California / Shasta County / Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area - Whiskeytown Unit

Horse Camp Primitive Campground

Open — Open year-round with reservations required. Limited to 14 consecutive days from May 15 through September 15, or 30 total days per calendar year. Check-in time is 1:00 pm and check-out is 12:00 pm.

About

Horse Camp Primitive Campground is located in the southeast corner of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, 15 miles west of Redding, California. This is the only campground in the park designed to accommodate camping with horses, featuring an open area that allows ease of parking for horse trailers. However, horseback riders share the campground with visitors who may not have horses. The campground features 2 primitive sites in partial shade under foothill pines. Both sites include bear-proof storage lockers, picnic tables, lamp poles, fire pits with swing-arm BBQ grills, and a shared ADA-accessible vault toilet. Each site can accommodate a maximum of 10 people and 3 vehicles, with a maximum combined vehicle and trailer length of 25 feet. Potable water is available from a spigot most of the year. Note that there are no corrals, tie posts or rails, or water troughs onsite. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area sits where the Klamath Mountains, Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges, and Sacramento Valley meet, creating diverse wildlife and landscapes. The cool, clear waters of 3,200-acre Whiskeytown Lake provide year-round recreation opportunities including fishing, kayaking, sailing, and paddle boarding. Several trails are accessible from the campground for horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking through the forested backcountry. Brandy Creek Beach is located 5.5 miles away and features sandy beaches, swimming areas, and seasonal amenities.

Directions

From Interstate 5 in Redding, drive 10 miles west on Highway 299. Turn left on Kennedy Memorial Drive at the visitor center and follow for 1.6 miles until you reach a fork in the road at the dam. Turn left on Paige Bar Road and drive for 2 miles until you reach another fork in the road at the NEED Camp. Turn left onto the gravel road and proceed 0.5 miles to Horse Camp.

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