CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · CA

Bushay Recreation Area

4Heads up4 fires, nearest 28 mi

Wildfire

Rock fire · 28 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 16, 2026

Wildfire

Cooley fire · 29 mi away · 1,000 acres · updated Oct 17, 2026

Wildfire

Rock 2 fire · 30 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 16, 2026

Wildfire

Hill fire · 37 mi away · 2 acres · updated Oct 16, 2026

Fires: NIFC/IRWIN via MTJP wildfire tracker · Oct 17, 2026

ReservableOut of season; the next season isn't published.

Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book

Right now: Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Sites: 16644 on recreation.gov

Photos · USACE

78 ftLongest rig

830 ftElevation

362 ftWater · Lake MendocinoOcean · 30.4 mi · to the Pacific Ocean

2 miSE of Redwood Valley, CA

17%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices

In the agency’s own words

Bushay Recreation Area is situated on Lake Mendocino in California's Mendocino Range, where redwood forests meet wine country. The access road to Bushay Campground is subject to high water levels. For this reason the campground is often closed during the rainy months. If high water levels continue into the late spring and early summer months, reservations may be cancelled by Lake Mendocino staff with a full refund. Every effort will be made to provide advance notice in the event of cancellations. The lake is formed by the Coyote Dam on the Russian River. A wide variety of recreational opportunities is available, including boating, swimming, water skiing, fishing, hiking and horseback riding. Keep reading

Recreation

The 1,822-acre lake provides abundant boating, swimming and water skiing opportunities. Anglers will find sunfish, smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappie, white and channel catfish, bluegill and perch. Several miles of trails wind around Lake Mendocino, including the 7-mile Kaweyo Trail, which is open to hiking and horseback riding. This trail winds from the lake to the dam, providing excellent views of the lake and wildlife in the area.

Facilities

This campground offers more than 100 family sites, many of which overlook the lake. Group sites may also be available. The Mesa Day-Use Area is within the campground and offers a group picnic shelter. Family picnic sites are also located here, complete with tables and grills. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water, a dump station and playground.

Natural Features

Lake Mendocino lies in the scenic rolling hills of Coyote Valley. Groves of oak mixed with manzanita and pines forest the area, offering limited shade and an excellent bird and wildlife habitat.

Nearby Attractions

The charming city of Ukiah, less than 15 minutes away, offers a variety of shopping and dining opportunities, museums and golf courses. The Ukiah Farmer's Market runs Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings throughout the summer, offering fresh produce, local wines, arts and crafts and live music.

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY PLEASE DIAL 9-1-1 Mendocino County Sherriff’s Office: (707) 463-4086 Lake Mendocino Front Desk (M-F, 8 AM - 4 PM): (707) 467-4200

Rule

CAMPING BY RESERVATION ONLY All reservations must be processed through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Reservations cannot be made in person at this facility. Cash is not accepted. Same-day reservations are available. Want to move sites? This facility allows self service modifications to your reservation. Please update your reservation before moving sites. If you need assistance please contact a Park Ranger or contact the Lake Office at 707-467-4200

Rule

This facility is for recreational camping only. Activities such as vehicle maintenance (including oil changes), commercial business operations, major site alterations, and the use of disruptive items like fireworks are strictly prohibited. Any activities deemed incompatible with recreational camping may be prohibited at the discretion of a Park Ranger to protect the safety and integrity of the facility and other campground users.

Everything else this campground posts · 10

Rule

CHECK IN: 1 PM // CHECK OUT: 11 AM - Please renew sites by 10:30 AM if you intend to stay another night - Camping limited to 14 days in a 30 day period

Rule

NO UNATTENDED FIRES: Fires are permitted (unless otherwise prohibited) in designated fire rings only. Extinguish campfires completely before leaving your site or going to sleep. Please gather only dead and downed wood. Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

Rule

ENTRANCE GATE CLOSURES: The campground entrance gate may close from 10 PM to 8 AM daily. No non-emergency vehicle access will be granted during this time. Vehicles may exit at any time through the exit gate. Locked out? Please park in park in a safe spot along the side of Inlet Rd. and enter on foot to your camp site.

Rule

VEHICLES AND PARKING: All vehicles and camping trailers must fit on designated pad. Pad lengths included in campsite information. No vehicles on grass or along roadway. Only boat trailer wheels are allowed on grass. Off-road vehicles are not permitted.

Rule

QUIET HOURS ARE FROM 10 PM - 6 AM: All noise amplification devices (including but not limited to radios, speakers, car stereos or boom boxes) and generators must be turned OFF. Please be respectful of other campers and keep ambient noise to a minimum during quiet hours.

Rule

CAMPSITES: Please keep your campsite free of litter and waste material, utilize campground dumpsters for garbage. All camping equipment must remain in your reserved site. Campsites are limited to eight (8) persons per site.

Rule

PETS: Pets must be on a six-foot leash and under the owner's control at all times. Do not leave pets unattended in vehicles or at campsites.

Rule

FLUCTUATING LAKE LEVELS: Please be advised that Lake Mendocino boat ramps, some day-use and parking areas, and many campsites are subject to closure based on lake levels. In the event that high water levels force closures in Bushay Recreation Area, reservation holders will be refunded in full and notified as soon as possible. To check the status of our boat launches and other areas please contact the park office (707) 467-4200 or visit the Lake Mendocino Facebook page.

Rule

POISON OAK: Poison oak can be found throughout the campground. Please be on the look out and stay within your designated camping pad. Remember, leaves of three, let them be!

Rule

Rules and Regulations: This campground is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and we are dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all our visitors. As the primary reservation holder, you are responsible for the conduct of your group. Rowdy, disorderly, or disruptive behavior – including fighting or aggressive behavior towards anyone – may result in immediate removal from the campground. By making a reservation at this facility, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to abide by all campground rules and to follow the directions of campground staff and Park Rangers. Non-compliance is a violation of your camping permit and may result in a citation under 36 CFR Part 327

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 166
Hookups: None
Longest rig: 78 ft
Accessible sites: 2
Pets: Allowed
Campfires: Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade: 152 of 153 sites

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets; FLUSH TOILETS on 1 of 167 campsite records
Showers: Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind; “Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water, a dump station and playground.”
Drinking water: Yes; WATER SPIGOT on 1 of 167 campsite records
Dump station: Yes
Playground: Yes
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Water, toilets and showers: counted from this campground’s own campsite records and read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Lake, River; Biking; Boating; Fishing; Hiking
Night sky · 882nd darkest of 1,201 in CA: Bortle 4

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

recreation.gov lists 44 of the 166 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.

No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. The last reservable season the agency published ended September 30, 2026, and it hasn't published the next one.recreation.gov

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Army Corps of EngineersBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 9

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s nothing to add the $8 booking fee to. We won’t total a receipt with a number missing from it.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 4

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

rules read Sep 9, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

167 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 43 mapped sites

103 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

Most roomB093 146 ftB063 146 ftB058 138 ftB062 138 ftB077 136 ft

Least roomB053 58 ftB055 58 ftB069 72 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 167 records

139 of 167 records located

Standard43Type not stated95Day use1

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes a

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.


