To be real, if you're unhoused but well-behaved with an income, this might be a much better option than Beals Point. Peninsula is about 45 minutes to an hour from Folsom depending on traffic. You have to drive down a long windy narrow road to get here, which is the worst part, so it's best to come prepared to stay put for as long as possible once you're here. There is plenty to do since you can go swimming in the lake most months (except early Spring), and there is an 8 mile hiking trail (Darrington) that ends at the campground. Darrington is mountain bike accessible but nowhere near road bike accessible. A shorter accessible trail (Oaks Nature Trail) is entirely contained within the campground and takes you through some great examples and educational signs regarding the riparian ecosystem. Wildlife is off the chain here. As others have said, if you don't love being surrounded by wild animals, this will probably be a bit much for you. Bears have been seen on occasion, cougars, Bobcats, and coyotes all stop by from time to time, and there are so many skunks it can get annoying. One night I was woken up by a deer walking right into my tent which scared the crap out of us both. On the flip side I've seen some of the most beautiful emerald and sapphire colored lizards. They breed here in late spring. It's kind of hilarious to watch the males do push-ups then chase the females down like 80 times in a row. Some of the females fight back and make it a lizard wrestling match. Owls, eagles, salmon, beavers... if it lives in this area, there's a good chance you'll see it here. The boat noise can be annoying on busy days but is not so bad from the higher up sites, which tend to have more amenities due to being further from the lake. The camp hosts here are some of the best I've encountered. Since this campground is so huge there are usually sites available first come first serve, if you come in late at night you can self register at the kiosk. Others are correct that there isn't much shade and the sites aren't very flat. I got around the latter problem by folding a sleeping bag under one side of my sleeping pad to keep that side elevated. Overall one of the best places to Camp near Folsom lake.
