We went camping last weekend for Memorial Day weekend. And no, WE WILL NOT COME BACK HERE because of SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. Lets talk about good stuff first. Pros: this is small but very nice campground. The bathrooms and showers are clean but there is no light in them so make sure you bring some kind of light when using them. Showers are $5 for 15 minutes and you don't need to have quoters but you have to have cash that goes in the envelope that goes to some kind of a box. There are 2 showers but they were never busy when we wanted to use them. The host was nice, offered us a map of the lake when we arrived. He also told us that drinking alcohol is allowed at this campground so that's a good news for those who like drinking it. But it can create a lot of problems on the campground if people don't control it as it happened when we were there. Cons: This place has some serious safety issues. Let me explain what happened. The campground has only one host, no rangers or police patrolling around. For 3-4 days we were there, we saw sheriff driving there only once. Right across our campground there was a group of 10-15 people that were loud all the time during 3-4 days of our stay (so all the time we were there). We reported that to the host the very first night, he said he'll let them know that the quiet hours are after 10pm and before 8am. But the loud music continued until 2-3AM. The whole campground complained but the host couldn't do anything. They threaten my husband calling him names and referring to him as "a guy from the Bay Area who complained" when he went to politely ask them to turn the loud music down (at 12:30am). They were obviously a bunch of rednecks hating people from the Bay Area. We asked the host to call the police after they continued harassing us (and other guests) and the host said HE DOESN'T HAVE THE PHONE OR WAY TO CALL FOR HELP! What if something serious happened??? If you don't have a phone network, like many phones didn't there, you are screwed! The host came to talk to them again but the group was so drunk that they physically attacked the host. The people from other campgrounds went there to help protecting the host, which we did! I borrowed the phone of one of the people from the campground next to mine and called 911 to report the incident. The drunk group was shouting at us to get out their campground and then a few of them went from camp space to camp space to threaten people who they thought went to their campground when the incident started. Many people had kids inside their tents/campers and that was really scary! The host couldn't do anything. It was already 1:30am and sheriff finally showed up. He talked only to the host and not to any of us. He went to talk to the drunk group but didn't do anything!!! He left and the group continued to play music, laugh/talk loud, and harass all guests on the campground. Unfortunately, we had a flat tire that day/night, otherwise we would leave the campground right away. THE CAMPGROUND MANAGEMENT AND SHERIFF OFFICE FAILED TO PROTECT US! If you come here prepared to be harassed and it would be your responsibility to protect yourself and your kids if there are some guests who don't behave or are abusive! We felt helpless and we will never return to this campground. I need to say that we don't blame the host who tried everything he could to stop the incident. We added one more star to this review just because of him and the great way he maintains the campground. read more

Bushytail Campground - Campgrounds Near Me

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This last 4th of July weekend, we stayed at Bushytail Campground near Weaverville, California (GPS 40.855, -122.81889). It's a smaller campground in that it only has 12 sites. We chose it for that reason, thinking it would be quiet. Ha! Maybe it was just because it was a holiday weekend, but as soon as we arrived, we were greeted with blaring country music. The funny thing is (not 'ha-ha' funny btw), the campground host drove around and heard the music and did nothing. I suspect he was biased as he's from Texas! If it were reggae playing, I wonder if he would have been all over that like stink on $***. It stayed loud during most of the evening, up until about 8pm. And it was quiet during the day when the campers were out and about. The campground is right off of Highway 3, but we didn't hear any road noise. The noise all came from fellow campers and their huge diesel trucks. Thankfully we travel with a travel trailer (TT). The TT's hard sides kept us from hearing that obnoxious music and the modified trucks once we were inside. And while we were outside, UB40 was playing on our boombox, speakers turned right toward us. Most sites have electric hookup and water hookup, but no sewer. We asked the host about a dump station nearby, and he didn't know (!). Shouldn't a campground host know these things? Anyway, we ended up dumping in Redding, but there are closer dump stations, like at Whiskeytown Rec Area at Oak Bottom Campground. There are showers for $5 for 15 minutes. (I know, pricey, right?) The water hookup was a bit annoying in that it had a pressure relief valve that would spurt water every few minutes. We couldn't hear it from inside the TT, but while we were outside, it took some getting used to. Speaking of outside, when I first sat outside, I heard these "clicks" like how a high voltage power pole would sound. I looked around for the power pole. Well, it turns out the sounds is from cicadas. They are amazing. I wish I had learned about cicadas before heading there. You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl! The campsites themselves are well spaced. Ours (#9) was one of the best imo. We were far enough away from the group campsites (where the rabblerousers were!) and close to the bathrooms, but not close enough to smell them. Behind our campsite was a nice hill where we let our dog offleash. The campsite is quipped with a firering, a concrete USFS table, and a bear locker. Our site was paved, as were all the ones on the upper end of the campground. I'm not sure about the group sites. Most sites were mostly shaded by pines. It was nice as the days were in the 90s. The nights didn't cool off as much as I'd hoped, but it was tolerable. I wish our A/C had been working though. The bathrooms were VERY clean and well maintained, at least the girls bathroom. And there are three bathroom for the 12 campsites. Crazy! I never had to wait, and I didn't avoid the public bathrooms either, like I usually do. Flush toilet and sink. We had some problems with mosquitoes, but nothing horrible. In fact, the eucalyptus oil we used kept them at bay. I saw one yellowjacket and had a biting fly nibble at me. If I were wearing DEET, I wouldn't have had one bug bug me :) (pun intended). Farther down Minersville Rd (which is the turnoff) is Minersville Campground. Minersville Campground is right on the lake. Unless you have a boat, I wouldn't suggest camping there. It's loud from all of the motorized boats. And the Lake itself isn't particularly pretty either. It's not full, which creates this toilet bowl ring and lots of mud around the rim. Plus there isn't shade along the shoreline. We didn't even attempt to bring our kayaks because of the mud. Bushytail Campground is central to hiking, swimming and boating. I suggest bringing a guidebook for the Trinty Alps/Weaverville area. There were numerous backpacking trails nearby, and a handful suited for small kids (short distance), and right across the street is a fireroad that leads to the trailhead for Granite Peak. I walked the fireroad two mornings. It's three miles to the trailhead, and the first two miles are uphill. It was a butt-buster! Once you get to the trailhead, it's another 4-5 miles UPHILL to the Peak. I want to do that next time. The views from up there, they say, are amazing. My husband took our 2.5 yr old son to a hiking trail up the road. It was Boulder Lake Trail, and although it was July, there were snowdrifts! There is a recreation area close to Bushytail down the road. Not the best swimming place, but kids love it. There are huge rocks along the edge, some tables and lots of beach area along the river. There is no cell phone/satellite service, at least not from AT&T. All in all, I would go back to Bushytail Campground midweek (when it'd be quiet) and/or bring lots of friends along so we can reserve those group sites. read more

