Availability
Black Lake and Unnamed mapped stream or river are mapped at or near the camp-area marker. This is map evidence, not a real-time flow report.
Backpacking camp
Black Lake camp area
Caribou & Thousand Lakes Wildernesses, California
About this place
Black Lake is an official itinerary area, permit zone, or source-backed named overnight reference represented by a reachable point on the pinned agency trail network in Caribou & Thousand Lakes Wildernesses.
The marker is a route-access reference, not a tent pad. Move off the trail only where travel is permitted, remain inside the authorized zone, and choose a legal durable site under every current setback and closure.
Water planning
Water at this camp
Natural water at or near this camp areaDrinking safety
Natural water is not verified potable. Filter and disinfect it or boil it according to the linked land-manager guidance before drinking.
Seasonality
Black Lake is a mapped waterbody; USGS does not classify it here as seasonal or year-round. Confirm current level, access, and quality. Unnamed mapped stream or river is classified as intermittent and may be dry.
- Black LakeLake or pond · at the camp areaMapped waterbody — level and access can change · Treat before drinkingOfficial source
- Unnamed mapped stream or riverRiver or stream · at the camp areaSeasonal/intermittent — may be dry · Treat before drinkingOfficial source
Fire planning
Campfire & stove rules
Permit + current order requiredCampfires
Black Lake is an undeveloped backcountry camp area in Caribou & Thousand Lakes Wildernesses. A California Campfire Permit is required for a portable stove or any otherwise-legal fire in Caribou & Thousand Lakes Wildernesses. Use a gas, jellied-petroleum, or pressurized-liquid-fuel stove with a working shutoff valve; wood, charcoal, twig stoves, and campfires are allowed only where the current forest order and destination-specific elevation or named-area rules expressly allow them. Never treat an old ring as proof that a fire is legal, and do not build a new ring where fires are prohibited.
Backpacking stoves
Shutoff-valve gas or pressurized-fuel stove with permit. Use a gas, LPG, jellied-petroleum, or pressurized-liquid-fuel stove with a working shutoff valve. Twig and wood-burning stoves follow the campfire rule and are prohibited anywhere wood fires are prohibited.
Permit
Carry a valid California Campfire Permit for a portable stove or any otherwise-legal fire; the permit never overrides a forest closure, fire-danger order, elevation limit, or named-area prohibition.
Current restrictions
Check USDA Forest Service's current alerts and the selected trailhead posting before departure. The standing rule shown here remains subordinate to a newer emergency order.
Seasonal access
Closures & seasonal access
Caribou and Thousand Lakes Wildernesses have no published annual closure windowPlace closure
No recurring date-based closure of Black Lake is published. The source-connected approach conditions below and temporary emergency orders still control access.
Seasonal access
Source-connected approaches: Caribou Lake Trailhead, Cone Lake Trailhead. Caribou and Thousand Lakes Wildernesses have no published annual closure window. Winter snow, volcanic terrain, wildfire, and remote forest-road conditions can delay access well into the normal hiking season.
Before driving
Check Lassen National Forest alerts and the exact trailhead road, gate, snowpack, and fire conditions before travel.
Mapped approaches
Choose a trailhead for Black Lake camp area
Each option has a sourced trail route to this camp area. Choose one to open its itinerary builder with this destination in context.
- Caribou Lake Trailhead3.3 mi awayView trailheadBuild from here
- Cone Lake Trailhead3.8 mi awayView trailheadBuild from here
Map
Loading map
- Latitude
- 40.506637° N
- Longitude
- 121.210526° W