I have been in the area for a long time and did not realize that not only does Whiskey Town Lake have a strict ban on my personal water crafts.... However has a wonderful little marina with a gas pump. If it was not for their associate Kristina to help myself and my family refill my boat in a potentially dangerous position I avoided having to call the local park rangers. This made the situation much easier and also avoided costly tax dollars! 5/5 Thank you! read more

Oak bottom has to be one of the best places to take the kids too on Whiskeytown Lake. Has lots of parking, boat docks/ramps. Has a big campground right on the lake with ample spaces Big beach to play in and catch some sun rays!!! read more

Rented an 18-foot pontoon boat and it was nice, except the fish finder/depth gauge was broken. They also charge a $39 damage waiver that you can't decline. And the rental waiver was a mile long and impossible to read. Way too much legal stuff for a boat rental. read more

Had an amazing experience at Oakbottom special the customer service experience when dealing with Debbie R. Would recommend camping and boating at this wonderful campground. read more

This is one of the most beautiful campsites I've ever stayed at. There are many sites right on the water with private swimming areas. The water is clear and beautiful. The staff? SO KIND and HELPFUL! Bathrooms (with flushing toilets) are pristine. Keep in mind, there are quiet hours that start at 10pm (i dont know how strict they regulate because they were so slow due to covid that they didn't bother us after 10 because no one was near us) Sites are also pretty dusty! Not a problem, camping is dirty, just plan accordingly for clean up, especially if bring pups! We can't wait for our next trip up! read more

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Says they are dog friendly, but they are not. Do not camp here if you have dogs. The camp host deserves a shout out though because he was great. read more

Unfortunately I can not rate this place with more than 2 stars; I really would like to but the staff prevented any chance of this. Short version: They don't answer the phone or call you back for camping or boat reservations. I ended up having to pay more than expected for a boat rental because they told me the boat I wanted was available when it wasn't. Full Version: I am going to start with the negative because I would like to end on a positive note... My family tried for weeks to reserve a camping spot next to the arena but no one would call us back. Traveling 100's of miles on the hopes that you might find a place nearby to camp doesn't fly. Luckily Brandy Creek campground nearby took reservations online. Trying to get information regarding the boat rentals was nearly as challenging... My family wanted to rent a pontoon boat for 1/2 a day. 1/2 day boat rentals are first come fist serve and not reservable (that seems reasonably). On the day we wanted to rent a boat I called first thing when they opened then 20, 40 and 60 minutes after 8:00 A.M. attempting to reserve a pontoon boat for a full day since the weather forecast was going to be 110! No answer and no call backs from the messages I left... Finally someone answered and when I had mentioned I had been calling the young lady didn't even acknowledge or apologize. I asked the availability of pontoon boat we wanted to rent. Her reply was that Yes they had plenty and I didn't need a reservation... When we got there they had sold out of the pontoon boat and we had to rent a $100 more expensive boat. This was the last straw... I was in the boat shack grabbing a cold soda before hitting the lake. I overheard the young lady that had answered my phone call getting scolded for her lack of customer service skills. The marina phone rang and she just hung it up. By the time I had left the shack she had dropped or sent 3 more phone calls to voicemail. Now I know where my call went. The marina had a ton of staff inside and out so there was no excuse for not answering phone calls. Oh by the way the marina RV camping area was 20% full and I'm amazed it was that full. I guess that must have been the people that just came without a reservation. The campground had no character and just looked like a re-designated truck and boat trailer parking lot. No tree, dirt or picnic tables; just stripes on asphalt... The Good: There was plenty of parking and the facilities were newly renovated. Once at the marina the boat rental process was rather painless. The boat was in decent condition besides the speedometer not working. The staff working outside were friendly and plentiful. (definitely more than the cashier should have a phone) read more

