Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Markleeville? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Markleeville with tent camping. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Markleeville, California's most popular destinations.
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
North Grove (sites 27-59)
$25 - $70 / night
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
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
Due to heavy snow loads, the campground will be closed for the 2023 season.
$5 / night
Campground is located in a timbered setting along the banks of the North Fork Mokelumne River, 2.4 miles west of Ebbetts Pass and four miles north of Highland Lakes. 20 campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills.
General Notes: No garbage service or dumpster; Pack it in, Pack it out.
$12 / 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
Scout
I am a 12 year old and I had tons of fun. Me and my friends were up there and there was conveniently a campground available in there same campsite. We went in the summer and the water was perfect! We went fishing and caught crawfish in a trap underneath the bridge near the front. Overall the staff were really nice and it was a great trip. I recommend it!
Guide
Loved the big beautiful trees. Enjoyed the creek behind. Lovely campground. Nice, clean facilities. Has bear lockers, pinicic tables and fire rings.
Guide
okay. let’s be real. the road is a beast. I would not drive it with any vehicle other than SUV/Truck. DO NOT bring up an RV/Trailer. you’ll regret it. we stayed and car camped. an awesome view of the lights of Reno. can be very windy but if you get between some of the trees it’s not to bad.
Scout
Came on a Saturday around 4pm, there were 2 other campers other than me so it wasn’t busy at all. No service for at&t. Overall had a good stay here with my 2 dogs
Ranger
Camped here for what we thought would be a couple of nights for an event. However, event was canceled due to massive wild fire (air quality index was horrible, so stayed 1 night and left ASAP next morning). Campground is right on the main drag through town and just across the street and a short walk to the lake, although the lake does not permit dogs in this area. Nice walking/biking paths, but heavily commercial district means lots of traffic going by. Site (#E06) is huge with enough space for several RVs, but we parked sideways adjacent to the picnic table and had spot near to bathrooms/showers which are clean but a bit ragged around the edges.
Food aside: Dinner of Curly's pork with cheese and Hatch green chile tortillas. Good to come back here at some point when not high season and can stay more in camping zone, this is a pretty commercial district.
Guide
We were only after a night, so didn’t need much. Travelling this time of year when campgrounds are closed makes for desperate last minute decisions. BUT if you’re staying here, go across the road to Lake Tahoe Pizza Co. the best pizza!
Scout
Free camping
Traveler
We stayed one night on our way through the area. Spot was nice level and clean. We loved the bike paths all though out the area. Rode In to south Tahoe and had a great experience.
Legend
We ended up at this small campground because our potential boondocking spots were completely snowed in up top. So glad we did as it is tucked away on the grounds of an amazing state park!
Most of the sites are small with a lot of tree coverage. It was quiet, quaint, and clean. We found a good site that provided just enough sky for both our 400W portable solar panel and Starlink to work pretty well. The bathroom building has flush toilets, was kept clean, and warm showers.
But the campground isn’t the reason to come here...it’s the history! This little park tucked into the Western Sierras will blow your mind. It is a significant Miwok Native American historical site, with home sites, ancient Oak trees, and literally thousands of grain, and acorn grinding stones located in the central part of the park.
The visitor’s center is a must-see and brings the location to life. In cooperation with the local tribes, the state manages the site and visitor’s center for the public. Take a walk on the interpretive trail, hike the adventure trails, fish in the creek, or attend a special program. It is a beautiful place to spend a few days.
The nearby town of Pine Grove has a few restaurants and grocery stores to get what you might need.
Scout
Very simple and clean park but it is right next to the highway with very limited amenities. Their “amenities” they list online are not accurate but again it’s nice and clean. Also make sure you have a secondary form of transportation since this place is secluded due to private neighborhoods so there is no access to town via bike or on foot.
Legend
If you ever want to get away from it all, here is where it might be found. This gorgeous and sprawling campground close to the tiny resort hamlet of Twin Lakes is worth the drive. We came for a night or two and stayed nearly a week.
With many FCFS campsites along the loop above the river and among Jeffery’s Pine trees and Sierra sagebrush, you can find a quiet space to set up a beautiful camp. The sites are huge and lots of space in between them. They are designed for any rig size that is set up for off-grid camping, with double sites for small groups. Almost all of the sites have a wide open sky and lots of sun for good solar gain and strong Starlink, so no need for a generator.
The river is only a short walk away from any of the campsites, so fishing and cooling off are always an option, and you can start a handful of hikes right from the campground. The lower lake of the twins is walkable as well, at about 1.25 miles away.
The vault toilets were sparkling clean and well-maintained by the camp hosts. Showers were available for purchase at the nearby RV park. The town of Twin Lakes has a small grocery store at the marina with a few things -- a bit better than a convenience store, but not by much. At the top of the upper lake, there is a small restaurant located at the other RV park.
There’s lots of water activity opportunities to do in this part of the world, but check the boat regulations as there are speed limitations. Fishing, paddling, and SUP’s are all great here, but it can get REALLY windy so plan accordingly.
Hiking is amazing on the many trails which take you to the higher elevations. Wilderness backcountry travel looks delightful, but we only went on day-hikes. Multi-day backpackers can park in the upper lake marina lot for a fee. With so many trails and OHV trails nearby, this is also a great campground to bring your mountain bike or other toys.
Guide
Very nice park, great walking trails, beautiful trees. Many of the buildings are older, but well kept. Showers are coin operated and nice. No trailer hookups, but very site has a water but can’t connect it with the trailer. Park does have a dump station and is included in the space rent. Only issue is being by the road and having road noise. Plenty of restrooms and showers (coin operated). The only Wi-Fi is at the visitor center and VERY limited cell service, no great loss.
Traveler
Nice peaceful spot. Few cars go by, but it’s tucked away enough.
GuideTight spaces but close to the lake if you want to enjoy the water and beach. Toilets and showers where filty but okay. Lots of chipmunks to enjoy..
Scout
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
Ranger
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!
Traveler
I stayed only one night here in 2022 while traveling through. It was a pretty drive through rural western Nevada, which ended in a four mile graded dirt road. I was driving an SUV with high clearance, but the road is suitable for RVs if you take it slow. Both campgrounds are RV suitable. This one does not have hook ups, but quail run does. The facilities are very new. Each site has a covered picnic table It is not a great tent camping area in my opinion because it is a desert loop and you are out in the open. I slept in my SUV. The area itself is beautiful though, and I need to make another, longer stop there and at the nearby "elbow" unit, which is more remote.
Guide
Drive to the back area for tree shade and level grounds. Side of road camping. Camping on Ridgeline
Ranger
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.
Guide
Large pull off area I found and stayed at for 4 days with amazing views of the sunset and sunrise! I was there on weekdays so was pretty much alone the whole time but even if the main spot is occupied there’s a couple of dirt roads that lead to more areas to camp. A couple of level spots and lots of room to hike around. Completely free and peaceful but 0 amenities so come prepared. Currently there is an abandoned red semi truck cab so it’s easy to find not sure if that will ever be moved in the future though!
Guide
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.
Scout
So disappointing this app has failed us like 5 times now on camping spots. Not the right location.
ScoutI’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.
Ranger
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.
Scout
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.
GuideWooded campground, cool weather, good phone reception, many spots taken with no activity probably by locals. Lake, hiking, close shopping.
Traveler
Loved the time spent. Crozier fire started. Made for a bitter sweet sunset.
Nestled in the stunning Sierra Nevada, Markleeville, California, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Markleeville, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Markleeville, CA is Luther Pass with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
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