Have you ever envisioned a warm crackling fire glowing brilliantly in the night, white hills covered with beautiful snow, and braving the elements in a beautiful camping environment!

Then look no further; here are five hidden gems perfect for snow camping – and right here in Northern California!

Grover Hot Springs State Park

Grover Hot Springs State Park is located on the east side of the Sierra at the edge of the Great Basin Province.

Located four miles west of Markleeville, at the end of Hot Springs Road, the park is in an alpine meadow and pine forest at 5,900 feet surrounded by peaks that just top 10,000 feet.

Beautiful open pine forest is the first sight that greets you while sagebrush and meadows dot the landscape covered in a lovely layer of pristine white snow.

The park offers visitors that chance to relax in a pool complex with a hot pool, and a swimming pool warmed by the hot springs, a campground, picnic area and hiking trails!

Sugar Pine Point State Park

Sugar Pine Point State Park is located on Lake Tahoe’s west shore, ten miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89.

At 6,229 feet above sea level, Lake Tahoe is known for its great depth and clear, exquisitely beautiful blue waters. The Ehrman Mansion, or the historic pine lodge, is a definite sight to see and a must-stop tourist spot to not miss!

The park offers cross country skiing biathlons, snowshoe through history (a fun history tour of the area), snow trails groomed for cross country skiing, Full Moon tours, hiking, and camping.

Castle Crags State Park

The Castle Crags State park is located six miles south of Dunsmuir on I-5. 

The park is named for the breath-taking 6,000-feet tall glacier-polished crags. The park features 28 miles of hiking trails, including a 2.7-mile access trail to Castle Crags Wilderness, part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Pacific Crest Trail also passes through the park and offers a wonderful view of Mt. Shasta. The park also offers swimming and fishing in the Sacramento River. 

There are 76 developed campsites and six environmental campsites.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

The McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park is within the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau natural region, with forest and five miles of streamside and lake shoreline, including a portion of Lake Britton.

The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. This park’s centerpiece is the 129-foot Burney Falls, breath-taking and beautiful, the water comes from springs and joins together to create a mist-filled basin. Burney Creek originates from the park’s underground springs and flows to Lake Britton, getting larger along the way to the majestic falls. There are five miles of hiking trails winding through the park’s evergreen forests.

The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.

Donner Memorial State Park

Donner Memorial State Park is located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, the park is 100 miles east of Sacramento via Interstate 80 and is within the town of Truckee, just west of downtown on the south side of the freeway. 

Donner Memorial State Park offers winter visitors the chance to cross-country ski and snowshoe on trails and enjoy the season’s beauty.  

Visitors are welcome year-round!