Are you planning a tent camping trip to Stonyford? We've got you covered. Find the best information on tent camping near Stonyford, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Stonyford, California's most popular destinations.
The Wilderness Act of 1984 established 23 new wilderness areas including the 60,000-acre Snow Mountain Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest. The Snow Mountain Wilderness straddles the summit of the North Coast Range within Colusa, Glenn and Lake counties. The area is less than a four-hour drive from San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento. The central feature of this wilderness is the large broad topped Snow Mountain, which drains water toward the Sacramento River on the east and the Eel River Basin on the west. The wilderness also has the largest known waterfall on the forest. Elevations range from 1,800 feet in the gorge of the Middle Fork of Stony Creek to 7,056 feet on the summit of East Snow Mountain Peak. The deep canyons skirting the Wilderness compress ecological life zones creating a unique biological sky-island. Forty miles of trail are located in the wilderness. This leaves a vast amount of acreage very remote and highly conducive to cross-country exploration. The moderate hike to the top of East Peak affords visitors a magnificent view of the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, Clear Lake to the southwest, the Coastal Mountains to the west, and the timbered mountains of the Mendocino National Forest to the North. Good drinking water is scarce in the Snow Mountain Wilderness during much of the summer. Plan ahead and refill canteens at every opportunity. Mountain streams may look inviting but they may not be safe for drinking. Treat all water for drinking and cooking by either processing through a portable water filter or by boiling over a portable cook stove.
No Day Use Area or General Parking.
Old train Caboose for rent. New queen bamboo bed, hot plate, cold refrigerator. Outdoor hot shower and claw tub. Sweet deck open space. Star studded sky. Artesian well water, drink from the spigot and bring bottles to take some home. Glen Eden hiking trail abuts the land. Camp in a quiet field across the dry creek bed. We have 3 dogs that roam hills, will do our best to keep them away most of the time. Have rooster who does crow up the sun. We are 15 minutes to Safeway in Lakeport, 20 minutes to north side Ukiah and 10 minutes to Upper Lake. We are 2 miles from the pristine Blue Lakes, day pass there for swimming and boating rentals. Also Clear Lake State Park is not far and they also offer swimming and boating. Disney boat rentals will deliver craft to Clearlake for you. My personal favorite is Highland Springs Reservoir about 20 minute drive on country roads, and pass the small aircraft airport and restaurant. Boating, swimming, hiking and BBQ available at Highland Springs.. We are not ADA. Cell phone and wifi won't work in this canyon. Climb the hill maybe. We are not fancy, we are unique. Come for bird watching, the quiet and the stars. We have some coupons for wine tasting from a few of the nearby vineyards We offer a farm stand with fresh eggs and vegetables in season daily. Highland Springs Reservoir offers swimming, BBQ and Disk Golf, all free. Lakeport has a drive in theater, google Lakeport auto movies drive in. New Rule: if you are inviting guests they must be pre approved. PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY AND NOT RAISE DUST IN OUR NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAY TO OUR PROPERTY. We also have two big private campsites and one long term area.
Please read reviews here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/dashboard/land/34844/listings
$39 - $175 / night
This campground winds along beautiful Cole Creek. Cole Creek campground offers 26 well shaded campsites and 2 Hike and Bike sites. Each site has a fire ring, a table, and a food storage box. Nearby restroom facilities offer pay showers and flushable toilets.
$30 / night
Closed for the 2023 season to repair storm damage. State Forest staff will be focused on repairing winter storm damage to roads and facilities throughout the State Forests in the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.
Day use will continue to be permitted from sunrise to sunset.
Pine Grove is a majestic forest retreat of timeless natural beauty, blessed with abundant mountain spring water. In this oasis, bordered by spring fed year-round Kelsey Creek and overlooked by Cobb Mountain, you will discover a vast and personal connection with the natural world in any season. We invite you for a workshop, personal retreat, family reunion or just the day. Serene year-round cabins, all with inviting redwood decks overlooking Kelsey Creek, and camping give many options for your stay.
$40 - $210 / night
Traveler
Cool little camping spot outside of Willits. Has a western themed town that hold little dances and ice cream parlor parties for kids. This KOA also has a mini waterpark as well. We camped in a tent site and our number pole did have an outlet. Perfect place for glamping or kids!
