Lake Pillsbury Camping Campgrounds

Camping Lake Pillsbury's campgrounds takes planning for semi-primitive facilities.

Lake Pillsbury is located in Upper Lake, California, specifically in Mendocino National Forest. This lake has 2,003 surface acres with 65 miles of shoreline. Visitors to Lake Pillsbury are able to enjoy fishing for a variety of fish, including black bass, rainbow trout, sunfish, salmon, and steelhead. Boating, water-skiing, and swimming are also popular here. Along with these things comes hiking on its variety of trails, and camping in a camper's choice of five campgrounds.

Fuller Grove

Fuller Grove is at an elevation of 1,900 feet. It offers a single loop of campsites, all of which are suitable for either a tent or RV. Camping in these and other grounds is semi-primitive, without electrical hookups or other modern amenities such as flush toilets. Also, as with other campgrounds here, pets are welcome for an additional dollar each day per pet. This campground is the only one with actual lake-shore campsites. It also has an adjacent group camp to accommodate groups of as many as 60 people for a flat rate.

Pogie Point

Pogie Point is located on an inlet, or point, on Pillsbury Lake. This means that, although the water may be nearby, sites here aren't at a good vantage point for a view of the lake. There are 47 campsites that populate the two loops of Pogie Point at an elevation of 1,900 feet. The area is generally peaceful and quiet. Large stands of trees offer plenty of shade.

Sunset Point

Sunset Point is one of the more visited campgrounds at Lake Pillsbury. Here, the elevation is 1,880 feet. Two loops of campsites are available in this campground, with a total of 52 sites. One loops offers some campsites with a view of the lake, while the other has no sites with this view. Plenty of hiking trails are nearby, and Eel Creek is also within this vicinity. This campground is open Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Oak Flat

Oak Flat is set back from the lake a bit, though it is still a walkable distance away. Fees here are less than they are at other campgrounds around Lake Pillsbury. There are only 10 campsites in Oak Flat, and it is often used as an overflow area to accommodate campers for busy weekends. The area is nicely shaded, and the elevation here is 1,850 feet.

Navy Camp

Navy Camp is sunny and open at an elevation of 1,800 feet. Though it sits at the end of Gravelly Valley Air Strip, this needn't be a deterrent, as the air strip isn't often used. This campground is comprised of one loop of 20 campsites, and is generally less populated than the other grounds in this area. Boaters here use the ramps located next to Sunset Point.

References

• U.S. National Forest Campground Guide: Mendocino National Forest California, Campground List
• Hiker Central: Pogie Point Campground, Klamath Mountains, California
• San Francisco Bay Area Boater: Lake Pillsbury
• Wildernet: Lake Pillsbury Recreation Area
• U.S. National Forest Campground Guide: Mendocino National Forest California, Forest Information