We went on a family camping trip to Antlers campground in Lakehead, CA. Antlers campground is a US Forestry campground next to Lake Shasta. We stayed at site 13.
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The Campsite
Our campsite (#13) was double-wide and very easy to park our 20 foot trailer in. The site itself was nice and large. There was plenty of space for the kids to play. You could even see Lake Shasta from our site though you did have to look through someone else’s campsite.
It was extremely fortunate that we had booked a double-wide campsite because we ended up parking two trailers in this one site. We had reserved sites 13 and 54 (which are right next to each other) but someone else had already setup camp in site 54. We eventually were able to find the campground host and he agreed that site 54 is reserved for us (as indicated on the site post), but he said he had been trying to notify the other camper since the previous day with no luck. Based on the empty boat trailer at the site we assumed that the camper was out on the lake. We decided to squeeze both trailers into one spot since we really had no other options. By the time the campers in site 54 returned it was already dark and we just let them stay there. We didn’t want to move the trailers at that point. Both trailers were already completely setup and leveled at site 13.
Though it worked out, the situation itself was a real bummer. It is an uncomfortable feeling to have made reservations and come to the site to find it isn’t empty and there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it. Those same campers who set up at a site reserved to someone else also started a large campfire and then left it unattended while they went for a walk. And this was during a very dry time of year when wildfires are a big concern. Although I realize I shouldn’t judge the campground based on the campers, it is very hard to ignore that type of situation and not let it take away from the overall experience.
This is a dry campground. There are no hook-ups at all. Even the spigots at the campground can not have a hose attached so make sure you bring everything you need. There is no dump station. We did have a weak cell signal through Verizon.
The Weather
We were there in the summer, in June. The day we arrived it was so hot that both kids got sick multiple times from heat stroke. It was pretty bad, we were struggling to keep them comfortable. Luckily, the next day and for the rest of our visit the weather was much better. It was still hot, but not so hot that anyone was getting sick. There were enough trees to find some shade and be comfortable there.
The Activities
This campground is right next to Lake Shasta but you can’t actually access the lake from the campground. The campground is on a bluff so there is a cliffside to get to the lake. The campground is right next to a boat launch so it is easy to get a boat into the lake. It is however much more difficult to find a swimming hole. We couldn’t find any place where we were allowed to swim in the lake near the campground. It definitely seemed like the lake would be a lot more enjoyable from that campground if you also owned a boat. There is a boat rental place at the RV park down the road but everything had already been reserved. If you are there in the summer make sure you plan ahead so you can reserve a boat.
We ended up going on a short drive up North to Hedge Creek Falls. This turned out to be a lot of fun and we will discuss it in length in the next section.
The Dog-Friendly Hiking
We went on a hike at Hedge Creek Falls. This was about a half-hour drive North of the campground. This hike was dog-friendly and pretty easy for the kids. This trail was more popular than we had expected, parking was difficult but we were able to find a spot. When we started hiking we were able to see why it’s so popular. There is a large waterfall that you get to walk behind. It is really cool. And then if you keep going there are some amazing views of Mount Shasta. The temperature on this trail was nice and cool too, it felt 10-15 degrees cooler than what it was at camp. It was a very nice getaway for us and the dog.
The Beer
We did not find any breweries near this campground. Your best bet is to pack some beer with you.
The Recap
Antlers campground has nice large sites and views of Lake Shasta. It gets very hot in the summer and unfortunately there is no swimming access available on the lake.
Campground Details:
Antlers Campground
Antlers Rd, Lakehead, CA 96051
Can reserve online at recreation.gov. Reservations open 6 months ahead.
