Best Tent Camping near South Lake Tahoe, CA

Tent campsites in South Lake Tahoe range from developed campgrounds to primitive backcountry locations in Desolation Wilderness. Luther Pass offers free tent camping with approximately 12 sites near the Big Meadow trailhead, while Lover's Leap Campground provides walk-in tent sites popular with rock climbers in the Eldorado National Forest. Both locations offer natural settings with minimal development, making them suitable for tent campers seeking proximity to hiking trails.

Most tent camping areas near South Lake Tahoe have basic facilities like pit toilets but limited or no potable water sources. Campers should bring water filters for sites near streams or pack in all necessary drinking water. Campfire regulations vary by location and season, with complete fire bans in Desolation Wilderness and seasonal restrictions elsewhere based on fire danger levels. Sites at Luther Pass include fire rings and picnic tables, while backcountry tent camping requires wilderness permits obtained in advance. One camper noted that "Luther Pass did have toilets about the halfway point of the approximately 2-3 mile long loop," but advised arriving early as popular tent sites fill quickly during summer months.

Walk-in tent locations in the area provide more secluded camping experiences than developed campgrounds. Kaspian Campground offers walk-in tent sites with lake views and access to a picnic area directly on Lake Tahoe. Backcountry tent camping in Desolation Wilderness provides the most primitive experience, with dispersed camping allowed in designated zones like the Aloha Zone, which requires permits year-round. A camper shared that "this is a great glimpse at what the High Sierra lakes further south look like... but better. Dispersed camp sites all over." Late snow can impact access to higher elevation tent sites until early summer, particularly in the backcountry areas, where overnight temperatures may drop significantly even during summer months.

Best Tent Sites Near South Lake Tahoe, California (86)

    1. Luther Pass

    7 Reviews
    Echo Lake, CA
    10 miles

    "Great location to the TRT. Stayed here the night before getting on the TRT. Very quiet and plenty of sites open. Down side is all the used TP along the logs."

    "About 12 sites near the Big meadow trailhead. they fill fast! no water, but pit toilet, garbage, fire rings and tables"

    2. Lovers Leap Campground

    6 Reviews
    Twin Bridges, CA
    13 miles
    Website

    "A great campsite not too far from South Lake Tahoe. While most campsites are on the smaller size, there are a few which can accommodate larger tents."

    "Very clean vault toilets and drinking water. Safe and quiet with nice hosts. Popular with climbers and there’s a short trail that leads down to a river that’s very scenic. Good cell reception."

    3. Desolation Wilderness - Aloha Zone

    5 Reviews
    Twin Bridges, CA
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (916) 744-3320

    $5 / night

    "You can hike in for 6 miles each way (12 miles round trip) via the Echo Lakes trail, or park and take the water taxi ($12) to cut off 2.5 miles of the hike each way."

    "One of my top 5 favorite place to go backpacking. Love the feeling of being immersed in nature and the views of all the lakes. We took the water Taxi that shaved about 5 miles off our hike."

    4. Kaspian Campground

    3 Reviews
    Tahoma, CA
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 583-3642

    $30 - $32 / night

    "It’s hard to miss Kaspian campground because it’s right off the road if you’re headed south towards South Lake Tahoe."

    "Good campsite located right by eagle Rock and 10 mins from Tahoe City."

    6. Donner Memorial State Park Campground

    18 Reviews
    Truckee, CA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 582-7892

    $35 / night

    "Close to Truckee so you can easily get supplies. Lots of trees give a private feel even though it is a busy campground."

    "We were in a large site and had pleasant neighbors. The restrooms were SUPER clean with flush toilets and hot showers. Short walk to Donner Lake and Donner Museum."

    7. Markleeville Campground - Temporarily Closed

    4 Reviews
    Markleeville, CA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (775) 882-2766

    $18 / night

    "It was perfect weather and we hiked to the town of Markleeville which is the cutest town ever!   The camp host was super nice and a beautiful stream runs next to some spots.  "

    "Close to Markleeville and convenient to pop over to the town and pick up things from the general store. The campground is small and it’s more of a “passing through” spot."

