Best Dispersed Camping near Tahoe City, CA

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Tahoe City, California

85 Reviews of 32 Tahoe City Campgrounds

• 

  Tim R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 5, 2024

  Packsaddle Pass - El Dorado National Forest Dispersed

  Standard Dispersed Camping

  Standard dispersed camping on national forest land. Paved main road with dirt roads and areas for camping branching off. Plenty of room. Some areas have beautiful views of strawberry valley!

• 

  Tom S.

  Traveler

  

  May. 14, 2022

  Dispersed Camping near Fort Churchill

  Gun pulled on me

  Don't camp here, had a gun pulled on me by a guy who "owns" BLM land.

• 

  Ciara W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 25, 2024

  Echo Summit Dispersed

  Not dispersed camping

  This spot is national forest, and overnight camping is not allowed. We had a knock from someone with the forest service the next morning who was very kind and let us know that overnight is not allowed.

  Look up lakes and forest in this area on google — not many places allow dispersed camping

• 

  ron R.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Peavine Road Dispersed Camping

  Complete trash dump

  It's sad where we have this public land to camp on and people just dump tons and tons of trash and abandoned cars and demolished cars on the property would not recommend going. There's some more BLM land about 15 to 20 minutes north on Red Rock road.

• 

  Serena W.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 29, 2023

  USFS Silver Fork Dispersed

  Dispersed camping

  Plenty of dispersed camping spots. My flat spot that I found not too far from a Creek and I even had 2 bars on my cell phone and watch the movie.

• K

  Kailey C.

  Guide

  

  May. 20, 2020

  Dispersed Camping near Fort Churchill

  Alternate free camping next to the state park!

  Since COVID has closed all state and national parks to camping, we were happy to find this BLM land for an overnight. There are no services and the ground is a little bumpy/sandy but we were able to get around just fine in our camper van. There was a makeshift fire ring at our site, but it was so windy and dry brush everywhere that we didn't want to attempt to use it.

  We for service on both Verizon and Sprint! Had some coyotes track around our van over night so make sure you keep everything inside!

• A

  Anthony F.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 14, 2024

  Hope Valley Dispersed

  Hope Valley dispersed

  Free camping

• K

  Ken J.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 8, 2019

  Dispersed USFS

  Beautiful Free Camping

  Several areas along Blue Lakes Rd offer dispersed camping. We had a wildflower-filled meadow to ourselves in early August with plenty of near-by trails for dirt bikes, Jeeping, horses, mountain biking or hiking.

• M

  Matt

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 16, 2022

  Union Valley Reservoir Dispersed Camping

  There’s nothing here

  It’s just the boat launch. Perhaps u can get away with hanging out, not sure. The access to the dispersed camping, in the hill overlooking the water, is gated and locked.

  There seem to be plenty of spots to use enroute to the water, just not at the location.

• 

  Alex P.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 12, 2020

  Scotts Lake Rd Dispersed Camping

  Dispersed and pleasant

  Dispersed camping not far from Lake Tahoe. Easy to drive into just be careful of potholes and large puddles from rain, even in summer. No amenities, but it’s a very beautiful area. There are herds of cows that will make their way through the area, please be respectful of them! Scott’s lake is just up through this area if you have 4x4 capability.

• V

  Virginia D.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 3, 2023

  Scout Camp at Fort Churchill

  Gorgeous Riparian Forest

  Scout camp is on the Carson river and within the tall cottonwoods. Camp in the shade or out in the open if it’s very windy as the trees can shed branches. Garbage collection and pit toilets. Nice trail along the River.

  As of October 2023 the access road to scout camp was washed out. But there is dispersed camping on the terrace to the south.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  May. 11, 2023

  Lake Valley Rd Pullout

  Everything covered in snow right now

  We were looking for an overnight spot in this area and checked out this listing but there's just still too much snow at this time. The weather isn't cold, but the snow plows have pushed all the snow off the road so that it's impossible to get to any pullouts or open dispersed camping areas.

  Roads are clear though, if you want to drive through and check it out.

  We actually had cell reception with Verizon and Att here, which surprised us.

  It's a beautiful area to come back to when the snow clears!

• 

  Susan L.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Scotts Lake Rd Dispersed Camping

  What a beautiful place for our 40 ft 5th wheel

  We are new to dispersed camping and have a 40 ft 5th wheel as well as a GMC Denali 350 dually. We need a large space to fit into. We arrived on a Monday at noon and found that the large area about 1/4 mile in was not at all crowded. We had our choice of several places to set up. It is very quiet here, not hearing any road noise. A forest ranger told us there were more spaces up near the lake, but we didn’t venture up there.

• E

  Emily R.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 23, 2024

  Dog Valley

  Our favorite !

  Dog Valley is a special place where we come to boondock. It’s quite and has a great creek. People come out here to camp, ride atvs, side by sides, dirt bikes, or off road. People target practice a lot and the ranger is very nice.

• C

  Casandra E.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 24, 2024

  Grouse Ridge Campground

  Several camping spots. Numerous lakes to hike and a lookout tower with great views .

  Great camping spot and quiet.

• A

  Alex

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 8, 2023

  USFS Silver Fork Dispersed

  Endless Possibilities

  The coordinates listed on the app are simply for the entrance to the dispersed camping. There are infinite amounts of primitive roads to drive down and find camp. I stayed at N38.768811• W 120.238630° — on top of a peak that offered 360° views with sunrise and sunset right from my tent. At this specific sight, there are no overhead trees. Despite being primitive, the roads are well kept, even if you have a small SUV. It could get slightly tricky with a car. I stayed here for 7 days (10/31-11/6) and only saw one other person on the primivite roads. The above coordinates are about a 6 mile drive in from US50. You will see a campground on your right about 5 miles down when driving in, about a mile further down the road you will come up on the dirt road leading you up the mountain.

