Hammerhorn Lake (FR M21) in CA -- Camping Rules & Access
Hammerhorn Lake (FR M21) in CA
Road corridorMendocino NF, Covelo Ranger District
17 mi from Covelo
Maps 3,540 ft
Dispersed camping generally allowed
U.S. Forest Service default; a local order can restrict it.
Stay limit: 14 days · within 30 days · then move 1 mi · No more than 28 days in any 12 months
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Road Access
Difficult
- 1.3 of this road’s 10.1 miles are maintained for high-clearance vehicles, mostly graded dirt with 1.3 miles of dirt.
- Near Smokehouse Ridge Trailhead.
- Estimated climb: 190 ft over 10.1 miles through 8 switchbacks, with sustained grades near 14% and pitches to 43%.
- Terrain estimates show roadside drops of up to ~160 ft on the downhill side.
- Dead-end road; turnaround space is not mapped.
Setting
Some privacy
- Moderately separated here.
- Smokehouse Ridge stands 3,313 ft above the map pin, 2.2 miles north.
- Hammerhorn Lake lies 0.1 mi off.
Rules
- Dispersed camping stay limits are in effect across the Mendocino National Forest through Oct.8, 2027.…Camping within a one-mile radius of the same location outside of a Developed Recreation Site for a period longer than 14 days within any 30-day period. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(a).…Camping within one-mile of a Developed Recreation Site. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e).
- Camping rules
Climate averages
October normals 48–69°F, 3.4″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.