Best RV Parks & Resorts near Garden Valley, CA

Several RV parks accommodate motorhome travelers near Garden Valley, California. Thousand Trails Ponderosa in Lotus offers year-round RV sites with electric, water and sewer hookups that can accommodate large rigs. Ghost Mountain RV Campground in Pollock Pines provides 30-amp electric service and water hookups with partial shade. "The sites are a nice size with water and electricity only. There is a Honeybucket truck that comes around Monday, Wednesday and Friday," noted one camper. Placerville RV Resort features 109 full-hookup sites with 30/50-amp service and can accommodate big rigs on mostly level sites, though some reviewers mention tight spacing between units.

Road access to several mountain RV parks requires careful navigation, with some narrow, winding roads leading to campgrounds. Finnon Lake Recreation Area warns RVs to avoid Mosquito Road's old one-lane bridge, directing larger vehicles to use Rock Creek Road instead. Most RV parks in the region maintain on-site dump stations, though Auburn Gold Country RV Park charges a $20 service fee for non-premium sites. During summer months, temperatures can reach uncomfortable highs in exposed sites with limited shade coverage. A visitor to Ponderosa RV Resort mentioned that "the spots are packed in and many have little or no cover... mostly dirt and gravel," highlighting the importance of requesting shaded sites when available. Cell service varies by location, with better coverage near Auburn and Placerville than in more remote mountain locations.

Best RV Sites Near Garden Valley, California (201)

    1. Placerville RV Resort & Campground

    6 Reviews
    Rescue, CA
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 676-2267

    $75 - $107 / night

    "I like the place pros would be doing just water and electric hook up so your away from the croud,clean and quiet, great wifi, cons next to freeway, expensive,no firepit but have a communal fire pit,but"

    "Mini train ride around park, great playground, mini golf, showed movie and a lot more awesomeness. Was not cheap but kept the kids entertained. Will be going back."

    2. Thousand Trails Ponderosa

    9 Reviews
    Coloma, CA
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "It’s great for kids that want to ride bikes around the sites- but be careful of the river, it’s swift."

    "Once I figured out the sites I had people move their cars so we could back in…. Lucky us we get next to a resident that lives there and is so rude!"

    3. Tahoe Valley Campground

    29 Reviews
    South Lake Tahoe, CA
    47 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "We had a great time at this winter paradise!! South Lake Tahoe had gotten 20 inches of snow in the 14 days prior to our arrival, then got four more inches while we were there."

    "he showed us where to drop our tow and even helped us…..He helped my husband back into our site and made sure our slide outs were out and everything before heading off."

    4. Ghost Mountain RV Campground

    12 Reviews
    Pollock Pines, CA
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 644-5476

    "We had just bought our trailer and went there with check it our with our daughter and son-in-law as a day trip to mountains."

    "About 1.5hr from Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. Built thick forest of the Sierra mountains. Nice size campsites. Water and Electricity only."

    5. French Meadows

    9 Reviews
    Alpine Meadows, CA
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 367-2224

    $24 / night

    "Great amenities(fire ring, table, bear box)."

    "We rolled in around midnight on a Thursday in September and there were still plenty of walk-in sites available. The camp sites were a little close together, but it wasn't too bad."

    6. 49er Village RV Resort

    6 Reviews
    Sutter Creek, CA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (209) 245-6981

    "General: This is a HUGE RV park (a Sun Resort) with back-in, pull-through sites, and cabins."

    "We checked out the pond, playground, volleyball and shuffleboard areas, but spent most of the time in the pool, it was a hot weekend."

    7. Dutch Flat RV Resort

    3 Reviews
    Gold Run, CA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 389-8924

    "Our site had several old rugs and leveling Timbers left behind, for example. Most sites are neither flat nor level, but close enough to get level. The setting is magnificent."

    8. Auburn Gold Country RV Park

    5 Reviews
    Auburn, CA
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 885-0990

    "When we got there we could not find the black water hookup. He came out and helped us get all connected. Most lots are used by permanent residents. I did not see any children."

    "New fences between back in sites, which was nice. Saved a couple bucks because we didn't need sewer. The office was super nice and let us have guests, no problem."

    9. South Yuba Campground

    4 Reviews
    Nevada City, CA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (916) 941-3101

    $15 / night

    "No cell signal here - speed test is from starlink. Note google & garmin routing from Nevada City takes a bridge with a 4 Ton weight restriction."

