Hat Creek

FALL RIVER MILLS, California

California

Free — you'll pick up right here.

No verdict for this campground

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside Lassen National Forest

    2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Campsite availability

Live from Recreation.gov for Hat Creek.

Book on Recreation.gov
Oct 11 – Oct 18
7 nights

We'll watch 2026-10-11 → 2026-10-18 and email you the moment something frees up. No account needed.

Used only for this alert — not a newsletter, and one click to stop.

Here's your stay, mapped

Hat Creek

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About this campground

Overview Hat Creek is one of six campgrounds available in the Hat Creek Recreation Area, home to some of the area's best trout fishing. Scenic hiking trails and an active volcanic area can easily be accessed from the facility. Recreation Hat Creek is popular for its trophy trout fishing. The cold waters of the creek allow for a refreshing play on hot summer days. Other popular activities in the area include wildlife viewing, hunting, backpacking, hiking and caving. A variety of day hikes are available in the area, including the Spatter Cones Nature Trail, which is located just across the highway from the campground. The 1.5-mile loop trail provides hikers with a unique opportunity to explore craters, cones and crevices, as well as other geologic features left by the Hat Creek Lava Flow. Nearby, visitors can take a self-guided tour of Subway Cave. The trail is less than a half-mile long and explores the underground world of a lava tube. Visitors are encouraged to bring flashlights for hiking through the cave. Facilities Hat Creek offers three group campsites that can accommodate up to 50 people each. Individual sites are also available on a first-come, first-served basis. Picnic tables and campfire rings with grills are provided, as are accessible flush and vault toilets, utility sinks and drinking water. The RV dump-station is located 1.5 miles north of the campground behind the Old Station Visitors Center. Natural Features The campground is situated next to Hat Creek in a mixed conifer forest at an elevation of about 4,390 feet. Pine needles, grasses and volcanic rocks cover the forest floor. Sites are widely spaced for privacy. Nearby Attractions The campground is located about a mile west of the town of Old Station, and 12 miles east of the northwest entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park, where active, hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots are continually shaping the landscape. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail can be accessed near the Spatter Cones Nature Trailhead.

Campsite info

Sites
79
Site types
Group, Tent, Rv
Reservable
Yes
Vault toilets
Reserve a site

Directions & GPX

Facts about this campground

When to go

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Manzanita Lake, CA weather station, 11 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan41° high22° low
  2. Feb42° high22° low
  3. Mar46° high24° low
  4. Apr50° high27° low
  5. May61° high35° low
  6. Jun70° high41° low
  7. Jul79° high46° low
  8. Aug78° high45° low
  9. Sep72° high41° low
  10. Oct59° high33° low
  11. Nov47° high26° low
  12. Dec39° high22° low

The station sits about 1,300 ft higher than this spot, so expect it to run a little warmer here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Old Station, California · 0.9 mi
Managed by
Forest Service

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Lassen National Forest as of Oct 10, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

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