Best Cabin Camping near Sawyers Bar, CA

The RV Campground is beautiful and surrounded by trees and a creek that flows behind the main RV parking area. Check in is easy. We booked ⁷online and the RV was ready for us. They also allow after hour check ins. You just drive up to the office and grab your reservation ticket off a board next to the main door of the office. They have bathrooms, laundry facilities and showers for those who would like to use them. They also have a pool and hot tub for guest to use. The Dining Cart/restaurant is a jewel only issue is they're not open daily. On the days they are open it's only for Dinner so to get the full experience you can get the hours of operation on their website. The Campground is located near several waterfalls.

Wifi at our spot was weak. Also we have t-mobile and we did not have a signal on the campgrounds/resort, but as soon as you get on the I-5 signal picks back up.

Located just south of Dunsmuir at exit 728. Campground, with 45 sites (22 RV) at a Railroad themed resort that also has Caboose lodging, cabins, restaurant and bar, pool, much more.

Despite being an incredibly busy campground, we had quite a peaceful experience here. Our site had a good amount of space, and although there were a lot of campers around us, we didn't feel overly cramped and had a decent amount of space. Every inch of the campground is covered in pine trees and smells incredible. The campground is massive and has a lot to offer- there are hiking trails, a marina, general store, and a beach, to name a few. The beach is a decent walk from the campground, but worth every minute- the lake sits at the bottom of Mt. Shasta and has an inflatable waterpark, swimming area, and water recreation rentals (kayaks, paddle boards, paddle boats, etc.). The rentals are a little pricey, but definitely worth it. We rented kayaks and the lake was so serene; the perfect way to spend an afternoon. There are a lot of families at the campground, but it never felt too rowdy because it is so spread out. The bathrooms are a short walk away, but not very clean due to the remodeling they are doing to some of the bathrooms to become a year-round facility (though there are free showers). Though there can be a lot of walking to reach the activities available, there is so much to explore, and the scenery is so beautiful that you forget about everything else.

If you don't mind quite a few neighbors, this campground is awesome. There are numerous spaces and you can really get far away from people if you'd like to- as the bulk of them stay nearest the water.  There are bathrooms, flush toilets, showers, a café, ice cream shop, and kayak/paddleboard/paddleboat rentals at the lake- not to mention a huge inflatable play area. The campground is large and spacious- enshrouded by gorgeous mixed conifers and tons of wildflowers- all with a view of Mount Shasta and lake access. What could be better for a large campground really? Only 4 miles outside of Mount shasta City. Beautiful!

This is an enourmous campground on Lake Siskiyou with every conceivable amenity, including a lakeside water park for the kids. If you are an RVer and/or traveling with kids, this is an awesome place. Lake Siskiyou is gorgeous and with its 5 mpg boat speed limit, is incredible for swimming, paddling, and fishing. Other amenities include a dirt bicycling trail around the lake, a store, restaurant, laundromat, boat launch, corded off swim area with sandy beach, and boat rentals. This is definitely not where I would go to pitch a tent, unless family was visiting with kids in tow, but if you enjoy a one stop campground/resort, this is the place. Ten minutes to golf, tennis, world class hiking and bicycling, and the town of Mount Shasta.

When staying in this area I explored two campgrounds one more beach view (around 25 miles south) and another with more of the true Redwood Forest feel. This one being that one!  

We first drove up to this area mid afternoon, which in fall is the time that you start to see the clouds pushing back in from the ocean and the sun slowly start making its decline.  While it isn’t dark super early it also isn’t light and it is during this time that you see the elk moving across the area to graze. That was our first impression of this area, one of such awesome beauty!

We then explored the area even more to realize this campsite was much more than just a campsite it was a part of the State Park which held so much information about these unique and beautiful trees that you had to just stop to take it all in.

We opted to take in one of the shorter trails before fully settling in so we picked up a map at the visitor center area which also had a lot of really interesting items inside and took to the trail right outside the center. When we were inside we were told they offer cabins as well as camping and you can bring your RV as long as it doesn’t exceed a certain length.

We had a group of 4 and yet if we were only a few feet away it was odd to even hear one another speaking.

The world is completely quiet around you when you are in this forest and so the campsites are muffled by the forest moss and ground around them.  It is so surreal to be in a slightly improved area but yet feeling like you are a million miles from anything or anyone.  

Campsites themselves are far from typical, despite offering typical amenities.  They are set in the most serene place you can possibly find and have these huge trees peering over your every move.  It is as though time stands still when you are here because you stop to truly realize just how small you are in the big picture.

The one thing we kept trying to remind ourselves of is that because we were in nature to remember that this was one of the more open areas for animals since we were right in the middle of it all and to not forget that while being in such awe.  For this reason we were mindful of keeping containers closed and in the car, nothing in our packs that could attract any unwanted visitors and to always keep a light at hand when traveling as the sun began to set.

TIPS:

• Don’t rush this is a place you want to take your time. If you are on a trail fully allow yourself time to enjoy that trail don’t try to set a pace typical of other locations.
• Try hiking toward the shore from camp, it is one of the best views you will find of the California coast.