    "There's hiking access to the river, and almost never anybody at this campground. It's scenic privacy at it's best. Hike up or downstream for some really great swimming holes."

    10. Jackson Rancheria RV Park

    6 Reviews
    Jackson, CA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (209) 223-1677

    $50 - $70 / night

    "Wonderful shuttle bus to and from casino, heated pool and jacuzzi, dog friendly, walking trail, full hook ups, very clean, lots to love!"

    "This RV park was the first place we took our very first new travel trailer. We wanted a close to home location with all the hookups to make sure we knew how to use everything."

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RV Park Reviews near Garden Valley, CA

917 Reviews of 201 Garden Valley Campgrounds


  • p
    Aug. 27, 2024

    Acorn Campground

    Extended stays

    A good clean campground, popular in central California. Reasonably priced $20 per night. They do accept golden age passes which reduces your nightly expense to $10 per night maximum 15 days for the month. Geared mostly for small trailers and tents, however, they do have some sites for larger RVs drive-through 40 foot max and roadside, slide outs might cause a problem. Park managers are very professional, courteous and pleasant. Bathrooms are a problem for cleanliness dump station is available for RVs. If you have a portable black tank, it would work out better for you on extended stays when dumping your black tank. If you are self-contained, you won’t have any difficulties at all.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 27, 2022

    SacWest RV Park & Campground

    Everything we need

    We have everything we need here; FHU, laundry, clean showers and bathrooms, great dog park, friendly staff. They pick up trash. Sites are pull- through, gravel and fairly level. Sites are close, but it wasn’t too crowded while we were here.

  • Christina L.
    Aug. 13, 2020

    River Rest Resort

    Supe Nice and Easy

    This is a great campsite, with lots of amenities. Super family friendly. Lots of kids at this site.

    I came here in early August, 2020! It gets warm during the day and many spots have trees, which provide partial shade at some point in the day. I do recommend bringing a pop up structure for the moments when shade is not available.

    We stayed at campsite 24, which is right on the river and next to the main river pool access. Lots of people coming by but everyone is respectful and there is some privacy from small trees planted along the path.

    At the other end of the site is a river access that’s smaller and allows dogs (the main one does not). Since I do not have kids but do have a dog, I will probably try for the sites closer to the dog access next time.

    The main river pool gets busy, lots of kids, families etc. but in the early evening and morning it is pretty empty and was a great time to relax. The dog access river pool was a lot less crowded. You can also float from the dog access pool down river to the main pool site which was a lot of fun.

    The property has great bathrooms with showers. They take quarters for the showers, $.25 for 2 minutes. They have a small store onsite for the last minute essentials. They have a air pump to fill up rafts to float in the river. They also have wood delivery to your site if you order by 7pm. Each site has a picnic table and small fire pit with a grate if you want to cook on that! They also have a larger communal areas with BBQ and sink for those wanted to have a group meal. Each campsite has water, electricity and full RV hookups. So lots of RV’s at this location.

    Very dog friendly and kid friendly.

    Staff was super helpful and always present. They made rounds emptying trash cans, cleaning the bathrooms and just monitoring the area so that’s is super well maintained. You can tell they really love the place and want to keep it clean. They also were super nice when enforcing the rules, not mean but were not afraid to remind people to follow the camp rules (which were super reasonable).

    No cell service, which was great. But you can drive up the hill 10 minutes to park at the vista and get a signal.

    All in all we had a great time and will be back!

  • Mike P.
    Mar. 2, 2023

    Miner's Camp RV Park

    Lake Comanche South sure

    Nice place quiet lots of places for big RVs pull through spots and back in spots they have spots for family reunions have showers store boat ramp nice place to camp North Shore is not for RVs it's for tent camping the South Shore has hookups 30 50 amp service full hookups all around a good place good people quiet time is 9:00 p.m. till 7:00 a.m. I believe doesn't mean you can't be up just no loud music no carrying on to disturb the other people lake is almost full

  • Bill
    Nov. 28, 2024

    Thousand Trails Lake Minden

    If I could give zero stars, I would.

    If I could give zero stars, I would. Thousand Trails Lake Minden is very rundown. Immediately upon arrival at this so-called "resort," you can see the neglect from the outset. Their main sign is faded and sunburned, looking like it’s from 1970. The roads are riddled with potholes, none of which are paved. It’s clear the maintenance of this property has been ignored for years.

