AntlersClosed
The lake is at 980.7 ft, 11.3 ft below this ramp's 992 ft floor.
Ramp pageSacramento Arm campgrounds and boat ramps
Shasta Lake
The Sacramento Arm is the stretch of Shasta Lake that runs beside I-5 from Lakehead south toward O'Brien. It has more places to stay than any other arm: Forest Service campgrounds, three shoreline beaches, a boat-in camp, and five private RV parks with full hookups. It's the easiest arm to reach and the busiest; the Forest Service itself calls it the most developed arm on the lake.
Right now
Lake level 980.7 ft (53.5% of capacity), read · California Data Exchange Center (gauge SHA).
- AntlersClosed0 of 4 lanes
- SugarloafOpen2 of 2 lanes
- Packers BayOpen2 of 4 lanes
Of the 13 campgrounds on this arm: Open now: 9. Closed for the season: 2. Closed: 0. No published season: 2.
What it's like
Lakehead is the center of it. Take exit 702 and you're within a couple of miles of the Antlers ramp, Antlers and Lakeshore East campgrounds, and all of the full-hookup parks except Salt Creek Resort. Lakeshore East also has the only public yurts on the lake.
That convenience comes with the freeway. I-5 runs right along the arm, and campers in Antlers' Loop 1, the loop that stays open in spring and fall, mention road noise at night. Lower Salt Creek has its own soundtrack: it sits under an active railroad trestle.
South of Lakehead the arm opens up. Nelson Point and Salt Creek Resort sit on the Salt Creek inlet, about a mile from exit 698, and Gooseneck Cove, the boat-in camp closest to a ramp, is roughly 2.4 miles by water from Sugarloaf.
Launching here
The Antlers ramp works while the lake is above 992 feet. Below that it closes and launching moves to the Sugarloaf low-water ramp a couple of miles south, which keeps working down to 907 feet. Packers Bay, near O'Brien, has 188 parking spaces and works down to 952 feet.
Campgrounds on the Sacramento Arm
| # | Campground | Type | Sites | Max rig | Hookups | Booking | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakehead Campground & RV Park | Tent & RV | 48 | 40 ft | Full Hookups (30A) | Direct with the operator | Open year-round |
| 2 | Antlers RV Park & Campground | Tent & RV | 104 | 75 ft | Full Hookups (50/30A) | Direct with the operator | Open year-round |
| 3 | Antlers Campground | Tent & RV | 59 | 55 ft | Dry Camping (no hookups) | Recreation.gov | Mar 1 – Oct 31 |
| 4 | Gregory Creek Group Campground | Group site · Tent & RV | 18 | 16 ft | Dry Camping (no hookups) | Recreation.gov | Closed for the season |
| 5 | Gregory Beach Shoreline Area | Tent & RV · Dispersed | Not published | Not published | Dry Camping (no hookups) | First come, first served | Open year-round |
| 6 | Lakeshore Resort | Tent & RV | 39 | 52 ft | Full Hookups (50/30A) | Direct with the operator | Not published |
| 7 | Shasta Lake RV Resort & Campground | Tent & RV | 69 | 50 ft | Full Hookups (30A) | Direct with the operator | Open year-round |
| 8 | Lakeshore East Campground | Tent & RV | 25 | 45 ft | Dry Camping (no hookups) | Recreation.gov | Open year-round |
| 9 | Nelson Point Campground | Group site · Tent & RV | 8 | 16 ft | Dry Camping (no hookups) | Recreation.gov | Closed for the season |
| 10 | Beehive Point Shoreline Area | Tent & RV · Dispersed | Not published | Not published | Dry Camping (no hookups) | First come, first served | Open year-round |
| 11 | Lower Salt Creek Shoreline Area | Tent & RV · Dispersed | Not published | Not published | Dry Camping (no hookups) | First come, first served | Open year-round |
| 12 | Salt Creek Resort & RV | Tent & RV | 7 | 40 ft | Full Hookups (50/30A) | Direct with the operator | Not published |
| 13 | Gooseneck Cove Boat-In Campground | Tent only · Boat-in | 12 | Not published | Dry Camping (no hookups) | Not reservable | Open year-round |
Numbers match the map above.
Boat ramps on the Sacramento Arm
SugarloafOpen
The lake is at 980.7 ft, 73.7 ft above this ramp's 907 ft floor. 2 of 2 lanes are usable at this level.
Ramp pagePackers BayOpen
The lake is at 980.7 ft, 28.7 ft above this ramp's 952 ft floor. 2 of 4 lanes are usable at this level.
Ramp pageWho it suits
- Full hookups: five private parks, with rigs to 75 ft at Antlers RV Park and 52 ft at Lakeshore Resort.
- A big rig at a Forest Service site: Antlers' site 046 takes 55 ft (summer loops only).
- Boating in a low-water fall: Sugarloaf stays usable down to 907 ft.
- Short trips: Lakehead is about 25 miles north of Redding, right off I-5.
Not the best pick for: Quiet nights. If freeway noise bothers you, the McCloud Arm is the better pick.
Getting there
I-5 north from Redding. Exit 702 (Lakehead) for Antlers, Lakeshore and the Lakehead RV parks; exit 698 (Salt Creek/Gilman Road) for Nelson Point and the Salt Creek inlet; exit 695 at O'Brien for Packers Bay.
Questions people ask
Which campgrounds are on the Sacramento Arm of Shasta Lake?
Forest Service: Antlers, Lakeshore East, Gregory Creek Group, Nelson Point, the Gregory Beach, Beehive Point and Lower Salt Creek shoreline areas, and Gooseneck Cove (boat-in). Private with full hookups: Antlers RV Park, Lakehead Campground & RV Park, Lakeshore Resort, Salt Creek Resort and Shasta Lake RV Resort.
Are there full-hookup RV parks on the Sacramento Arm?
Yes, five. Antlers RV Park takes rigs to 75 ft, Lakeshore Resort 52 ft, Shasta Lake RV Resort 50 ft, and Lakehead Campground & RV Park and Salt Creek Resort 40 ft, per each park's listing.
Where do you launch on the Sacramento Arm when the lake is low?
Antlers works while the lake is above 992 ft. Below that, use the Sugarloaf low-water ramp, which works down to 907 ft, or Packers Bay near O'Brien, which works down to 952 ft.
How far is the Sacramento Arm from Redding?
Lakehead, at the north end of the arm, is about 25 miles north of Redding on I-5.
Is camping on the Sacramento Arm noisy?
Parts of it. I-5 runs along the arm, and campers in Antlers' Loop 1 report freeway noise at night. Lower Salt Creek sits under an active railroad trestle. The McCloud Arm is the quieter choice.
More of the lake
Read next
Campground facts: USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Recreation.gov and each park's own listing. Lake level: California Data Exchange Center. Map: CampSiteHQ, © OpenStreetMap contributors.