Had a great experience. Beautiful views and a lot of photography opportunities. I will be returning soon. read more

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Love it there nice for offloading and fishing and camping. What more do you want beautiful views? I love it.

Cow Mountain doesn't get a lot of press. On one hand, that may be a good thing, because that results in a large open space area that's not overrun by people. On the other hand, it does not have the scenic quality of the Sierras or the redwoods. You can hike and you can camp. Same as with lots of places in the formerly Golden state. But there are other things you can do that are hard to find here: * You can ride your OHV here. The Southern portion is set up for dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. Miles and miles of trails and dirt roads for you to explore. Nice views to enjoy, but you may be putting more of your attention on what's only 10 feet in front of you. When I drove on Mendo-Lake road (mostly dirt) to Lakeport, I saw two trails with warning signs that this trail is NOT for novices. DO NOT attempt this sport after having a beer. * You can shoot here. Several Yelpers have already mentioned the free rifle range in the northern portion. No signs on Mill Creek Road direct you to the range, so I'll help out: before the part with several houses, a sign directs you to North Cow Mountain to the left, up a dirt road. And I mean UP. Keep going for about 2 miles, and you'll get to an intersection where a sign tells you to turn left to get to the rifle range, and now you'll be able to find it. Finally, a place to practice without loonies asking who you want to kill. Targets very far away for rifles, a pile of wood 30 feet away for pistols. And, unfortunately, lots and lots of cartridges littering the ground. C'mon, guys . . . Well, Fred and I did have a fun time, and he even tried to hit some of the rifle targets 200 feet away. Fun! Cow Mountain is a quite primitive area where most roads are dirt and you can camp free wherever you can find a spot. Any car can handle most of the roads, but take it slow, because BLM doesn't try hard to maintain the roads. Don't even think of driving on the OHV trails! There are some stands of trees, but it's mostly brush and chapparal. Steep hills give a good workout. Nice views of the Ukiah and Clear Lake areas. I think there's a No Smoking ordinance, but if there's not, still don't smoke here, because one stray cig will start a massive fire and put thousands of people in danger. Cow Mountain? Well, it's great for OHVing and shooting. For other things, you can do better. Still, it's all right. read more

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When I heard we were goign to spend New Year's Eve camping at a place called Cow Mountain I was pretty excited. Also exciting was knowing that the road in wasn't an easy one. I was surprised to arrive and see a ton of cars down the way of the dry river bed. The rough gravel had some steep points and was pretty bumpy. There were some kids on dirt bikes and some 4x4 vehicles. And us! It wasn't horrible though. Even once we reached the low water ahead and kept going. One muddy slope proved too steep for us but we found a path out of the river and made our camp in a secluded area. I guess on the other side of the mountain they have actual camping spots. This is BLM land so you can shoot guns and there are no ranges. Just bring along your common sense and put the beers down while you're shooting. Unless you need targets - they you should probably have a can or two. Sadly, a lot of people seem to leave their garbage behind here so targets are already provided in a way. Though, most of the trash was at the camp site: cigarette butts and shell casings mostly. We left it nicer than we found it. A night in a tent on the mountain at the end of Decmber can be cold. This is why you should pack lots of blankets. Unfortunately for me, my fiance packed. We had 7 of our guns or so and enough ammo to get us through the zombie apocalypse, but no blankets. Or maybe just one sheet or something. We survived - but who wants to sleep with all their clothes on? Never again will he pack for Cow. read more

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I'll start off by saying we didn't get to see the entire park, and this was my first time visiting. We did trails appropriate for my skill level, but challenged me. I loved the warm-up loop (which has a part at the beginning that seems a bit more involved than for just warming up). Since the fires, you can really see all the trails and how extensive they are. We rode back to the 4-wheel area and got to see some people going up some difficult obstacles, which was really cool. There wasn't a lot of shade in that area, but we found a place to park out bikes and rest for a bit. There was a hill climb I couldn't do after two attempts (I'm still a noob), but I had an absolute blast. There are more difficult trails to challenge the more experienced rider, but I'm not ready for those. I will definitely be back to practice my skills on the beautiful red dirt. read more

My favorite shooting spot in the spring & summer. You really drive through some beautiful, rugged Bureau of Land Management tracts to get to the range. It does take about 20-30 minutes to drive up to the range, over some pretty rough dirt roads. Have seen plenty of people get up here without four wheel drive, myself included, but wouldn't recommend using any low profile type cars. They do close this road down after the first couple big rains in the winter. The main range itself is set in a "V" shaped valley with wooden tables on the wide end. Bring your own targets, most importantly, clean up after yourself! A real shame, have gone up here and seen the place littered with trash, broken televisions and microwaves. I say the main range, because there are spots along the way where people have set up other shooting points into the valley, you can shoot anywhere, just do it safely por favor. I have camped here a time or two. Just remember you and others can pretty much camp anywhere, so can take a while to find a good spot. No facilities here, you're digging some holes to do your business. No running water either. Me digs this place for sure. Fun place to dirt bike too I might add. read more

Cow Mountain Recreation Area - At the range shooting the 9. - Active Life Near Me - Ukiah, California

South Cow Mountain Recreation Area is a large tract of BLM land with some unusual opportunities for a kind of outdoorsman. The Mill Creek Rd approach can be traversed by a passenger sedan in summer, but a high-clearance FWD truck (at least) is advisable if any weather looms on the horizon. Most users know this requirement and readily satisfy it -- more on that later. The 11-site Red Mountain Campground, like most BLM facilities, has parking for one car/truck, a picnic table but NO drinking water, fire circle and pit toilets. Keep the lid down to keep the flies down! Don't let the small number of designated sites deter you, as folks camp just anywhere. Many sites have a spectacular view of the surrounding valley and Clear Lake. Sounds terrific so far, yes? Read on, Yelping camper, to decide whether Red Mountain campground is for you. * OHV dirt bikes and quads. I saw custom amphibious contraptions I didn't know existed. * all-night musical party, featuring earplug-penetrating decibels. * shooting range provides steady cadence of gunfire, totaling thousands of rounds daily. Please comply with posted signs, and verify that YOUR ASSAULT RIFLES adhere to the specified ordinance (pun intended). CMRA provided this mountain wilderness enthusiast a new outdoor experience, completely orthogonal to contemplating Nature's harmony. You're forewarned. read more

Not a bad place to shoot - it is free so it is crazy busy on the weekends. Go during the week, preferably late morning and you will likely have it to yourself. I understand the Rangers are really cracking down on people shooting outside this one designated shooting area. A friend was "warned" for shooting on the west side of south Cow Mtn. Please clean up you trash - don't give the BLM a reason to close this area! read more

It's beautiful up there but sadly it is still closed. Drove more than an hour just to find out it's closed. Should have checked it out on line before going. 11/24/2017 read more

Great place to shoot guns and get in some good camping. My friends and I camped here on New Years, so there wasn't a lot of people around. 4 wheel drive is a must. read more

Only place to shoot from ukiah, ca to San Rafael, ca. I love this place outdoors, just you and your rifle! Remember to bring your own targets and be prepared for a 20 minute bumpy drive! read more

Dirty but what do you expect it's free. The drive up there is off road so have a truck or SUV. Bring lots and lots and lots of ammo and targets cause you will spend some time there. read more