Best Campgrounds near Garden Valley, CA

First of all, this campground is so beautiful, and has so much potential to be a great place to stay. Or, if you love chaos, public intoxication, public displays of domestic violence, riffraff, and grumpy rangers, then maybe it already is a great place to stay. The last night I stayed here happened to be the last night that I was unhoused before I moved to Yosemite for a seasonal job, and I had the creepiest experience of all time. But first let me explain the campground. It's divided into two main parts. The six sites near the river stay open year round. These are the worst sites. They're tiny, stacked on top of each other, are right next to the highway, and offer zero shade. In my opinion, this whole area would be better off turned into two group sites. The better section of the campground are the back twelve sites which are only open from April to October. Snagging one of these creekside sites during the off season would be ideal. All of the campsites are within 100 yards of the North Fork American River. One of my favorite hiking trails of all time, Stevens Trail in Colfax, is just a few miles away. This is a moderately difficult hike 4 miles down to the river and then back up with fantastic views, waterfalls, and wildflowers. There is also a waterfall across the street from the Mineral Bar campground behind the boat launch. Bears are common in this area and I've personally seen a few crossing the road on my way to and from the campground. There are bear lockers provided for food and scented items. There are four vault toilets which are power washed daily. There is only space for one car per site but there is extra parking across the road. There are lots of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and off road vehicle sites nearby. Your overnight camping fee includes day use at any CA state park the next day. The downside to camping here is that the clientele are some of the wildest riffraff of all time. This has been one of the quietest but also the noisest place I've ever camped. Last time I was here I kept hearing a pipe clinking right outside my tent at 3am. I was the only one there besides a huge family 5 sites away. I heard someone walk away, back a car up next to my site, walk back to my site, and start smoking again. It freaked me out so much I ended up blinding him with my flashlight while bolting to my car. I slept at a friend's house in Folsom and came back for my things the next day. So there are some weirdos around here for sure but the environment is very pretty.

To be real, if you're unhoused but well-behaved with an income, this might be a much better option than Beals Point. Peninsula is about 45 minutes to an hour from Folsom depending on traffic. You have to drive down a long windy narrow road to get here, which is the worst part, so it's best to come prepared to stay put for as long as possible once you're here. There is plenty to do since you can go swimming in the lake most months (except early Spring), and there is an 8 mile hiking trail (Darrington) that ends at the campground. Darrington is mountain bike accessible but nowhere near road bike accessible. A shorter accessible trail (Oaks Nature Trail) is entirely contained within the campground and takes you through some great examples and educational signs regarding the riparian ecosystem. Wildlife is off the chain here. As others have said, if you don't love being surrounded by wild animals, this will probably be a bit much for you. Bears have been seen on occasion, cougars, Bobcats, and coyotes all stop by from time to time, and there are so many skunks it can get annoying. One night I was woken up by a deer walking right into my tent which scared the crap out of us both. On the flip side I've seen some of the most beautiful emerald and sapphire colored lizards. They breed here in late spring. It's kind of hilarious to watch the males do push-ups then chase the females down like 80 times in a row. Some of the females fight back and make it a lizard wrestling match. Owls, eagles, salmon, beavers... if it lives in this area, there's a good chance you'll see it here. The boat noise can be annoying on busy days but is not so bad from the higher up sites, which tend to have more amenities due to being further from the lake. The camp hosts here are some of the best I've encountered. Since this campground is so huge there are usually sites available first come first serve, if you come in late at night you can self register at the kiosk. Others are correct that there isn't much shade and the sites aren't very flat. I got around the latter problem by folding a sleeping bag under one side of my sleeping pad to keep that side elevated. Overall one of the best places to Camp near Folsom lake.