Camping near Shasta-Trinity National Forest

I really liked this campground, and the convenience of being inside the park was great. The spots are decent sized, but are very close together and there isn't much for vegetation to separate the sites. You will see your neighbors and what they are doing, saying (and visa versa).

It's a tent only (or no hook ups) campground, which I prefer, but when I booked I didn't think about the parking pads. Many of the parking pads are at extreme angles, and would NOT be usable for folks with a roof-top tent, such as myself. I got lucky and the spot I booked just happened to be one of the flat ones. But driving through on my way to the site, I was getting very nervous, not many of them have the flat parking.

We thought we got a prime river spot, it was spacious and had a private path right to the river. However lots of kids from a neighboring campsite would frequently tromp thru our site loudly to visit the spot. Then came the bees. It was almost impossible to cook or eat without being swarmed by hundreds of them. We would have to cook fast and run to our tent and quickly zip the door to be able to eat. The vault bathroom were absolutely disgusting and dirty. Then to top it off we were hit with a huge windstorm storm that knocked trees down all over the campground— including one that blocked our car in. The camp host was absolutely no help to anyone. Had no way to contact anyone for help. We will never go back and I do not recommend this campground to anyone.

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.