Best Tent Camping near Nicolaus, CA

Tent Camping Reviews near Nicolaus, CA

413 Reviews of 26 Nicolaus Campgrounds

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Nov. 25, 2023

  Lake Clementine Boat In — Auburn State Recreation Area

  Off-season peaceful stay

  General: Normally, there are 18 designated sites that are reservable only from May 1– October 15. What we didn’t know until we arrived was that only Sites 1-7 were open after this date; fortunately, only two other sites were occupied when we arrived at 5:30 pm on a Monday in late October. The access road is about six miles of curvy, hilly, and narrow (sometimes only one lane) pavement. There is a sign prohibiting trailers; our 18-foot camper van did fine but anything much larger would definitely be challenged. 

  Site Quality: Many of the sites are more suitable for tent campers. The parking area is at the top of the hill, and you set up your tent below. Most of the sites that have a “driveway” were not level, except for Sites 5 and 6. We lucked out with Site 6 – it was large and level and directly across from the vault toilets. A fire pit/grill, large concrete picnic table, and bear box complete the site (although there was a fire ban in effect).

  Bath: Only one vault toilet was open, and it was very clean. It was cleaned again the next morning. 

  Activities: This campground is located on the North Fork of the American River. In season, this campground would be very popular with rafters; there is a raft launch and takeout area close to the campsites. The river was crystal clear and beautiful.

  This was a small but beautiful campground. We were surprised that we had a semi-decent cell signal ranging from 1 to 2 bars (Verizon).

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• 

  Rosina A.

  Guide

  Jun. 1, 2022

  Beals Point Campground — Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

  Folsom Lake Penninsula

  Beautiful sunsets. No showers. Bathrooms are clean. Some sites are rather small and have little flat ground. Pics on website are tough to see when booking. Lake to most sites is a drive, but there are a few campsites on the lake. Many sites are on hill, you walk up the hill or down a hill with stairs. Lake has day use area, but also a dock area for camping folks. Lots of mosquitoes. They have a fire are to cook, no fire ring, have a bear box and picnic table. Some sites have plenty of shade while others are just plain sun so be prepared.

  Water is nice temperature and super clean! Nice to kayak, paddle, boat (they have boat ramps), fish, swim. Beach areas are rocks with weeds, but pretty.

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• 

  Kate A.

  Guide

  Feb. 20, 2021

  Thousand Trails Ponderosa

  Great location, but plan ahead

  This is a well maintained RV and tent camping resort. It’s great for kids that want to ride bikes around the sites- but be careful of the river, it’s swift. The RV and tent sites are in two separate areas, with more updated amenities available for RVs like hot showers. Shared pool site. Lots of great trails to weave through the campground on a mountain bike.

  One downside- it can be hot. Not a lot of tree cover for the RV sites- make sure you bring shade with you. Luckily, there’s a nice cool river to swim in!

  Fires are restricted sometimes in the summer. Some sites require a membership.

  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.

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• 

  Gina C.

  Traveler

  Jul. 26, 2019

  Lake Francis Resort

  Fun cabin rental

  Some of my family has camped here in the past at one of the tent sites. We decided this time around to reserve one of their cabins. We stayed at the Diamond P cabin which has the best view of the lake within this group of cabins. You can walk to the lake (it’s about 100 yards) from this location. Though it does fill up fast (by 11am it was pretty full). They have a large portable toilet there for use. We spent our time at the pool which is near the flushable toilets and the ice cream parlor, restaurant, and camp store. The pool goes from 3.5’ ft to 5’ back to 3.5’ ft.

  The cabin was great. Two bedrooms, each with twin bunk beds and a full bottom bunk and twin above. Small bathroom with shower, mini fridge, hot plates, microwave, and dishes. Dining table and futon in the living area. Nice wide front porch to sit on and enjoy the view, communal tables and bbq for all the cabins. This unit also had a swamp cooler to help manage the heat.

  Check in is 4pm and check out is 11am. There is also a small game room with a pool table, a baseball field, paddle boats, and kayaks to rent.

