Bailey Cove Public Boat Ramp
- Type
- Public boat ramp (Forest Service)
- Lanes
- 2, to about 50 ft drawdown
- Trailer parking
- About 60 spaces
- Fee
- $18 per vehicle per day
- Boat launch
- Camping
- Restrooms
About this boat ramp
Bailey Cove Public Boat Ramp is a Forest Service launch on the lower McCloud River Arm of [Shasta Lake](/lakes/shasta-lake), just east of Interstate 5 at the O'Brien exit.
The ramp
Two lanes are usable until the lake is drawn down about 50 feet. The state boating directory lists one boarding float and about 60 trailer spaces. It's day use only, with flush toilets, drinking water and picnic tables; a campground and trail adjoin the ramp.
When to go
The Forest Service says Bailey Cove gets very congested on summer weekends and suggests Packers Bay instead. Holiday Harbor and Lake Shasta Caverns are nearby.
Getting there & access
By road
From I-5 take exit 695 (O'Brien/Shasta Caverns) and turn right. Go about 0.4 mile on Shasta Caverns Road, turn right at the Bailey Cove junction, and follow the road about 0.6 mile to the ramp parking.
Mussel rules
Arrive clean, drained and completely dry: at least 5 days dry if the boat was last used outside the area, or 30 days (or a professional decontamination) after waters with golden mussels. Show a signed Mussel-Free Self-Certification through the windshield.
Low water
Ramps work only to certain drawdowns. Check the lake level and call the Shasta Lake Ranger Station, (530) 275-1587, before you tow.
- Use
- Day use only
- Ranger station
- (530) 275-1587
What's here
Launch
Two-lane paved ramp and boarding float
Restrooms
Flush toilets and drinking water
Camping
Bailey Cove campground next to the ramp
Rules & official resources
- California Boater Card required for all operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, since January 1, 2025dbw.parks.ca.gov ↗
- Day use is listed at $18 per vehicle per day; Senior and Access pass holders get 50% off, and season passes are sold by Shasta Recreation Company, (530) 275-8113fs.usda.gov ↗
- Day use only; overnight camping is not allowed at the rampfs.usda.gov ↗
- Boats 26 feet and longer may not tie up to the summer courtesy docks; swimming, diving or sunbathing on a courtesy dock or within 200 feet of a launch ramp is prohibitedfs.usda.gov ↗
- Forest Order 14-25-29 (effective December 4, 2025 through December 4, 2027) prohibits possessing or transporting golden, zebra or quagga mussels below the high-water mark of Shasta, Trinity and Lewiston lakes or on any ramp that serves them; violations carry fines up to $5,000 for individualsfs.usda.gov ↗
- All watercraft must be cleaned, drained and completely dried before launching at Whiskeytown, Shasta, Trinity and Lewiston lakes: at least 5 days dry if last used outside the NRA, at least 30 days dry (or professional decontamination) if used in a county or waterbody with known golden musselshome.nps.gov ↗
- A signed Mussel-Free Self-Certification displayed through the windshield speeds up launching at Shasta, Trinity, Lewiston and Whiskeytown lakesnps.gov ↗
- A current California Mussel Fee sticker is required on motorized watercraft operated in fresh waterwildlife.ca.gov ↗
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