Searching for a tent camping spot near Kit Carson? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Kit Carson, California's most popular destinations.
North Grove (sites 27-59)
$25 - $70 / night
Recreation Opportunity Guides (ROG) - These guides contains information, maps, and directions to assist you in enjoying your trip to the Eldorado National Forest.Lovers Leap__CampgroundFees
$5 / night
Utica Reservoir is set in a granite basin surrounded by red fir and lodgepole pine forest. The reservoir has lots of islands and is kept mostly full. Granite slabs along the shore extend into the water. There are two campgrounds adjacent to each other, Sandy Flat and Rocky Point. Elevation is 6,800 feet.
$16 / night
Campground is closed. Alpine meadow and forest, adjacent to Mokelumne River and near Mosquito Lakes. Good fishing in Pacific Creek and the Mokelumne River, good early season deer hunting. Vault toilets. 19 designated sites. Campground will remain open as long as weather allows.
$10 / night
Recreation Opportunity Guides (ROG) - These guides contains information, maps, and directions to assist you in enjoying your trip to the Eldorado National Forest.Kirkwood CampgroundPicnickingFees and PassesNon-motorized Trails Mokelumne Wilderness
Due to heavy snow loads, the campground will be closed for the 2023 season.
Temporarily Closed The Markleeville Campground on the Carson Ranger District near Markleeville, CA is temporally closed, while area is being assessed for flood damage.
Check Status here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices/?aid=74769
Located on Markleeville Creek, in the shade of Jeffrey pines and cottonwood trees. Generally open late April through early September.
$18 / night
Large sites very peaceful. Most sites close to the lake. We visited the last week of August. Expect to see bears. Hosts were clear about the need to keep campsites clear of food. Since you could not dump dish water on ground because of the bears it was more effort to wash up after meals. It would be nice if there was a dish washing station . We have seen this at other campsites we have been to. The have AT&A cell service had good service
We normally prefer wilderness parks, and generally avoid RV parks. We’ve stayed in a few though and this one is by far the absolute nicest one we’ve ever stayed in!! It recently changed ownership and the new owners have invested in a first-class place! We had to find a last minute place on a Sunday due to the Davis Creek Regional park fire. We pulled in here and were helped by a wonderful young woman in the office. What I liked most about this place was that it is more spacious than typical RV parks. Also, more importantly, the bathrooms were amazing and deserving of the “resort” name. While there may have been a few rigs here longer term, their sites were neat and orderly. The location is by a highway (and behind Costco), but the noise wasn’t bad at all. The pool area is beautiful and includes outdoor grills and a gas fire pit. There is minimal shade as the trees are all new. The laundry rooms (2!) were lovely. We would stay here again in a heartbeat. Beautiful and well run facility. Does it compare to a state or National park, no. But for what it is it is outstanding!
Drive to the back area for tree shade and level grounds. Side of road camping. Camping on Ridgeline
My 1-star review is only because, sadly, a fire started at this campground and was out of control by the time we arrived. It grew to 1,500 acres and destroyed 6 structures. I was really looking forward to staying at this park. Sadly, it has likely been destroyed.
Beautiful river area, friendly people, hills to hike around! There’s a fire pit and bbq set up at each site and bathrooms and drinking water around the campgrounds. Seems like an amazing spot for a family camping trip! I believe it was $28 a night for a single spot or $14 with a discount. Cons for a nomad is there’s 0 service out there even hiking to the top of the mountain. It’s also about an hour of winding roads from the nearest town to get there. IMO not worth it when there’s plentyyyy of free camping pull offs you pass on the way there.
So disappointing this app has failed us like 5 times now on camping spots. Not the right location.
I’m motorcycle camping and the ground level was about half full, mostly RVs, so I attempted to head up Scott Lake Road.
The dirt was manageable but there are sections of large rocks difficult to pass on two wheels. I crossed several but I dropped my bike before the second circle. Defeated and exhausted from a long day’s ride, I headed back down to set up my camp among the RV set.
No shade to the lifestyle but this is an awfully long drive to watch TV at top volume.
I made reservations here a week prior to our trip because I was looking for a warmer place to camp. I previously had reservations at Pinecrest, but it was going to be in the 50s during the day and 30s at night. Which isn’t ideal since I have a 7 month old and a 3 year old. But it ended up getting pretty chilly here as well - high 50s, low 40s. I do not recommended campsite 3, where we camped. It is a double site and is spacious enough for two families. But the campground had 3 bears that were visiting every night. One huge black bear, and a mama black bear with her cub. It was disappointing to learn this by getting a visit by the black bear who comes down from behind our campsite (which is why I do not recommend campsite 3). Luckily, our kids were asleep when the black bear came around 9pm. The camp host never came by to check us in, even though we were right next to their site. They did not inform us of the three bears that would be coming by. Obviously we are in bear country, so precautions were taken. But it would have been nice to know, since we have little ones exploring the area behind us (where one of the bears was coming down). When my husband informed the camp host of the bear that came by she wasn’t surprised at all and said “oh there’s three that come every night. One big black bear who is about 4.5ft tall on all fours - he’s a big guy! And a mama bear with her cub.” This was very strange to me that she didn’t come by and tell us this, nor did she tell the other campers around us. We went and informed the two sites by us so that they were aware of this. Aside from that, the campground is beautiful. You can chop your own wood, since there was a couple of dead trees around. The walk to the reservoir is short and sweet. The water isn’t freezing either, our dog enjoyed her daily swim. I recommend this campground for its beauty but be prepared for a bear visit.
There’s no legal “dispersed” camping at Luther Pass; there are 11 tent sites with a maximum stay of five days. Very nice campground, though.
