Hat Creek is a census designated place in Shasta County, California. Hat Creek is situated at an elevation of 3,422 feet. The 2010 United States census reported Hat Creek's population was 309.Hat Creek is located 26 miles north of Lassen Park, 13 miles southeast of Burney south of the junction of hwy 89 and 299), and 15 miles south of Burney Falls. Its zip code is 96040. Wired telephone numbers are from the Burney central office and follow the pattern 530-335-xxxx. Hat Creek is home to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, run by SRI International.The town's main economies are tourism, fishing, camping, and lodging. It's a travel hot spot in Shasta County, about 70 miles east of Redding, California and about the same distance to Susanville, California.