Searching for a tent camping spot near Modoc National Forest? Finding a place to camp in California with your tent has never been easier. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
One of 4 lovely campgrounds at Medicine Lake, Hogue is the largest and most spacious. Trailers and motorhomes up to 30 feet are welcome. Vault toilets will accommodate persons in wheelchairs with assistance. Beach access is located along the eastern edge of the lake at the Day Use, Picnic area.
Great getaway property on top of California Pines. Just up the hill from Brown’s Pond and around the corner from Rainbow Pond. You can enjoy a nice camping area in the mountains during the summer. As a forester, I personally love being among the trees, especially the incense cedar and ponderosa pine as the afternoon breeze comes in 🍃🌲
$30 / night
Sunset Campground has 54 tables, pressure water system, 54 stoves, 12 toilets, and 27 pedestal grills. For RVs, Sunset Campground can accommodate medium length trailers. Amenities include: Boat ramp,Tent camping,Camping trailer,Picnic tables,Toilets,Drinking water
$16 - $20 / night
Blanche Lake and Campground are located a few miles southeast of Medicine Lake and offer campers a little more seclusion than that of the larger lake area.
Happy Camping! Our campgrounds are open and are very popular already! Are you interested in camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, picnicing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, or sight seeing? The choices for recreation are almost unlimited on the McCloud District. During the late spring, summer and early fall, the McCloud Area offers fishing, hunting, swimming, camping, hiking, photography oppurtunities, and spectacular scenery. During the winter months, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, snow- shoeing, hunting, fishing, and downhill skiing are the top ranking outdoor opportunities. The Pilgrim Creek Snowmobile Park has vault toilets, a warming hut, and miles of groomed trails for your use. There are a number of developed campgrounds and day use facilities located along the scenic McCloud River, that includes Fowlers, Cattle Camp, and Camp 4. Fowlers CG has 31 reservation only and 8 first come, first served sites. (All walk-in until May 15th) Camp 4 is a reservation only group campground. You can reserve a site at recreation.gov. There is a 14 day stay limit at our campgrounds. Cattle Camp is first come first served. The McCloud River parallels Highway 89 from its source near Dead Horse Summit to Fowlers Campground. There it turns south and continues through private property to the McCloud Reservoir. At the "Res" as it is known locally, the river again flows through National Forest lands to a point several miles below AhDiNa Campground, plus several other areas downstream to the Nature Conservancy's McCloud River Preserve. From here, the river passes through mostly private property and public access from the banks is extremely limited until the river enters the McCloud Arm of Shasta Lake. Another popular camping option on your National Forest is the dispersed camping option. You may camp anywhere on NF land unless designated otherwise for 14 days in any given spot and up to 30 days. You may not disperse camp on the McCloud River Loop area, see map.
This little campground is approximately 1 mile from the Headquarters Campground and gets most of it's use when the 4 other Medicine Lake Campgrounds are full. If you are looking for close proximity to the lake but would prefer a quiet, more secluded environment, try Schonchin Springs Campground.
Dog Lake Campground is located approximately 55 minutes west of Lakeview, Oregon. The campground is a serene destination for those seeking to fish and relax in a lakeside setting. It offers 15 campsites and four vault toilets. Each campsite has a picnic table and campfire ring. Dog Lake Boat Ramp and Day Use Area is across from the campground. Non-motorized boats and boats with electric motors are allowed at Dog Lake. There is a large parking area with adequate trailer turnaround, and one vault toilet. In addition to the boat ramp, you’ll find a fishing dock. Dog Lake attracts a multitude of birds including pelicans, geese, ducks, and other waterfowl. Birdwatching and fishing are the main recreational pursuits at Dog Lake. Another bonus is its close proximity to Drews Reservoir and Drews Creek. Dog Lake’s water level fluctuates depending on snow melt. It attracts a multitude of birds including pelicans, geese, ducks, and other waterfowl. Birdwatching and fishing are the main recreational pursuits at Dog Lake. Another bonus is its close proximity to Drews Reservoir and Drews Creek. Alert : There is no potable water. Visitors need to pack plenty of water.
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
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
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.
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.
GuideThis campground and area was such a huge surprise for us. We chose it because it was located about where we needed to rest for the night, but instead got a wonderful experience. Super quiet. The lava beds/caves were amazing. The night sky was surreal.
Nestled in the stunning landscapes of California, Modoc National Forest offers a variety of tent camping options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Modoc National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Modoc National Forest is A.H Hogue Campground with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Modoc National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Modoc National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
