Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest

We enjoyed hiking here. Unfortunately the Lake Co. fire was at it’s peak and there were fire fighters everywhere. We were able to hike all over and found many Lake Co. diamonds! What fun! We packed a picnic lunch and really enjoyed our 4 hours here. It was just SOOO DRY that our sticks sounded hollow against the ground.

First and last time I camp at Boggs. We made camp at Calso and the partygoers to the tweaker rave over at Ridge started coming and going about dark. Yelling, screaming, loud music, explosions (??!), burnouts at the Calso intersection and going strong when we broke camp at 4:30am and came home. We called both the ranger and the sheriff on our way out.

The shooting range is small and short, but very clean. Not too many people are here when we go.
Please bring a rake with you and clean up your spent shells and casings, this make insure the range will stay clean. There is a nice shaded area off to the right of the range that makes a nice area to BBQ or to have a packed lunch, please no alcohol. Guns and alcohol are not a good combonation.

10 stars. Info signs all along the trail. Sooo nice.

This is a place for day hikes with a small number of overnight campsites. This place sounded promising as we were looking for something secluded. We stayed in Site #5 and had a bee problem. We walked over to other sites and there were bees too. Campsites provide a cement picnic table and fire pit and there’s one pit toilet with toilet paper. Place was very quiet at night and there were only few other campers. There is a target shooting area on the opposite site of the forest so we did hear gun shots early in the AM. Lots of trees and fun trails for walking or biking. Great place just bring bug repellant!
Also note: all trash has to be brought out and there are no water sources so must bring own water. We got extra water and firewood at the Texaco gas station in the town of Cobb just a few miles south of Bogg’s.

I’m hesitant to even review this place — it’s a secret gem! Camping at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest was the best camping and mountain biking experience we’ve had to date in California. We’re even thinking about becoming members.
The single track trails are well marked and very well kept. They are pretty smooth, and we didn’t see any signs of erosion. We liked the variety of trails* — a couple green circles, at least 10 blues, a couple black diamonds (we went on one and did not find it very technical) and even a double black diamond. You’ll do plenty of climbing, but what goes up must come down, and there’s a lot of it – winding through trees, with switchbacks and some fun jumps. Make sure you carry a map, but if you don’t, there is very little chance you’ll get lost. (*I think it’s a great place to practice riding with your new clipless pedals. I felt comfortable on the easier trails, and if you do fall, it’s usually a pretty soft landing. I stayed un-​clipped for the black diamonds just to be safe.)
The $ 10/​night campsites are extremely clean, and super roomy — a great place for group camping. There are fire rings and convenient picnic benches at each site. There was only one pit toilet that we could find, but it never posed a problem for us. Campers respect the 11pm — 7am quiet hours. The only semi-​bummer is the lack of potable water, so remember to bring plenty. There is a little market store 5 minutes away if you forget, or need more.
Dogs are allowed, and are supposed to be on leash, although no one seems to mind if they are well-​behaved off-​leash. On a trail, however, I recommend you leash your dog as there are plenty of mountain bikers and horseback riders that will cross your path. ATV’s and dirt bikes are not allowed, which keeps the park really quiet.
All in all, we love this place!

A hidden gem just past Calistoga. This State Forest is run by volunteers and firefighters. You can camp here for free and don’t need reservations. It’s pretty basic — no water and only pit toilets — but still enjoyable. The pit toilets are clean and well stocked with TP. The camp sites are spread apart so you have a lot of privacy and can have huge groups (I saw a group of 15 that I didn’t even know was there until we went around in the morning). They allow you to have open fires.
For things to do in the area you can hike the trails or mountain bike (very popular). There’s even a shooting range nearby.
However, unless you’re really into mountain biking the hiking isn’t scenic enough to warrant staying here more than one night. If you want to stay longer there’s always the option to drive to either Clear Lake or Calistoga.