Featured amenities
Pet Friendly
Sites & Rates
Average nightly rates2 total sites
RV Sites
2 sites
About Horse Camp Primitive Campground
Number of accommodations: 2
Activities & Attractions
Nearby
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Swimming
Water Activities
Year-round
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Spring
Water Activities
Summer
Swimming
Water Activities
Fall
Water Activities
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Pet friendly
Pets and Policies
- Pet friendly
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Rates, Sites & Availability
2 Sites Available
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Site Details
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2 Sites Available
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Reviews (37)
What Guests Are Saying
Horse Camp Primitive Campground offers a beautiful, clean environment with ample space for large vehicles and tent setups. Visitors appreciate the peaceful surroundings, proximity to a scenic river overlook, and well-maintained facilities, including bear boxes and picnic tables. However, there were issues with reservations, lack of fire permissions, and some campers experienced difficulty finding level parking spots.
What Guests Are Saying
Horse Camp Primitive Campground offers a beautiful, clean environment with ample space for large vehicles and tent setups. Visitors appreciate the peaceful surroundings, proximity to a scenic river overlook, and well-maintained facilities, including bear boxes and picnic tables. However, there were issues with reservations, lack of fire permissions, and some campers experienced difficulty finding level parking spots.
Review Summary
victoria n
VerifiedJuly 6, 2026 • Stayed at: 001, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
they triple booked our campsite. i even stopped by the visitor center at the park entrance to confirm our reservation and ranger said we were good to go. had to love to campsite 002 and luckily no one showed for the first night. ended up not even staying the second night because the one other group had poor campground etiquette. no fires were allowed and we were not notified before or during reservations
Joshua U
VerifiedJune 19, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
basic camp site, near to a beautiful paved trail to river overlook.
Deborah B
VerifiedJune 3, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
0
Beau L
VerifiedMay 21, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Good spot, saw some deer and there’s ample space for large vehicles
Steven G
VerifiedMay 11, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Wonderful semi private (two-site) national campground. Clean facilities, contained fire pits with cooking grates, potable water. Both campsites have ample flat and protected areas for tents as big as 6-8 persons. There is a paved path for wheel chair (or walker) access to the overlook.
It rained for over an hour during our stay but no issues with flooding tent areas. Each campsite had two bear boxes. The picnic tables and benches were in great shape, not all scarred up by "nature lovers" compelled to leave their names or initials carved into them.
Unrelated to the campground, the signage at the lookout could use a little TLC, if you visit, pack a soapy rag and a little water to carry on the .23 mile hike to wipe it off, future visitors will be grateful.
Steve G
VerifiedApril 24, 2026 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Very disappointed.
No sign at turn for campground.
No way to get anywhere near level
Description given by “visitor center “ staff not even close to accurate.
Can not believe that this park does not let a person in a van/camper stay at any of the other campgrounds, even though their description list ok to park 2 vehicles at individual campsites. Which means, according to this, only 2 sites are available for a person not tenting.
rochelle p
VerifiedMarch 25, 2026 • Stayed at: 001, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
One of my favorite places to camp it’s always nice and quiet, peaceful clean
Barb C
VerifiedMarch 19, 2026 • Stayed at: 001, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Perfect stay, very clean
Karlene F
VerifiedDecember 28, 2025 • Stayed at: 001, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Very private location. We actually parked outside of the designated site because there was nowhere to park in the site that was level. Which was fine because there was plenty of space.
YANG C
VerifiedDecember 21, 2025 • Stayed at: 001, Loop: HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND
Great place if you want to stay quiet and the staring sky at the night
Location Horse Camp Primitive Campground
Address:
Po Box 188
Whiskeytown, CA, 96095
United States
From Interstate 5 in Redding, CA, drive 10 miles west on Highway 299. Turn left on Kennedy Memorial Drive at the visitor center and follow it for 1.6 miles until you reach a fork in the road at the dam. Turn left on Paige Bar Road and drive for two miles until you reach another fork in the road at the NEED Camp. Turn left onto the gravel road and proceed .5 miles to Horse Camp.
Elevation: 326 feet
6.5 mi drive to downtown Whiskeytown (about 15 min)
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
1PM
Check out time
12PM
General
- Download your proof of payment for your campsite from recreation.gov onto your phone or other device. You must be able to show this to a park ranger if requested.
- Entrance Pass Required - Whiskeytown is a National Park Service site and requires a vehicle entrance fee. You can purchase an entrance pass at the visitor center, or online by using your smart phone, tablet, or computer by going to the website. www.Recreation.Gov. If you already have a valid Interagency Annual, Senior, Access, Military, or Whiskeytown Annual pass, please display this pass in a hangtag or place it on the dashboard of your vehicle. Annual passes from Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lava Beds National Monument are also valid here at Whiskeytown.
- Maximum occupancy is 10 people and 3 vehicles.
- Horse Camp may accommodate any vehicle or combination of vehicles, including trailers, RVs, and RVs pulling other vehicles.
- Quiet hours are between;
- Black bears frequent the area: all food, beverage containers, toiletries, cooking and eating utensils must be stored inside a bear-resistant locker or out of sight in your vehicle unless they are in immediate use.
- Protect our natural resources. Gather only dead and down wood for firewood. Do not put nails in trees or damage or remove vegetation. Campfires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished (using water and dirt) when going to bed or leaving the campsite.
- Pets must be kept on a leash or in a crate at all times. Pets may not be left unattended. Dispose of pet waste in trash cans.
- Please be advised that because the Carr Fire of 2018 burned extensively through the park, post-fire hazards such as falling trees and branches remain. Stay alert while camping in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
- You may stay a total of 14 days from May 15 through September 15 or a total of 30 days for the entire calendar year.
- Click here for more information about Whiskeytown National Recreation Area www.nps.gov/whis
- There is a 3 tent maximum per site for this campground.
- Camping is limited to an aggregate of 14 days between April 1 and October 31 (inclusive) and no more than 30 days per person per calendar year. No period of stay of 30 days may be succeeded by any period of stay with less than a 7-day break. The 14 day between April 1 and October 31 is necessary to provide more equitable access to campsites. The maximum 30 window between November 1 and March 30 is necessary to prevent individuals from residing within Whiskeytown
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Nearby destinations
Last updated: September 3, 2026