BUSHAY	B001	type not stated	30 ft				962 ft
BUSHAY	B002	type not stated	35 ft				951 ft
BUSHAY	B003	type not stated	39 ft				873 ft
BUSHAY	B004	type not stated	32 ft				909 ft
BUSHAY	B005	type not stated	43 ft				823 ft
BUSHAY	B006	type not stated	35 ft				909 ft
BUSHAY	B007	type not stated	38 ft				787 ft
BUSHAY	B008	type not stated	37 ft				872 ft
BUSHAY	B009	type not stated	40 ft				746 ft
BUSHAY	B010	type not stated	48 ft				743 ft
BUSHAY	B011	type not stated	62 ft				732 ft
BUSHAY	B012	type not stated	49 ft				598 ft
BUSHAY	B013	type not stated	52 ft				561 ft
BUSHAY	B014	type not stated	47 ft				488 ft
BUSHAY	B015	type not stated	54 ft				413 ft
BUSHAY	B016	type not stated	55 ft				523 ft
BUSHAY	B017	type not stated	25 ft				416 ft
BUSHAY	B018	type not stated	50 ft				586 ft
BUSHAY	B019	type not stated	36 ft				501 ft
BUSHAY	B020	type not stated	42 ft				599 ft
BUSHAY	B021	type not stated	34 ft				441 ft
BUSHAY	B022	type not stated	57 ft				591 ft
BUSHAY	B023	type not stated	23 ft				441 ft
BUSHAY	B024	type not stated	30 ft				477 ft
BUSHAY	B025	type not stated	43 ft				621 ft
BUSHAY	B026	type not stated	37 ft				663 ft
BUSHAY	B027	type not stated	36 ft				554 ft
BUSHAY	B028	type not stated	47 ft				718 ft
BUSHAY	B029	type not stated	51 ft				643 ft
BUSHAY	B030	type not stated	40 ft				715 ft
BUSHAY	B031	type not stated	53 ft				790 ft
BUSHAY	B032	type not stated	45 ft				713 ft
BUSHAY	B033	type not stated	51 ft				641 ft
BUSHAY	B034	type not stated	48 ft				758 ft
BUSHAY	B035	type not stated	32 ft				717 ft
BUSHAY	B036	type not stated	32 ft				822 ft
BUSHAY	B037	type not stated	37 ft				897 ft
BUSHAY	B038	type not stated	70 ft				832 ft
BUSHAY	B039	type not stated	40 ft				846 ft
BUSHAY	B040	type not stated	54 ft				703 ft
BUSHAY	B041	type not stated	56 ft				663 ft
BUSHAY	B042	type not stated	41 ft				769 ft
BUSHAY	B043	type not stated	25 ft				662 ft
BUSHAY	B044	type not stated	44 ft				696 ft
BUSHAY	B045	type not stated	52 ft				706 ft
BUSHAY	B046	type not stated	42 ft				582 ft
BUSHAY	B047	standard nonelectric	46 ft			94 ft	455 ft
BUSHAY	B048	type not stated	34 ft				481 ft
BUSHAY	B049	type not stated	46 ft				528 ft
BUSHAY	B050	type not stated	32 ft				569 ft
BUSHAY	B051	type not stated	43 ft				504 ft
BUSHAY	B052	standard nonelectric	53 ft			73 ft	591 ft
BUSHAY	B053	standard nonelectric	45 ft			59 ft	570 ft
BUSHAY	B054	standard nonelectric	61 ft			73 ft	657 ft
BUSHAY	B055	standard nonelectric	56 ft			59 ft	540 ft
BUSHAY	B056	standard nonelectric	71 ft			86 ft	605 ft
BUSHAY	B057	standard nonelectric	69 ft			128 ft	605 ft
BUSHAY	B058	standard nonelectric	58 ft			138 ft	481 ft
BUSHAY	B059	standard nonelectric	65 ft			128 ft	568 ft
BUSHAY	B060	standard nonelectric	48 ft			124 ft	487 ft
BUSHAY	B061	standard nonelectric	58 ft			124 ft	363 ft
BUSHAY	B062	standard nonelectric	48 ft			138 ft	391 ft
BUSHAY	B063	standard nonelectric	51 ft			146 ft	255 ft
BUSHAY	B064	standard nonelectric	65 ft			126 ft	228 ft
BUSHAY	B065	standard nonelectric	52 ft			78 ft	358 ft
BUSHAY	B066	standard nonelectric	43 ft			106 ft	257 ft
BUSHAY	B067	standard nonelectric	47 ft			78 ft	389 ft
BUSHAY	B068	standard nonelectric	65 ft			97 ft	322 ft
BUSHAY	B069	standard nonelectric	51 ft			72 ft	469 ft
BUSHAY	B070	standard nonelectric	53 ft			97 ft	387 ft
BUSHAY	B071	standard nonelectric	32 ft			106 ft	428 ft
BUSHAY	B072	standard nonelectric	27 ft			89 ft	359 ft
BUSHAY	B073	standard nonelectric	48 ft			103 ft	496 ft
BUSHAY	B074	standard nonelectric	50 ft			89 ft	373 ft
BUSHAY	B075	standard nonelectric	47 ft			96 ft	392 ft
BUSHAY	B076	standard nonelectric	44 ft			94 ft	423 ft
BUSHAY	B077	standard nonelectric	44 ft			136 ft	316 ft
BUSHAY	B078	standard nonelectric	43 ft			73 ft	268 ft
BUSHAY	B079	standard nonelectric	37 ft			77 ft	150 ft
BUSHAY	B080	standard nonelectric	47 ft			77 ft	87 ft
BUSHAY	B081	standard nonelectric	32 ft			73 ft	199 ft
BUSHAY	B082	standard nonelectric	41 ft			92 ft	57 ft
BUSHAY	B083	standard nonelectric	46 ft			82 ft	198 ft
BUSHAY	B084	standard nonelectric	46 ft			103 ft	78 ft
BUSHAY	B085	standard nonelectric	47 ft			113 ft	225 ft
BUSHAY	B086	standard nonelectric	44 ft			103 ft	90 ft
