Eagle Lake, California ??

[myoung]

We wanted to spend 4 or 5 days around Lake Almanor next week, but were only able to get reservations for Thursday and Friday at the Northshore Campground, a place that we like very much.

Soooo, we are thinking of places to stay for another 2 or 3 days. I noticed that Eagle Lake is right up the road near Susanville. It has a variety of campgrounds and there is an indication on the web site that you can camp any place you like even if outside the designated campgrounds.

Eagle Lake is said to be the second largest natural lake in California. Does anyone have an opinion of this place as a campground for a little pseudo-boondocking with our Airstream?

Thanks in advance.

[Coastalview]

Mike, I have a coworker that travels up to Eagle Lake several times a year, and by chance is camping there this week. I wished you had inquired earlier, I'd could have gotten you a complete update. We will be a Northshore campground July 21-24., every year space # 10. Jeff

[myoung]

Jeff,

Sorry that we can't be there when you are. All sorts of commitments have gotten in the way. We have site 57B just back from the lakefront for the 13th and 14th.

[myoung]

After a couple of days on the shore of Lake Almanor in the Northshore Campground (the sites are quite close together, by the way), we decided to check out the campgrounds around Antelope Lake before Eagle Lake. We reasoned that Antelope Lake was more intimate and probably less exposed to sun and wind. Also, if the sites at Antelope Lake had been taken, we could always go back to Eagle Lake where there are 2 or 3 times as many sites.

That was the thinking but the reality was quite different. First, the 20-mile approach to Antelope Lake from the Route 395 south of Susanville and east of the lake is a brutal, brutal 10% or perhaps greater climb. For the first time ever, our engine had to rev over 3,500 rpm and in first gear we could barely make 20 mph on some of the grades!!! All this in 100 degree heat.

We hope never to have to do this again, but the Dodge handled the climb without overheating--the temperature gauge rose a bit above the half-way point but came back down once we got to the summit. Thinking back on our plan to go to Eagle Lake if Antelope Lake was full, I'm quite sure I wouldn't risk going back down that grade. Brake fade on that road would have been a disaster.

When we got to Antelope Lake, the first thing we noticed was the fire ravaged area along most of the south side. Also, there was fire damage on the north side. We wondered whether the campgrounds had been affected. What we learned was that the Lone Rock (87 sites) and Boulder Creek (69 sites) had just reopened on July 11th because the fire on the north side had just been put out. That fire had caused the closure of the boat ramp, which reduces the attraction of the lake for boaters and fisherman, and put the dump station out of commission because the leach fields had been overloaded by a dumb move by the waste management crew that apparently bumped out all the vault toilets and dumped 1,850 gallons into the 1,800 gallon capacity dump station rather that carting it away. The fire crews were apparently using the campgrounds for staging.

Despite all this, we found the Lone Rock campground a terrific place to be. Lots of room between sites (only 15 to 20 were occupied), beautiful pines to provide shade, nice vistas thru the trees across the lake. Also, we are now able to take advantage of Rosemary's Golden Age pass!!! Prime lakefront sites are $20 and others are $18, which with her pass are only 50% of these. Ah, the joys of passing age 62!!

We learned that the best way in and out of Antelope Lake is from the west side through the little town of Taylorsville where there is a small campground with a $5 dump station that stands to make some extra revenue this year. The grade is very manageable on the west side and the only apparently steep section is a mile or two as you go uphill from Indian Valley (Taylorsville).

We like this area of the Sierras so someday we will be back. My father has built me a little lapstrake canoe that I'll pick up next year when we go to Massachusetts. I hope to take it to Antelope Lake for some flyfishing someday. That will be nice.

[coastal me]

I used to live in Janesville, up the grade.
Let me know if you find any places for a 31' Airstream to camp! I'm very fond of that area.
One place I checked out, North of Susanville on Hwy 395, is Ramhorn Springs BLM. It's South of Ravendale, 4 miles off Highway. Very nice springs, rock formations, huge junipers...

[myoung]

Originally Posted by coastal me

I used to live in Janesville, up the grade.
Let me know if you find any places for a 31' Airstream to camp! I'm very fond of that area.
One place I checked out, North of Susanville on Hwy 395, is Ramhorn Springs BLM. It's South of Ravendale, 4 miles off Highway. Very nice springs, rock formations, huge junipers...

Coastal Me,

Living in Janesville, you must have gone up the grade to Antelope. What do you think the grade is? 10%? 12%? Whatever it is, it is a killer.

I think I misspoke a bit about the grade up from the west side. The only steep stretch is just past Genesse, not Taylorsville. In any event, it is the first grade you come to coming out of the Indian Valley.

I am sure that quite a few sites would accommodate your 31. Perhaps if you call for reservations rather than doing what we did, which was to just drop in, they can say what sites would work best for you. One question you should ask is whether the combination of TV and trailer will fit because you are not allowed to park the TV off the pavement and there is no space along the narrow roadways to pull alongside.

All the sites are nicely paved and very level. If worse came to worse, you might be able to park the trailer on the pad and park the TV at one of the designated overflow parking areas.

We'll check out that BLM location when next in the area. Thanks for the tip.

[SierraBreeze]

The Sierra Nevada Unit held a rally at the BLM campground CoastalMe was talking about. See the photo gallery.

http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/me...e/gallery.html

We loved this spot and will probably go back. It didn't have a group area but it worked fine for us. Lots of good sites in the main campground and an upper area with great views of Eagle Lake. We had no problem with 31ft rigs in this campground.

The whole area around Antelope, Almanor, and Eagle lake is full of various sorts of campgrounds. Lots of great spots to choose from.

[SierraBreeze]

Got my BLM's mixed up. Anita was talking about another good spot. To see her pictures of Ramhorn check this.

http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/me...ita/index.html