A Busy Park That Respects its Green Space
(May 2021) Outside the little town of McCloud, California at the foot of Shasta Mountain is a sweet RV park that brings recreationists back over and over.
McCloud RV Resort is right off Hwy 89 (aka Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway) about 10 miles east of Hwy 5 and Mount Shasta city. One thing you notice immediately about the park is the large, lovely grass areas. These are jealously maintained and come with some compromises.
Lots of Lawn and Trees
There are no concrete pads for the RVs and everyone parks on the grass. Extra vehicles park at the entrance to keep the in-and-out from flattening all the greenery – a little inconvenient, but worth it overall. No individual wood fire pits are allowed, but there are several large community pits that are easy access to most sites. It seems like everyone is bringing their own propane pits these days anyway. So when we used the large pit, we had it to ourselves most nights.
Same with the very large fire grill and picnic area. We had a long salmon filet that would have needed to be cut for our small camp stove. We trotted over to this great grill, got our wood going and fire cooked that fish to perfection.
Unfortunately, the mass of new, larger RVs really clog up the roads and sites are snug up to each other. Voyager Blue, however, at just over 19’ long had lots of greenery around her making our spot one of the most commodious. Since extra vehicles park elsewhere there is less driving back-and-forth to sites. What we did see was lots of littles on skateboards, bikes, and scooters zipping happily everywhere. You could tell it was the childhood adventure of dreams.
Dogs are welcome and everyone had one or two. What was really surprising was that I did not see a pile of poop anywhere. Everyone was super responsible, had sweet dogs, and picked up their shit. It was amazing.
The owners are interesting and chill. You see them bopping around on an electric bike and they seem as excited as the campers to be there. We talked to lots (LOTS) of returnees. Several people make this RV park an annual trek. We can see why.
Shasta-Trinity and Mt. Shasta Wilderness. So Much to See and Do.
Situated very close to McCloud, the town is in walking distance and right at the park entrance is a small craft brewery and pizza place. If you are a devotee of Shasta Mountain you will love the park, past the tall trees that block the highway she sits regally above you. Stunning views.
Of course the other great thing about the RV park is its location next to both Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Mt. Shasta Wilderness areas.
Things to make your trip easier:
- Be ready to hot-spot your phone; or go without wifi. Everyone shares and it bogs down to nothing when the park is full.
- Since everyone is bringing full sized rigs, the bathrooms stay fairly clean and the few showers available without much of a wait.
- Bears can be around at night. They are frequently seen in the town and the park’s garbage disposal is behind a strong door.
McCloud RV Park, Glamping Tents & Cabins
106 Squaw Valley Road
McCloud, CA 96057