If I could give 3.5 stars that would be perfect. Since most people here were so helpful I rounded up. Let's break down the different sections of Oak Bottom because they are different from each other. The Campground: we had site D6 and it was great. Enough shade so we could sleep in the mornings. It's a 30 second walk to the bathroom and right across the street from a parking area since all the sites are hike in. The bathrooms are immaculate and seriously they have the best camp showers I've ever used. Great water pressure, 2 hooks and a bench per shower--also immaculate. There is a security guard who patrols at night, reminding each campsite to the 10pm quiet time. Security responded very quickly to a developing domestic situation and a nearby campsite. The campground store. It's not really a campground store. They have ice and firewood. Come prepared or else you will be trekking 12 miles to the Tops store in Redding. The people who work there are super nice. ( Tops is a pretty great grocery store. Everyone is crazy nice and the make ready to order sandwiches) The swim beach: Its pretty gross. Trash everywhere. Kids going to the bathroom in the water. The snack bar is only open on the weekends and Monday and only gets pre-made sandwiches delivered on Fridays. The rules of the beach are no smoking, no alcohol and no dogs. We saw all three things happening and no one said anything. Finally the geese. Everyone feeds them so they will come to you if you have food and they are not afraid. Brandy Creek swim beach is much nicer. The marina: we wanted to rent a boat so we checked in with them the night before. Since we didn't want to rent for 8 hours we couldn't reserve a boat. Fair enough. We were told to stop by in the morning when we wanted the boat. The next morning we stopped in and we're told we could rent 4 or 8 hours and if we wanted 4 we had to rent then because someone might come in wanting 8. Still fair. We came back at 2:20 to be told that someone rented the boat for 2 hours (so 20 minutes earlier) and would not be back until 4 and that is if they weren't late. The teenager there was not terribly helpful. We came back at 4. Luckily the people came back on time and the girl who works in the afternoon is very helpful. She gave us 3.5 hours for the price of 2. Whiskeytown is a nice area. The waterfalls are beautiful and the lake is wonderful. There are a strange number of wanderers walking highway 299. Just remember how hot it is here in the summer and you'll be fine. read more

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We had a great few day at the lake. Rented a ski boat. Everyone was extremely nice and friendly.

Just rented from them a second time: boat was clean and worked flawlessly, the staff was friendly and super helpful and had a wonderful time on Whiskeytown Lake. Really recommend them! read more

Would like to say thank you to all the staff at the oak bottom marina They are all very helpful, and have great service. Thank you From the Gibsons. read more

Chose this place for a family camping trip. The views are beautiful and mesmerizing. There's also a beach you can walk to and take your little ones to (if any). We arrived a bit earlier than the "check in" time. About 30 mins early. We go into their office/store to check into our campsite and apparently they had booked us for a different site number. I personally was upset because we wanted a lakefront site and carefully booked this day/site based on their availability. The at the counter wasn't very apologetic, she apologized (with an attitude) and stated that somebody else was booked for the site We had originally booked for several nights and she couldn't just kick them out. (Obviously!!!) My husband asked her if we could check out the site and if we didn't like it because of THEIR mistake, if we can cancel and get our money back. She agreed. We get to our site - past the check in time. There was somebody still camping there. After I saw the site; I was actually happy. I felt silly being so upset about. The site had a better view and had a tiny beach to it you can climb down to. Anyhow, The lady still there was very apologetic and said that she and her partner are transferring to another site but those people have not packed up (and by the looks of it- didn't seem they were anytime soon).. We understood her, but we did pay for this site and wanted to get started as our stay was short. She was understanding as well and within 1.5 hour started packing her stuff together. Meanwhile they had spoken to the people on their site to start pack as the new campers were arriving. Those people took more time packing. It didn't seem like the campsite had any security or someone keeping tabs. It almost felt like another situation of "oh well" The site we had was slanted so if you have little ones, they will keep you on your toes because it is a bit scary they will fall down and roll. Overall, it was a very nice site. Beautiful views and relaxing. Not the best for kids, you have to go and carefully choose the best site that's kid friendly. They need to improve on their booking system and management of the sites. (I'm not sure if it's a consistent problem, but that's my impression with them) Regardless, my husband and I do plan to come back again. read more

Oak Bottom Marina - The little beach connected to our site. - Campgrounds Near Me - Whiskeytown, California

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Clean bathrooms. Clean boats. Very helpful dockhand. Had a great day out on the lake. Lots of fun. Only complaint was that it went too fast.

In general this was a good place to camp, but I am spoiled and didn't like a lot of things. I was lucky to get a spot with a relatively flat spot for my tent and some shade, but most sites looked on a bad slant and all tents were not flat. Our bear box had really gross greasy residue inside it and the top did as well, rendering it useless but i put down paper bags in it and made it work. Our bench was really dirty and greasy. There was garbage, cigarette butts, and leftover socks on the ground, so our site clearly hadn't been cleaned up at all, blame goes to previous campers but I would expect a routine cleanup at each site. The bathrooms were trashed quick, pretty gross in the early morning. The hot showers were fantastic and the lake is beautiful, those 2 things alone made this place somewhere I would return. Bring some kind of spray cleaner, lots of rags, and extra extra garbage bags. read more

Amazing camping if you snag a lakefront spot (walk down, no cars). We have been here twice now and it's the perfect getaway to unwind and relax with beautiful views. Camp sites are huge and offer bear lockers, fire pit and picnic table. Lake water was clean, clear and perfect temperature in July. Floated all day right off the camp site! Dog friendly. Will definitely be back. read more