  The down side is how quickly the easiest access to the lake fills up. Everyone has to drive over from the tent RV site to access the water. There are other places you can drive and park to get to the water, but there it a drop off into the water from there vs a gradual walk in.

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• 

  Bonnie M.

  Guide

  Feb. 11, 2020

  Collins Lake Recreation Area

  Beautiful shoreline camping

  Open camping options make this a great spur of the moment option. We camped along the lake shore. They also have lots of great spots higher up, among the trees that come with picnic tables, firepits and water available. Portable toilets, so if your neighbors are clean, you're safe. Great little store with coffee and ice cream. Great place for boating and kayaking too.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Oct. 21, 2023

  Beals Point Campground — Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

  Many recreational activities

  General: 69-site campground in two sections – one with electric hookups and one without. 

  Site Quality: We stayed in the non-hookup section. Site 36 was in a small spur with just four sites and direct access to the American River Bikeway. Although better suited for tents, the site worked fine for our camper van. The fire pit and picnic table were located quite a distance from the short paved camper pad, creating a sense of privacy.

  Bath/Shower house: The building closest to us had three toilet/sink combos, one toilet only (there was an outside sink) and two showers. No soap, paper towels, or air dryers in any of the toilet rooms. Showers took quarters – two to turn it on and although I did not time it, two quarters gave a decent amount of time for the shower. Good hot water and a bench but no hooks. 

  Activities: Folsom Lake with all water-related activities. In addition to biking, the paved American River Bikeway was good for walking, running, and horseback riding. The grass was very dry, and I was surprised to see there was not a fire ban, as we’ve seen in almost every other campground not located on the coast. Four stars for the abundant recreation activities.

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• 

  Karen T.

  Traveler

  May. 24, 2021

  Coloma Resort

  Beautiful spot!

  I was worried about our pop up camper not being able to fit in the “tent only sites”, but it ended up being perfect.

  The sun shade provided in the tent sites came in handy when we had a short moment of rain. It was also much appreciated during the sunny weather.

  Beautiful view of the river but it was certainly crowded. Group sites we were near played loud music. Quiet hours weren’t enforced as people played music or loudly chatted until 1am the first night we were there. However, there’s after hours staff you can contact if you have any concerns.

  For the amount of people in the area, there isn’t many bathroom stalls. Yet, we somehow never ran into any long lines.

  There’s a lot of people, kids, bikes, and dogs. It’s highly stimulating environment but everyone was very friendly.

  Definitely recommend visiting if you are able to make a reservation!

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• T

  Ttowle

  Traveler

  Feb. 27, 2021

  Rancho Seco Recreation Area

  A Gem

  This is a wonderful spot to stay for a few days in the off season. We stayed in February. Summers would be very hot and I imagine the area would be packed with day use folks. 12 miles from I-5 out in the country. Very quiet.  21 water and electric sites with a dump station on the way out. Some pull through sites. About 50 tent only sites, some just feet from the lake. RV sites are farther from the lake on mostly level gravel pads with picnic table, fire rings, and a trash can at each site. The grounds are very attractive and very well maintained and all of the staff we encountered were friendly and accommodating. There is one marked hiking trail that follows the lake shore for the first mile then through a field with cattle.

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• 

  ProfG999

  Guide

  May. 21, 2021

  Dru Barner Campground — Eldorado National Forest

  Wonderful woods

  This has been my favorite spot after traveling all across US. I wanted to hide in the forest. Nothing but trees and the wind blowing through them. It was an adventurous drive on a curvy mountain road to get here, but we'll worth it. There are 48 sites (no hookups) and it's just me and one other person pretty far away. Very clean. With a pass, I only paid $4 per day. Nice clean vault toliets. Water available. Picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Corrals for horses. Wood to burn laying around everywhere. Rangers were very friendly and helpful when I came in. I'm staying 4 days this time. I'll be back. I used my WeBoost and was able to teach online and even stream some TV. The dog has loved the nice forest floor to run on and lay on. I drove into Georgetown (6 miles) one day and had the best time exploring the shops and talking to the locals. Gas station has propane. Back in or pull through sites. You can call and reserve or just show up and find an open spot. I was there in May 2021.

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