BUSHAY	B087	standard nonelectric	37 ft			123 ft	247 ft
BUSHAY	B088	standard nonelectric	42 ft			119 ft	100 ft
BUSHAY	B089	standard nonelectric	52 ft			123 ft	253 ft
BUSHAY	B090	standard nonelectric	39 ft			123 ft	121 ft
BUSHAY	B091	standard nonelectric	38 ft			133 ft	276 ft
BUSHAY	B092	standard nonelectric	35 ft			132 ft	142 ft
BUSHAY	B093	standard nonelectric	35 ft			146 ft	191 ft
BUSHAY	B094	type not stated	30 ft	20 amp
BUSHAY	B095	type not stated	37 ft				536 ft
BUSHAY	B096	type not stated	40 ft				457 ft
BUSHAY	B097	type not stated	33 ft				538 ft
BUSHAY	B098	type not stated	41 ft				531 ft
BUSHAY	B099	type not stated	38 ft				419 ft
BUSHAY	B100	type not stated	33 ft				305 ft
BUSHAY	B101	type not stated	27 ft				362 ft
BUSHAY	B102	type not stated	41 ft				351 ft
BUSHAY	B103	type not stated	33 ft				436 ft
BUSHAY	B104	type not stated	22 ft				220 ft
BUSHAY	B105	type not stated	33 ft				440 ft
BUSHAY	B106	type not stated	28 ft				486 ft
BUSHAY	B107	type not stated	33 ft				510 ft
BUSHAY	B137	type not stated	29 ft				629 ft
BUSHAY	B138	type not stated	35 ft		yes		505 ft
BUSHAY	B139	type not stated	31 ft				628 ft
BUSHAY	B140	type not stated	37 ft				518 ft
BUSHAY	B141	type not stated	33 ft				697 ft
BUSHAY	B142	type not stated	46 ft				679 ft
BUSHAY	B143	type not stated	43 ft				612 ft
BUSHAY	B144	type not stated	37 ft				500 ft
BUSHAY	B145	type not stated	42 ft				584 ft
BUSHAY	B146	type not stated	33 ft				508 ft
BUSHAY	B147	type not stated	48 ft				415 ft
BUSHAY	B148	type not stated	54 ft				413 ft
BUSHAY	B149	type not stated	54 ft				336 ft
BUSHAY	B150	type not stated	43 ft				245 ft
BUSHAY	B151	type not stated	48 ft				264 ft
BUSHAY	B152	type not stated	48 ft				173 ft
BUSHAY	B153	type not stated	45 ft				212 ft
BUSHAY	B154	type not stated	43 ft				86 ft
BUSHAY	B155	type not stated	52 ft				210 ft
BUSHAY	B156	type not stated	35 ft				116 ft
BUSHAY	B157	type not stated	40 ft				131 ft
BUSHAY	B158	type not stated	40 ft				256 ft
BUSHAY	B159	type not stated	54 ft				160 ft
BUSHAY	B160	type not stated	54 ft				278 ft
BUSHAY	B161	type not stated	35 ft				303 ft
BUSHAY	B162	type not stated	35 ft		yes		385 ft
BUSHAY	B163	type not stated	43 ft				397 ft
BUSHAY	B164	type not stated	40 ft				517 ft
BUSHAY	MESA DAY USE PICNIC SHELTER	day use		15 amp			305 ft
DEER CAMP	DEER CAMP	type not stated	30 ft				117 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B122	type not stated	28 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B123	type not stated	28 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B124	type not stated	37 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B125	type not stated	36 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B126	type not stated	35 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B127	type not stated	30 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B128	type not stated	28 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B129	type not stated	46 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B130	type not stated	34 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B131	type not stated	32 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B132	type not stated	78 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B133	type not stated	26 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B134	type not stated	26 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B135	type not stated	42 ft				962 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	B136	type not stated	35 ft
LITTLE BEAR 122-136	Little Bear	type not stated	35 ft				352 ft
TATA 108-121	B108	type not stated	32 ft
TATA 108-121	B109	type not stated	26 ft
TATA 108-121	B110	type not stated	33 ft
TATA 108-121	B111	type not stated	26 ft
TATA 108-121	B113	type not stated	35 ft
TATA 108-121	B114	type not stated	32 ft
TATA 108-121	B115	type not stated	37 ft
TATA 108-121	B116	type not stated	29 ft
TATA 108-121	B117	type not stated	35 ft
TATA 108-121	B118	type not stated	33 ft
TATA 108-121	B119	type not stated	38 ft
TATA 108-121	B120	type not stated	34 ft
TATA 108-121	B121	type not stated	60 ft
TATA 108-121	TATA	type not stated	25 ft				752 ft

