Army Corps of Engineers · Black Butte Lake · Orland, CA

Buckhorn

Buckhorn Recreation Area is at Black Butte Lake, situated at the northern end of the Sacramento valley, 100 miles north of Sacramento, CA and 30 minutes south of Red Bluff, CA. The lake is a popular meeting place for water sports and outdoor enthusiasts, so bring family and friends for an incredibly scenic getaway.

More like this: reservable in California · big rigs in California · pets allowed in California · group sites in California

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Buckhorn Recreation AreaDay use area picnic site with table and barbecue pedestal.Campsite within Buckhorn Campground showing picnic table, firepit, and lake in background.Campsite within Buckhorn Campground showing picnic table, firepit, and the view of the lake.
Photos courtesy of Black Butte Lake · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard, no hookups87
Walk-in5
Group sites1
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

The longest site here provides 100 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

93 sites in 4 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteLoopTypeEntryFits, ftSurfaceShadeWater / sewerPeople / vehiclesFires
BH011-22StandardBack-in28PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH021-22StandardBack-in24PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH031-22StandardBack-in31PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH041-22StandardPull-through91PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH051-22StandardBack-in31PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH061-22StandardBack-in30PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH071-22StandardPull-through77PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH081-22StandardPull-through89PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH091-22StandardPull-through66PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes
BH101-22StandardPull-through65PavedPartialNo / –8 / 4Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 1:00 PM.

Campground map of Buckhorn
Campground map published by Army Corps of Engineers on Recreation.gov, credited to Black Butte Lake. Open the image for full size.

Amenities & rules

HookupsNone
Max vehicle length150 ft
EquipmentRVs & trailers, Tents
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions

Buckhorn has 93 campsites, including a group campground and five walk-in sites. Conveniences include showers, a modern boat ramp complex, two playgrounds, an exercise area, and shoreline access. No sites have electric or water hookups. The area is open year-round.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Buckhorn40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.50 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.11 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.79 inches of precipitationApril: 1.37 inches of precipitationMay: 1.13 inches of precipitationJune: 0.38 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.02 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.08 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.24 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.91 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.04 inches of precipitationDecember: 3.82 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 47.3°F averageFebruary: 50.9°F averageMarch: 55.0°F averageApril: 59.9°F averageMay: 67.2°F averageJune: 74.5°F averageJuly: 78.8°F averageAugust: 77.1°F averageSeptember: 73.9°F averageOctober: 65.1°F averageNovember: 53.9°F averageDecember: 46.9°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Orland, 10 miles from the campground at 254 feet, station USC00046506 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year.

Getting there

From Interstate 5, take the Black Butte Lake exit at Orland, CA. Travel west on County Road 200/Newville Road for 12 miles. Turn left on Buckhorn Road and enter the Buckhorn Recreation area.

Nearest townOrland, California
Coordinates39.8121° N, 122.3668° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Shf Rx

    50 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

RV sales & serviceMike Friend RVs ↗26.7 mi
Outdoor gearSportsman's Warehouse ↗27.8 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Buckhorn Campground in the Angeles National Forest, CA.

Worth a stop

A 18 hole disc golf course can be accessed across from the Orland Buttes Campground. Horeseback riders can make use of the horse trails at Grizzly Flat and Burris Creek. Drive east to visit the Mendocino National Forest.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Mendocino National Forest begins about 5.5 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

Black Butte Lake was formed in 1963 with the completion of the Black Butte Dam on Stony Creek. The lake's surface area measures 4,460 acres when water levels are high. Black basalt buttes and blue oak woodland hug the lake's 40 miles of shoreline.

Recreation

Find excitement with wake boarding and sailing or explore the shoreline's 13 miles of fitness trails for hiking, running and biking. Black Butte is renowned for its warm-water fishing, including catches such as crappie, channel catfish, and large and smallmouth bass.

Guidebooks for California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Buckhorn?

Sites at Buckhorn are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Buckhorn?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 1:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Buckhorn have?

93 sites, including 87 standard sites without power, 5 walk-in sites, and 1 group site.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Buckhorn?

Recreation.gov lists no practical vehicle capacity limit for the largest site here, which usually means pull-through or open parking. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are there showers or a dump station at Buckhorn?

Conveniences include showers, a modern boat ramp complex, two playgrounds, an exercise area, and shoreline access.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Buckhorn?

Yes, pets are allowed at Buckhorn. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Buckhorn?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there is 1 active fire within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

Is there cell service at Buckhorn?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is there to do at Buckhorn?

Find excitement with wake boarding and sailing or explore the shoreline's 13 miles of fitness trails for hiking, running and biking. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Buckhorn?

Orland, California. A 18 hole disc golf course can be accessed across from the Orland Buttes Campground.

Source: Getting there

What if Buckhorn is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Orland Buttes (2.9 mi), Pines Group Site (17.4 mi), and Horse Camp (20.5 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby