Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort
One of the best features of Lake Siskiyou is the picturesque view of Mount Shasta that towers above the lake. When it is not windy, typically early morning and around sunset, the water is perfectly still offering a stunning reflection of the nearby trees and the snow capped top of Mount Shasta.
This campground is packed full in the summer with crowded beaches, boats on the lake and the sounds of kids laughing and playing about. But in the early spring it is a peaceful oasis with very few campers. We had a spot down by the water right behind the rec center and between a couple of cottages. There were no other campers in our area and there were fewer than 10 campers in the loop above so we really felt like we had the place to ourselves. With camping becoming so popular over COVID, it is typical that you need to book 4 to 6 months in advance, but early season and early week, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
One of the things we wanted to do on this trip was to be a bit spontaneous but we ended up booking out a pretty regimented schedule due to many campgrounds filing up later in the season. After seeing Lake Siskiyou Campground less than half full we realized we probably could have been a bit more spontaneous with our planning at least for April and early May. Once you hit Memorial weekend however, things start booking up quickly and in some cases up to a year in advance.
Our time in Lake Siskiyou was great for decompressing from a very hectic month leading up to our departure. We only spent a few days there but I took the kayak out a couple of times to go fishing and Kandace relaxed and read her book at camp.
One of our favorite things to do on our camping trips is to check out the local town and we typically hit a unique place to eat and a dive bar or two. This visit was a quick one so we didn’t go to any restaurants, however we have been to Mike and Tony’s before and it is a great spot for authentic Italian food. On our last night we decided to find a dive bar to celebrate the beginning of our 9 month journey across the country. We ended up going to “Gold Room Saloon” – “Mt. Shasta’s favorite dive bar”. Just as you walk in, there is a stripper pole right in the middle of the dance floor so that pretty much checked the box as the “diviest” dive bar we could find in Shasta. If you know of any others please let us know 😉. They had some interesting signature cocktails like “Cowboy Cocksucker” and “Hard Lesbian”…. Kandace had one of their other cocktails called “Pink Stardust” and I had a beer. They also have dollar bills stapled to the wall above the bar and we added to the collection. They also have two pool tables which are free to play and a popcorn machine with salty buttery delicious popcorn .
Shasta is a charming little town and if we had more time we would definitely go back and check out the local shops and restaurants. Highly recommend checking out their downtown if you are staying in the area or just passing through.
If you are staying in the area and are up for an adventure, there are a few great waterfalls to visit: McCloud Falls, Burney Falls & Mossbrae Falls with Burney Falls offering the easiest and quickest hike.
Lastly a quick note about Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort. The staff are super friendly and helpful. They have a general store that has an array of camping necessities if needed, a bar and grill, a bait and tackle shop by the dock, laundry facilities and showers. The men’s showers are not very private with partitions between them that are only about 5 feet high and the water never gets very hot. There is a trail that goes around the lake and there is a sandy beach area just down from the general store which I am sure is packed during the peak summer months. If RV camping isn’t quite your thing, they do have a handful of cottages right down by the lake that are perfect for glamping and it is only an 11 minute drive to the town of Shasta so it’s a perfect place to get your camping fix and check out the local scene as well.
