Best Camping in Northern California | Top Scenic Campgrounds

The redwood forests, granite peaks, and wild Pacific coastline form a triangle of space that holds more public land per mile than almost any other part of the lower forty-eight. Within that space, you will find camping areas in Northern California that sit on ocean bluffs, deep river canyons, alpine meadows, and quiet lakes.

These are the best camping in Northern California spots that locals keep on speed dial and visitors mark for a return trip before they even break down their tent.

Why Go Camping in Northern California?

The district is kept up on a cycle of four seasons, though none of them closed a door against going to sleep outdoors. In the coastal hills in March, the spring wildflowers begin and follow up the Sierra crest to July.

The redwood belt is cooled down by summer fog, and the high country is sunny and dry. Fall color arrives early in the Feather River drainage and wraps up weeks later in Bishop Creek. Winter snow opens ski and snow-camp options, yet the lower elevation coastal parks stay green and fully open.

10 Best Camping Spots in Northern California

Here is a straight-across list that gives you the best camping in Northern California. Each name links to an exact entrance road, so you can plug it into any map app and start planning mileage and ice stops.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

You camp under 300-foot trees that block all wind yet still let starlight slip through the canopy. The Smith River runs past fifty-three sites, so you cast for steelhead in the morning and tube the same water after lunch. Elk show up at dusk; they walk the road like they own it because they do. Every pad has bear boxes, and the park store sells split wood, so you do not bring pests into the forest.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Gold Bluffs Beach sets this park apart. You pick a dune site that sits thirty yards from the surf and forty yards from a cow elk grazing meadow. The coastal trail to Fern Canyon starts right behind your tent, so you beat day-hiker crowds by sunrise. Cold ocean air means zero mosquitoes, but bring a fleece for the night shift.

Lassen Volcanic National Park – Manzanita Lake

The lake faces Lassen Peak for postcard reflection shots, and the loop trail is flat enough for toddlers. Volcanic nature sets up odd rewards: you roast marshmallows while smelling faint sulfur and can take a thirty-minute drive to bump across fresh pumice fields. Campground loops A and C accept trailers up to forty feet; loop B is tents-only for quiet.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

Burney Falls has a spill of 100 million gallons a day, and remains 129 feet wide in drought. The big campsite is set up on a woody ridge overlooking the creek; thus, you have to walk down to fish the rainbow trout and back up to the evening breeze. Sites 66-89 extend further to the green belt, providing additional privacy to larger parties.

Plumas-Eureka State Park

This spot hands you Sierra scenery without the five-hour slog to Tahoe. Johnsville meadow sits at 5,400 feet and keeps July temperatures in the eighties. You can tour a real gold stamp mill in the afternoon and then mountain-bike abandoned mining roads after dinner. Only forty-six sites exist, so reserve on the first day the window opens.

Russian Gulch State Park

Two miles north of Mendocino village, the park packs a waterfall, headlands lighthouse view, and a protected cove into one square mile. Campsites hide inside a mixed redwood and bay laurel hollow, cutting the ocean wind to nothing. Kayakers like the easy boat launch, and the paved path to the blowhole lets grandparents join the sightseeing.

Salt Point State Park

Gerstle Cove campground makes you perched on a bluff where you can hear every wave break but nonetheless sleep 150 feet above the sea spray. When the tide is low, you are walking on sandstone slabs that hiss when you walk over them, and this is brought about by the air that is trapped. Abalone diving can be licensed in this area, which means bring a wetsuit and a measuring gauge and have a free dinner.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park (Rebuilding)

The 2020 CZU fire burned most structures, but the park reopened limited tent sites in 2024. You now camp among young ferns and blackened trunks that shoot up brand-new green sprouts. The experience feels like watching a forest hit reset in real time. Check the park website for the latest loop status and bring your own water until full plumbing returns.

Clear Lake State Park

California’s largest natural freshwater lake warms faster than Tahoe, so May swimming is already pleasant. Sites 42 through 60 face the lake and give you a private stair to the beach. Fishing jetty and boat ramp sit within a five-minute walk, and the nearby town of Kelseyville has a grocery that stocks firewood and marshmallows for late arrivals.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

You can sleep in among the old-growth giants just seven minutes off downtown Santa Cruz. The Roaring Camp Railroad whistle is heard at sunset in the trees, and the whistle does not interfere with the pileated woodpeckers. The sites (1-27) lie on a topographically level ridge; site 17 is selected as a winner as it borders on a no-camp buffer zone full of hazelnut shrubs.

Best RV Camping in Northern California

Long rigs need wide turns, level asphalt, and fifty-amp service when summer heat climbs past ninety degrees. The following are the best places to camp in Northern California that meet those needs and still hand you a view that does not involve the side of a warehouse.

KOA Redwood Coast – Crescent City

Pull-through sites reach seventy-five feet, staff lead free tractor rides to the private beach, and the camp store stocks Dungeness crab pots. You are five minutes from Jedediah Smith if you want to trade full hook-ups for old-grove hiking.

Caspar Beach RV Park

Each oceanfront row faces a small cove protected from northwest wind, so you can sit outside without sandblasting your dinner. The park rents pedal carts and sells firewood by the wheelbarrow, so you do not make five mini-trips.