Guide
Nice relaxing camp, 5 - 10 sites. No water, 1 pit toilet. Quiet and beautiful area. Follow the M5 route from M10 coming from Stonyford. Don't rely on Google maps or you'll spend hours trying to reroute after trying to drive up a ATV trail. Beautiful single lane dirt road up the mountain once on M5, steep drop offs. Dusty with mild bumps and some wash boarding. 2wd truck easily. Maybe if your adventurous in a civic. Must obtain a permit to have a fire, easily obtained online or through local forest service office.
Guide
Wasn't very private, but is good for tent camping in a safe family environment.
GuideI tent camped and loved it. Very quiet and beautiful scenery. A water faucet and picnic table at every campsite .
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to welcome this property to our platform. This property is offering 2 lodging options, a Caboose & Tent camping under the Walnut trees. Check them out and come back here to leave them some love.
Guide
Fuller grove was a nice little campground on Lake Pillsbury (our rented minivan just weathered the dirt road in from the 101). It’s a small loop with great options for multi-tent camping. Some of the sites far from the entrance and along the water are very nice with multiple pads and tables. The campground beach is beautiful, definitely recommend some late-night stargazing. There’s only outhouses in decent condition. We were there with only a few other campers, so it was a peaceful stay.
Scout
Tent camped here a few nights ago. A little spendy at $37 for a single night but it is super close to I5 and a few gas stations. Nice property with some grass to throw the tent on, none of the other residents were super loud. Restrooms and showers onsite and they were both clean. Didn't get to talk to any of the property managers in person due to COVID-19, but the woman on the phone who did the booking was super helpful. Seems like a better for RV camping as there are many more spots for that.
Guide
The Aurora RV Park & Marina is a work in progress. I can see what they want to make this campground into, but the reality of what it’s currently status is makes it difficult to stay there. I did get to try a couple of the different blends of Nature’s Coffee Kettle while I was there. Unfortunately I did have to cut my trip short as there was a mandatory evacuation order put into place due to wild fires.
Campground Review
First off this park is designed for RV use, but the owners have converted a few spaces for tent camping. During my visit I stayed in a tent. I booked the site through booking.com and paid $22.00 a night.
The Good
Each site has its own water sipget and two electrical outlets that work well. There was plenty of space at the site to setup two 4-person tents. The site is at the North end of Clearlake and you have some pretty spectacular views all day long. There is a beautiful public BBQ sitting area right next to the private beach. You can use the canoes, kayaks, or paddle boat all free of charge and they provide life jackets. There park does provide WiFi at no additional cost and it worked reasonably well. The mangers there are very friendly and approachable. They checked on me multiple times to make sure everything was okay.
The Bad
At the time of my visit the campground was undergoing renovations. The office area where the bathrooms/showers, laundry room, and community lounge were all at some stage of construction. THe bathrooms were clean, but only one shower and toilet worked. There was no mirror in the bathroom during my stay. I could not for the life of me get the shower to spray warm water at all so I had a week of cold showers, which wasn’t too bad given how hot it was. I did report this to the mangers, but the issue never got resolved. For tent camping the site were too close together and no picnic table was provided at the space I was at. If I had booked through AirB&B I would have been in a different area that had a picnic table.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products in the field. At The Aurora RV Park & Marina, I tested two different blends of Nature’s Coffee Kettle. I tried the Colombian and Sumatra blend. Overall I would give this product a 4 out a 5 stars.
What I liked about camping with the Nature’s Coffee Kettle:
THings to be aware of
Legend
Super cool place to camp in Sequoia National Park. I drove in from the south and passed quite a few full campgrounds before I finally made it to Sunset and scored a spot that I thought was great- up high and dry, no neighbors, a nearby source of downed wood. It looks like the Park Service stays busy downing dead/dying trees, however there were lots of trees providing cover. The closest neighbors were even able to hammock (though I was not due to lack of trees). When noisy neighbors moved in at the adjoining site, I was able to move to a primo site the next day. The new site (52, I think) was right on the edge of the granite slope with an amazing view of the sunset (hence the name of the campground). All sites had the usual amenities of picnic table and fire ring (and the mandatory must use bear boxes), but you need to take a look around for a site that is level and has adequate space between the fire pit and the tent site (mine did not, so no fire for me). There is a visitor center across the road at Grant Grove Village with ranger station, grocery, post office, restaurant, gas station, and cabins. This is a good place to set up camp if you want to see big trees; the big sequoia tree General Grant is in a sequoia grove just up the road (you could easily hike there from the campground).
