Lower Jones Valley sits on the Pit River Arm of Shasta Lake with 11 first-come, first-served sites that fill up based on whoever shows up first. The 30-foot back-in sites work for most RVs, and you're a mile from a boat ramp when the water's high enough to use it. It's basic developed camping with the essentials—water, vault toilets, trash service—in a spot that puts you close to the lake action.
Campground Details
- ⛺Type
- Developed
- 💵Fee per Night
- Free
- 📍GPS
- 40.72756, -122.22808
- 🐾Pets Allowed
- No
- 🗺️Address
- CA
The Camp
The campground spreads across 11 sites: 9 singles and 2 doubles with average 30-foot back-ins. You get vault toilets, potable water, and trash service, which covers the basics without much flourish. The setting is typical Shasta Lake country—steep mountains covered in manzanita and evergreens rising from the shoreline, with Mount Shasta's snow-capped peak visible in the distance when conditions are clear.
What to Know
This runs strictly first-come, first-served. You have to physically show up at the campground to claim and pay for a site—no advance payments, no holding spots. You must occupy the site the same day you pay. Payment works through the recreation.gov app's Scan & Pay feature or the on-site iron ranger that takes cash or checks.
The Jones Valley boat ramp sits about a mile away, though lake levels determine whether it's actually usable. When it's operational, the area draws water skiers and jet skiers, so expect company during peak season.
On the Water
Shasta Lake stretches across 365 miles of shoreline at 1,067 feet elevation, part of California's largest national forest system. The fishing menu runs long: trout, catfish, Chinook salmon, crappie, bluegill, white sturgeon, brown bullhead, and bass. The Pit River Arm tends to be less crowded than the main lake body, giving you more room to work the water.
The surrounding Shasta-Trinity National Forest covers diverse terrain with five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes, and over 6,000 miles of streams and rivers. Wildlife sightings are common throughout the area.