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Buckhorn Recreation Area is at Black Butte Lake, situated at the northern end of the Sacramento valley, 100 miles north of Sacramento, CA and 30 minutes south of Red Bluff, CA. The lake is a popular meeting place for water sports and outdoor enthusiasts, so bring family and friends for an incredibly scenic getaway.
Find excitement with wake boarding and sailing or explore the shoreline's 13 miles of fitness trails for hiking, running and biking. Black Butte is renowned for its warm-water fishing, including catches such as crappie, channel catfish, and large and smallmouth bass.
Buckhorn has 93 campsites, including a group campground and five walk-in sites. Conveniences include showers, a modern boat ramp complex, two playgrounds, an exercise area, and shoreline access. No sites have electric or water hookups. The area is open year-round.
Black Butte Lake was formed in 1963 with the completion of the Black Butte Dam on Stony Creek.
The lake's surface area measures 4,460 acres when water levels are high. Black basalt buttes and blue oak woodland hug the lake's 40 miles of shoreline.
A 18 hole disc golf course can be accessed across from the Orland Buttes Campground. Horeseback riders can make use of the horse trails at Grizzly Flat and Burris Creek. Drive east to visit the Mendocino National Forest.
From Interstate 5, take the Black Butte Lake exit at Orland, CA. Travel west on County Road 200/Newville Road for 12 miles. Turn left on Buckhorn Road and enter the Buckhorn Recreation area.
Was out rockhounding for jasper. Beautiful area. After rockhounding we took a look at the campsites and they are great! They even have lantern hooks so you can light up the campsite in the evening... It's the little things.
Buckhorn Recreation Area at Black Butte Lake is a great early season getaway. In March, the campground is virtually empty, the hills are covered in green and if you time it right you can enjoy pleasant days for hiking and exploring. My daughter even jumped in the lake! Free showers and dump station. Playground, fitness equipment, volleyball court and horseshoe pits. Bring your own ball and shoes.
The lake is great. Water isn't too cold, it was perfect for all day swimming. The campsites are a good size. We had a large group and got these sites together: 7, 9, 13, 14. The bathrooms are nice and have hot/cold showers. There was a volleyball court next to our sites that was fun for the whole group. Only cons about the place are that the mosquitos here were vicious! I've never been to a place as bad. Even with bug Sprays and candles, our whole group experienced multiple bites, all over. So much so that the kids were over it and wanted to leave after the 1st night. The other con was hiw hot it was and the lack of shade. We went camping her in mid Aug and the heat was almost unbearable. We would love to come back but we have 2nd thought due to the bug situation and the heat.
It was beautiful at this campground. It was a little cold this time of year, specially at night, but the camp sites are well spaced and it was so serene.