  A couple of notes:

  1. You are required to have a permit for any day/overnight use in Eldorado, including this area. They can be easily acquired at recreation.gov
  2. Cell phone reception is very spotty, in and out of a couple of bars throughout the drive in. — AT&T coverage. At the above coordinates, there were 2 bars of low grade coverage allowing basic texts to send. Not enough service for web browsing or sending photos via text.
  3. This area has been widely burnt by fires last year. There are still large areas unburnt. You will find yourself going in and out of them while driving.
  4. KEEP IT CLEAN — this area is immaculate and besides dug out fire pits, human trace is non-existent. Leave it cleaner than you found it, pick up your trash (and other’s if you see any), respect the area and it will respect you.
  5. NO CAMP SERVICES — There is no trash service or even dumpsters at the signed entrance; pack it in pack it out. There are no restrooms in the area either.
• C

  Cheyanne G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Bear Valley Dispersed Camping

  Pin is incorrect

  So disappointing this app has failed us like 5 times now on camping spots. Not the right location.

• 

  Jr A.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 9, 2024

  Scotts Lake Rd Dispersed Camping

  Easy access and lots of spots

  You follow a dirt road and have camping spots along the road. When I was here it was jammed packed RV, vans and tents all set up along the road. To me it was good for a an overnight stay. No At&t service what so ever. Little highway noise.

• 

  Raymond B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  USFS Silver Fork Dispersed

  Overnight stay

  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!

• 

  Serena W.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 13, 2023

  Bear Valley Dispersed Camping

  Camp in Bear Valley Park

  This is a nice little private camp spot for the most part, There's a campground with its own fence around it for private camping With signs posted very near it, "no camping here" in the other spots without the signs good to go.

• 

  Azizah T.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 21, 2021

  Loch Leven Lakes

  Quiet dispersed camping

  We backpacked up to the high loch levens lake where we found many available campsites. But also a lot of the nice view spots were occupied since we didn’t start our hike up early, we started at 5:30pm. The middle lake is very large and had many beautiful spots to camp. But we headed to the upper lake since a lot of day hikers go to the middle lake and don’t always pack out what they pack in. All the sites are very dispersed and you have so much privacy. We saw some people even camping on the boulders! It was very serene and quiet with very respectful campers. The trail up is a bit confusing if you don’t pay absolute attention to where you are going. You can find some orange markings or stacked rocks that help you stay on the path. Reaching our destination was amazing. We swam in the lake and napped in our hammocks. I will say that there was a lot of mosquitos. Even with bug spray I left with 7 bites. But, it’s the outdoors what do you expect? Overall very beautiful area to camp!

• 

  Tisha S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2021

  Iron MT. Dispersed

  This place is really cool and easy to find! Great views!

  This place is really cool and easy to find! Great views

  Weather isn’t to hot and very secluded.

• B

  Blair K.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 21, 2024

  Union Valley Reservoir Dispersed Camping

  It was okay

  Pretty easy to get to and lots of spaces for dispersed sites. There was trash EVERYWHERE. Broken glass, toilet trash, bottles and cans, we were really disappointed. We found a spot pretty hidden which was rad but someone was shooting litteraly all night long which was frustrating. We probably won’t come back.

• 

  Orion B.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 19, 2023

  USFS Silver Fork Dispersed

  Beautiful free camping is a real thing!

  My 9 yr old son wanted to try camping in or near the snow, and the weather was favorable on this December weekend (high 56, low 39). We are pretty new to camping and not hardcore, but this was very easy and comfortable. We camped right at the entrance because nobody was there and there was plenty of flat area. Easily accessible on paved roads. Spotted a rock climber on the nearby rock face when we arrived, who later came by to pick up his car he had parked there.

  Caldor Fire damage was evident everywhere, but this made it easy for my son to chop down a small dead tree that we used for firewood. It was breezy, which made it chillier than the temps indicated, but we were fine and very toasty once in our tent cots.

  We found a few beer bottles around (which we took home to recycle), and small amounts of building waste such as concrete. But overall the setting was peaceful and beautiful. Amazing to have a resource like this that's free. We brought a privacy shelter and portable camp toilet, and our own water. Those are really the only things you need that would normally be provided by a paid campsite.

• 

  Joey P.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 9, 2018

  Big Dog Valley

  Might be in the process of being decommissioned

  Rudimentary campsites, no fire rings or tables at any of the campsites. The cement pullouts are still there. I’ve been up in that area a lot in the past three years and the gate that is at the opening is open sometimes and closed and locked at other times. Not really sure what’s going on with the site. On a brighter note the snowflowers were going off earlier this season!

• A

  Austin M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 26, 2021

  Scotts Lake Rd Dispersed Camping

  Sweet Spot

  Easy to see right off the road with plenty of campsites down either side of a nice dirt road. Rocky and steep road access to Scott’s lake, but easy camping on the edge of the valley.

• 

  A S.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 24, 2024

  Union Valley Reservoir Dispersed Camping

  It's a paid site now.

  Can't even park and enjoy the view without getting harassed by the overweight goon they call a "camp host". $10 day fee? Naw. Been coming here for years FOR FREE. Not paying now.