A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service campground

Ellery Creek

Forest Service campground in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California. 1,067 feet. 18.1 miles from Shasta Lake.

Managed by
Forest Service Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Elevation
1,067 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
19 19 standard non-electric
Longest rig
40 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Shasta County

Overview

Ellery Creek is located on the McCloud Arm of Shasta Lake. The campground is terraced, providing views of the lake from all of the lower sites and some of the upper sites.

At certain water levels, boats can be moored on the shore within sight of the campground, making Ellery Creek a very popular place to camp among boaters.

Recreation

A public boat ramp is located approximately 4 miles away at Hirz Bay, but informal mooring is allowed at Ellery Creek if the water levels are sufficient. This area is popular for water skiing and jet skiing.

Lake Shasta offers excellent fishing for trout, catfish, Chinook salmon, crappie, bluegill, white sturgeon, brown bullhead and bass.

Facilities

Each site offers fair to good privacy and sufficient shade provided by the deciduous trees in the campground.

There are two sets of vault toilets and water spigots throughout the camp. Each site has lockers for food, picnic tables, fire rings with grills, paved parking spurs and tent pads.

There are no showers available or electric/water hookups for trailers. All sites at this campground can accommodate small trailers as well as tents.

Natural Features

Shasta-Trinity is the largest national forest in California with a diverse landscape encompassing five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and 6,278 miles of streams and rivers.

Lake Shasta sits at an elevation of 1,067 feet, with 365 miles of shoreline punctuated by steep mountains blanketed in manzanita and evergreens. A snow-capped Mount Shasta, the second-tallest mountain in the Cascade Range, looms in the distance.

Lakeside sites at Ellery Creek offer excellent views and access to the water. Wildlife is abundant in the area.

Nearby Attractions

The Lake Shasta Caverns are also located on the McCloud Arm of Shasta Lake in an area know as the Grey Rocks. Tours are given daily at this privately owned facility.

The nearby Hirz Mountain Lookout offers panoramic views of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen and the surrounding area at an elevation of 3,500 feet.

The nearest store is 21 miles away in Lakehead.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • water sports

The land around Ellery Creek

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.