Scout
This is a great reservoir to camp, boat, jet ski, fish, etc. It is a pretty good size that has plenty of space for small parties or large party campsites. It is not too far out from the town of Stonyford but still has enough privacy. Not too many people are familiar with East Park Reservoir which is nice in the sense that it usually isn't over crowded on holiday weekends and especially not during regular seasons. The pricing is pretty inexpensive but the only downfall is that here isn't a whole of tree coverage for shade(hence why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5) so make sure to bring a pop up tent/canopy for shade. Otherwise, this is an overall great reservoir to camp at and a friendly one.
Guide
This Campground is barren The temperature in June is over 105 degrees. Very little shade. The reservoir was more like a mud puddle then a lake as it was drained early to support Rice Farmers in the central valley.
The only saving grace was a creek we found several miles toward Stonyford. Look for first bridge and you will see turn out.
Scout
THis place is clean abd has a general store that has pretty much anything you could need. Pitched a tent on the river- not many tents though this is more for rvs. Has horse shoes and other family games.
Ranger
The camping area is first come first serve. Very peaceful. There are platforms that are right on the creek where you can pitch your tent. We have an 8×8 tent and it was a little tight, so if your tent is bigger than that, you might want to call to get exact dimensions. Otherwise, there is a large open field for camping too.
Lots of shade and decent space between platforms. Close to the parking area, though the creek is between the parking and the camping platforms, so you can't drive directly up to your site. Very clean showers and restrooms nearby. No picnic tables at the individual sites.
One downfall (though very understandable) is not being able to have campfires or camp stoves, even in the winter. You cant really cook any food, BUT the cafe onsite had very tasty food if you want a hot meal or coffee.
The camping fee includes use of the hot springs too, which are amazing. Clothing optional, and I would say not that many people had clothes. The trail to the hot springs is right by the camping area, and a nice little hike.
Traveler
During the Covid scare, there are only 3 tents and the place is quiet. Lots of RVs. Perfect for motorcycle camping. Just passing through.
TravelerStayed here for a second time driving from Southern California to Oregon. The sites are spacious and there is a pool to cool down during the hot summers. There is wine tasting as well. Management kept in communication with us through text (my preferred method). Easy access to I-5, very close to a Pilot for larger rigs. Definitely somewhere I plan to stay on my journeys through California.
Scout
Four of us stayed in the Glamping Tent for two nights and it was perfect- very comfortable and relaxing. We also had access to our own private bathroom and shower a short walk away which was great. Would stay here again, highly recommend!
Ranger
Wonderful spot. Sites were kinda small, but we we able to fit 2. -6 person tents and a 4 person in a row. Wasn’t windy when we got there in the morning, but that night the wind started and almost blew everything away. STAKE down, no matter the weather. Water was super warm, but gets icky in the summer, so definitely need to go early in the season.
Traveler
BLM land, can camp anywhere >500 feet from the parking lot. The site in in a valley between a small creek (that runs right next to the roadway) and a small mountain “range” on the opposing side. We were the only tent campers there on Friday and one additional camper came Sat. Bring lots of bug spray and watch for ticks but super worth it especially if you’re local
ScoutNice sites, trees for hammocks, bathrooms (no showers) w running water and toilets. Close to neighboring campsites but not too bad. Grove village is really close where they have firewood, grocery store, restaurant, shops, post office. Bugs in summer so don’t forget your bug spray! It’s bear country, so bear bins provided! Campsite is in the middle between King’s canyon and Sequoia National Park. Our site had a spot for 1 car, 2 tents and a hammock. Space looked shared with adjacent site.
Traveler
A pretty primitive place only 10 or so sites to camp. Tent only as the road to get here at the end you need high clearance vehicle. Although there was a Tesla and other cars that made it up remarkably!! The river is flowing real good. There are 2 trailheads in the area. It rained some while we were there so we didn’t venture too far out. There is a primitive toilet that was pleasing to see. A small building with a hole in the ground but better than nothing. I wished I had brought a rod and reel and license to fish. Next time!!
Guide
I’ve been camping cross country for the last month with my husband. We’re from New York, and like to think we’re not easily rattled or intimidated. This was the first time on our trip that we were both scared.
