A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service group campground

Nelson Point

Forest Service group campground in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California. 1,067 feet. 12 miles from Shasta Lake.

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

Overview

Nelson Point Campground is situated along the Sacramento Arm of Shasta Lake, easily accessible from 1-5 and located nearby many other recreation areas on Shasta Lake.

Recreation

The nearest public boat ramp is 6 miles away at Antlers. Nearby lakeside resorts offer boat rentals and fuel.

Shasta Lake is popular for power and non-motorized boating, fishing and water skiing. Anglers can fish for trout, catfish, Chinook salmon, crappie, bluegill, white sturgeon, brown bullhead and bass.

Facilities

Nelson Point is open for walk-ins April 1-May 13. The campground is available for group rental on a reservation basis from May 13-September 11. Reservations are not allowed for individual family camping during the peak season unless the entire campground is reserved. All campsites have a grill or stove, picnic tables, fire rings, tent pads, bear boxes and paved parking spurs. Vault toilets are provided, but there is no drinking water.

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.

Nearby Attractions

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

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 Nelson Point

The ringed pin is this group 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.