provides unique advantages over other accommodation types, particularly for those seeking solitude. The area offers excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing, with deer frequently spotted near campsites. Mount Ashland Campground provides tent campers with stunning views stretching to Mount Shasta, with one visitor noting that "the views are STUNNING with Mt Shasta in the distance and forest land extending as far as the eye can see." Many tent sites serve as convenient basecamps for exploring nearby volcanic attractions including Lava Beds National Monument and Glass Mountain. Weather conditions can change rapidly at higher elevation tent campsites, with significant temperature drops common in the evenings, even during summer months.
"All sorts of wildlife loves to visit, even deer. The camp is surrounded by a barbed wire fence to keep cows out, I’m assuming. There are cattle guards at both entrances of the site as well. "
"Shasta in the distance and mountains for days! It’s pretty high up therefore there’s usually really cold wind, keep that in mind for sleeping and fires."
"I was told by the park ranger they shutting down the upper campground opposite the restrooms and refurbishing the whole campground."
"The campground had pit toilets, sturdy picnic tables and large fire rings. We took up 3 sites towards the front of the campground and had plenty of room for our numerous tents."
"Hiking up higher may seem tempting, but some local guides told us that the wind will keep you up all night and you’ll be cold."
"This spot is great, plenty of space, quiet, great views of Mount Shasta, easy to access."
"High and dry. Great view of Shasta Mtn. 8 campers here in mid May. All 2 wheel low clearance accessible. 8 or more still available for higher clearance vehicle. T-Mobile reception good."
"We're new to the van life, having lived mostly overseas, and are not RV-oriented, so we've been a little careful about choosing sites with adequate peacefulness, space and privacy."
"The covered camping and the cabin style rooms are both fantastic - clean area , and very friendly staff"
"Shasta is a long and dull 4.5-5 hour drive."
"It's very close to multiple waterfalls, shady for protection from the sun, and spacious enough to have some privacy. it's also close enough to the town of Shasta for gas, thai food, or even laundry."
"But there’s trash cans. A bathroom. Tables and pits. But damn the mosquitoes. A boat ramp too!"
"6 camping spots on Upper Klamath Lake. First come, first served. One spot big rig friendly. Birding, hiking, boat ramp, kayak, and canoe."
GuideThere are no hookups - no electricity, no water , no dump station at sites. There appears to be a water pipe? I’m not sure… but no faucet near the site. Beautiful surroundings, we even saw several mule deer.
ScoutMy friends and I stopped here for a night before we go camping in the backcountry and it was great! Has a little fire pit, bear box and nice flat spots to put your tent.
ScoutLarge campsites with provided fire rings and picnic tables. Water spigot near the sites but no electrical hookups available, so this is dry camping. The flush toilet bathrooms in the campground are clean, but old, which makes them appear, at first glance, to be worse than they are. The bathrooms in the day use area on the outer edge of the campground are clean. I’m sure fish Lake is nice for swimming although when we went there water was 20% lower than normal and upon wading in you get stuck in the mud bottom before you can make it out to deeper water. The fishing was good! Our friends went fishing and had a great time. Firewood is available for sale from the camp host for 9 dollars a bundle. We brought firewood we purchased at the grocery store. The campsites are large and widely spaced enough that you can’t overhear people’s conversions around you but you can see them, so privacy is a little less here. The campsites are standard soft dirt floor. Its so fine that it gets everywhere though; especially if you have dogs with you. we had to sweep out the camper a few times. Fish Lake resort is within 5 minutes walking distance and has a little restaurant that serves breakfast during the morning and burgers, fries and local (some bottled, some on tap) microbrews for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is a bit spendy though. Attached to it is a small grocery store with food and camp supplies, which came in handy as we forgot D batteries; so $6 and 3 D cell batteries later and our indoor lantern worked great. The camp hosts are great! Very little to no bugs which surprised me being near a lake! All around a great 2 nights. On the last morning before we packed up the toilets had to closed because they couldn’t flush and the sink didn’t have running water. The water spigots also stopped working and we were told that the well the campground gets its water from just went dry. The nearby campground of doe point also had their well run dry. Bring extra water just in case. I would recommend this camp ground to people.
LegendAt 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.
RangerNot 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.
Guidesite: no privacy. shaded. bear box at site. amenities: not many bathrooms. no showers at campground. attractions: near to the main attractions in the park. If I was okay with first come, first served I might camp here. (others told us a person has to arrive VERY early to get a spot- like 5am/6am)
ScoutThe tent only section is nicely tucked away from the RV sites. Nice for a campervan, but no hookups. Great views of Shasta and the cheapest option in Weed, it seems. There is a bit of noise from the highway.
