William Kent Campground, near South Lake Tahoe, California, is a fantastic spot for those looking to enjoy the beauty of the Tahoe National Forest. With spacious sites that accommodate tents, RVs, and even cabins, it’s a great place to set up camp and soak in the stunning surroundings.

Visitors rave about the friendly hosts who are always ready to share local tips and keep the campground in top shape. The clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms, make for a comfortable stay. One camper noted, “The camp hosts were very welcoming and informative,” which really adds to the overall experience.

You’re just a short walk from a small beach, perfect for a quick dip or a leisurely stroll. Plus, if you’re in the mood for some lakeside dining, Sunnyside Bar & Restaurant is nearby, offering a great spot to grab a bite. For those who enjoy biking, the trails around Tahoe City are easily accessible, making it a breeze to explore the area.

While some sites are a bit close together, the peaceful atmosphere and the natural beauty surrounding the campground make it a solid choice for families and friends looking to unwind. Whether you’re roasting marshmallows by the fire or taking in the mountain views, William Kent Campground is a great base for your Tahoe adventures.

## Overview

 William Kent Campground is conveniently located on Lake Tahoe's west shore, a few miles south of Tahoe City. It straddles the highway and features not only a large area in which to camp, but also a day-use area that is popular among visitors. 
## Recreation

 Just minutes away from the campground, 22-mile-long Lake Tahoe provides sunbathing, swimming, boating and water skiing. Anglers can look forward to healthy fish populations of kokanee salmon and mackinaw, rainbow and brown trout. The campground is also ideal for people planning a full day of bike riding around Lake Tahoe. Bike trails that traverse the western shores of Lake Tahoe begin near the campground.
## Natural Features

 William Kent Campground is situated in a residential area, alongside a busy highway. The campground has more than 80 sites, each surrounded by tall pine, cedar and fir trees. Many of the sites are secluded with evergreen shrubs and the terrain, with its shallow gullies and low ridges, helps to keep each site separate from neighboring sites. 
## Nearby Attractions

 A day-use area is located across the street from the campground for lake access and other water activities. Tahoe City is less than 5 miles away. 
## Contact Info

 This location has limited staffing. Please call (530) 541-1537 for general information.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Rules & Reservation Policies As you make travel plans that include reservations on Recreation.gov, there are standard policies that apply to most locations of which you should be aware. Do keep in mind, however, that there are many exceptions, so it is best to review reservation information listed on individual facility pages for those policies and procedures that pertain to your specific locations. Any location or activity requiring a permit or lottery will have unique requirements and policies. Please check individual facility pages for pertinent information for those sites. Booking Window For most locations, you can reserve six months in advance of your stay for individual sites and 12 months in advance for group sites. There are some exceptions, so it is best to check with each facility. Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Tours & Tickets: You may request changes to tour dates at no cost before the arrival date. If you cancel before your tour date, you may be eligible for a refund. Cancellation fees apply. Please check the tour facility description details page for cancellation policies. Permits: Varies by location. Please check the permit details for the permit location. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under \"Late Cancellations\" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees. Tours: A tour or ticket no-show is one who does not cancel a ticket before arrival and does not arrive for the tour. Tour no-shows are not entitled to a refund. Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure. Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as \"Recreation.gov 877-444-6777.\" Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July

William Kent Campground

Join the fun near Tahoe City. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Tahoe City is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Tahoe City and user-submitted reviews.

Tahoe City

The Best Camping Near Tahoe City, California

This campsite is right near Lake Tahoe and there is too much to do to ever feel bored.

One of the best.

Conveniently located within walking distance of a lot of different places. Beautiful campground. Only enough parking for one car per a spot. Decent bathrooms. We stayed here so we didn't have to stay at a expensive hotel for the Spartan race championships! 

