By:
Submission
**Description** : Trout Creek is one of the few sizable creeks on the McCloud Flats, and is a popular undeveloped camping area. Vault toilets are provided, but there are no tables at these dispersed sites. Bring your own drinking water. **Features** : In recent years, the Forest Service has partnered with other agencies and organizations to restore this area to its traditional habitat with improvements to the hydrology of the creek bed and propagation of native species. There is a protective perimeter fence to keep out cattle and OHV use. Access includes 1 mile of unpaved road.
From the McCloud Ranger Station, turn left on SR 89. Go 2.8 miles to the turnoff for Pilgrim Creek Road (Road 13). Go approximately 17 miles to the turnoff for Trout Creek. Turn left and follow the road for 1 mile to the fork and take a left for a short distance to the campground.
Conveniently located on the Eel River. Even the campsites farthest from the river are a short walk to the river. Vary affordable.
There are two areas. The first, near check in, are first come first served sites. The second area, being closer to the river, are sites reserved online .
We stayed in the first area, drove up in a couple of trucks to a pull off, hiked down to the river, and tubed down to the campground's beach. After getting back to the campground someone with a car took the owners of the trucks back to the pull off.
The rapids where fairly easy. (*Though they may scare young children.*) We were a large group of young adults. Other then a few bruised butts, due to bolders just below the water's surface in the rapids, no one got hurt. A few people flipped over, I did not, and the only thing we lost were a pair of boots that were not tied to the the craft they were on.
I give it 4 stars rather then 5 because I was told there is no drinking water there. There are water spigots but they are not for drinking. I just brought 3 1/2 gallons of drinking water. Which I bought for just under $10 at the corner store in Potter. So not too bad.
My family loves Trout Creek Campground! We camp here at least once a year. Lucky for us this paradise is just about an hour from our home. The campsites are shady and the river is the best. I did prefer it before the changes of recent years, they changed up the sites a little and now you have to reserve your space online, but it is still great! To address some negative comments in these other reviews, I'd just like to clarify. There are outhouses, not bathrooms and temperatures rise to 100+ all summer here, so yes they don't smell good when you have to use them. The year the campground was closed for "no reason", we had had huge storms, fires and mudslides here after a severe drought. So yeah, there was probably a reason. Complaining about rattlesnakes in the wilds of Northern California during the summer months as part of a campground review is just silly. They live here, i simply stomp wherever I go and i never see them. Have fun, leave only footprints, take only memories!
Gorgeous campground nestled in the woods next to the river. Great for a nature getaway!
On one level this is an amazing, barely known gem for cheap weekend camping that's almost never full.
On another level, it's the Wild West, so don't expect toilet paper or respectful neighbors at all times.
Right off the river. There are better sites than others but be prepared for people to walk through your campsite to access the river.
Also people park in the campsites for tubing, but aren't staying there.