The main route, at the current moment, to the campgrounds is to travel through Redding, up 299 and hit a one lane road which is accessible, yet 90% dirt covered. If you car can make it through that section, hopefully it can make it up the hill past the summit in 100*F+ heat which comes immediately after. When reaching the campsite, there is no on site host. Anything that needs to be addressed will not get handled quickly. I saw one Sheriff the entire weekend, and I'm fairly certain his job is not to field issues with the campsite. Overall the campgrounds are your basic necessities. The upgraded bear boxes are a nice touch, as well as great electrical hookups. The fire pits, although pretty close to the park table/benches, are well; kept and not full of ash to the brim. The main issue about where we stayed was that in the entire camp grounds there was.... NO RUNNING WATER Yes, you read that correctly. Check your camp reservation's fine details, because at the very very very bottom, in size 1 font, there is a notice saying that due to the drought, there is no running water at the camp grounds. No showers, no flushing toilets, no water for hookups. If you didn't plan ahead, the closest place with water is Lewiston and expect to pay $3.50 per 2.5 gallon jugs. At least the port-o-johns were cleaned on a weekly basis. Also, good luck with finding a suitable place to enjoy Trinity Lake.... It's nearly completely dry. The only swimming area nearby was Stoney Creek, and that was only swimmable due to there being a dam set up. I would rate this place 1 star, but honestly, it's still camping so as long as it's semi-clean it's OK in my books. If it had running water, and if Trinity Lake was fuller, this place would be a great camp ground! Hopefully one day the water situation get's better. A better place would be to camp over at Whiskeytown. At least there's a huge full lake there, it's also closer to Redding and just as easily accessible for hikes and water activities. read more

Made reservations near the beginning of summer got here with the family only to discover their is NO WATER NO SHOWERS and port o pottys. There was nothing mentioned when i made the reservation i never recieved a phone call or email stating the water is off. I am here with my family for 6 days with no showers.... NEVER COMING BACK read more

Nice little campground tucked into the forest near Trinity Lake. We stayed in spot 9 which in our opinion is the best spot for a single family. We stayed in a 35 ft. 5th wheel. No problem getting in and they had 30 amp so we could run our a/c which was needed during mid afternoon. We were backed up against a forested hillside. Just beautiful! There was no running water during our visit on 7/13. We had checked ahead and filled up before we got there. Also, no dump station and there was no camp host. read more

Went after kids were in school, and before holiday. Only 12 sites in campground, 5 were occupied. Very quiet. I was there 4 days and only saw someone emptying a dumpster on the first day, after that no one. I do know employees exist as there was a placard on site with my name on it. No phone service. That is ok. Lots of area to hike in, but there are bears. The first night there another camping couple at Minersville which is right next to Bushytail, closer to the water had a bear trying to get into the food locker. The fed employee suggested they move to a site where they would be closer to other campers. Definetely use the food locker at night. A little far from the water. Only good if you have a boat, not for swimming. But if you want quiet, this is the place. I never saw any mosquitos or other flying things. I left camper door open at night. One of the 0ther campers pointed out that the bats fly real high in the trees at night. Also, the trees are so high and this keeps the heat out, also lots of shade. While I was there the showers were FREE, with lots of hot water. Really clean restrooms and shower house. And there are blackberry bushes behind the toilet house across the street from site #5 which is at the end of the loop. Also, collecting firewood is allowed, and so is use of the fire rings. Just make sure you have a bucket of water or a hose nearby. read more