DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA)
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We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 15 of the next 16 nights read 16:13 UTC
- Sites
- 2All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices
In the agency’s own words
This tent-only group campground is located on the southern shore of Whiskeytown Lake in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, 14 miles west of Redding, California and three hours north of Sacramento. The cool, clear waters of Whiskeytown Lake provide endless water activities. The picturesque mountain setting and extensive forested backcountry offer ample opportunities for hiking and biking. Keep reading
Recreation
During the summer heat, swimming, kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding and water skiing are popular on the 3,200 acre lake. Year round, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, gold panning, fishing and picknicking attract visitors. Boats may be launched at nearby Brandy Creek Marina and moored at the campground.
Facilities
There are two spacious tent-only sites available at Dry Creek. Each site contains two large serving tables, numerous picnic tables, small and large charcoal barbecue grills, a cleared fire pit area, bear-proof storage lockers, vault toilets and drinking water.
Natural Features
Dry Creek Group Campground affords beautiful lake-side views and a canopy of conifer, oak and maple trees, which offer pleasant shade for campers. Whiskeytown Lake is located where the Klamath Mountains, Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges, and the Sacramento Valley meet, creating a wide variety of wildlife and landscapes. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (530) 246-1225.
Nearby Attractions
Brandy Creek Beach is located one mile from the campground and features sandy beaches and a large swimming area. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, there are showers, a store with food and supplies and rentals of paddleboards and kayaks. The trailhead for Brandy Creek Falls is located four miles away.
What the agency tells you
Gate to area is closed and locked. It will need to be opened by the reservation party so pay attention to the combo code sent with this reservation. If you have issues with the gate please call the Whiskyetown Visitor Center at 530-246-1225.
Because of complaints from other guests trying to secure reservations, making multiple bookings with the intention of canceling all but one is not permitted at this campground.
Entrance Pass Required - Whiskeytown is a National Park Service site and requires a vehicle entrance fee. You can purchase an entrance pass at the visitor center, or online by using your smart phone, tablet, or computer by going to the website. www.Recreation.Gov. If you already have a valid Interagency Annual, Senior, Access, Military, or Whiskeytown Annual pass, please display this pass in a hangtag or place it on the dashboard of your vehicle. Annual passes from Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lava Beds National Monument are also valid here at Whiskeytown.
Everything else this campground posts · 11
Overnight RV camping is not allowed at Dry Creek campground. This campground is for tent camping only. Self-contained units may use the nearby Brandy Creek RV Campground for an additional fee. Please visit the park website or stop by the visitor center for a complete list of regulations. Vehicles equipped with tents, including rooftop or side-mounted tents, may only be parked and occupied overnight in the designated parking lot. These vehicles are not permitted to park or camp overnight within the campsite area and may enter campsites only for loading and unloading. Sleeping in vehicles is not allowed.
Check-in is 1:00 pm and check-out is 12 pm (noon).
Vehicles are not permitted in the tent area except for loading and unloading equipment. All vehicles must be parked in the gravel parking lot.
Black bears frequent the area: All food, beverage containers, toiletries, cooking and eating utensils must be stored inside a bear-proof storage locker or out of sight in your vehicle unless they are in immediate use.
Generators are not allowed
Portable showers are prohibited. Cold outdoor showers are available at Brandy Creek Beach.
Protect our natural resources. Gather only dead and down wood for firewood. Do not put nails in trees or damage or remove vegetation. Campfires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished (using water and dirt) when going to bed or leaving the campsite.
Pets must be kept in a crate or on a leash no more than 6 feet in length at all times. Pets may not be left unattended.
Warning: Sudden storm activity could lead to the evacuation and closure of the area on short notice in order to protect life and property. Due to the effects of the 2018 Carr Fire, the area may be prone to debris flows, landslides or flooding.
Please be advised that because the Carr Fire of 2018 burned extensively through the park, post-fire hazards such as falling trees and branches remain. Stay alert while camping in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
Camping is limited to an aggregate of 14 days between April 1 and October 31 (inclusive) and no more than 30 days per person per calendar year. No period of stay of 30 days may be succeeded by any period of stay with less than a 7-day break. The 14 day between April 1 and October 31 is necessary to provide more equitable access to campsites. The maximum 30 window between November 1 and March 30 is necessary to prevent individuals from residing within Whiskeytown.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 2 · 2 tent-only, 2 group
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets - seasonal
- Drinking water
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Creek, Beach, Coast
- Birding
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Gold Panning
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Hunting
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Sailing
- Scuba Diving
- Swimming
- Water access
Full this Saturdayread 16:13 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBookedNot on the booking system
The one site on offer is taken this Saturday. 2 are free on Mon, Oct 19. read 16:13 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
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.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
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 · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:13 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
2 sites · the site map
All 2 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 2 of the 2 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Brandy Creek RVWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 0.7 mi
Brandy Creek Primitive CampgroundWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 1.7 mi
Sheep Camp Primitive CampgroundWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 1.9 miPeltier Bridge Primitive CampgroundWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 3.1 mi
Horse Camp Primitive CampgroundWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 4.3 mi
Crystal Creek Primitive CampgroundWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 4.9 miFrom Interstate 5 in Redding, CA, take State Route 299 west and drive approximately 10 miles. Turn left onto Kennedy Memorial Drive at the Whiskeytown visitor center. Continue 5.6 miles on Kennedy Memorial Drive until the road ends at the access to Dry Creek Group Campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Shasta, CA
Typical weather
Typical October night 49°F, day 76°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 36°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
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.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) is in California’s 1st congressional district. Whoever holds it votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. See how its representative votes on public lands →
Our roster still carries Doug LaMalfa for this district and the current federal record doesn’t list them as sitting, so we’re not naming a representative here until the two agree.
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The office that runs itWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation AreaNational Park Service unit
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAdam B. SchiffU.S. Senator · California
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAlex PadillaU.S. Senator · California
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.
Subject Hold back a share of sites at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) for campers who drive up
To the National Park Service, Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area: I tried to camp at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) in California and couldn’t. All 2 sites at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked. Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one. Sent about DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) (Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA), Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California
Dear Adam B. Schiff, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA), Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California, and couldn’t. All 2 sites at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) (Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA), Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California
Dear Alex Padilla, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA), Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California, and couldn’t. All 2 sites at DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about DRY CREEK GROUP CAMPGROUND (Whiskeytown NRA) (Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, California) via campanac.com