Nice location 

Most of the campsite was under construction. Campsites being re-dug, repaved, the parking lot in front was torn up as well. The city was also working on the road right outside the campground. Even with inputting the correct dimensions of our trailer, the campsite that was offered to us was too small. Our tow truck wasn't able to fit next to the trailer. The camp hosts were not helpful in assisting in the problem or offering a solution. Jerry kept telling us, "sorry not my problem, I don't know what to tell you." We camped on the east side of the property and this side butts up to a row of houses and there backyards. The website definitely never showed or said there were houses on the perimeter of the campgrounds. The fences were just chicken wire, so we were basically camped in someone's backyard. We will never go back to this site again.

Good location bad experience 

Very clean campground with very nice facilities. We visited in November and we were the only ones there. This was one of the few campgrounds where we weren't bothered by raccoons.

Campground located just near Lake Tahoe

thThis campground is nice and close to Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City. The campground hosts this summer were very helpful, with firewood for sale. Some of the sites seem to sit right in the neghbors backyards, though!

Convenient

These camp sites are nestled in a neighborhood on West shore. That means it's close to the road, Sunnyside, a deli, the beach, bike trails, etc and about 10 minutes to Tahoe City. We stayed two nights and had quiet nights. Only complaint is tons of pollen. 

Quiet but Convenient

This is a nice campground, but the entire time I was there, it felt like nobody wanted me to be there.

Very grouchy

Open May 5 - Oct 11


https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232874

Not open off season

This was our first campground after buying an RV. We had planned to be there before night fall but those plan didn’t work out. So we had to maneuver in the dark. We bumped a big rock and a tree branch smacked out antenna on top. But the view in the morning was well worth it. 

Watch out for rocks...and trees

We just got back from a short 2 night trip to William Kent. It was a lovely little spot. The sites are definitely close together and the pads are tight. We have a 25 ft travel trailer and with my husbands truck it was definitely a tight squeeze. Plus our pad was really not very flat so leveling the trailer was tough. But beyond that, we had a great site. Someone else made the reservations but I think we really lucked out. Yes, we were on the back end, so as far from the lake as you could be, and yes there are cabins that butt up to some of the sites. But we rode our bikes and/or walked to the lake still, and we barely even saw any people in the cabins. Now there were other sites that were much closer to houses than that and I'm not sure I could've handled those but our site was great. The site itself was huge and really nice for my large family. There is a breakfast place right next to the campground so if you want more glamping you can swing over there in the morning. We also didnt care for the William Kent beach area cause there are no dogs allowed, so instead we drove down a few miles to a dog beach that was really nice. I dont know the name but it's to the right out of the campground, a few miles down and you will run into it. All in all, if you want dispersed camping, this isnt the place for you. But if you want a nice place to set up shop and be super close to tahoe and other amenities, this is a great spot.  We had site 30.

Nice Spot Close to Lake

What a great spot in Sunnyside/Tahoe City. This is the cleanest campground we’ve ever stayed in. When we arrived the camp hosts were very welcoming and informative with local suggestions (we’re up here at least 8-10 times a year if only on a day drip or long and I learned some insights) they also warned about momma bear and her cubs. Unfortunately we never caught a glimpse but a good warning to be careful with where you leave food. The bathrooms were cleaned several times a day and even had soap. Our site was freshly raked and the fire pit was freshly cleaned out as well. The campers were respectful and not a party crowd like you can get on the South Shore. We will definitely be back. 

What a great spot in Sunnyside/Tahoe City.

This was a quick getaway for us on a rainy weekend in September.  It was delightfully quiet and in a beautiful area.  The camp host, Judy, was welcoming and provided us great information about the area.  
We even got in a nice bike ride into Tahoe City.
The hosts take great care of the campsite, I truly hope we get to return soon.


Quiet and Beautiful 

Spent a great couple of night here in June. Some of the sites back onto cabins and we were worried they would be noisy at night, but we didn't hear a thing. 

  

The hosts and rangers were really friendly and helpful. The sites were large considering the prime Tahoe location - we had plenty of space for our 9x8ft tent. 

  

You can walk to a small beach from here, or go to Sunnyside bar + restaurant for lakeside food and drinks. Also walkable to Tahoe city, but I think cycling would be nicer. 

  

Recommended!

Photos of William Kent Campground

Real photos from real campers