There are three principal camping location on the Avalanche Gulch Route. A small camping fee is charged for this private, backcountry campground. The plus for camping here is that you are ready to accomplish the steepest part of the climb fresh from a night's rest. The problem is that the ground at Lake Helen is rocky, the winds generally strong, and the temperatures cold. The third option for camping on the route is the upper Ski Bowl.
Drinking water is available from springs to the west of the trail in the lower part of the bowl.
In the morning you have a hike over the ridge to the vicinity of Lake Helen before joining the Avalanche Gulch route. Because Mt. Shasta stands so tall and so solitary, it tends to draw incoming weather systems to it. It also tends to create its own weather. For this reason, always be prepared for storms. At the higher elevations it is not uncommon to go from perfectly clear skies to ground zero clouds in just a few hours.