Modoc National Forest is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Modoc National Forest is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your California camping adventure.
Lava Beds has one campground, Indian Well Campground, located 1/2 mile (0.8 km) from the Visitor Center and cave loop. There are 43 sites available on a first-come, first serve basis. Sites can accommodate tents, pickup campers, small trailers and motor homes up to 30 feet. Note: not all sites can accommodate motor homes.
Pioneer Camp
$143 / night
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.
This is a primitive area without facilities. The boat ramp is gravel and dirt. There is parking for boat trailers and room for turn around. Small motor boats and car top boats can launch from Duncan South. Dogs on leash only. Please clean up after your dog. Garbage service is not provided. Please take all trash, garbage, fish guts and dog droppings with you when you leave.
WELCOME TO EAGLE'S NEST RV PARK's website. The park is located in Tionesta, California where you can enjoy hiking, caving, biking, fishing, and hunting or just plain relaxing. Eagle's Nest RV Park offers rest and relaxation in a peaceful setting. Eagle's Nest is dedicated to providing a beautiful place for folks to stay.
Acres of pristine wilderness surround the park, offering abundant recreational opportunities for visitors. Take a hike to the Timber Mountain fire lookout tower, from there you can look out at the Modoc forest and massive landscape. Walk up to Rosie's Bench, play at the playground, or even enjoy a game of horseshoes!
$20 - $35 / 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.
4.8 * Google-rated Campground! We are NOT your average seasonal RV park. Nope. Not at all. "Boondockers" call us "boondocking with luxury". We're forested and rustic, yet with super clean bathrooms and showers, and a great swimming pool. Full hookups and with several site types to choose your level of space and privacy, or if you have extra tents, and with pull- thru choices. 68 acres of trails allow you to unwind, and then head into town if you like for a variety of delicious food from The Old Merc, Crumbs, or Annies Rendevous Cafe - right in McArthur!
Our beautiful, spacious RV resort campground is between Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta. We are proudly "worth the drive" and remain committed an amazing experience for our all our customers, and seek to be open, inviting and inclusive to ALL guests!
We invite you to enjoy our 68 acres of beautiful oak and pine forest lands, offering comfortable, clean resort facilities, spacious full hookup RV campsites of different sizes including many pull-thru, alternative lodging options, streaming Wi-Fi available at every site, a seasonal swimming pool, walking trails with valley/mountain views and more. Pet friendly! We are NOT a parking lot campground - you'll be happily surprised with the "elbow room" our campground affords guests! We are all about the FUN of natural surroundings, and we also like to make ART out in the woods to surprise you! Our pleasant, helpful staff can't wait to meet you!
While we are mainly a summer season campground, we offer off-season discounts to month to month guests with winterized RVs, and seek to help out winter travelers as much as possible!
$42 - $75 / night
Pioneer Camp
$143 / night
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.
This is a primitive area without facilities. The boat ramp is gravel and dirt. There is parking for boat trailers and room for turn around. Small motor boats and car top boats can launch from Duncan South. Dogs on leash only. Please clean up after your dog. Garbage service is not provided. Please take all trash, garbage, fish guts and dog droppings with you when you leave.
WELCOME TO EAGLE'S NEST RV PARK's website. The park is located in Tionesta, California where you can enjoy hiking, caving, biking, fishing, and hunting or just plain relaxing. Eagle's Nest RV Park offers rest and relaxation in a peaceful setting. Eagle's Nest is dedicated to providing a beautiful place for folks to stay.
Acres of pristine wilderness surround the park, offering abundant recreational opportunities for visitors. Take a hike to the Timber Mountain fire lookout tower, from there you can look out at the Modoc forest and massive landscape. Walk up to Rosie's Bench, play at the playground, or even enjoy a game of horseshoes!
$20 - $35 / 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.
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
Having always wanting to , but never pulling the trigger, finally changed. OMG it was FANTASTIC!!
Easy drive, with paved roads until the very end. One receives the gate code the week prior to the reservation for the gate & door. Upon arrival you are greeted with MAGNIFICENT VISTAS 360 degrees!! Wrap-around balcony & windows!! Wee fireplace inside & a fire pit outside. 2 picnic tables. A vault toilet 20 yards away from cabin.
