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Submission
From Hwy 49 at Sierra City: Drive 4 1/2 miles to Bassett's Station. Turn left on Gold Lake Hwy. Continue for 5 miles to Snag Lake Campground.
Free camping. Beautiful view of the lake. The lake has leeches. Remember it's high altitude camping so it will get down into the 30s at night.
Forest service says this isn't used but it is packed. Very few sites. The site areas aren't marked but there's some boundaries. Not all sites have tables. Fire pits are man made rock rings. The roads are full of rocks, low clearance vehicles not advised. Great area.
If you like mosquitos, wasps, tarantulas, and loud people, then go for it. Bring fly strips and air freshener for the bathroom. There's no drinking water or dumpster here. And the lake has leeches too.
This campground is great but doesn’t have a lot of accommodations- which is fine with me. I went on a Sunday-Tuesday in September so it was very quiet. I am not sure how busy it is on weekends though.
Pros: free, right on a small pretty lake, fire pits, tables, clean vault toilets
Cons: no flushing toilets, no water, no reservations, no camp host, I wouldn’t swim in lake but you ca man take small boats/kayaks
8-10 camp spots very close to boat ramp. Fires permitting, bring a saw for loads of downed trees. DEET is a must due to the close proximity to the lake. Beware that bears are in the area and found loads of evidence. Cook away from camp and store all food in bear cans. This is a pack-in / pack-out site so keep a clean camp to avoid bear visits.
