Camping near Upper Lake, California
Camping near Upper Lake, California includes 4 public campgrounds on record, 4 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Middle Creek, is 6.6 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line, and all 4 are within 15 miles. 1 is free, and 1 stays open all year. Another 23 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Upper Lake.
noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.
Camping near Upper Lake at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 4 (4 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 4 first-come
- Cost
- 1 free; lowest posted fee at Deer Valley: "Single Site: $6 per night"
- Distance from Upper Lake
- 6.6 miles (Middle Creek) to 11 miles (Bear Creek) in a straight line; 4 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 1,485 ft (Middle Creek) to 3,691 ft (Penny Pines), 4 of 4 on record
- Season
- 1 open all year
- Campsites
- 44 across the 3 campgrounds that state a count
- Drinking water
- 1 of 4
Distances are straight-line miles from Upper Lake's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Upper Lake
- Cedar Camp, 13 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Main Letts C.g., 14 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Spillway C.g. (letts Lake), 14 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Saddle Camp Loop C.g., 14 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Stirrup C.g. (letts Lake), 14 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Bushay Recreation Area, 15 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , Army Corps of Engineers , reservable ; listed under camping near Mendocino.
- Mill Valley, 15 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Chekaka Recreation Area Lake Mendocino, 15 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , Army Corps of Engineers , reservable (Site: $20–$40 per night); listed under camping near Mendocino.
- Dixie Glade Campground, 16 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Colusa.
- Old Mill, 17 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Mill Creek, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Gray Pine Group Campground, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Fouts, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Fuller Grove Campground, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Ukiah.
- Sunset, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Ukiah.
- Davis Flat, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Fuller Grove Group Campground, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest ; listed under camping near Lake.
- South Fork Campground, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Fuller Group C.g., 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Lake.
- Navy Camp, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Lake.
- Little Stony, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
- Oak Flat, 19 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Ukiah.
- North Fork, 20 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Stonyford.
Things to do near Upper Lake
Public land and water within 30 miles of Upper Lake, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Blue Lake Upper fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 5.7 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Clear Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 8.3 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Clear Lake State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 12 miles from Upper Lake; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Russian River, Upper East Branch fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 13 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Letts Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 14 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Snow Mountain Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 17 miles from Upper Lake; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Pillsbury Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 18 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Indian Valley Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 20 miles from Upper Lake; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Indian Valley Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 21 miles from Upper Lake; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
- Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 22 miles from Upper Lake; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Upper Lake
Nearest emergency room
Sutter Lakeside Hospital
5176 Hill Rd E, Lakeport, CA, 4 miles from Upper Lake . (707) 262-5000
Next nearest: Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, 275 Hospital Dr, Ukiah, CA, 16 miles , (707) 462-3111.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- Upper Lake Grocery
- Marina Gas & Mart
- Safeway
- Fuel
-
- Chevron
- Pomo Pumps
- Chevron
- Propane
-
- AmeriGas Propane
- Ferrellgas
- AmeriGas
- RV dump station
-
- Fairgrounds RV Park
- Pharmacy
-
- CVS Pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy
- Myers Medical Pharmacy
- Laundromat
-
- Wash & Dry
- Gobbi Street Laundromat
- Wash n Dry
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Upper Lake: potable water fill and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Upper Lake, CA?
4 public campgrounds are on record near Upper Lake. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Middle Creek (6.6 miles), Deer Valley (7.1 miles), Penny Pines (9.5 miles), and Bear Creek (11 miles). 4 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Upper Lake, CA?
Yes: Bear Creek charges no fee at the campground.
Where can I camp near Upper Lake with drinking water?
Middle Creek has potable water on record.
Are there year-round campgrounds near Upper Lake, CA?
Yes: Bear Creek is open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Upper Lake, CA?
Sutter Lakeside Hospital, 5176 Hill Rd E, Lakeport, CA, is 4 miles from Upper Lake in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (707) 262-5000. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California .