I’m probably giving this an extra star for nostalgia. I camped here decades before,  before it became a more modern campsite, and it was formative. I’d suggest LATE summer, like August, or better yet, after Labor Day. It’s the warmest, nicest time. Or when the Elk are in mating season! LOL. Or spring, when the Lupin arrives. There are also INCREDIBLE day trips into California’s interior, Indian history, little known parks and trails everywhere. Bring all the yummy foods you want… you’re not going to be near a grocery store. Feel a side of California few know about.

Greg took care of us and was friendly and personable. There’s a convenience store and the little town is super close and convenient. Nothing fancy schmancy, but roomy and woodsy, and convenient for our drive down California. :) highly recommend!

We were glad we made the extra drive to this campground at the base of Mt Shasta - temps were cooler than the valley we had just come thru in Northern California and the pool was refreshing. Kids love staying at KOA’s and it didn’t disappoint. We had a good pull thru full hook up site across from the pool. Nice staff and easy check in. Great stopover for a night.

This was my favorite campground in our northern california tour. Campimg among the redwoods, so quiet and shady we slept in late each morning. The elk prarie is a few steps away, we didnt have the right season to see any, but the morning fog on the meadow was still beautiful.

Camp hosts were lovely, scenery beautiful, bathrooms had coong operated shawers and were very well maintained.

aThis is a nice campground in Northern California with lots of things to do from boating on low MPH lake - fishing - trails around lake and a swimming hole. We've been coming here for years and over the past 5 or so they have let a lot of debris lay aroung the campsites and have cut down most the shade trees but still a fun place to camp i gave it a 3 star based on the price and over all condition of the sites

I camped here many, many years ago. In fact, it was over two decades ago. We spent a night here as part of a road trip that took us up the Pacific Coast all the way to Seattle. I had just moved to California from the East Coast, and the sheer size of the country north of San Francisco (where I was living at the time) blew my mind.  We had a hike-in site, but I can't seem find on the current maps which one it was exactly.  Again, this was over 20 years ago.  But we checked in at the Prairie Creek visitors center.  I remember this clearly, as we were given a bear canister for our food, which was the first time I'd ever had to use one of these. When I'd go camping back east, I'd just hang my food in bags. But the ranger was adamant we'd want this canister for the site we'd be camping at. More on this later.

The hike in was about 2 miles and took us deep into ancient groves of Redwoods. At the time, I thought this was the most beautiful spot on Earth that I'd ever visited. It's still probably in the top 10, maybe top 5. The site itself was on a bluff overlooking the Pacific.  It was your typical California state park primitive site with a picnic table and fire pit.  We made dinner and listened to the waves crashing on the beach below.  It was July, and we had daylight until almost 9PM. It was actually sunny that evening, which at the time didn't strike me as unusual, but that's because I was a newcomer to the state. Fog is very common along the northern California coast, so even in summer, it can be quite cool - indeed almost downright cold. I'd like to think that we came prepared with warm clothes and layers, but we probably didn't (again, I was a recent transplant from the East Coast and still associating summer with hot and humid weather.) We were were lucky it happened to be a warm and balmy day.

Now, about that bear canister. I loaded all our food and toothpaste into it and placed it about 50 yards away from the tent. I recall thinking that this was purely precautionary - there was very little chance a bear would actually come to our site.  I was wrong.  At about 2AM, we heard a large creature walking around the campsite. I admit that I panicked for a moment or two. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. But then I remembered that black bears do tend to be timid, and will often be scared off by loud noises. For reasons I've never been able to explain, I grabbed my flashlight, jumped out of the tent, and started making barking sounds, like a dog. As embarrassing as that is to admit, the bear ran off into the woods.  I barely caught a glimpse of it. We obviously didn't sleep too well after that, but as the morning broke we began to convince ourselves that there was no way we were actually visited by a bear.  It had to be an elk. When I returned the canister to the ranger, he disabused me of that notion. If we had heard something loud enough to wake us in that part of the park, it almost certainly was a bear, he said.  Over the next 25 years, we'd camp in areas with lots of bears (Yosemite, King's Canyon), and we'd see bears often, but this remains the only time a bear would actually come to our site while we were sleeping.

Per my rating system, this is an easy 5-stars as the Redwood National Forest and the CA state parks within it are some of the most beautiful spots on this planet. You can easily spend a week or more exploring the area. I've not returned to this specific spot since that July night so many years ago, but I've visited several of the other state parks in the area. Having written this, perhaps it's time for me to see if I can find this particular site again. That would be a fun adventure.

Beautiful camping above Springville 

Beautiful scenery and hiking

We stayed here for 4 nights in a towable trailer.  I highly recommend getting a spot near the tents and exit to the river road if you are towing a trailer.  We were on the end of Raccoon Rd and it was fantastic.  The tent sites looked great with plenty of space for you to set up.  Several people even brought small trailers like RPods into the tent area and just didn't use hookups.  There are plenty of dirt paths out to the lake both from the KOA and nearby.  Many people brought ATVs to utilize these and it looked like a great time.  We used out truck and mountain bikes to tootle around on them and had a great time.  This place would be great if you tow a boat and just want to set up with tents in an RV site as well - we saw many people doing that.  Kayaks were available to rent in set 2 hour timeslots, banana bikes available if you are into that.  There are plenty of games like bocci and ladder ball.  All in all we had a great time and would highly recommend it.  Great place to use a base camp to hit nearby rivers, ponds, trailheads, or even the lake.  20 minutes away from the main marina on the south side of the lake where you can rent a boat for the day too!