Don’t wait….pull the trigger!!!
TravelerRoad side area, gravel surface. Step entry off road. Creek side good for stop over. State land.
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
This was a great place at the top of the mountain. Rainbow pond was a great place to walk to from the campground. I really enjoyed my time setting up a hammock and enjoying the scenery. There was plenty of shade and a nice breeze in the afternoon that I looked forward to.
Traveler
I’ve been coming here since i was a newborn every year and i am now 18 years old and it’s stayed my favorite place in the whole world. anyone who knows me knows this campsite is my entire personality and my biggest obsession. every day i wake up i am solely motivated by the mere thought of coming to this place for the single week out of the year. the lake is maybe 20 feet from the site which is perfect for boat access and the lake britton is my favorite i’ve ever been to. i’ve camped by tent and by trailer and both were so great. the summer heat makes swimming perfect but as night falls it cools beautifully enough to be able to bundle up by the fire. friends of mine have fantasized of one day being able to join me on my trip as it’s all i talk about. the only bugs are mosquitos which is inevitable while camping. campsite is super private and calm and is super spacious. BEST PLACE ON EARTH.
ScoutMosquitos. Vast clouds of them, attacking you through the fabric of your tent. In the early morning, when you step outside, you often see a haze, a fog, on the water. It's not fog, it's mosquitos by the millions.
The campground is called Dusty Camp for a reason - it's built on a deposit of diatomaceous earth. This is the shells of tiny sea life from millions of years ago. It's incredibly abrasive and clings to clothes - better to discard them. The good news is that there are no ants here - the DE gets into the exoskeleton joints of the ants, immobilizing and starving them to death. It's actually sold in garden stores to control household crawling insects. DE is not toxic but unbelievably abrasive. It's very lightweight and when dry gets into EVERYTHING - it even has a static charge. When dry it reeks of rotten fish.
This is a good place to run from, which is ironic, as "the train on the bridge" scene to "Stand By Me" was filmed on a trestle just down the road. (The kids are trapped on a railroad bridge with an oncoming steam locomotive, and help each other flee for their lives
Ranger
The campground is fairly nice. No functional bear lockers (camp host said there haven’t been bears here in over 9 years). The bathrooms (flush toilets) were clean. Weirdly, most of the campsites were vacant, but the online reservations showed that most of the sites were booked. We had a large noisy group next to us the first night. Otherwise it was quiet. The trail to the falls (Falls Loop Trail) was closed for repairs, which we knew when we booked. Not the nicest place we’ve been but not the worst. Probably won’t stay there again.
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
GuideThis camp grounds was peaceful and beautiful.
Most site were very level. I stayed in #49. It was perfectly shaded. The staff is friendly, the amenities are clean.
Verizon - no coverage. I had to go to their public wifi at their visitor center.
This park has a great Dump site, multiple stations easy in/out. Also has fresh water filling station
Ranger
We love coming to the TuleLake Fairgrounds. It has 30/50 Amp electricity and full hook ups. It is right off of Hwy 395 and very peaceful and quiet. Close to the wildlife refuges. If you have Passport America, you get half off the $36.00 night fee.
GuideFirst time I stayed in a campground with heated bathrooms which was great because we pulled into camp during a storm. I do not snow camp so that was a blessing. Next day was beautiful. Even though it is a National Park the rangers allowed us to collect dead and down wood for the fire. They do not sell firewood in the park. Views were spectacular and so much to do and see. Definitely coming back to finish exploring the park.
Guide
A small quiet campground near, but not on Drews creek. Only space for about 4 maybe 5 RVs. All sites great for tents. There are no services - no water, no electric, no dump. It does have two very nice and clean modern pit toilets. We had no cell service.
Legend
Very nice campground
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.
Scout
The campground host, Warren, is great! He keeps the cleanest pit toilets and takes time to chat with campers about what to do around the campground.
Traveler
Showers ($1 bills only), fire pits, and FCFS sites, as well as a friendly campground host. Beautiful spot right on the lake. Mosquitos and bees so bring bug spray.
