If you're searching for a place to camp with pets near McArthur, look no further. Find the best information on pet-friendly camping near McArthur, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your RVing experience. Each pet-friendly campsite offers quick access to one or more of McArthur's most popular destinations.
The Blue Lake Campground is situated in the beautiful South Warner Mountains of the Modoc National Forest in a tranquil and remote area of northeastern California. Blue Lake was formed from a massive landslide several thousand years ago. Over time, the land filled up with water from snow melt and rain where blue lake is today. Blue Lake is truly deep blue in color and remains ice cold even during the hotest days of summer! The fishing is great, and there's a 3 mile trail that goes around the entirety of the lake. Come enjoy your National Forest land by visiting the Blue Lake Campground this summer!
There is a trail around the lake 3 mile, along with many opportunities to walk and bike around the paved campground roads and boat dock area. There are several wilderness trailheads within 6-15 miles from the site as well. The South Warner Wilderness has many trails to offer a true solitude experience away from the big city. Off-highway -vehcle (OHV) use is also a popular recreation activity in the neighboring area road systems.
There is a trail around the lake 3 mile, along with many opportunities to walk and bike around the paved campground roads and boat dock area. There are several wilderness trailheads within 6-15 miles from the site as well. The South Warner Wilderness has many trails to offer a true solitude experience away from the big city. Off-highway -vehcle (OHV) use is also a popular recreation activity in the neighboring area road systems.
There are many ice cold mountain streams feeding into and coming out of Blue Lake. The campground is situated in a lower part of the mountains, but the entire campground is surrounded by mountain ridges scattered with ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, incense cedar, and aspen trees. There was an intense wildfire that came through the area back in 2003, so many of the hillsides near Blue Lake are in the process of regenerating tree stands. Fortunately, the campground was saved from the fire, so there are plenty of big pine trees for shade!
$70 / night
Shady campsites and a creek running along side make Lower Rush Creek Campground a great getaway destination. Trailers larger than 22 feet are not recommended. In the winter months roads may become soft or impassable. Please do not create resource damage by driving on soft roads or saturated soil. Remember the weather can change quickly and you do not want to be unprepared for extreme conditions.
Stough Reservoir Campground is only 1 mile off Hwy 299 on a gravel road. At 6,200 feet it provides relief from the heat of the valleys on either side. Small trailers and motorhomes will find access and turn-arounds manageable. The reservoir is small but is kept stocked by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Water is provided and campsites sit away from the shore with nice views of the reservoir. Stough Reservoir is Number 4 on the Basin & Range Birding Trail. Bring you camera and binoculars and expect to see Prairie Falcons, Rufous Hummingbirds and Wild Turkeys.
$15 / night
The recreation opportunities in the Alturas CA area are endless, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, biking, hunting, skiing, boating and OHV. The camping site has nearly 3 acres with a view of the town of Alturas and is a great place to kick back and enjoy the atmosphere of fresh air and juniper trees. There are flat usable campsites around the property and one portion of the property is fenced for horses (bring your own water trough). The property is approximately 3 minutes from downtown Alturas with restaurants and stores. The sleepy town is a perfect place to hang out and relax at the big park in town behind the VFW Hall on Main Street, have refreshments at the two bars in town or try your luck at the Desert Rose Casino. It's also cool to drive around the neighborhoods to see the "town deer", some of them get pretty big! The Wildlife Refuge has a self-driving tour where you can see all kinds of birds and wildlife. Take a drive outside town to the "Ranches" to see more deer, antelope, eagles and various waterfowl!
Alturas is a high desert area with wonderful views of the Warner Mountains and has an enchanting feel to it. Temperatures in the summer rarely get over 100 degrees, mostly low 90's, and in the fall the cool nights make for great sleeping. Pop over Cedar Pass to Cedarville, which is about 20 minutes away, to check out the newly designated "Dark Sky" area.
Come up and hang out in this very cool and special place, you will not want to leave!! The town of Alturas is also in the coveted X hunting zones, X3a, X3b and X2, for those of you who like to hunt. Two sites have full hook ups and the small trailer site on the above pad (see trailer picture) has electric only. During the winter, the pump house is turned off and drained due to freezing temperatures and the risk of blowing a pipe, so campers must bring their own water during November through March. Please ask if there are changes in these dates for the water hook ups. I have At&T phone service up there and it has good signal and I can get wifi through my phone. If you need internet for your computer I suggest bringing a MIFI. I hope you enjoy your stay at Camp Freedom! Cheers! Stacie
#CampFreedomAlturas #ExploreModoc #Duckhunting #DuckHuntingZoneNorthWestCA #XZoneCA
$50 / night
The Willow Creek Campground offers secluded tent and trailer sites in a large ponderosa pine and aspen setting. The campsites are located on the banks of Willow Creek.
$8 / night
$20 - $42 / night
Located on the edge of the South Warner Wilderness this campground is nestled in the thick pine forests above Jess Valley at the south end of the Warner Mountains. It's easy access makes for a perfect weekend get away.