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Slips go for $133 a month payable by the quarter. On the hook less (about $80---for those wondering what the hell on the hook is . . . defined: boat "hooked" to a buoy and not in a slip). Convenience store just up the ramp. Fuel dock. Oak Bottom Marina definitely floats my boat. read more

Oak Bottom Marina - Sparkle Plenty in her Oak Bottom slip. - Campgrounds Near Me - Whiskeytown, California

One of my favorite places as a kid to go swimming, and Brandy Creek across the lake. Whiskeytown lake is now a federal park and has daily passes for fees. Alot of new laws make it not as appealing to me,(recalling days more free)- Still, it is a Clean lake and Very good for water sports & safe for kids. It is also a very good lake for kayaking and fishing. It sports Crap'e, Trout, Cat, Kantaloop, Blue Gill & Craw fish. There are limits and Catch & Release fun. read more

Oak Bottom Marina - 09' kayak fishing back by Powerhouse on Whiskeytown lake... - Campgrounds Near Me - Whiskeytown, California

My family and I absolutely love the marina as well as the employees that work there. I've been coming to this marina as a renter for my entire life. However, after getting our own pontoon boat, we now moor our boat at the marina. Everyone is always so friendly and accommodating. When we first got our boat we had some mechanical issues and had to be towed. Having friendly and accommodating staff made a stressful experience a whole lot better. As far as the facilities go, I think the newer improvements have gone a long way to make the marina better. I have full confidence in this marina! read more

Oak Bottom Marina - Campgrounds Near Me - Whiskeytown, California

So we are in a no wake zone going 3 miles an hour. Heather comes out from the rental trailer waving her arm slow down. We are idling not creating a wake. We park the the boat. She is ranting and raving about we need to slow down. We told her the boat was going as slow as it would go. She continued on and on and on. We told her several times sorry we are going slow as it will go. I told her we have Apologized several times and end the conversation. She actually thought she has some sort of authority and told us to leave then continue to verbally abuse my 84 year old dad and called the park ranger on us. The park ranger came out so we did nothing wrong don't worry about anything we can stay. I called her boss had him come out explaining what happened and that she needed to be reprimanded and that she needed apologize to my father for verbally abusing him. and they did nothing So Obviously this behavior is acceptable with a Coke bottle marina. I have called several time during business hours and no one answers read more

The place is awesome in fact, as beautiful and awesomeness the place it seems, Its doesn't feel like anymore. Sorry for the confused description . Campsite is uphill , inconvenient coz there is no access for water than the restroom outdoor faucet. The restroom is not adjoin with bathroom or shower room .Its separate We need to go down the Marina which have a time curfew for using the shower because of government Park rules. The length of travel is long too long for the camping when there's shorter travel time For a great campsite too. But Everyone with family and friends a total of almost 100 Have a great time.But we have so much fun specially the kids . The water/lake is great and boat rentals too. read more

This is a hidden gem of a lake in Northern California! Oak Bottom Maina for all your water activities. We rented patio boat with a tube to pull and spent 6 hours and tons of fun for all of us ages 4, 8, 14 and 4 adults. The staff was very helpful loading and unloading. New boats and equipment were beautiful. read more

Not peaceful camping. Very very very crowded, and if you're looking for a relaxing camping trip don't stop here. If you're looking to hang around the campfire and get trashed and yell all night, or have huge group singing until 2am then this place is great. Beautiful lake, dog friendly, clean lakeshore. Actually clean campground too. Honestly this wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so cram packed where you feel like your sharing your camp site with others, OR if they actually enforced the noise curfew. Well, been there, done that, and i'll never return to camp. read more

This is the place to be in Nor Cal if you want to spend time on a gorgeous lake! There are many things you can do/rent here at Oak Bottom marina and the staff is so helpful and friendly! If you are itching for a day at the lake give Oak Bottom Marina a shot, you won't regret it! read more

