U.S. Forest Service · Mendocino National Forest · CA

General Campgrounds & Trailheads

1Heads up1 fire 19 mi away
Wildfire
Hill fire · 19 mi away · 2 acres · updated Oct 16, 2026
First come, first servedNo reservation, and none to be had: the sites go to whoever pulls in first.

This is how it should work.

Right now
Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Drawn from the record · 2,720 ft · 40% tree cover · Willow Creek within reach · Bortle 2 sky
2,720 ftElevation
57 ftWater · Willow Creek
19.9 miNE of Covelo, CA
40%Tree cover
Bortle 2Night sky · 149th darkest of 1,201 in CA

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there

In the agency’s own words

The Mendocino National Forest is one of 18 National Forests in California, and is nearly one million square acres in size. Forest Service employees you are most likely to come in contact with, in campgrounds and recreation areas, are here to protect and maintain all the resources of the National Forest. One of their primary responsibilities is to maintain the recreation values of the Forest and to enhance - whenever possible - your Mendocino National Forest visit. There are campgrounds on the Mendocino National Forest that use the Pack it In, Pack it Out program for dealing with waste. Keep reading

This means that garbage cans are not provided. Campers and hikers are asked to bring their own garbage bags and take their garbage with them when leaving the area. While this seems like an inconvenience, the funds saved are used to provide additional recreational facilities. Do not bury litter; forest animals can smell it and will dig it up.We appreciate your cooperation and assistance in helping to manage, protect and conserve the various resources of this forest. You must obtain a California Campfire Permit if you plan to build a campfire or use a stove, unless you are in a developed recreation area (campground or picnic area). Permits are available free-of-charge at offices of the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Please visit, call, or write one of our Forest Service offices for more information. Unless otherwise indicated, office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Most district offices also maintain weekend hours during the summer months. All forest offices are wheelchair accessible.

Around the campground

Fishing
Hiking
Horse Camping
Horseback riding
Picnicking
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Nothing to book, just show up

One of 1,623 federal campgrounds where the site still goes to whoever pulls in first. Get there before noon on a summer weekend.

recreation.gov publishes no availability for a campground you can’t reserve, so there’s no thirty-night reading to draw here. The season bar above is what the agency does publish.

BookingNo reservationsNothing to book, and no release date to wait forthe agency’s record
Runs itU.S. Forest Servicethe agency’s record
Every line of the receipt · 3

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service 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
Nothing. This campground takes no bookings, so there’s no reservation fee to pay.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s no total to show.
How we know this receipt · 4

rules read Sep 7, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate

The weather

the next four days

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today79°Sunny
Tonight51°Mostly Clear
Sunday74°Sunny
Sunday Night43°Mostly Clear

NWS forecast for Paskenta, CA

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless
Thomes Creek16,616 acres · 7 mi · inventoried roadless area
Roadless
Grindstone26,031 acres · 9 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Who answers for this land

General Campgrounds & Trailheads 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.

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: U.S. Forest Service 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.
Cell signal: the Forest Service’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: Paskenta, CA, 15.5 mi W (a census designated place). Straight line.