    8. North Canyon Campground

    1 Review
    Glenbrook, NV
    15 miles
    +1 (775) 831-0494

    10. Olde LYFE Alpacas on Davis Ranch

    5 Reviews
    Washoe Valley, NV
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 496-7561

    $25 - $50 / night

    "I parked behind a hay stack and next to a picnic table where I could set up my little kitchen. There was also a clean porta potty and hand washing station which was very convenient."

    "Had the whole place to ourselves……and the roaming Alpacas of course 😁 Park anywhere you want in the designated circular driveway on flat grass and dirt. We walked along the creek and just relaxed."

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Tent Camping Reviews near South Lake Tahoe, CA

1217 Reviews of 86 South Lake Tahoe Campgrounds


  • Dani P.
    Jul. 12, 2019

    Meeks Bay

    Beautiful and big family oriented campground

    Just a small walk away from Lake Tahoe shore. Big beautiful trees cover the entire campground. A couple bathrooms that surprisingly do not smell bad and have a running faucet. Bears are a real issue, so they have big bear boxes at each site - make sure to use them. Sites close together and not much privacy. Camp Host on site. Very limited parking at the sites, but free parking if you park outside of the campground along the main road and walk in. Do not leave food in your car, especially on the outside. And dont forget to Leave No Trace!

  • Berton M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 21, 2020

    Kit Carson Campground

    Tahoe River Gem

    Kit Carson is located about 20-miles from South Lake Tahoe. There 20 or so camping spots that are spread out among the trees. The campground is located along a river that's a nice place to fish or swim. The water temperature during the summer wasn't that bad.  The campground offers the standard fire pit, table and bear locker. It also has pit toilets and no showers.  

    Across the street is a small cafe that has internet service. They offer breakfast, coffee/tea and some sandwiches. 

    In the town of Markleeville, 10 miles away, there's Grover Hot Springs which is a fun place to visit.  

    The only downside is that Highway 89 runs along the campground so traffic can be heard. Don't let this deter you from staying here.  

    The camp hosts, Gunny, was very friendly and welcoming. 

    Cell Service: Poor - Verizon

  • Steve & Ashley  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 28, 2019

    Meeks Bay

    Nice Lakeside Camping

    We stayed here for two nights last year during a Northern California Camping trip. This site is on the western side of Lake Tahoe about 20 minutes from South Lake Tahoe. It’s a beautiful lake side campground with a very nice sandy beach for those willing to brave the cool waters. The sites are on top of each other. So you will need to pick your site carefully. This is also a popular campground and you will need to plan ahead or get lucky claiming a walk up site. The camp staff were very helpful and the facilities were great. This is a safe choice for a Tahoe visit, especially those traveling with kids.

  • V
    Aug. 18, 2021

    Lovers Leap Campground

    Excellent spot in Tahoe

    A great campsite not too far from South Lake Tahoe. While most campsites are on the smaller size, there are a few which can accommodate larger tents. The hosts were very friendly and on the whole, those who camp here are courteous and respectful of others and the site. I highly recommend this campground to anyone looking for a campsite that’s laid back, quiet and away from the crowds other sites like Richardson draw. Definitely a site worth coming back to

  • Quinn M.
    Sep. 23, 2019

    North Grove Campground — Calaveras Big Trees State Park

    Close to Perfect

    My brother and I hit the north grove campground for the first time this past weekend. My expectations weren’t high but this place was great.

    The campground we chose was kind of close to the road which would have been the only real negative. The campground map makes it seem like the road was further away from the sites but I woke up a couple of times from road noise.

    Our campsite had a fire ring, bbq, picnic table and bear box and still had a large flat spot for my huge tent as well as parking for my car.

    The weather was great, no bugs to be found and plenty to do. I already want to go back next year but choose a site further from the road.

  • Summer A.
    Jul. 25, 2018

    Big Meadows Campground

    Sequoia National Forest Lovely Spacious Camp Sites

    It sounds like there are multiple Big Meadow camp grounds in California. This review is for Big Meadow Campground, Sequoia NF - FS, CA. The photos are of site 009B. My visit was wonderful. The camp sites are large. We set up two 8 person tents and one 2 person tent and there was plenty of room for more. The firepits are very well made. They block the wind while allowing good airflow. There is a very large picnick table at each site, a bear box, and plenty of shade. There is a vault toilet that is cleaned daily. The sites boarder a stream. The water level is about 3 inches in July with temperatures in the 80's. This is a dog friendly site. There is no potable water at this site.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 15, 2023