I'm surprised at the bad reviews this place has! The first time I tried to go kayaking in Shasta I drove an hour to the lake and it was 108 degrees and we just turned back. We could hardly move in such weather let alone kayak. The second time we ended up at Whiskeytown Lake. Its apparently a nicer place to kayak but they were actually out of kayaks by the time we got there. They only had 3 single person kayaks. The only other options were these very sad looking fishing boats with zero shade or anything. We decided to go check them out before we committed and while we were looking at them, someone returned this awesome cruiser. We asked them if we could rent that one instead and they said yes. Best. Idea. Ever. It was just four of us on the ten person Deck Cruiser but it was still a really good deal. It is $69/hour and two hours was plenty. It felt like forever out there. We also weren't prepared at all for boating so we didn't bring anything with us. I didn't even have a swim suit! We all thought we were just going to kayak for an hour. Definitely will be better prepared next time! It is also only $40 more for two more hours if you want to stay out there the entire afternoon. It would be SUCH a deal if you actually had ten people on the boat. The girl that set us up hooked us up with this massive tube and we had a blast on it. She was super nice! Its been a couple days and I am still sore! It was not the leisurely activity I thought it would be. Make sure you hold on tight! We returned the boat with no problem. There was a fuel charge but it honestly wasn't much. It was the best time we had all weekend. The lake is huge and the shade of the boat was perfect. Definitely bring some snacks, water, and sunscreen with you. They also don't sell any booze in the shop. The shop is pretty bare bones actually. A bunch of sodas, chips, and ice cream. Oh a bunch of fishing gear too if you're into that kind of thing. We did see a bunch swimming around! All sorts of different boats and kayaks are constantly being returned so even if there are no kayaks or whatever, just wait a little bit. By the time we were all set to leave on the cruiser, I saw four other kayaks being returned. They don't take reservations so it is a little up to chance! read more

We rented kayaks here last August....two double kayaks with a 4 hour minimum. Unfortunately, 1 1/2 hours into our paddle around the lake, one kayak kept dumping us over for no apparent reason. It did so 3 times in a 5-10 minute period. Getting back into a kayak from the water is not easy! And there were two of us! And of course, we were smack dab in the middle of the lake, not near the shore. We realized it had a leak in the bottom and was taking on water in the sealed compartment underneath us...just enough to slosh from one side of the kayak to the other and tip us out. It was during the week and there were few people out on the lake. But we managed to flag down a boater who came over and took the 4 of us aboard and towed the kayaks back to the office. It's obvious from the other reviews that maintaining their equipment is not a big priority for them. We forgot to ask for at least a partial refund. We were just glad not to be stranded anymore with a completely useless kayak. And they didn't offer to give any refund to us which they should have. Needless to say....very disappointing. We won't be renting from them again. read more

While we enjoyed our weekend, there was a lot of trash in our site and we had our young kids with us. Hiking all of our stuff in from the lot was trying as well. The sites on the water are sloped and many fire pits are not true pits at all. Ours had a slab of cement and a grate... Our neighbor site had a pit with a hole so hot cinders came out the bottom... Facilities need maintenance as the showers were all out of order except one. Bathroom stall doors and sink grimy and sticky. Camp was nice to let us stay longer than the noon checkout since no once was coming in behind us. Beware only room for one tent per site in many cases... sites 25 and 26 are practically on top of each other. The BEST part was being on the lake which is beautiful. read more

I just want to say....this review was left by me at least 8 years ago....how the Marina keeps its boats now...I don't have any idea...it might be wise ( if you can) to check them out first! read more

We came here to walk a bit with the kids, check out the beach area. Very nice! When it's empty of course.. definitely a place to come too when it's open and hotter weather read more

Get treated like FAMILY! I am so excited to write a review for this place! My friend and I arrived late for another kayaking venue, so we missed our evening canoe trip :( The owner/manager of this marina was sympathetic and was closing up and he STILL let us use his kayaks. They were in great condition and the lake area was just perfect for us. It is so nice to be treated kindly on vacation. We will definitely visit this marina AGAIN :) read more

Left the cold weather in Mt. Shasta, headed south in hopes to get lucky finding a campsite around Whiskeytown Lake...one Thursday night... Arriving just before sunset but just after the general store closed, we thought we were out of luck until an older gentleman (campground host) approached us, asking if we were wanting to camp--yes! He pointed us in the direction and told us to go take a loop around, looking at the sites and come back to him with a few we liked. We did just that and got lucky that the one we liked best was not reserved for the night and all ours - right on the water! This nice man, sets up shop in his pickup truck helping us straggling in late settle in. We paid a couple dues, one for the park (I think like $10?) and for the campsite ($25, a few extra bucks because it's on the water) and were good to go! They sell firewood and fire starter logs (~$6-$8?) here too! You park your car in small lot and hike a little way in to site, carrying gear or using wagons which are they supply. We camped in CS 19 and very much enjoyed it! There were a couple spots close but not taken so we had a quiet, peaceful stay. The site had a picnic table, fire pit, food storage container and a perfect sport for a tent! If you're looking for a few sites, close (on) the water the three here are perfect! There were restrooms near parking lot. And showers down closer to marina, open only certain hours. read more

