Visiting Loafer Creek

Loafer Creek’s Coy­ote Camp­ground has 137 sites nes­tled in a blue oak wood­land. Six sites are ADA acces­si­ble and all sites can man­age trail­ers up to 31 feet long or RVs up to 40 feet long. Potable water, restrooms, and coin-oper­at­ed show­ers are avail­able to help keep you com­fort­able. Each site can accom­mo­date eight vis­i­tors. Larg­er groups can reserve one or more of the six group camp­grounds, each equipped with park­ing for eight vehi­cles, five large tent pads, sev­er­al tables, and run­ning water.

Loafer Creek Horse Camp has 15 camp­sites, a wash­ing sta­tion, and a warm-up area adja­cent to Lake Oroville’s exten­sive trail sys­tem. RVs from all of Loafer Creek’s camp­grounds can use the san­i­ta­tion sta­tion found between the camp­ground and the entrance sta­tion. Go to Reserve Cal­i­for­nia to reserve your camp between April 1 and Octo­ber 15. It’s first-come, first-serve dur­ing the rest of the year. 

There are five boat ramps at Lake Oroville that can accom­mo­date trail­ers and the Loafer Creek Area hosts one of them. Eight lanes are open while the lake remains above 800 feet, while two lanes are avail­able when it’s between 800 and 775 feet. Just past the boat ramp is the Loafer Creek Day Use Area which is a great place to go fish­ing, swim­ming, or pic­nick­ing. Kids have lots of room to run around on the day use area’s expan­sive lawn.

The Loafer Creek Area is set in a beau­ti­ful foothill ecosys­tem that includes blue oaks, dig­ger pines, man­zani­ta, and grassy slopes, per­fect for day hik­ing. Keep an eye out for ground squir­rels, wood­peck­ers, mule deer, hares, and many more creatures! 

If you’re look­ing for a relax­ing walk, the Loafer Creek Day Use Trail offers an easy nature walk con­nect­ing the Camp­ground, the Day Use Area, and the entrance station.

Acces­si­ble from all three camp­grounds in the Loafer Creek Camp­ground, the Loafer Creek Loop Trail is per­fect for hik­ers and eques­tri­ans. Enjoy rolling hills and a few steep­er climbs and descents along the tree-lined trail. You can also access the rest of Lake Oroville’s exten­sive trail sys­tem by cross­ing Sad­dle Dam to increase the mileage on this oth­er­wise mod­er­ate hike. With the trail over­lap­ping oth­ers in the area, you’ll want to make sure to study the inter­ac­tive map before your trip!

By itself, the Roy Rogers Trail in the Loafer Creek Recre­ation Area at Lake Oroville is a two-mile trail that con­nects via the north­ern part of the Loafer Creek Loop, but it is often com­bined with the afore­men­tioned Loafer Creek trail to cre­ate an approx­i­mate­ly 5‑mile loop. Along the whole loop, you’ll like­ly pass eques­tri­ans also enjoy­ing the trail while enjoy­ing lake views. The trail is more chal­leng­ing, with a stretch of fre­quent ups and downs, but is oth­er­wise pleas­ant the rest of the way. Start from the day use areas or the camp­grounds in the Loafer Creek Recre­ation Area.

Dri­ving Directions

You can reach the city of Oroville by trav­el­ing south on High­way 99 from Chico. Fol­low the signs to High­way 149, then to High­way 70. If trav­el­ing from the south, take High­way 70 north from Sacra­men­to or Marysville. In Oroville, take Exit 46 and head east on High­way 162 (Oro-Dam Boulevard).

Fol­low High­way 162 as it turns right onto Olive High­way. It will then turn into Oro-Quin­cy High­way. When you pass the turn-off for Forbestown Road, Loafer Creek Road will be the next left. 

Check out the Lake Oroville State Recre­ation Area’s brochure for a map of the area and addi­tion­al information.