Hat Creek
Campground · California · 12 bookable sites ·
Managed by the USDA Forest Service
Lassen National Forest (NF) · Open Access
- 12
- Bookable sites
- 45 ft
- Max rig length
- up to 50
- People per site
- 4,470 ft
- Elevation
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.
The facts
- Season: April – October — USDA Forest Service, Aug 24, 2026
- 12 bookable sites
- 79 sites in total, including non-bookable
- Vehicles up to 45 ft
- Up to 50 people per site
- Loops: AREA HAT CREEK, GRP, HAT
Site types
- 67 Management
- 9 Standard Nonelectric
- 3 Group Standard Nonelectric
Amenities
- Shade
Not recorded upstream: electric hookups, water hookups, sewer hookups, campfires allowed, fire pits, picnic tables, grills, pets allowed.
79 campsites at Hat Creek
| Site | Loop | Type | Entry | Surface | Max rig | People | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 010 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 011 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 012 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 013 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 014 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 015 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 016 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 017 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 018 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 019 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 020 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 021 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 022 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 023 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 024 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 025 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 026 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 027 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 028 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 029 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 030 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 031 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 032 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 033 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 034 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 035 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 036 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 037 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 038 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 039 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 040 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 041 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 042 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 043 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 044 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 045 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 046 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 047 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 048 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 049 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 050 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 051 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 052 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 053 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 054 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 055 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 056 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 057 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 058 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 059 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 060 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 061 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 062 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 063 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 064 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 065 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 066 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 067 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 068 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 069 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 070 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 071 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 072 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 073 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 074 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 075 | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| XXX | AREA HAT CREEK | Management | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 | |
| GS1 | GRP | Group Standard Nonelectric | — | Gravel | 40 ft | 50 | |
| GS2 | GRP | Group Standard Nonelectric | — | Gravel | 40 ft | 50 | |
| GS3 | GRP | Group Standard Nonelectric | — | Gravel | 40 ft | 50 | |
| 001 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 40 ft | 8 | |
| 002 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 | |
| 003 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 | |
| 004 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 40 ft | 8 | |
| 005 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 40 ft | 8 | |
| 006 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 | |
| 007 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 | |
| 008 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 40 ft | 8 | |
| 009 | HAT | Standard Nonelectric | Back In | Gravel | 45 ft | 8 |
Getting there
From Highways 44 and 89, go through Old Station and continue 1.5 miles west to the campground.
40.66778, -121.44556 · 40°40'4.0"N 121°26'44.0"W
Typical weather
Typically 79°F in Jul, down to 40°F in Dec.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 41 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 79 | 78 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 40 |
| Low °F | 22 | 22 | 24 | 28 | 35 | 41 | 46 | 45 | 41 | 33 | 26 | 22 |
| Precip in | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 6.5 |
1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 11.1 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.
Map
More photos
Member photos
Common questions about Hat Creek
- Can you reserve a site at Hat Creek?
- Yes, Hat Creek is reservable through Recreation.gov.
- How many campsites does Hat Creek have?
- 79 sites in total, of which 12 can be booked.
- What is the maximum RV length at Hat Creek?
- 45 ft. That is the longest vehicle the sites here are recorded as taking; individual sites may be shorter.
Also listed by
Hat Creek also appears in other federal recreation data. Facts below are matched by name and location, not confirmed by Hat Creek's operator.
USDA Forest Service — data as of Aug 24, 2026
- $16 per site. Maximum of 2 vehicles per site. Extra vehicles $5 per night. Check in after 3:00 PM, check out before 2:00 PM.
Restrictions:
- 14-day limit; campfires in designated fire rings only; no saving/holding campsites
Camping near Hat Creek
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Ranger-Guided Kayak and Paddle Board Tours 5.3 mi · Tickets · we watch it
- Lost Creek Group 8.2 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Butte Lake Stock Corral 10.2 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Butte Lake 10.2 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Old Station Visitor Information Center 1.4 mi · Facility
- Cave Campground 1.7 mi · Campground
- Big Pine Campground 2.6 mi · Campground
- Rocky Campground 4.1 mi · Campground
- Bridge Campground 4.4 mi · Campground
- Honn Campground 8.3 mi · Campground
- Butte Creek 8.6 mi · Campground
- Cypress Trailhead 9.8 mi · Facility
Contact
- Phone 530-336-5521
- Book Recreation.gov
Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-02-25.
Facility information and photographs from Recreation.gov (RIDB). SpotOpened is not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.
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