Wooded campground, cool weather, good phone reception, many spots taken with no activity probably by locals. Lake, hiking, close shopping.
Loved the time spent. Crozier fire started. Made for a bitter sweet sunset.
Lots of people ! come early for a spot. nice views around. lots and lots of bugs. i sleep in my car and crack the windows a little bit and i woke up to a shit ton of bugs that got in my car. even more surrounding the cars. very quiet at night, maybe i just got lucky lol.
Six of us went and got 2 campsites, 27 & 28. Very roomy and lots of shade. Other sites have varying degrees of shade from good to none. Fishing was fantastic with both flies and lures. Bathrooms nearest camp host are much nicer than the others. Hosts were extremely nice. Price was just $12/night with national parks pass. Tons of free firewood from downed trees in area
They have pull through sites and back in sites. This is a great spot if you have kids. Lots of stuff to do just at the resort
I have not stayed here but the website states switched to permanent residents. Likely hard to find a spot.
I spent nine days camping at Boca rest, it is a beautiful campsite. I was there before memorial day weekend so it was fairly empty. The fishing and the little Truckee and the lake was outstanding.
Beautiful, wild forest camping under huge sequoia trees in a well maintained campground with fairly well separated sites. Flush toilets and garbage disposal but no dump station or electrical or water hookups. Definitely not for big rigs and I have a teardrop trailer and my Outback which are almost 30 ft and it was quite a challenge
We actually camp here often because it's the closest place that feels like we're in the mountains. Not many campgrounds in Northern NV have forest like trees. The spaces are a good size but kinda close to one another. Rangers are friendly and often stop by just to see how things are going. Currently there's a fire ban but they do have fire pits. You can park right at your site. The rate has increased to 30.00 a night and they charge a pet fee of 1.00 per animal per night. The only thing that kind of detracts from the camping atmosphere is the freeway. You are close enough to hear it but it's more a white noise with the occasional truck breaking. You can't see it though so that's a plus.
This area is beautiful. At almost 9000 feet elevation, it is a great place to escape a heat wave on either side of the Sierra. Reno was having 104 degree highs, so we were looking for elevation that was not too far away. 20 degrees cooler here. Highway 4 over Ebbetts Pass is an interesting drive. About 1-1/2 lanes wide, winding, no guard rails. The 7 mile dirt road from Highway 4 to Highland Lakes takes awhile. We go slow. We put our van with a great unobstructed view over the lake out the slider and from under our awning looking towards Hiram Peak. The hiking in the area was spectacular. Lots of trails, snow fields, wild flowers, and wonderful views.
We recently spent a night at this campsite and found it to be perfect for a quick overnight getaway. The area is spacious and conveniently located not too far off the main road, making it easy to access without feeling too isolated.
There are plenty of sites to choose from, catering to different preferences. However, we recommend taking some time to survey the land before setting up camp, as some spots are slightly sloped.
A huge plus is the gas station just about 5 minutes down the road. It’s well-stocked with all the convenient store items you might have forgotten at home, making it easy to grab any last-minute necessities.
Overall, it was a delightful stay. Just remember, always practice Leave No Trace principles—pack out what you pack in!
Beautiful, clean campground very close to the lake. We loved it.
Couldn’t even get to the point of making a reservation or getting there cause they didn’t pick up the phone despite being on hold for 10 minutes
Clean and easy to get to with 27ft class a. Some sites weren't as flat as others. First come first served worked well.
The road kinda sucks but VC is a good time. It was nice other than the road. Please remember to pack everything out, there was a lot of trash I had to pick up that was left behind by others.
Boulder loop is very hot. Meadow loop has more trees and shade. Several sites in each loop have lake views and direction access to the lake. Can pull up your boat and leave water toys. Pit toilets and central shower at boat launch area.
Large campground. Some sites very spacious. Fallen Leaf Lake is accessible within campground. Bike trail from campground to Lake Tahoe bike trail. Ten min drive to Emerald Bay and 20 min to Stateline of South Lake Tahoe. Many excursions and hiking trails. Breathtakingly beautiful.
If you're traveling east along 395, turn immediately after the gas station (west side of the casino/resort building). You'll proceed straight ahead to the RV park kiosk to check in. Spaces are *very* close together and their idea of a 60 foot space is about 5-6 feet shorter in reality. Our RV+truck tip to tail (unhooked) is about 54 feet long and we had to park the truck sideways to stay within the lines. The space was wide enough for our slides to come out, but not the awning. The space is marked 30/50 amp but only had 30 and 20 amp outlets.
Despite being pretty crowded, it was quiet at night. The casino is nice and about what you'd expect to find in South Lake Tahoe, but located in Minden. The steakhouse was great and we enjoyed some $5 black jack. This was our last stop on our way home and if it came up again, we'd come back.
A couple people were a bit liberal with parking over their allocated space, but we were able to maneuver by. Some spaces apparently don't have dumps and it can back up getting out of the park if an RV wants to dump on the way out -- it will block the exit.
If you need gas, best to get fuel at the station prior to hooking back up if you're towing -- just easier to maneuver. But you can still maneuver into the gas station on the way out or on the way in if you want. If you're doing it on the way in, be sure to turn into the gas station on the west side so you can turn into the RV park entrance without having to turn around.
Camping near Kit Carson, California, offers a fantastic escape into nature with stunning views and plenty of outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are several campgrounds that cater to different preferences.
Camping near Kit Carson, California, is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. With a little planning and knowledge, you can have a memorable experience in this beautiful area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Kit Carson, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kit Carson, CA is North Grove Campground — Calaveras Big Trees State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Kit Carson, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 69 tent camping locations near Kit Carson, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
