Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Plumas National Forest

This was a beautiful campground, primitive in the Plumas National Forest but it is burnt to the earth after the North Complex Fire and it will never reopen.

We drove up on 9.25.24 to see if any of the down trees have been cleared and only some have been. You can pull into the camp but large dead and down trees prevent access to the campground.

The pit toilet is also damaged and it is unlikely the USFS will make any repairs.

Just outside of Milford, CA in Plumas National Forest is this tiny campground right off of the Milford Grade. There are about 6 sites but some were so overgrown that they would not be pleasant to stay at. 

There is a vault bathroom but no water or trash. 

During the season is runs $15/night plus $7 for additional vehicle. We stayed one night on the off season in April and it was free. 

The sites did have picnic tables and fire pits though some fire pits were overgrown with grass. Some sites are very small and will only fit a car and tent. Quite a few people drove through the campground but chose not to stay.

This is a good spot for a night while traveling through but I am not sure why anyone would want to stay longer than that as there is not much hiking except for the main dirt road. The paved part of the road is full of rundown abandoned trailers and houses. The dirt road into the campground was fairly smooth. 

We were the only people there that night. If the campground was full then you would be able to see just about everyone there from any site so zero privacy. 

Cell reception was barely usable with a WeBoost, without that there was none with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Gorgeous spot. Park undergoing renovations and roads a little tight but all in all a beautiful park. Great dog park

This was where we went for our first outing with the travel trailer. The staff was very helpful. The dog park is AMAZING HUGE AND FENCED.

WOW, this place is super nice. Kid friendly with activities and play areas. Pet park for off leash play! Clean and friendly staff! #1 park in our book!

We love Collins!! Very nice for paddle boarding and kayaking. Clean sites and pet friendly. We took the boat on our last trip here and had a great time. Great fishing spots!!

The front desk lady was super super nice. The park is beautiful! The guests are all super friendly. Family and pet friendly. The pool isn’t open yet but the spa is. We can not wait to come back!

Surprised how well maintained and friendly staff assisting with set up. Nice dog large area without enclosed fencing. All short term campers are located in the center very cozy. Lots of families and kids and noisy. We were able to ride bike in the park and on the road that was safe with little to no traffic. Several grass areas for guest minus pets. The perimeter areas are for permanent residence with several for sale. So no chance of getting some nice sites. A number of tiny cottages to rent. The railroad tracks along side of park and loud in early hours you got use to it. Will return but off season when kids are back in school. Also no access to creek from park. Recommend very clean park

we found there to be a lot of rules at this campground such as no fires, however there is a community fire pit. No driving over 5 MPH, no charcoal grills or smokers, only electric and propane grills. They are also very serious about the 11pm quiet time.

Aside from all the rules this was a very clean, family and pet friendly campground. Very clean bathrooms with showers!! There are a few lakes that are very nice for fishing and kayaking. Nice calm water for a leisurely SUP experience.

This is a great campground. There are many riverside campsites and there is a market with groceries, souvenirs, and showers. Shuttles take you to and from the campground to other parts of the park to hike. Pets are allowed in the campground but not on any trails. There is significant bear activity and you will have to store scented things accordingly. All sites have bear boxes and bear secure trashcans. There are several ranger led programs throughout the week. There is no shortage of hiking for any skill level. Some top choices are the Congress Trail (moderate), Round Meadow (easy), and the Pear Lakes Trail(difficult). These are only a few. This campground does not have cabins, but there are other places nearby with cabins and lodges.

The composting toilet is a wreck. Not usable. Use cat holes instead (200 ft from water please). Poison oak is everywhere. River views are spectacular.

Easy drive. Quarter showers. Fishing, kayaking, swimming. The only reason not 5 stars is dogs are not permitted in the water. We have to find a dog sitter for our chocolate lab when we visit because it is pure torture for him to not be allowed to swim and play fetch in the lake. At&t phone service works well in most camp sites.

I have been here several times and enjoy the proximity to the peaceful lake.  I try to locate a site away from the others to totally enjoy the serenity this area can offer. There are great little hikes to enjoy with the dog and a great place to toss a tennis ball into the lake for the dog to swim. I enjoy the short trek from Reno with my teardrop.

This is a great campsite, with lots of amenities. Super family friendly. Lots of kids at this site.

I came here in early August, 2020! It gets warm during the day and many spots have trees, which provide partial shade at some point in the day. I do recommend bringing a pop up structure for the moments when shade is not available.

We stayed at campsite 24, which is right on the river and next to the main river pool access. Lots of people coming by but everyone is respectful and there is some privacy from small trees planted along the path.

At the other end of the site is a river access that’s smaller and allows dogs (the main one does not). Since I do not have kids but do have a dog, I will probably try for the sites closer to the dog access next time.

The main river pool gets busy, lots of kids, families etc. but in the early evening and morning it is pretty empty and was a great time to relax. The dog access river pool was a lot less crowded. You can also float from the dog access pool down river to the main pool site which was a lot of fun.

The property has great bathrooms with showers. They take quarters for the showers, $.25 for 2 minutes. They have a small store onsite for the last minute essentials. They have a air pump to fill up rafts to float in the river. They also have wood delivery to your site if you order by 7pm. Each site has a picnic table and small fire pit with a grate if you want to cook on that! They also have a larger communal areas with BBQ and sink for those wanted to have a group meal. Each campsite has water, electricity and full RV hookups. So lots of RV’s at this location.

Very dog friendly and kid friendly.

Staff was super helpful and always present. They made rounds emptying trash cans, cleaning the bathrooms and just monitoring the area so that’s is super well maintained. You can tell they really love the place and want to keep it clean. They also were super nice when enforcing the rules, not mean but were not afraid to remind people to follow the camp rules (which were super reasonable).

No cell service, which was great. But you can drive up the hill 10 minutes to park at the vista and get a signal.

All in all we had a great time and will be back!

Dog Valley is my favorite quick escape from town. There are so many places to explore that it doesn't get old.

Not a bad campsite, but was surrounded by RVs and people walking around. Can’t bring dogs onto the beach area which was a bummer, but was too crowded anyways

Very nice campsite good staff beautiful place only down take is it’s very crowded they have there sites very close together so having dogs is a hassle at times..But overall great place to camp..

Peaceful and quiet with lots of trees. Laundry and showers. Great place for dogs. Hiking and lakes nearby. The owners are really nice people that will assist you when help is needed. They do not put up with those that break the rules.

One of our favorite places to camp. It is FCFS so we always head up on Thursday afternoon to get a spot! The pups love it here. Site 6 is great because it has its own water access which our dogs loved!!