Almanor Campground

Almanor Campground is a large family-friendly facility for individuals and large groups alike. It provides direct access to beautiful Lake Almanor and a variety of recreational opportunities in the area.

A fee is required for camping at this site, fees must be paid upon arrival at the campground and before each night of camping.

Natural Features: The campground sits on the west shore of Lake Almanor at an elevation of 4,540 feet. A scenic mixed conifer forest covers the area. Parts of the campground are shaded, while other sections have grassy meadows that often contain wildflowers.

Recreation: The 28,000-acre lake provides ample boating, swimming, water skiing and sailing opportunities. A boat ramp can be found in the north campground. The adjacent beach is mostly rocky, but contains some sand. Fishing in the lake or nearby streams, is a popular activity. Anglers will find a variety of trout, bass, salmon and catfish, among other species. The Lake Almanor Recreation Trail can be accessed from within the campground. The trail winds through the forest, providing spectacular views of the lake, nearby Dyer Mountain and Lassen Peak. The trail stretches approximately 11 miles along the west shore of the lake. It is a non-motorized trail, open to all non-motorized activity.

Facilities: The campground offers numerous single-family campsites, as well as a group site. Campsites are available for tent and RV camping, however, no hookups are provided. Many sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each site is equipped with a table and campfire ring with grill. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Limited parking is available at the campground.

Nearby Attractions: The campground is located 12 miles outside of the town of Chester, California.

Fish Your National Forests: This site can be accessed by Passenger Car; Fish available include: Salmon, Trout, Bass, Catfish; Types of fishing available include: Wade, Shore, Motorized boat, Float tube, Fly, Spin, Bait; Boat Launch available

Current Conditions

Almanor South Closed 9/22/2023 until further notice, Almanor South will be closed for health and safety concerns. Please avoid entering, while we work to remove hazard trees throughout the campground and surrounding area. Hazard trees are trees that presents a hazard to people and property due to conditions that include deterioration or physical damage to the root system, trunk, stem or limbs, and the direction and lean of the tree. Visitor safety is very important to us. We appreciate your patience with this delayed opening as we work to mitigate these hazards. Almanor North is generally open from late-May through early October.

Reservations

Non-reservable sites cannot be held or paid in advance of arrival. Reservations are available in Almanor South Campground and Almanor Group Campground. See reservation details at Recreation.gov.

General Information

Almanor Campground is generally open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Conditions may change depending on weather and other factors.

Fee must be paid upon arrival and prior to each night of camping, Fee regulations are strictly enforced
Quiet hours are 10pm to 6am
Campfires allowed only in provided fire rings
2 vehicles (including RVs/Boats/Etc.) and 8 persons allowed in each campsite
Pets must remain on a leash or confined at all times
Site must be occupied each night after fee is paid or equipment is set up/left in a campsite
Off-highway vehicles are prohibited in the campground
Fireworks and tiki torches prohibited

Overnight Use:
Single Site: $18/night.
All Federal Interagency Passes are honored.
Almanor South has 18 sites available for reservation. To make reservations, please visit recreation.gov
Interagency Senior/Access Recreation Passes provide a 50% discount to Single Campsites ONLY.
*The discount applies only to the fee for the campsite physically occupied by the pass holder, not to any additional fee or campsite(s) occupied by members of the pass holder's party.*
https://store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes
Please be prepared to pay with CASH or CHECK.

Dogs must remain on leash at all times.

Lobby area of Almanor Ranger District. Man sitting behind desk. Wood floors and ceiling. Books, maps, and other items for sale on shelves. Images and taxidermy of different wildlife on display.

Address: 900 E. Hwy 36 Chester, CA 96020
Phone: (530) 258-2141
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Closed on federal holidays)

Getting There

Latitude / Longitude

Latitude: 40.217737

Longitude: -121.176071

Elevation

4550'

Directions

GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):
40.21694, -121.16778
40°13'1"N, 121°10'4"W

From Chester, take Highway 36 west to Highway 89 South. Turn left on Highway 89 and continue about 6 miles, to Almanor Drive West (not to be confused with Almanor West development and Almanor West Drive). Turn left on Almanor Drive West (directly across from the Almanor Group Camp and rest area) and continue approximately 1 mile to Almanor South Campground.
For the Almanor Group camp. From Chester, take Highway 89 South. Turn left on Highway 89 and continue about 6 miles to Almanor Drive west (not to be confused with Almanor West development and Almanor West Drive). Turn right into Almanor Group Camp and rest area ( across from Almanor West Drive).