Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest: Camping and Hiking with Dogs
Destination:
Calso Campground | Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest | Cobb, California
The 2015 Valley Fire burned and destroyed roughly 80% of all the mature trees here. The campground looks as though it was part of the lucky 20%: the photo above shows the campground as it is today in 2022. Thanks to Cal Fire and Friends of Boggs Mountain, many of the trails have been restored and the area's new growth is re-establishing the beauty of the once devastated forest.
Things to do in the Area (Lake County):
Hiking and mountain biking (right here at Boggs)
Visit Lake County wineries ( Laujor Estate is dog friendly and has outdoor seating with propane fire pits from which you can enjoy the incredible views.)
Kayaking and swimming at Blue Lakes
Boating, fishing, and swimming on Clear Lake - though I would only recommend lake swimming from April (if it is warm enough) to late June. I would personally avoid July, August, and September because of the extremely hot temperatures and algae blooms. Again- always check the weather!
Visit Clearlake State Park
The nearby towns (like Kelseyville), always have some fun event going on, along with a variety of restaurants and shopping.
Geocaching (Just recently got into this and love it!)
Places to Eat Nearby:
Right down the road in Cobb is a pizza place and coffee shop. There is also a cute and convenient Hardester's Market in same same shopping center.
Camping Information:
The campground consists of 14 well spaced out sites (all are first come , first served) - most of which are shaded by the trees. Each campsite has a very large picnic table. There are two outhouses at the campground. Camp fees are $25 per night. Campfires were not allowed during our stay.
Click here for the campground map. Below is a snapshot of the registration directions.
Pros:
Spacious, clean, private campsites.
Very few people around (we were actually the only ones there on a Thursday night).
Easy access to trail system.
Far from any main roads (so no road noise and very quiet at night).
Cons:
No hookups or water available ( We tent camp and bring our own water, so this didn't affect us at all).
No bear lockers (we kept our food in a cooler in the truck of our SUV).
Road to campground area is really rough with a lot of pot holes.
Only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day (the hottest time of the year lol). I think late May or early June would be best for a visit. My biggest recommendation is to always check the weather for Cobb, CA before you go. I, personally, would not go if it is going to be hotter than 80 degrees since many of the trails are unshaded.
Hiking Information:
We love the trail system here and go hiking even when we are not camping (we live nearby). Biggest perk is that all the trails are dog friendly! I would recommend hiking when it is cool outside since there is very little shade - pretty much anytime when the temperature is between 50 and 75 degrees is a great time to hike the trails at Boggs. Just make sure you check the weather for Cobb, CA! When we are not camping, we usually take Gail's trail from the main entry parking lot and then make a big loop as seen on the trail map. This route (from the parking lot and back) is roughly 4.5 miles total. My favorite section (Berry's Trail) can be described as a "rocky mountain desert forest" with beautiful pale green manzanitas, a variety of wildflowers, and new tree growth. The views of the surrounding mountains and hills is spectacular. This entire trail system is also great for mountain biking.
Camping Journal:
June 16th 2022
Ideal conditions: 72 and sunny with no other people around. Completely alone in the wilderness with the scent of warm pine. I set up camp by myself- feeling like an expert level camper as I contort to hold the tent upright and snap the poles in place at the same time. Decorating camp gives me great joy-hanging the battery powered twinkle lights and taking up the small amount of useful space on the bedside table to arrange fake potted succulent plants. What do we need more - sleeping bags or decorative pillows? I bring both but hide the sleeping bags because they don’t match the color scheme. Everything is set up by the time Neal meets me here after he gets off work. We do the usual camping things: hike the trails and drink beer (though not at the same time). The wind picks up at night and I am convinced that a tree is going to smash into our tent. You hear about that happening sometimes. I brace myself for the inevitable impact and get a kick of adrenaline when a pinecone falls. I think I hear a bear… it will rip through our tent and kill the dogs during the chaos (except Ella- she is the only one with survival instincts and the Cal Fire guys will find her sprinting down the road the next morning). By now it is pretty cold outside- I check to make sure the dogs are alive and not frozen. They have completely buried themselves in the blankets- I need to create little openings so they don’t suffocate. I also need to stop worrying so much. We wake up in the morning and all is well. ☀️ The kick-off to our summer camping plans: a success.
