Dispersed Camping in Modoc County, California
Showing 32 locations in Modoc County.
Alturas Urban Stealth Area
This urban zone encompasses the city of Alturas, where vehicle overnight stays are restricted on public streets and local parks are closed to RV boondocking. Alturas Park features beautiful grounds but does not allow motorized vehicle camping, restricting ground tents to single nights only with police notification.
Big Sage Campground
Located on the shores of Big Sage Reservoir in Modoc National Forest, this developed Forest Service campground offers basic, no-fee camping with pit toilets, picnic tables, and a boat ramp. Access is via an eight-mile washboard gravel road that can be dusty and rough. The campground features sparsely spaced trees offering limited privacy, and the reservoir's water levels can fluctuate significantly, occasionally leaving the water looking brown and low.
BLM Land near Alturas, CA
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Blue Lake Campground
A scenic developed campground situated on the shores of Blue Lake in the South Warner Mountains of Modoc National Forest. The lake, formed by an ancient landslide, is known for its clear, cold blue water, great fishing, and a shoreline hiking trail wrapping around the water.
Buckhorn Road BLM Dispersed
Dispersed camping corridor along Buckhorn Road on Bureau of Land Management land in Modoc County. The area offers remote, quiet high-desert camping on well-maintained gravel roads accessible by most vehicles.
Cedar Pass Campground
A peaceful, shaded developed campground situated along a small stream in the Modoc National Forest. The campground features multiple back-in campsites spread across two small loops, equipped with picnic tables, fire rings, and modern vault toilets. Access is via a narrow but graded gravel and asphalt road. It offers a quiet, natural setting with pleasant creekside sounds to mask any minor distant highway noise. Highly suitable for campervans and small-to-medium RVs looking for a quiet forest retreat.
Desert Rose Casino
A level, paved parking lot situated at the casino on the edge of town, suitable for self-contained vehicles seeking a convenient, overnight stop.
Divine Springs Campground
A quiet, remote developed campground featuring five sites with metal fire rings, picnic tables, and a small stream running through the area.
Dodge Reservoir Campground
An established, primitive BLM campground situated next to Dodge Reservoir in a high-desert landscape of sagebrush and scattered junipers. The campground features around six sites equipped with concrete picnic tables and a vault toilet. There is no potable water or trash service, so campers must pack out all waste. It is a lightly used, peaceful destination that is particularly appealing for spring and early summer fishing.
Emerson Campground
Emerson Campground is a quiet, remote Forest Service camp nestled in the Warner Mountains near Emerson Peak, offering primitive sites along a scenic mountain creek.
Fox Homestead
One of four permitted campsites in High Rock Canyon, this is the northernmost option. The historic High Rock Garage is located here, providing shelter during inclement weather, and a closed off-road trail leads west along Yellow Rock Canyon for hiking.
Jane's Reservoir Campground
Jane's Reservoir Campground is a remote, primitive Forest Service facility located next to Janes Flat 121 Dam, offering quiet lakeside camping with basic amenities.
Likely Place RV Resort
A developed RV resort and campground set alongside a golf course in Modoc County. It features peaceful grounds with a hiking trail through a juniper forest, a restaurant, and comprehensive amenities including laundry facilities and free recreational gear loans.
Lower Rush Creek Campground
A small US Forest Service developed campground offering shaded campsites adjacent to Rush Creek. It features level parking spurs that are well-suited for campervans and small trailers, alongside scenic walk-in tent sites across the creek.
Mill Creek Falls Campground
This basic developed Forest Service campground offers quiet, shaded sites with quick trail access to nearby Mill Creek Falls.
Modoc District Fairgrounds RV Parking
An RV parking area located at the Modoc District Fairgrounds offering hookups, restrooms, and basic services. It serves as a practical, functional staging point when traveling through the area.
Modoc National Forest Dispersed Camping
A quiet, dispersed camping area located on public lands in the scenic Modoc County area near Alturas.
Modoc National Forest Dispersed
A secluded dispersed camping area located in the Modoc National Forest, offering a rustic wilderness experience near Mill Creek Falls.
Patterson Campground
Adjacent to the historic guard station, this small Forest Service campground offers six developed campsites. Nestled in a scenic grove of aspens and conifers, it provides a quiet setting close to wilderness trailheads.
Patterson Guard Station
This historic 1921 cabin serves as an excellent basecamp on the edge of a pine and aspen meadow, located just a quarter-mile from the South Warner Wilderness boundary. The property features a large turnaround area adjacent to the cabin that accommodates smaller RVs, camper trailers, and horse trailers. It offers access to nearby hiking and equestrian trails, making it ideal for a secluded getaway.
Payne Peak Trail Dispersed
Dispersed camping options are situated along Payne Peak Trail in the Modoc National Forest. The area features spacious, semi-flat clearings surrounded by pine trees, with a small creek located nearby down the road. It provides a peaceful setting with excellent natural privacy.
Red Tail Rim Trail South Trailhead/Campground
A quiet trailhead camping area situated at the southern terminus of the Red Tail Rim Trail within Modoc National Forest, providing a rustic base for hikers.
Reservoir C Campground
This quiet, rustic Forest Service campground offers basic dry camping sites situated directly along the shoreline of Reservoir C.
Reservoir F Campground
A quiet and remote developed campground situated on the eastern side of Reservoir F. The campground features basic amenities including pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings, with additional primitive dispersed camping options available on the western side of the reservoir. The site offers peaceful water access and is located near hiking trails in the Fairchild Swamp area. Access is straightforward via signed gravel roads.
Stephans Camp
A unique BLM property featuring flat camping areas and an open public-use cabin, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis if unoccupied.
Stough Reservoir Campground
A quiet, rustic Forest Service campground situated around a scenic small reservoir in the Warner Mountains. It features vault toilets, picnic tables, non-potable water, and fire rings, with campsites nestled among the pines.
Stough Reservoir Dispersed Area
Primitive dispersed camping options located along the forest road continuing past Stough Reservoir Campground. This scenic area offers elevated panoramic views of the Warner Mountains and surrounding valleys with excellent privacy.
Sully's RV Park
A straightforward, friendly private RV park in Alturas that offers full hookups and dry camping options. The facility features warm restrooms and hot showers with spacious parking options that accommodate very long rigs.
Sunrise Motel & RV Park
A small, practical motel-adjacent RV park offering essential hookups and facilities near town.
Sunrise RV Park & Motel
A simple and quiet combined RV park and motel located on Highway 299 in western Cedarville, providing convenient utility hookups and laundry amenities.
Upper Rush Creek Campground
A beautiful, shaded National Forest campground nestled in an old-growth pine forest along a perennial creek. Formerly equipped with water, it now operates with dry vault toilets and individual campsite amenities like fire rings and picnic tables. It offers a peaceful wilderness feel but requires self-contained camping due to periodic maintenance changes.
Willow Creek Campground
A quiet, heavily shaded developed USFS campground situated along Highway 139. Features 8 paved, level sites nestled in a tight valley with picnic tables, fire rings, grills, bear-proof garbage cans, and pit toilets.