    The "resort" advertises full hookups, but the reality is they have about 20 full hookup sites that can’t accommodate RVs over 35 feet. My 40-foot RV doesn’t fit, so I’m forced to drive around the lake to the non-hookup section, which only has water and power. To dump your tanks, you have to make trips to the dump station—hardly convenient for a place claiming to be a resort.

    I paid $10,000 for a lifetime membership that allows me to stay at Thousand Trails properties for 21 days at a time. My mistake was not visiting any of their locations before making this purchase. I strongly urge anyone considering a Thousand Trails membership to visit several of their properties first—it will likely change your mind. Lake Minden is no better than other Thousand Trails locations, and in fact, I’d rank it among the worst.

    As a full-time RVer, I’m stuck here for the 21-day maximum, and once that’s up, I’m forced to relocate two hours away to their next nearest property, Ponderosa. I’ll review that location when I arrive, but I don’t have high expectations.

    What’s most frustrating is the blatant contradiction between their claims and reality. They require age-appropriate RVs for members, yet I’m parked next to a 20-year-old RV with a blue tarp on the roof. The facility is so poorly maintained it’s a stretch to even call it a campground, let alone a resort.

    My regret for buying a Thousand Trails lifetime membership is astronomical. If I knew then what I know now, I would never have spent a dime. Thousand Trails should be ashamed to call themselves a resort. Lake Minden, like many of their properties, is nothing more than a run-down trailer park.

  • Stephen K.
    Jun. 18, 2019

    Middle Fork Cosumnes Campground

    El Dorado County’s best kept Secret

    The campground is located next to the Middle Fork Cosumnes River. Accessable from Hwy 88 just past Hams Station on Cat Creek Road. The camp has 18 sites that each have tables and fire rings. Sites are accessable by smaller RV’s and travel trailers. There are no    electrical hook-ups, dump station, or water, so plan on being fully self contained. Each site has very nice tent sites and are mosly located very close to the creek and offer good privacy. The camp ground fills up on most weekends but usually has sites open during the week. This has been a “ first come, first serve” campground in the past, but may change now that it will be managed by a recreation management company. Check with recreation.gov to confirm. Fishing, swimming, and hiking are activities. Bear River Reservoir Resort is a close drive away. Highly recommend.

  • D
    Apr. 7, 2024

    Lake Amador Resort

    Beautiful in the Spring

    We enjoyed our first visit and will definitely come back! The park is a mix of old RV’s that folks have long term stays and open spots for visitors. Some nice spots and some tight spots. We stayed in site 62 with 41 foot MH. There was no room for a tow vehicle and we did not put our awnings out. We enjoyed fishing from the bank and had some good luck with power bait. The resort is very clean and quiet!

  • K
    Jul. 31, 2021

    SacWest RV Park & Campground

    Perfect for what it is.

    Perfect for what it is which is a basic parking lot RV park. The amenities are pretty great, lovely pool, petting zoo and my favorite the fenced dog park. Oh and they have a dog wash with leash clip!!! So many parks miss the opportunity for dog friendly features. They have the cleanest bathrooms i have ever experienced at an RV park.

    My only disappointment was the wifi connection specifically in communal spaces close to the office where it makes sense to have strong connection. Their rec room would be a perfect place to hey some work done if only the wifi was powerful enough. Since i was working on the road I was specifically in need of this amenity. I heard certain RV spots had great reception but unfortunately not ours.

  • David & Sue C.
    Feb. 13, 2021

    Tahoe Valley Campground

    Winter Wonderland !!

    We had a great time at this winter paradise!! South Lake Tahoe had gotten 20 inches of snow in the 14 days prior to our arrival, then got four more inches while we were there. Practice your backing up, the plowed snow made some of the pull through sites back in only!! The huge, beautiful trees made for some additional obstacles. The best part of our stay was the assistance we received from TERRY in changing sites and getting set up. The campground is close enough to all the activities in South Lake Tahoe. The plowed snow and ice made walking through the campground very difficult, but there wasn’t anyplace else you could put it. The dog park was great!! When you’re traveling with a Great Dane and Australian Shepard, that’s a big deal!! We’ll stay here again...maybe in the summer!!


