Preacher Meadow (CA)
- Right now
- Closed for the seasonOut of the season the agency publishes
- A night
- $16From, per site
- Sites
- 451 on recreation.gov
- Season
- May 27 – September 8Open May 27 through September 8
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
Preacher Meadow Campground is located on Swift Creek, it has a total 44 single sites with an average back in around 16ft. The campground has vault restrooms and no water. There are picnic tables and fire rings with grills on top located at each site. The campground is a horse camp and very primitive. This Campground is on a First Come - First Serve Basis, vistors are required to physically be at the campground to purchase and claim a site. You must also occupy the area the day you pay for it, no advance payments. We encourage our visitors to download the recreation.gov app to take advantage of the Scan & Pay Option. There is also a Iron Ranger on site that you can pay with cash or check. Keep reading
Recreation
Trinity offers wholesome memories, perfect for families, adventures and everything in-between. There are multiple hiking trails and rivers making it the perfect destination for exploration. Popular activities on Trinity Lake include boating, fishing, sailing and water skiing. Different Species of fish in Trinity Lake include smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, catfish, kokanee salmon, Chinook salmon. Bass fishing – dredger piles near the head of the lake is the most promising locations. Fishing near the shoreline during spring (March-June) is best. Trout fishing – found year-round throughout the lake but best during spring where they can be found nearly anywhere. During the summer months trout tend to stay near the mouths of the major tributaries.
Facilities
A public boat ramp is located approximately 6 miles away at Bowerman (dependent on water level). To view current ramp information visit our website: Ramp Information Natural Features Trinity Lake is one of the largest reservoirs in California, it has an elevation around 2,387' with around 145 miles of shoreline. Trinity is made up of 3 arms: Papose, Buckeye and Stuart Fork Arm. The Water Volume of Trinity Lake: 2,447,650 acre-ft. There are a variety of coves and arms perfect for fishing or a quiet picnic on the water. The main body of the lake has plenty of room for water sports like wakeboarding or tubing.
Nearby Attractions
There are several attractions in the area for a list view our website: Local Attractions Charges & Cancellations Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for cash payments will be issued a check or cash refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. For cash or check refunds please call us at 530-275-8113. Please Note! Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure the Recreation.gov will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates and sites (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be canceled and all fees paid will be refunded. Refunds for Naturally Occurring Events: Refunds will not be issued for naturally occurring events like rain, snow, wind, smoke, extreme temperature, low lake level, etc. If you are requesting a refund for a walk-up site, please contact the host on-site or call us 530-275-8113. All refunds must be approved and issued through our office or processed though Recreation.gov.
What the agency tells you
Poison oak is abundant throughout the forest
If applicable, the holder of the Golden Pass must be present; Must bring card to the area
Wildlife is frequent in the area; all food must be kept in approved containers: Wildlife Info
Everything else this campground posts · 3
Protect California's forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. For more information visit: Firewood Information
Only one vehicle is included in the cost of single sites and two vehicles in double sites;Extra vehicle fee is $12 per night.
Check-in time 3 P.M. and Check-out time 2 P.M.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 45
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…back in around 16ft. The campground has vault restrooms and no water. There are picnic tables and fire…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…The campground has vault restrooms and no water. There are picnic tables and fire rings with grills…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek, Beach, Meadow
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horse Camping
- Kayaking
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 1 of the 45 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.
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.
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 · 14
What you actually pay
“Extra vehicle fee is $12 per night.” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own agency notice
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $16 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for cash payments will be issued a check or cash refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. For cash or check refunds please call us at 530-275-8113. Please Note! Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when app…” · this campground’s own terms
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 · 7
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
45 sites
All 45 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. 45 of the 45 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Standard Nonelectric | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 1 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 10 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 11 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 12 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 13 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 14 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 15 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 16 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 17 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 18 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 19 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 2 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 20 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 21 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 22 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 23 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 24 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 25 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 26 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 27 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 28 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 29 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 3 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 30 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 31 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 32 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 33 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 34 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 35 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 36 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 37 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 38 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 39 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 4 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 40 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 41 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 42 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 43 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 44 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 5 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 6 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 7 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 8 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
| Standard Nonelectric 9 | standard nonelectric | $16 |
25 of 45 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions
Where it is
Alpine View CampgroundWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 5.6 mi
Hayward FlatWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 6.4 miCaptains Point Boat-In CampgroundWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 6.9 mi
Clear Creek Campground7.9 miClark Springs CampgroundWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area · 8.5 miPreacher Meadow Campground is located 26 miles north of Weaverville
Going north on Hwy 3 follow for about 26 miles campground is on the left.
Campground can also be mapped via google maps.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Trinity Center, CA
Typical weather
Typical May night 42°F, day 77°F.
Coldest night of the open season: typical May night 42°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season
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
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Preacher Meadow (CA) 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 →