Tahoe National Forest Onion Valley Campground

Some friends of ours love North Fork Campground just off I-80 at Emigrant Gap, so we were going to try it on the way back from the California coast to Reno.  North Fork Campground was nice, and would have been a good place to spend the night, but felt a bit dark and tight with dense foliage along the beginnings of the North Fork of the American River.  We saw that Onion Valley Campground was just a bit further.  Nobody there, so we took a spot at the far end of the campground next to the meadow.  Very peaceful for a short afternoon stop and a morning departure.

It was nice and secluded with not many sites so not many people or noise. Close to some good hiking trails.

This camp ground was small but we managed to find a spot. Easy and fast access from Rocklin/Sacramento/Roseville. If you hike through some burnt areas you’ll find a really pretty stream. I loved the open fields of wild flowers. Those open spaces allow for some great star gazing night.

Came here as a plan B after the road to Bowman had too much snow. This was one of those plan B’s that turned out better than the original!

Only one other group on the opposite end of the campground since it has a north/south side. There aren’t many spots and they are well spaced out. Tables and fire rings in most of them. Vault toilet near the entrance was in surprisingly good condition. The dump spot by the front was obviously not bear/raccoon proof enough and I assumed rangers hadn’t been through in a while. Meadow near the campgrounds is amazing and was perfect for my dog to frolic through. Frogs are noisy at night due to the streams that run nearby. Fire scarring just up the road made for good firewood and a humbling reminder of what a wildfire leaves behind.

We rolled in here after midnight and most of the spots were still empty, and they're far enough apart that we were able to set up camp without being too disruptive. There's a vault toilet, picnic tables, fire rings, and some gorgeous scenery. What more could you need?