Camping near Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Castle Crags was one of my favorite camping experiences I've had in ages. I stayed here for five nights this past April. My site was so huge, I couldn't believe I only paid $12.50 a night for it (with my pass). The only major downside was that showers were down, and only the section of campground without showers was open. Yes there was some noise from the train and highway but I personally prefer this over yelling and bass. The PCT has an auxiliary trail to this campground and there is a site reserved just for PCT hikers for $6/night. There are several electric charging stations hidden near this site. The hike from the campground to the view of Shasta, Lassen, and Castle Crags was moderately difficult but relatively short and well worth the view. There are several famous waterfalls located not far from this campground and Weed, CA is only about 15 minutes away. Not much around other than that but I'd come back just for the campground.

We stayed here a few years ago and the water was so low that we literally could not reach it, even after a long walk down, it just became too rocky. So we were incredibly happy this time around that the water levels were so high. It was beautiful. We scored ourselves a really cool spot right along the water on a Thursday afternoon, thinking that even if it gets busy for the weekend at least we have our nice spot secured. But. It was spring break. And just about an hour after we arrived, so did everyone else. We were practically surrounded by this huge group, with kids, loose dogs, ATVs, boats, dirt bikes, generators running, just…. Not where we want to be. We left the next morning. But I will say that the few peaceful hours we had before they all arrived were incredible. We’ll definitely go back, but only if it’s during the week and not on a school break. 

It’s free to stay here in the off-season but $15/night during the season. Not really sure how the payment works since it’s dispersed camping along the lake shore but maybe it makes sense when you see it or when it's open. Pretty good cell reception here. We managed to navigate to our spot just fine in a 26ft class c.

 While the park itself is beautiful and well-maintained, I unfortunately cannot say the same about the management. A member of the office staff violated my privacy by intentionally sharing my personal information with another resident. This reckless and inappropriate behavior led to serious conflict in my life, and is a blatant violation of my civil rights. I am in the process of contacting the realty company listed as the owner/operator to formally address this issue. It is deeply concerning that someone in her position would show such disregard for confidentiality and professionalism. This individual should not be in a role that involves handling sensitive information—she has proven to be untrustworthy and lacking in integrity. Shame on her for abusing her position. I strongly advise others to proceed with caution.

Having recently set a goal of staying at all our ‘local’ lookouts, Post Creek is #2.
This is a gorgeous, and larger than expected, structure. It has a living room, restroom & bedroom. Sadly, the area was devastated by fires several years ago (August Complex 2020) But the views & privacy are breathtaking!! I drove ‘option 2’ TO the camp without any issues. (Lifted Crosstrek) Washboards were fair/moderate. Upon leaving, I tried to follow ’option 1’ FROM the camp, but got slightly off track & stayed on 24N10. (no biggie, just more dirt than pavement) The road is ‘fine’, but there are lots of tight spots due to downed trees & fire damage There is ZERO cell service (Verizon), and non-potable water. Price paid online was $60. I could NOT find the ‘swimming hole’ 😞

I booked this campground to stay overnight heading south. Temp was 104 degrees so wanted electricity for air. For an overnight stay that’s cheap, then this would be your spot. It was $33 for a night with water and electricity. Sites were flat.

For the campground itself, it is not somewhere I’d want to spend the weekend. There are clearly lots of people that are there full time living in tents with lots of junk and trash piled up at their site. Several campsites had 4-6 dogs tied up to trees all day long. Also a good bit of people walking around with no leashes. Saw 2 dog fights in the 24 hours that I was there. I wasn’t even comfortable walking my dogs around the loop. Picnic table was disgusting. Besides taking my dogs potty we stayed in rv.

Cell service is ok, but starlink worked great. Never went into bath houses to scope out. There is a boat ramp/day use area for fisherman.