Set back off the highway in a tree lined gulch this campground is a very quiet and pleasant place to spend the weekend or your entire vacation. A short hiking trail is available for nature viewing as this is one of the several Basin and Range Birding Trail stops within the Modoc National Forest. A recent dedication of the Highway 139 Auto Tour and Howard's Gulch Interpretive Sites brings an added benifit to this area. The Auto Tour is just south of the campground on the Howard's Gulch Frontage Road.
TravelerLooked nice to camp and the creek might have been a nice place to drop a line. But, no spots available to camp as hunters used campsites for their personal parking lot and even took over the area to the south of the campsites. There were three trailers there but I lost count of the trucks there. We went up the road further to the Trailhead and hunting vehicles everywhere. So we went further and found a nice spot to camp. It would be nice if the campsites were clearly marked and were used as such.
Ranger
So many beautiful trees in the campground and plenty of places to hang a hammock.
We stayed for a long weekend, deer were plentiful and it was a perfect spot to enjoy nature.
Guide
Needed a place while heading north. Easy to find. Inexpensive free shower and had access to do laundry. Worked well for our camper van.
Close to the wild refuge. Walked the 3 mile loop before heading out of town. Super close
Casino is also within a few miles. Penny slots
Guide
If you need a spot dont moss this one! Easy access from highway though only a 1/4 mile to CG sign . Did not see a Howard's Gulch sign. Clean, quiet, some road noise IF a vehicle goes by. Lots of trees, a short hiking trail, good tasting water. Probably won't accommodate big rigs 35' max????
Scout
Graded dirt road a few miles from highway. Small camping area but not many people.
Scout
We pulled in a 16ft camp trailer with no problem. Plenty of camp sites to choose from. There are a lot of trees to navigate with larger trailers. 19 ft trailer may be the max. Very peaceful
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! Camp Freedom has a prime location for those who enjoy the outdoors, check out the list of nearby activities to do during your stay! Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!
ScoutCame here for the eclipse and had no trouble on the roads. Free campsites with vault toilets, tables, and fire pits. Enjoyed the sound of the river while camping.
Traveler
I had this campground all to myself at the end of June. Was a perfect place to stop for the night. Very secluded and beautiful. Sunset was amazing. So many unique birds and lake is swimmable.
Only downside is that it got buggy at night but no suprise there.
ScoutPulled off around 10:30-11 pm on a roadtrip, and car camped in the parking lot. Parked further from the road and away from road to avoid getting flashed by incoming cars. 10/10 sorry i put 4 stars. Pee Pee’d in the morning.
Legend
Not much to report here, other than be aware of snow in May. We tried to get to this campground but were blocked by too much snow in the road. Other than the snow the road was in good condition and easy to drive in our class c. The website lists the status for this campground as “area not cleared,” so presumably if you have a vehicle that can get through the snow, then you’re ok to go camp here.
Also as of Spring 2023 there will be a $15/night fee, so no longer free. Zero cell service here.
Legend
Sweet little free USFS campground that is open (previous review and Google maps list this as permanently closed). Campground is free and first come first serve. It’s very basic- there are picnic benches and fire pits at each site, as well as several pit toilets throughout the campground, but otherwise there are no services. There’s no host and no trash service and the sites aren’t even marked or numbered.
The Verizon phone had basically no service, just some sporadic in and out, but practically unusable. The cell booster didn’t help. The ATT phone has some service, not great, but usable for texting and light browsing.
The creek runs right through the campground and some of the sites are just right on the water. The sound of the creek drowns out most of the noise from the road (except for the big trucks), so you have the perfect scenario of easy access from the road but not much road noise. There were no other campers when we stayed here on a Saturday in mid May. One person was here to walk her dogs for a bit but otherwise we had the whole place to ourselves. There was still some snow on the ground and it looks like there’s a second entrance to the east but that road was blocked by snow. The website says that the vehicle limit is 17ft, but I’m not sure why. We had plenty of room for our 26ft class c. I could see large class As or 5th wheels having trouble navigating the narrow forest roads.
Legend
Free usfs camping! Secluded little campground right off 299. Follow directions on Dyrt app as coordinates don’t quite take you to the actual campground. There is signage as you turn off 299 but mileage is off. Pit toilets, trash and seasonal? water (was off when we were here in late October). Sites may be small for a big rig but fit our van with plenty of room.
LegendGreat little BLM campground located on Eagle Lake. There are no established campground sites but an open area. There are two restrooms but no trash cans. This campground is pack in, pack out. It's a great site for a day.
Cell Service: 5G Great
LegendThis is a middle of the road, nothing particularly special about it campground. There’s a small lake/pond nearby with fishing but that’s the primary draw; you can hike or drive to additional decent fishing throughout the Sierras but don’t expect a major nearby body of water to give the place a nice ambiance. Mosquitoes are aggressive despite the altitude. It’s first come first served (and almost always has space available because it’s a bit off the beaten track). Two vault toilets in a degrading state of cleanliness.
Note that there are no services here, including no potable water. No trash service so please pack everything in and everything out.
LegendThis campground is HIGH up in the mountains (over 5,000 feet) so remember sunscreen, water, and the fact that it’s going to get plenty cold at night regardless of the season. There is a lot of BLM boondocking activity in this area so it’s nice to have an actual campground.
