Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Redwoods, CA

This was a nice short distance away from the i5. Great view of greenery and lake and the night stars. If you happen to have pets be cautious there is a lot of broken glass everywhere, my dog had several cuts on her pads.

Falls were gorgeous. Rum trail is an easy little walk (largely paved). Large picnic area. Not much else to do in the park but good stop if you are thru hiking the PCT.

Bathrooms were clean, flush toilets, hot showers. NO cell service. Had a little camp shop.

NOT a very dog-friendly park, didn’t even see a pet area for them to get out and potty.

This place is cool - the Mineral Lodge and Restaurant is where we checked in for campground. We needed a place to stay before heading into Lassen Volcanic NP. The Mineral Lodge and campground next door are family owned and have a community feel. No frill campground, does have hookups.

$35 per night plus $2 pet fee

Sites very close together. Bathroom old but works. Poor T Mobile service. No wifi.

Nice state park and so much to see and do in the area. Burney Falls is gorgeous. The only thing I didn’t like was the dirt..lol. This area is made from diatomaceous earth and every step you take,a little poof of dust rises up. I must have washed my feet 2 dozen times in one day. If you have pets, be carefull if they come into your tent or RV, you’ll have dust everywhere.

PROS:

+ FREE overnight parking for RVs, trailers, and camper vehicles.

+ Very safe and heavily traffic location. Lots of travelers here spending the evening! Signs say for Olive Pit Customers Only but we spent 2 nights here (along with a few other campers) and no one ever disturbed us.

+ Very flat, leveled, and long paved spots (great for up to 35-foot long fifth wheelers and even 50-foot rigs).

+ Huge lot with lots of available spots. Around 10 spots for larger trailers and RVs, and lots of small spots for campervans and car rooftop tent campers. We saw 4-5 other campers around us who mostly were very private and to themselves

+ Super convenient location near lots of fast food joints, a Starbucks, Rite Aid, and supermarket. The lot shares the same entrance as the Shell Station and Olive Pit Cafe & Store where you can conveniently pick up food/beer/supplies.

+ The Olive Pit has a great cafe and wine tasting room. They sell specialty items such as olives, balsamic vinegar, etc. And they have a great breakfast!

+ There is a giant dumpster for trash disposal behind the Olive Pit

+ There is also a pet area that has a small white fence around a dirted area for pets to relieve themselves.

+ Lots of palm trees in the backdrop giving the place a very California vibe.

CONS:

+ No tent camping, unless it's a car rooftop tent or a pop-up tent trailer

+ No fires/no showers/ no toilets (Although you can walk to the Shell Station to use their toilets which were super clean and well-maintained.)

+ Loud 24 hour carwash at the Shell station. Usually quiets down around 9 pm

+ Bright security lights in the parking lot. Just don't park directly under one. There are a few darker and less lit spots

Pretty awesome views and very clean. Also super easy to get to from Redding. We had an inquisitive fox which was cool and there were a few feral cats which was not cool. Only one other group while we were there.

Only gripe was the no fires sign posted which was a little confusing considering they sold firewood and charcoal at the camp store.

$35 for a double site, when you aren’t even on the water is a little steep for a camp spot for me. close proximity to the lake but still not on the water. good shade coverage with beautiful redwoods and manzanita. when the water is low it may be a trek to the water. across the road and down the hill. average site. not my favorite coupled with the price.

Alpine View Campground on Trinity Lake, CA is centrally located to the small towns nearby (Coffee Creek, Trinity Center, Weaverville) as well as located a short drive to Bowerman Boat Ramp for boat launching. Though the website says year round availability, it was closed during our planned trip. Recreation.gov and the Trinity Alps Wilderness Forest Service website both contain information, however it is best to call the ranger station in Weaverville for the most up to date information.

Campground Review:

Given that Alpine View was closed when we arrived, to our dismay, I still spent time wandering around the campground, adjacent boat launch area, and the lake access area from the campground itself. There are three loops, each with access to potable water and flush toilets, as well as lake access. Some sites are located very close to the water, most have water views through the trees, and some are more private than others. The maps available when reserving your site give a good idea of privacy and lake access. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings/grills. Although it says that bear lockers are provided at all sites, that wasn't the case when I visited. This could have been due to the campground being closed however. There are also ADA sites. The campground is set among a pine forest along the banks of the lake, and no two sites are alike. Lots of character in the individual campsites that may not show up when reserving. Cost is $20-$35 depending on the time of year, with the high season between May-Sept. I can't wait to get back and spend some time here, it seems to have something for everyone. Easy access to the lake, easy boat ramp access, convenient to the multitude of hikes in the Trinity Alps, swimming, fishing, etc. Pets welcome.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Alpine View Campground, and a nearby hike to Mt. Eddy and the Deadfall Lakes, I tested the Boost Oxygen 22 oz Supplemental Oxygen - Original product - https://www.boostoxygen.com/product/natural/. Both the campground and the supplemental oxygen get 4 stars.

The elevation at the campground was ~2500 feet, and after exploring the campground and surrounding area, chasing after two crazy labradors, I didn't notice much of a difference when using it. The canister is extremely light, I would have no problem adding it in to my pack for a backpacking trip, and simple to use. Put the mouthpiece over your nose and mouth, squeeze the trigger and inhale 95% pure oxygen. At this elevation, in clean, crisp mountain air, there wasn't much to be noticed. In hot air, humidity, or smog I could see it being useful. Where the product really shined, however, was on our hike up to the Deadfall Lakes. The trailhead began at 6200 feet or so, our destination of Middle Deadfall Lake was at about 7200-7300 feet of elevation, depending on which map you are looking at. After gaining ~1000 feet in elevation in a little over a mile, while hiking through meadows, stream crossings, and ultimately snow, in 35* weather, a couple pulls off of the oxygen canister was welcome relief. There is no lightheaded feeling, you just notice you are no longer panting or breathing all that heavy. The size, weight, and usefulness of this product make it a no brainer for hiking, skiing, climbing, etc at altitude. My only negative is that it wasn't useful at lower elevations for me. Perhaps it would be useful after long runs, or strenuous weight lifting at lower elevations. But it did work more than as advertised after hiking at higher elevations. I would recommend it, and will be using it again in the future for any outdoor activity at higher elevations, especially because of it's small size and the fact it weighs next to nothing. You won't even notice it is in your pack.

Please don't mind the two crazy labs that kept photobombing.

This is a great little campground located right near a beautiful lake and some great hiking.

The campground itself is small and first-come first-serve, so arrive early in the day to get a spot at all, much less the best spots. We arrived at about 10am on a Thursday in June and had our pick of the spots. For the three days we were there we only had "neighbors" one of the nights.

Nothing too special about this campground other than it is small, so less chance of getting some obnoxious, noisy group near you. There are pit toilets, but no potable water.

The campground is a short walk or really short drive up to Castle Lake, a truly spectacular lake with great options for hiking, kayaking, or paddle boarding in the summer.

The main hiking trail takes you up to Heart Lake and then offers great views of Castle Lake and across to Mt. Shasta. It's only about a mile each way to Heart Lake and then another quarter mile or so to a nice lookout point.

There is another trail that splits off about half a mile from the parking lot and heads east toward Little Castle Lake and eventually the Mt. Bradley fire lookout if you keep going. From there you can go just about anywhere on a series of fire roads.

Dogs are welcome in the campground and on the trails, but please leash your dogs. There are many other dogs on these trails and wildlife nearby, so keep your dog leashed to protect it and the areas around the trails.

The campground is also quite close to the town of Mt. Shasta and other great hikes like Black Butte and Castle Crags State Park.