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Oak Bottom Marina is awesome and has the friendliest staff. There are lots of birds (bald eagles & blue herons) to see and the scenery is beautiful! Be sure to bring your camera. Try renting one of their peddle kayaks. They are so comfortable! Or even try out a regular kayak so you can see areas of the lake that aren't visible from shore. Even though the fire left much of the area burned, signs of recovery are everywhere. If you'd like to spend a relaxing day soaking up the beautiful scenery, be sure to visit Oak Bottom. You won't be disappointed! read more

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A friend and I arrived to rent Kayaks but we didnt know they were closing soon. (busy season has not started yet) They let us take out kayaks for free for the remainder of their business day! They were friendly and have exceeding exceptions by being so kind to lend them out for free! It was a great day on the lake! read more

I wanted to let you know what a great experience we had renting your tritoon and Ranger boats! The process was quick and easy and your staff was amazing. Shout out to Becca, for going the extra mile and making sure everything worked out Perfectly. Also to Heather and Andrew who went above and beyond and made the day great for all of us! Thanks again guys we will definitely recommend this place highly to anyone. And we can't wait to come back. read more

I love this lake .Is so beautiful to camp.Water is great not too cold my baby girl loves it here aswell.Beautiful place.

We had a great time renting a boat here. The staff was nice and helpful, our boat was great, and the lake was lovely. We would definitely rent from this place again! read more

Called the night before to reserve a fishing boat for the day. Was told to not worry because all 5 fishing boats were available and as long as we got there at 8 am (opening time) we would be able to get one. After waking up early and promptly showing up at 8 we were then told upon arrival that the fishing boats weren't even ready for the season and there were none available. Tried selling us a pontoon boat rental for triple the cost. No thanks! Spent the rest of the day fishing from the shoreline. read more

Gross. Just gross. The surrounding area is beautiful, but the campground itself is nasty. The hosts, clearly do not clean. They are busy riding around on the walkways in their quads, but are too busy to clean up from previous campers. Broken tent poles, tweezers, garbage, wires, ect. We set up camp and the longer we stayed the more grossed out we got..... we picked up the tent and walked it to the handicapped accessible site. It was clean, level, and didn't have garbage strewn about in the bushes. Seriously.... park hosts, what are you doing? read more

Had the best experience in renting a pontoon boat! Great prices and great customer service! My friend and her daughters were meeting us at the boat ramp and were supposed to call when they arrived. I didn't know that my friend didn't have cell phone service and so she she couldn't get a hold of us. A staff member gave them all a ride to find us out on the lake. He was an angel sent to us on this day. The water out on Whiskey Lake is crystal clear and like glass. We all had the best day we've had in a long time! read more

While the campground has plenty of space, be aware that on the shoulder season the showers are closed. Also, the sites are all walk-in. This means that if you're like me and bring a trunk-load of firewood, be prepared to spend several trips hauling it all in. Additionally, not all the sites have a true fire ring. Many are just a small slab of concrete with a really small grate. This lack of a wind block or recess means it's really hard to build a fire for a large group of people. Lastly, the lake front sites are all sloped, so finding a place to pitch your camp chair without rolling downhill is extremely difficult. read more

We went to Oak Bottom Marina for the first time this weekend and were very disappointed. When I originally called to book the campsite I asked the woman who took my reservation very detailed questions. We had small children camping so I wanted to make sure it was suitable. One of the questions I asked wasif two tents of standard size would fit on the site - she assured me they would. The next question I asked was if the campground was level, she said it had different parts but overall yes. I booked the campsite and when we arrived we found that not only was the campsite at a HUGE angle but that they semi-level ground was not big enough for the two tents. The kids were falling over in the camping chairs the entire time and it made for a very unpleasant trip. The campground was incredibly cramped -had the woman told me when I asked her I would have happily paid extra for an additional campsite. Speaking of price, they charge $20 per camp site per night. The most expensive I've ever seen for a primitive, hike in camp site. They have 2 bathrooms on premises - they should have at least twice that for the size of the campground. The woman's bathroom that we went to was near the swim beach and only had one working toilet. The lines were always awful and there was only toilet paper 2 out of the 6 times I went. We are avid campers and have camped in many places throughout northern california and have never had as bad an experience as we did at this facility. We will not be returning. That being said; the lake itself was an absolutely delight. I'd love to return to Whiskey Lake again someday, you can see 20 ft plus down the lake is so clear and clean, there are nice little islands you can boat out to, and the like itself is enormous. Definitely enjoy whiskey lake, just do it at another campground! Or try your luck on the side of the road, you won't be doing any worse than oak bottom! read more