The forest service website says this campground is not open for camping, just dirt bike and horse riding, so I had found a campground further into the National Forest to camp at. When we drove by Middle Creek, we could see the sites from the road and a few of them had tents and we could see some folks, the campground was pretty clearly operating to some extent. We just wanted somewhere to stay overnight on our way into SF so we doubled back and found a site, paid the $8 and had a snack. We explored our corner of the campground a little- pretty clean, a fine campground. No visible host.
Lots of wasps and flies, like standing right next to a dumpster. There was a woman who seemed to be experiencing homelessness and/or mental illness occupying multiple sites. She pretty clearly was stealing from sites people weren’t present at, right in front of us. She also had a dog that didn’t seem to be hers.
The man at the campsite next to us didn’t have a tent or anything, just paid then sat in his truck screaming and cackling and breaking stuff loudly and pounding beers.
We left without spending the night. The police need to go take a look out there.
GuidePros: If you are a person who likes to either stay all day at your campsite or are a water sport/water toy type person this campground is for you. Cons: Bathroom near our campsite wasn’t working. Campsites were overgrown with foxtails, not good for my dogs. Trash in our fire pit. A few campsites away from ours had a huge poison oak plant at the back where you park your rig. A walkway near the campground popular for fishing had a tree fall on it, instead of clearing the tree, the park rangers closed it off. Not much hiking in the park, and if you decide to walk the couple short hikes, don’t bring your dogs, NO DOGS ALLOWED. For the number of workers this park employs you would think these things would be dealt with, but no. I guess this is typical of State Parks in California, so much potential but sadly California parks slowly deteriorate.
GuideThis was a short one night stop on a camping roadtrip but it was nice. The park was beautiful and on the way in we passed a bison conservation area nearby which was cool. Falling asleep to the shrieks of distant coyotes was cool too. Heard lots of critters in the night, owls, deer, rabbits. In the morning was woken up by woodpeckers. Site 22 was huge and had plenty of space for our two tents and more. Our loop was full of RVs full of people having a great time. Weather was perfect and couldn’t ask for a better night in the middle of nowhere.
RangerI've been to this campground twice now, and had very different experiences.
The first time was memorial day in 2019, and we had a great spot right on the water. We took our canoe and were able to launch from our site. So ideal. It was relatively quiet, and nobody immediately near us. Amazing sunsets.
The second time we went was June 2020. This time we stayed on the other side of the lake. The water was super low, so our view was completely dried up. Also, it was pretty noisy with sites cramming several tents onto their sites.
Either way, on both occasions we the site relatively last minute, maybe a week or two in advance. Any Californian will know it isnt always easy to book last minute campsites, so I appreciate that! There are 100+ campsites there, so it seems like always something available. Plus, not too far from the bay area.
GuideI have stayed here several times as a waypoint on my travels between California to Washington.  It is a nice safe quiet park that has many pull through spaces for RVs spending the night.  I have used their website to reserve a space and then pick up the paperwork outside the door of their office.  so far I haven’t met any of the owners or staff but all the hook ups work and I believe they have Wi-Fi as well. 
Scout
This is a great campground in Mendocino NF. It's about an hour away from Willows, CA on I-5 but you feel like you're hours away from civilization. Campsites have pull-through's for trailers and back-in's for tent campers. The pit toilets are very clean, trash service is twice a week, and right now there is no water as there is a leak in the pipes they haven't been able to find. There are 2 ponds for fishing trout and the upper pond is usually stocked each year. The campsite #12 has a beautiful meadow behind it with deer that pass through. The downside for us is there isn't much nearby to do. A great place to spend a night or day or a great place if you're looking for quiet in nature. No reservations and I haven't ever seen this campground full. It does get busier around deer season with hunters.
LegendGeneral: There are four campgrounds in Clear Lake State Park: Upper Bayview, Lower Bayview(both of which were closed when we were there in April), Cole Creek, and Kelsey Creek. This review focuses on Kelsey Creek.
Site Quality: The sites all appeared to be level with paved pads. No hookups throughout the park. Not a lot of privacy between the sites but decent separation.
Bathhouse: Clean but as we have found in other California state parks, no soap! Showers take tokens which must be purchased on-site
Activities: Limited hiking on a short nature path. In season, there is boating, swimming, and fishing. It was very quiet when we were there in April but I imagine there would be quite a different vibe come summer when the campground would be full (which is why we like camping in the off-season!)
Tent camping near Stonyford, California, offers a blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Stonyford, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Stonyford, CA is Snow Mountain Wilderness with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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