Guide
We came here in the early spring which was super cold - got hailed on for a few hours. But overall the campsite was good.
We have never been to the lava beds and it was cool to experience. Hard to say how much of the weather played a factor in our review, but the campsite was just okay.
Caves were dope though! Highly recommend Skull Cave! Pictures don't do it justice.
GuideThis campground was well maintained and the sites were large. Ample access to water spigots throughout the sites. Bathrooms were standard with flush toilets. A short walk to the falls made it very accessible. Would recommend driving to the lake due to the length of the walk and elevation to return back. Not much else to do in the area. There is a campground store where they also sell hot food and overpriced supplies if needed.
ScoutBeautiful campsite, usually pretty empty on weekdays. We went in late May and it's lovely, across our campsite was the river which was also gorgeous. Super green. The camp host Jeff is super sweet and fun to talk to so if you see him say hi!
The group site is being cleaned right now so it was not open when we were there, it should re-open around June 5. All other sites are open and beautiful.
Enjoy! :)
Guide
We drove up to this campground on May 24th and it was being cleared. The sign said campground open but there were no posters or signs on the board or slips to reserve a site and it was a ghost town. Loggers who were working to clear the sites of debris on-site said that they were going to be working for another month.
Legend
After checking out South Lava Beds and West Tionesta (so named on The Dyrt app) this was the winner for us. There was greenery and living trees all around and it made for such a nicer environment. On Sunday, the area was completely silent, except for birds chirping. One logging truck drove by, as well as one park ranger truck, otherwise we didn’t see anybody. However. On Monday morning all the trucks started rolling through. We left about 9 or 10am and maybe 10 trucks had gone by. And they're noisy. And the dirt they kick up is fine and silty, so it just floats around long after they've passed. Definitely a buzz kill! We were debating staying two nights, but the trucks convinced us to leave.
Good enough (not great) cell service for both Verizon and ATT. We actually didn’t need to use our levels for this spot, which is always a treat. Easy access for our 26ft class c and I believe bigger rigs would be ok here as well. No amenities here, obviously, so please pack out your trash.
Legend
Another one of these Dyrt campsites with zero info other than the location- thank you to whoever is adding these. This spot is a little further down the road from South Lava Beds, and would be fine, but we decided to keep going and find something a little less surrounded by blackened and burned trees and debris. There are piles of them everywhere, so I don’t know if workers come through here periodically- we didn’t see anybody when we were here on a Sunday. The area is still recovering from a 2020 fire
(Caldwell Fire, I believe).
Good cell reception, to our surprise. Our 26ft Class C had no problems reaching this spot, just take it slow once you leave the paved road. The dirt road is ok but there were a few dips and ruts that we had to go around. This would make a fine spot to stop over at, but it was a little too barren for us to want to stay here.
Legend
I don’t know who’s adding these dispersed camping spots on The Dyrt (as there are no reviews or any additional info other than the location) but it’s much appreciated. We stopped to check this place out and would have stayed here for the night but decided to keep going and check out one more place first.
The location is easily accessed from the main road, no problems for our 26ft Class C. Cell service was surprisingly good for both Verizon and ATT. There’s a messy little fire pit here, but no other markers. The spot is off the road and has some sad blackened or dead trees surrounding it.
This area is still recovering from a big fire in 2020 and there are piles of burned logs and debris all over the area, giving it a desolate feel. The area is nice and quiet though, and very little traffic. Would make a great stop for a few days.
Camping near Modoc National Forest, California, offers a unique experience with stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, this area has something for everyone.
Camping near Modoc National Forest, California, is a fantastic way to connect with nature and enjoy the great outdoors. Just remember to plan ahead and be ready for whatever comes your way!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Modoc National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, Modoc National Forest offers a wide range of camping options, with 80 campgrounds and RV parks near Modoc National Forest and 7 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Modoc National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Modoc National Forest is Indian Well Campground — Lava Beds National Monument with a 4.9-star rating from 13 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Modoc National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 7 free dispersed camping spots near Modoc National Forest.
What parks are near Modoc National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 15 parks near Modoc National Forest that allow camping, notably Fremont-Winema National Forest and Lassen National Forest.