RangerThis is undoubtedly the quietest campground we have ever visited. Not just because there were few campers, but its location so far from any highway or city. I would also like to give kudos to the the fire crews who saved this area from the fire last year. The visitor center and campground are an island of green in the middle of a charcoal land.
I would categorize it as a tent and teardrop campground. There are some sites where larger RVs can park, maybe around 25', but most campground spaces will only hold the car. They have a lot parallel RV parking and that requires you sign up for two spaces, one for your trailer, the other for your car. The lower campground, A, is more open, great if you have solar. The upper campground, B, has more spaces and some for larger RVs.
The drinking water faucets are irregularly dispersed and few. You cannot hook up to them to fill your RV, so be sure to bring some 5 gallon containers to haul water to your RV. There are flush toilets and sinks with cold water, no showers. Bring all your supplies, as the nearest town is about a 40 minute drive. There are very solid metal fire rings and picnic tables. The closest dump station is in Tule Lake, but is excellent, with water and good drain positioning - and its free.
We had excellent Verizon service and were able to surf the internet, load and download pictures without using any booster. I was also pleased to get a staff member directly when I called for information. There is a lot to see at this park and I highly recommend it.
PS The helmet they sell ($8) saved my head many a time during cave exploring.
TravelerWhen 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.
Tent camping near Macdoel, California connects visitors with diverse volcanic landscapes at elevations ranging from 4,000 to 7,800 feet. Summer temperatures typically reach 85°F during daytime but drop below 40°F at night, requiring proper insulation and layering even in July and August. Most campsites in this region remain snow-covered until late May with limited accessibility on forest roads.
Waterfall exploration: From the McCloud area, campers can access several cascades within short driving distance. According to one camper at McCloud Area Recreation, "These campgrounds are fantastic! It's very close to multiple waterfalls, shady for protection from the sun, and spacious enough to have some privacy."
Lake fishing: Medicine Lake provides fishing opportunities adjacent to camping areas. A visitor to A.H Hogue Campground noted, "The campground was right next to a beautiful lake which seemed very popular with the many fisherman staying there that weekend."
Cross-country skiing: Winter visitors utilize the Mount Ashland area for snow activities. After the snow melts, the same trails become available for hiking. A Mount Ashland camper reported, "Good hiking or biking and in winter snowshoeing and cross country skiing, not to mention the Mt Ashland Ski Area is right here as well."
Free camping options: Several sites in the region offer no-fee camping. A visitor to Beaver Creek Campground shared, "This is a nice campground if you don't want to pay a fee for one somewhat close to I5. The campground is about 4 miles up beaver Creek after you turn off of Klamath river hwy."
Wildlife viewing: Campgrounds throughout the region provide opportunities to observe deer and small mammals. A camper at Mount Ashland noted, "Had dear running around while I was setting up the tent. Pit toilets, hiking close by, accessible in any vehicle."
Volcanic features: The area contains numerous volcanic formations accessible from camping areas. A visitor to A.H Hogue Campground commented, "The campground is close to many awesome volcanic sites such as glass mountain and Mt Hoffman. It is not that far from Lava Beds National Monument which is another great thing to check out."
Weather extremes: Temperature fluctuations can be severe, especially at higher elevations. One camper at Castle Lake Dispersed Camping explained, "About 15 min off the I-5 and climbing most of the way. High and dry. Great view of Shasta Mtn. 8 campers here in mid May."
Water availability: Most campgrounds require bringing your own water or filtering from streams. A visitor to Mount Ashland emphasized, "The camp ground itself is fairly primitive but very reasonable for being FREE. There pit toilets with toilet paper and picnic benches + fire pits at each spot. Bring your own water!!"
Access limitations: Many campgrounds have seasonal closures and rough roads. One Castle Lake camper noted, "There are pull offs along the road that you could do a quick overnight," while another mentioned, "The lake campsites are still closed midMay. This worked out for a goal to see Mt. Shasta."
Creek swimming spots: Several campgrounds offer water features for cooling off. A Beaver Creek visitor shared, "Nice river running right next to the camp to cool off in and a wading pool has been made. Close to the road but little or no traffic."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Macdoel, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Macdoel, CA is Martins Dairy Campground with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 26 tent camping locations near Macdoel, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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