Sunset Campground

We were there July 2024. Beautiful area, but very hard to get to (10 miles of unpaved road is the only way to get there). Thought this would keep out noisy crowds but multiple gigantic groups of people packed in on Friday night and blasted music until 12:30 am. So, the party people have discovered this lake. Host was nice but did nothing to enforce the quiet hours. I am all for people enjoying themselves, but I also prefer some peace and quiet at some point. If you want quiet camping, this is not the place. Lake levels are so low that there is no good day use swimming access. As of our trip, water had NOT been cleared to drink. So plan on bringing water to drink. That said, we got there on a Tuesday and NO ONE was there. Kid got to scoot around on the nice flat camp road. So that part was nice! I would recommend to go during the week and to drive a few miles from the store to a swimming hole on the Eel River.

If you don't want to worry about Karen telling you to keep it down and like a clean camp, this is the place. Inexpensive and very nice sites. It is first come first serve and only $16/night. A fire truck has daily routes to check n make sure fires are attended and if not they will come blast your pit. If you happen to come while the elk are in rut they leave their call and a magnetic pull in your mind to bring you back. Portable water n bathrooms. No showers which I don't mind since I'm in the lake most the day anyhow. The lake is close along with a boat launch. Bass fishing is pretty good along with some huge bluegill. Enjoy.

Relaxed little campground in Mendocino National Forest. No hookups, so less RVs than some places, but still a few generators going. It's on Lake Pillsbury, and has boat ramp access so was popular with jetskiers and boaters. There's a few campground around the lake so none were full even in the middle of summer - it's a gravel road going out there so that may dissuade some. They're managed by PG&E oddly. Clean and safe and really, really warm - it stayed over 100F until around 6pm. The elk that live in the flat make some noise in the night, which is hilarious and weird until you're used to it. 4/5 stars because while it was great, it was hard to find any good hikes to do. There's no trail maps available (and no rangers) so get those ahead of time. You need AWD to get around on many of the roads, certainly up Hull Mountain (where the hang gliders were), though you could probably get to the beginning of the Bloody Rock trail with most cars. There were lots of trails that looked good for OHV vehicles so between that and the lake it seems to attract more people into dirtbikes and jetskis than hikers. Plenty of families though. Some yellow jackets and mosquitoes but not as bad as many places. I would definitely go back sometime but would plan out some hikes better ahead of time. And make sure to bring an AWD vehicle.

Either Road you choose to Pillsbury is bad. but once you get there, it was well worth the bumps and dust. very peaceful clean...

The family I went with and my own family loved it! It's a great place to camp!