Guide to Garden Valley

The Sierra foothills surrounding Garden Valley, California sit at elevations between 1,500 and 3,000 feet, creating a transitional climate zone between the Central Valley and higher mountains. Summer temperatures typically range from 85-95°F during the day, cooling significantly at night. Camping options span from full-service RV parks to more primitive sites along rivers and reservoirs.

What to do

River activities: Swim, float, or kayak in the American River near Thousand Trails Ponderosa in Lotus. The South Fork offers both calm stretches and rapids. "Local grocery and pizza, frozen yogurt available within walking distance. Lots of great fishing, floating, and kayak accessibly. Bring tubes and life vests. Poles and bait," advises Kate A.

Hiking trails: Explore forest paths at South Yuba Campground near Nevada City. The river trail offers numerous swimming holes. "This river trail is the best in the state. Clear water, lovely pools... The river is beloved by kayakers and swimmers. Perfect snow melt means August is the prime time," notes Anna R.

Mountain biking: Navigate forested terrain with routes suitable for various skill levels. "Lots of great trails to weave through the campground on a mountain bike," mentions a Ponderosa RV Resort visitor. Most trails are best ridden in spring and fall when temperatures are moderate and trails aren't dusty.

What campers like

Swimming in natural waters: The South Fork American River provides relief during hot summer days. "The River is nice with man made trails to easily walk down to a beach area," reports Angela C. from Thousand Trails Ponderosa. "It really moved along and was fun to float down in a tube."

Fishing opportunities: Multiple reservoirs offer trout fishing throughout the camping season. At French Meadows near Foresthill, Toby R. notes "Great trout fishing" while warning "Bear country be advised. Extreme fire danger the summer months and closed due to snow in winter."

Campground amenities: Many parks provide recreational facilities beyond camping. At 49er Village RV Resort in Plymouth, Syd D. mentions "The kids loved the stocked fishing ponds, and even better was the immaculate 2 swimming pools and playground! Everyone was busy having fun the whole time and the grounds were perfectly kept."

What you should know

Road conditions: Access to mountain campgrounds often requires careful driving. "The road to get to the site is extremely windy and narrow with no rails so be careful!" warns Amanda B. about French Meadows. Similarly, Dan D. notes "Long somewhat treacherous drive to get there."

Seasonal closures: Higher elevation campgrounds have limited operating seasons. French Meadows operates from "May 25 to October 13" while South Yuba Campground runs "April to October 15." Winter snow makes roads impassable.

Campsite selection: Not all sites are created equal. At Placerville RV Resort, HandL C. advises "Read the fine print! If you are expecting a full-hookup site, make sure it has septic at your site! Many of the sites are water and electric only, and you have to use the one dump station at the camp entrance for dumping."

Tips for camping with families

Pool access: Choose campgrounds with swimming facilities for hot days when river water runs too cold or swift. "Mini train ride around park, great playground, mini golf, showed movie and a lot more awesomeness. Was not cheap but kept the kids entertained," notes Dan about Placerville KOA.

Secure food properly: Use bear-resistant containers at higher elevation sites. French Meadows provides "fire ring, table, bear box" according to Adam B., which are essential since this is active bear country.

Reserve early: Plan ahead for popular summer weekends at Jackson Rancheria RV Park. "We specifically stayed in spot 24, but any of the spots along the back have a beautiful view of the canyon," recommends Chesney S. Reservations often open six months ahead.

Tips from RVers

Level site selection: Many mountain campgrounds have uneven terrain. Graham K. warns about French Meadows: "Two thirds of the campsites were on a slope with no where to setup a tent on level ground. We got lucky and reserved a site with a 'decent' spot to place a tent."

Hookup variations: Water restrictions affect services during drought years. "They say NO saving sites but people do and if your new to the campground it's hard to know what is what!" explains Angela C. about Thousand Trails Ponderosa. "They don't have sewer so you can dump it yourself at a dump area on the campground or have a service come to you and do it for $25."

Spacing considerations: RV camping near Garden Valley requires planning for tight sites. "This is a KOA campground...but some gravel on sites would be a great idea," mentions Debra D. about Placerville KOA. Secure reservations specifying site size when bringing larger rigs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular RV campsite near Garden Valley, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Garden Valley, CA is Placerville RV Resort & Campground with a 3.3-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find RV camping near Garden Valley, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 201 RV camping locations near Garden Valley, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.