The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.

25 of 167 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate39.23501, -123.16593

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone707-467-4200

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

Kyen Campground and Oak Grove Day Use Area0.6 mi

Chekaka Recreation Area Lake Mendocino2.5 mi Mayacmas CampgroundUkiah Field Office · 6.5 mi Red Mountain CampgroundUkiah Field Office · 11 mi Middle Creek CampgroundMendocino National Forest · 12 mi

Pine Mountain LookoutMendocino National Forest · 12 mi

Getting there

From the South (San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Ukiah): Follow Highway 101 North towards Ukiah. Approximately 5 miles north of Ukiah, take Highway 20 East. Continue on Highway 20 East for approximately 3 miles. Just after you see Lake Mendocino on your right, you will cross a tall bridge. Take the first left after the bridge. Follow the road under the bridge and along the river until you reach the Host Booth at the top of the hill.

From the North (Eureka, Willits, Fort Bragg): Follow Highway 101 South. Approximately 15 miles south of Willits, take Highway 20 East. Continue on Highway 20 East for approximately 3 miles. Just after you see Lake Mendocino on your right, you will cross a tall bridge. Take the first left after the bridge. Follow the road under the bridge and along the river until you reach the Host Booth at the top of the hill.

From the East (Sacramento): From the city of Williams, take Highway 20 West. Continue on Highway 20 for approximately 2 hours or 80 miles traveling past Clearlake and Blue Lakes. Approximately 2 miles after the Potter Valley turn-off you will see a sign for Lake Mendocino Recreation Area. Take the first right after the sign. Follow the road under the bridge and along the river until you reach the Host Booth at the top of the hill.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon90°Sunny

Tonight46°Mostly Clear

Sunday77°Sunny2% rain

Sunday Night44°Mostly Cloudy then Patchy Fog7% rain

NWS forecast for Calpella, CA

Source: National Weather Service, EKA forecast office · Oct 17, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 46°F, day 77°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical December night 36°F. Bring the bag rated for it.

100°30°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: UKIAH, CA (USC00049122), 7 miles away and 194 ft lower

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Bushay Recreation Area is in California’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Jared Huffman (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 44 of the 166 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 139 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Coast: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest ocean, bay, sound, estuary or tidal flat to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.33 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 1,201 rated federal campgrounds in California · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Cell signal: the Army Corps’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Calpella, CA, 0.1 mi E (a census designated place). Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026