    General Creek Campground — Sugar Pine Point State Park

    Available off-season camping near Lake Tahoe

    After October 2, it is first come, first available and only sites 26-72 were open so my review is limited to a small portion of the campground. When I researched ahead of time, it was the ONLY open campground I could find in the Lake Tahoe area. At least the per night rate was decreased to $25 ($23 for seniors). I don’t know about the rest of the loops but most of the sites in the open loop appeared to be “doubles” or even “triples”; the camper pads were paved but appeared to be side-by-side parking spaces. Fortunately, there were not many campers so this was not a problem, however, if the park were more crowded, this layout would only make sense if the camper pads were used to park vehicles and people tent camped. All sites appeared to be level. No hookups. Each site had a large picnic table, fire ring, and bear box. 

    We had been warned multiple times that we were camping in an active bear area and although we did not encounter any, one of the other campers told us they had seen a mama and bear cub, along with a coyote. 

    The showers and dump station were closed for the season. There was no host on-site. The restrooms were very basic: toilet and sink but no soap, paper towels, or air dryers. 

    My rating might have been higher if we could have seen other parts of the campground, but our experience was limited to one night and we did not visit the day-use area.

  • S
    Aug. 19, 2018

    Sand Flat Campground

    No Reservations Required

    Located off highway 50 near Kyburz, CA, this campsite is a first come, first serve campsite. No reservations. Listen to the sounds of the river while sleeping. You can also play & fish in the river during the day. The river is stocked with fish. RV & tent sites which are spacious & most have nice shade coverage. No hookups, vault toilets. Dog friendly on leashes. Camp host has been there for 5 years & is super friendly. we had no problems but we followed the rules. Only 4 stars because you do hear the highway traffic. one of my fav places. $23 per day per site, $8 for extra parking. Lots of extra spaces.

  • Elliott B.
    Sep. 28, 2018

    Fallen Leaf Campground - South Lake Tahoe

    Nice location, but has a few major issues

    We got a last minute cancelled site at the Fallen Leaf Campground, and thought we’d truly lucked out. We stayed at site 87 which is nestled among towering native pine trees on the South end of the campground and one of the few sites which doesn’t have neighbors on all sides. The sites have the standard standing BBQ's and fire rings at all sites (but we couldn’t utilize them because of the fire ban), old picnic tables and various amounts of space for RV’s/cars and the tried and true bear box. In this campground you NEED to utilize the bear boxes. They have signs everywhere about the mass amount of bear activity and how there is a mother and her 2 cubs which have been terrorizing the campground for some time this season (2018). Again, you need to keep everything (food, toiletries, etc.) in the bear box at all times. The sites are reservable, and on top of the $35 (nonelectric) per site there is a $7 fee for a second vehicle, Yurts go for $86 which do have power and a nonrefundable $10 service fee…. While the campground allows dogs, they aren’t allowed in the Yurts.

    There’s lots of bear proof dumpsters around the campground, lots of potable water in strategic spots and a number of decent restrooms, and it was nice that at some of them they provided hot (pay) showers (at $1 per 3 minutes) and while the ADA has some control the standard one has no control over the heat or pressure its simply on or off. Also, the restrooms have no soap, paper towels, or hand dryers, etc. Which was a little disappointing for the cost.

    My biggest disappointment in the setup of the campground has to do with the bears and cleaning your dishes. There is no dish-washing area in the entire ~200 site, ~14 bathroom campground. They specifically ask that you don’t wash your dishes in the sinks or at the water spigots as they don’t want any food particles going down the drains. So, when I asked about disposing of the dish water they said to just toss it at the base of a tree, as it’s dry and the trees would appreciate it. This doesn’t help keep the bears away… While we scrapped and collected every bit of food waste we could and tossed it into the dumpsters, ff you’re just tossing food scrap-soaked water at the base of the trees the bears are going to come for the smell… I’ve stayed at other sites in bear country which have setups for disposing of the waste water and food scraps to detract bears and Fallen Leaf definitely is lacking and this is possibly part of the reason they’re having such an issue with bears.

