Basalt Campground — San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area

Park is closed for few months according to security officer at the entrance/toll booth.

This campground, as well as the day use area are closed for the foreseeable future due to a safety of dams project. This looks to be a long-term closure. Here's the press release about it: https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1057

We picked it out on a map as close to half way to the Bay Area from Sequoia. It was a winner but there are lots of gnats around sites and bathrooms. Besides that, we were the only ones there! I would highly recommend it but could be hot in mid summer.

This quiet campground was a blast! We went in august and it was HOT. Unfortunately (not the campgrounds fault) there is no where to go here to escape the heat unless you head a few miles into town. Even heading down to the reservoir proved to be a steamy place to hang out. We got pretty sunburnt and didn’t catch any fish, but still had a great time!

After the fires in Northern California prevented us from camping in El Dorado County, we made a quick decision to go south a bit to San Luis Reservoir. Basalt Campground was practically empty for the entire weekend we were there. The campsites are spaced apart generously and the sites are huge. Each site has running water to wash dishes and/or hands and feet. The restrooms were very clean and well stocked and the showers were great. I would definitely return here for another getaway!

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Basalt campground is part of the San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=558 however it is not located on the reservoir. It is about a mile away, up the hills above the reservoir. It can be hot, dusty, and windy, especially in the afternoons. There are plenty of boat ramps and parking areas nearby along the lake for people to use to boat, swim, fish, etc. We stayed in May and it was very dry, hot, and a windy at night. The bathrooms were not very clean and there were no showers, but the website says they have upgraded the facilities recently, and added showers, so they should be a lot better. Santa Nella is close by to stock up on supplies. Each campsite has a picnic table and a firepit/grill combo. The grill at our site had seen better days. The campsites themselves are very large, but there isn't many trees or bushes to offer privacy from your neighbors. You can reserve online, but it doesn't let you pick a specific campsite. Once you get there, the ranger assigns you a spot, which is a little disappointing. I would prefer to choose my spot if I am reserving online.