There are seven sites in total and according to signage you can stay for a maximum of 14 days. This is plenty even when you take into consideration the vast number of hiking trails and off circuit lakes to explore. It’s a beautiful corner of California and highly underrated.
RVs can fit in these spots but the maximum length is about 24 feet. Vault toilets. No camp host and no cell service.
Ranger
Very peaceful campground nestled in the forest. Sites were clearly defined with fire rings and picnic tables. Pit toilets were surprisingly clean given the remoteness of this campground. There are several dirt road trails from campground offering various hiking options.
Road to campground was easily accessible by 2WD.
Only concern we had were the abundance of mosquitoes. Would go again.
No cell coverage.
No cost; FF campground.
TravelerEnjoyed the tent site and it had a nice shower.
Scout
We booked a quick one night stay here, passing through. We wish we had allowed more time! There were loads of walking trails, the pool looked very nice and they have beer on tap in the art garden during the weekend. The owners were very friendly and made us feel welcome. Our kids loved all the the art throughout the property and the new rock pit they'd just finished installing! The sites were very spacious and had full hookups 👍
Ranger
Good campsite nestled in the trees. Approximately 10 tent sites, 20 RV, and 15 cabins. RV are full hookup. Showers, laundry and friendly staff. Easy, close drive to Lava Beds National park
RangerFound this unmapped camping spot by following a USFS access road to an old boat launch area. Water is too low now to launch, but several fire rings, an older seasonally maintained pit toilet and minimal noise and light pollution made for a great stay. I am fully self contained.
ScoutThis campsite is nestled in the forest away from the highway. It has cabins, RV, and tent camping available. There is a new playground for children. When you stay, a free shower is included. The bathrooms are regular flushing toilets with showers in the room and outlets if you need to blowdry your hair. The attendant on the grounds is very nice and friendly. We arrived late (9pm) and she was able to assist us with getting settled. There is a small shop next to the office. You can also book your lot reservation online. I'll include a picture of the map of the area. For those tent camping, bring a tarp for your tent to sit on. It's a dirt, rock, and pine needles area. In the morning, you'll hear song birds.
GuideTravelerThe campground and hosts were….awesome! The hosts were attentive and drove around in their golf cart regularly and diligently and were informative and friendly. The camp was good too. All was fairly quiet and the spots are far enough apart. However, the lake was dismal. It smelled like sewage and there was an algal scum floating all over the surface…the bad part is, we didn’t notice the smell until we were already in the water. I have been out on the lake about 20 years ago and it was great, from a boat out in the middle somewhere. From the beach? Miss me with that, please. One can rent a boat…only for fishing… We might stay there again, if we bring kayaks or boats or something.
Traveler
Clean bathrooms, lots of shade, saw two deer and a ton of quail. Easy to pull in and out. Very peaceful. Also day use areas. On site camp hosts. The lake is completely dried up.
TravelerTucked away, this place was great! We didn’t have too many people there but it was a gorgeous sight!
Legend
The park was easy to find, but a slow drive from the turn off in Likely due to the road being a little rough. Then the road leading to the park was a bit more narrow and it seemed like you were driving onto a private ranch. Our nightly rate included the weekly 1/2 price golf package. Check in was easy and we proceeded to back-in site 14 with FHUs. The road at the site was wide so back-in was easy. The utilities are more toward the front of the site, which made them very convenient for our rig. Great water pressure so suggest using your reducer. Our site backed up on the meadow and we were told this was an off leash area. The sites along the meadow had trees that provided some shade. The playground is on the far side of the meadow, however per reviews, this place is not considered kid friendly and that is a positive draw for us. We came to relax in the quiet and play golf, not have to hear and watch the campground babysit people’s kids as we are seeing way too much of that these days. The very nice lady at check in said we probably would not get WiFi in our far back location. Our Weingard Connect 2.0 did pull in some signal, but it wasn’t very good. However, we did get three bars on Verizon and our MiFi worked fine. We got 4 OTA channels so we put out our satellite and were pleasantly surprised we got an easy shot of the southern sky with the trees around the site. There are pull through and group sites up near the club house, but many were quite close together and not many shade trees. There are also a variety of tent sites available, some with 15/20 AMP. Our pups enjoyed the 1.4 mile nature trail, 3 mile trail around the golf course, and running off leash in the meadow area. The pups were allowed to go golfing with us, but we opted to leave them in the a/c as the temps were unseasonably high. We had a blast playing the golf course plus checked out Mill Creek Falls and Blue Lake both about 30 minutes away. Alturas has your main amenities plus we found reasonably priced diesel 5 miles out of town on US 395 North at Chimney Rock Travel Center just past the CA Agriculture check. We’ll be back!
Discover the joy of camping with your furry friends near McArthur, California, where several campgrounds welcome pets and offer a variety of amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near McArthur, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near McArthur, CA is Blue Lake Campground Group Site Modoc Nf (Ca) — Modoc National Forest with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near McArthur, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 38 dog-friendly camping locations near McArthur, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
