Northern California · Shasta-Cascade
Real pad lengths, hookup truth, boat ramp status at low water, and the insider tips locals don't post online.
Verified rig limits
Turn radii, grades and low limbs — measured, not scraped.
Ramp intel
Which launches survive a low-water September.
Hidden gems
The coves and numbered pads worth the drive.
Find your campground
39 campgrounds
USFS PUBLICSacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Freeway noise is the trade-off; the four-lane ramp half a mile away is the reason.
Recreation.gov
Pit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Water-skiing is banned above here — the drowned forest was never cleared.
Not reservable
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The ramp beside camp closes at 50 ft of drawdown, the shallowest on the lake.
Recreation.gov
Sacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Camp on the beach — but the campfire rule only works within 10 ft of the water.
First come, first served
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Two sites, each with its own vault toilet — and no shade at all since the Carr Fire.
Recreation.gov
NPS PUBLICWhiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Self-contained rigs only — no tents, no toilets, no water on site.
Recreation.gov
Shasta Dam & Keswick · Shasta Lake Corridor
BLM land, BLM rules: campfires only in three named campgrounds, nowhere else.
Recreation.gov
Sulanharas Creek Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The open one. Madrone is shut to 2026; Chirpchatter is not, and campfires are still legal.
Not reservable
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Two sites under fir, maple and pine — the shady one, where Brandy Creek has none.
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The only McCloud Arm group camp open year-round, and its water is undisputed.
Recreation.gov
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Sites on the water — and a drinking-water claim the Forest Service disputes.
Recreation.gov
Redding Gateway · Shasta Lake Corridor
Direct with the operator
Sacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The easiest of Shasta Lake's four boat-in camps to actually reach.
Not reservable
McCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Seven sites, and the only boat-in camp with a trail leading out of camp.
Not reservable
Sacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Quarter of a mile from Gregory Creek Group — and only one of the two allows campfires.
First come, first served
USFS PUBLICSacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
100 people under heavy canopy — and unlike the beach next door, campfires are allowed.
Recreation.gov
McCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Two sinks with faucets, but the Forest Service says no potable water. Bring all of it.
Recreation.gov
McCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Nine tables, bear lockers and three cooking points — better kit than its bigger neighbour.
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The quiet one on the McCloud Arm, a mile from a three-lane ramp.
Recreation.gov
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICPit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Free in winter, $17 a vehicle in season. Campfires only at the waterline.
First come, first served
USFS PUBLICPit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The closer of the two Inlet areas to the ramp — about half the distance.
First come, first served
USFS PUBLICSacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Yurts, which nothing else on Shasta Lake offers.
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICPit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
A mile from the deepest-drawdown ramp on the lake — usable to about 210 ft.
First come, first served
Sacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
An active railway trestle sits directly overhead. No official page mentions it.
First come, first served
Sulanharas Creek Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Closed to 31 Dec 2026 by Forest Order 14-24-25. No lake access even when open.
Not reservable
Sulanharas Creek Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Closed by a 2021 landslide — and the road order enforcing it quietly expired in August 2026.
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The last campground on the road, and there are no reservations at all.
First come, first served
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
A group camp the Forest Service says has water — unlike two of its neighbours.
Recreation.gov
Redding Gateway · Shasta Lake Corridor
Direct with the operator
USFS PUBLICSacramento Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
A mile from the freeway, and the nearest ramp is six miles the wrong way.
Recreation.gov
NPS PUBLICWhiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Asphalt and almost no shade, but the Whiskeytown ramp is right there.
Direct with the operator
NPS PUBLICWhiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
The only campground actually on Whiskeytown Lake.
Direct with the operator
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Nine shaded sites on Clear Creek, open all year — and no generators at all.
Recreation.gov
USFS PUBLICMcCloud Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
The biggest group camp on the arm — and its drinking water is disputed.
Recreation.gov
Whiskeytown · Shasta Lake Corridor
Recreation.gov
Pit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Free, 29 sites, boat-in only, and barely documented anywhere.
Not reservable
Pit River Arm · Shasta Lake Corridor
Currently closed — read the notice before you drive out.
First come, first served
The reservation sites everyone books, the coves they miss, and exactly which numbered pads are worth the drive.
11 min read
Ramp-by-ramp clearance elevations, drawdown behavior and the launch order locals use from May to October.
10 min read