Tahoe Valley Campground – South Lake Tahoe

The shuttle stop for the Heavenly ski gondola sits at the entrance, and the city bike path runs right through the property. Back-in sites on the upper loop give you a forest feel, while lower pull-throughs keep satellite line-of-sight for Sunday football.

Vineyard RV Park – Lodi

Midway stop for anyone traveling from Southern California to the redwoods, this park lines each site with rose bushes and puts a wine-tasting room across the street. Pool and hot tub stay open year-round, a perk when winter fog rolls in.

Redwoods KOA – Crescent City/Redwood National Park

This location differs from the first KOA by adding a redwood canopy over half the park. Big-rig sites run forty-five feet wide, and elk wander the perimeter fence at dawn. Free pancake breakfast on summer weekends saves you from cooking before the long drive home.

Best Lake Camping in Northern California

Freshwater lakes spread across the northern half of the state from sea level to six thousand feet. The list below mixes developed fee sites with primitive forest service loops that still allow a bit of grit on your sleeping bag.

• Shasta Lake – Lakeshore East Loop: Every site sits on a small plateau over the water, so you tie a kayak to a pine and slide straight off a rock. July water temps reach eighty degrees, making night swimming realistic.

• Lake Almanor – North Shore Campground: You face the sunset view of Lassen Peak across seven miles of open water. Morning breeze is perfect for sailing, and afternoon thermals give steady 15 mph winds for small catamarans.

• Trinity Lake – Minersville Group Sites: Forest service road keeps crowds lower than Shasta, and group loops hold fifteen tents on flat sand. Bring a portable camp kitchen because no picnic pavilion exists.

• Lake Sonoma – Liberty Glen: Ridge-top camps overlook the lake from 600 feet, and single-track bike trails start at the edge of your parking spur. No direct water access, so pack a collapsible jug and drive ten minutes to the boat ramp.

• Donner Lake – Donner Memorial State Park: Sites 50 through 70 sit on the lake side of the loop and give you a pebble beach ten steps away. Evening wind dies quickly, so paddleboard yoga at sunset is glass-smooth.

How to Find Best Camping in Northern California?

Online maps now show every spur road, but you still need a short checklist to sort true campsites from muddy turn-outs used by logging trucks in 1950.

• Start with the agency calendar: Recreation-dot-gov opens windows six months in advance for state parks and five months for most national forests. Mark the day on your phone and log in ten minutes after 7 AM. Pacific when new inventory drops.

• Cross-check with motor vehicle use maps: These free PDFs from the Forest Service mark every legal dispersed site. You can then match the satellite view to find a fire ring already in place and save miles of blind driving.

• Join county-specific Facebook groups: Members post real-time photos of snow depth, road wash-outs, and ranger closures that stay undocumented on official pages for days.

• Use the NOAA weather grid: One click shows overnight lows for the exact elevation of your target loop. This keeps you from packing only a summer bag when a ridge site drops to thirty-five degrees in June.

• Buy an annual California Explorer Pass if you plan four or more state park nights: The pass pays for itself on the third visit and removes the friction of exact cash at remote kiosks.

How to Stay Safe While Camping in Northern California?

Every ecosystem up here includes something that can bite, burn, or slide. A basic safety routine keeps the trip story in the fun category instead of the local news category.

• Store food in bear boxes even if you do not see bears: Raccoons, ravens, and the occasional mountain lion also recognize a cooler. Lock the latch every single time; rangers write tickets for open boxes.

• Carry one gallon of water per person per day when you leave the asphalt: Many forest service spigots break over winter and stay offline until late July. A three-day weekend for two people equals six gallons, not the single case you toss in at the last minute.

• Check for fire restrictions before you load the firewood: Cal Fire posts daily bans by county. Restrictions can toggle on at 6 AM and remain in force until midnight, even if you entered the forest earlier.

• Bring tire chains between October 15 and April 15, even if the forecast says clear: Mountain weather flips in two hours, and Highway Patrol will turn you back at the checkpoint without them.

• Give wildlife a fifty-yard buffer: That includes elk on the prairie, sea lions on the jetty, and rattlesnakes on the lava rocks. A good photo is not worth a hospital bill.

• Take a battery-powered 4G camera if necessary: If you’re heading to a popular camping spot or traveling in an RV, a 4G cellular camera with battery or solar power is a great companion. It lets you keep an eye on your campsite anytime, from anywhere.

FAQs

Where to camp in northern California?

Start at Recreation-dot-gov for reservable sites, then widen to Forest Service roads for free spots. Redwood National and State Parks line Highway 101, while Sierra sites cluster along Highway 50 and Interstate 80.

What is the 200 rule for camping?

On national forest land, you may camp within two hundred feet of any open county road as long as you do not block traffic. Pull onto an existing spur, keep your fire small, and pack out everything.

Why is it so hard to find campsites in California?

Forty million residents plus millions of visitors compete for roughly one million public sites. Most spots fill within fifteen minutes of the booking release at 7 AM six months ahead.

Conclusion

Northern California still gives you room to breathe if you pick the right gate. You can watch Pacific waves from a bluff, fish for trout under a volcano, or cycle old mining roads before sitting down to s’mores that taste of cedar and bay leaves.

All of the camping areas in Northern California listed above take reservations, accept bear boxes, and sit within a half-tank drive of a major city. Book early, pack the basics, and arrive with enough curiosity to walk one mile farther than the parking lot. Share your own discovery in the comments so the next reader can add another star to the best camping in Northern California map.