0
Pull-thru
NPSWhiskeytown National Recreation Area · California
Horse Camp Primitive Campground
Overview This campground is located in the southeast corner of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, 15 miles west of Redding, California, and three and a half hours north of Sacramento.
Sites2all reservable
Elev.1,083ft
Comf.Jan-Dec9 months
Max rig40 ft
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento4h17real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,083 ft, Horse Camp Primitive Campground has a 9-month comfortable window (Jan-Dec). Winter nights average around 42°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 2 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 3 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
Jan-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
98%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Feb 9
Last spring frost; first fall frost Dec 10.
70°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
193 mi
4h17
02
San Francisco
252 mi
5h36
03
Fresno
395 mi
8h47
04
Los Angeles
661 mi
14h41
05
San Diego
805 mi
17h53
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 2 SITES
Color byShow only
2 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
2
Sites
★ The standout
Site 001
HORSE CAMP PRIMITIVE CAMPGROUND · good location · shaded.
To neighbor
249 ft
Location
Good
Max rig
40 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
103
Peaks
3
Viewpoints
3
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
2.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.