    While, our site (87) would probably normally be a great location with the Fallen Leaf Lake being the only thing behind you and no neighbors on at least 2 of your sides, we happened to somehow book the same weekend that a corporate event was taking over the vast majority of the campground with almost 200 people….

    While, not entirely the campgrounds fault it was a little disruptive to have this mass number of people come directly next to us in site 88 for their meals as they’d decided to make that site the meal prep site for breakfast (they started prep at 5:30 am) and dinner (we actually had to ask the drunk group to stop screaming at midnight) these were both well outside the “quiet hours” and definitely surpassed the “6 people per site” rule.

    Otherwise this campground is in a great location to see the area as it’s only approximately one-quarter mile north of Fallen Leaf Lake. The trail from the campground was only 3 sites over from us. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center is directly across Highway 89 and is a great location to talk to the Rangers about other potential hikes in the area. They also have interpretive programs, guided walks on the Rainbow Trail and to the Stream Profile Chamber (which was closed because someone decided to break it. Although it should be repaired now… end of September 2018). Also, nearby Baldwin Beaches or Pope Beach, which cost $10, or you can go to the Tallac Historic Site with tours and events at its historic buildings and grounds and the free (dog friendly) Kiva beach which is exactly the same as the other pay access beaches….

    There’s also a really nice paved bike trail that runs 3 miles along Highway 89 and can be used to access all of the above. You have access to excellent day hiking and backpacking in Desolation Wilderness via the Glen Alpine or Mt. Tallac trailheads which are also nearby.


Guide to South Lake Tahoe

Tent camping near South Lake Tahoe offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying stunning views and a variety of outdoor activities. With several well-reviewed campgrounds in the area, you'll find the perfect spot to set up your tent and unwind.

Tent campers should check out local hiking trails

  • The Desolation Wilderness - Aloha Zone is a top choice for backpackers, featuring breathtaking views of alpine lakes and a variety of trails to explore.
  • Lovers Leap Campground offers access to scenic hiking trails that lead to beautiful rock climbing spots, making it a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts.
  • For those looking for a quieter experience, Kirkwood Campground provides a peaceful setting with nearby trails for hiking and exploring the stunning Eldorado National Forest.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

Amenities that enhance your camping experience

  • Luther Pass features picnic tables and toilets, making it a convenient spot for families and groups looking for basic amenities.
  • At Fashoda, you'll find clean facilities and access to the beautiful Union Valley Reservoir, perfect for swimming and relaxing by the water.
  • Kaspian Campground offers drinking water and is pet-friendly, making it a great choice for those traveling with furry companions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best tent camping sites around South Lake Tahoe?

Lovers Leap Campground stands out for tent camping with friendly hosts and sites that can accommodate larger tents. While most spots are on the smaller side, campers report a respectful atmosphere. For a more secluded experience, Lindsey Lake Campground offers serene surroundings despite the rough access road (SUV recommended). With only 12 sites, it provides a quieter experience with beautiful lakes and hiking trails nearby.

Is free camping available near South Lake Tahoe?

Yes, free camping is available near South Lake Tahoe. Luther Pass offers free camping with convenient access to the Tahoe Rim Trail, pit toilets, and a creek nearby. It's typically quiet with plenty of available sites. Another free option is Grouse Ridge Campground, though the access road is narrow and rocky, requiring careful driving. Sites include fire rings and bear boxes. Just be aware that most free sites don't have amenities like showers or running water.

What is the best time of year for tent camping in South Lake Tahoe?

Late June through early September offers the best tent camping weather in South Lake Tahoe. During this period, Bowman Lake Dispersed and similar areas are fully accessible, though some higher elevation sites might still have snow in late June. By July, Rucker Lake Campground provides ideal conditions with warm water for swimming and waterfront access. Avoid May and early June when snowmelt creates muddy conditions and early October through May when snowfall makes camping challenging. September typically offers pleasant temperatures with fewer crowds.

How far are tent camping sites from downtown South Lake Tahoe?

Tahoe National Forest Onion Valley Campground is approximately 45-60 minutes from downtown South Lake Tahoe, offering a good balance of accessibility and wilderness experience with vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. For those wanting something closer, Kaspian Campground is roughly 15-20 minutes from downtown on the west shore. Most quality tent camping sites are within a 15-60 minute drive from downtown, depending on whether you prefer lakeside locations or more remote forest settings.