Best Cabin Camping near Washoe Valley, NV

We camp here regularly from spring to mid fall. Famous for its black and forest service atv/utv trails. Pool hot tub bar laundry. At&t and Verizon work well. T-mobile does not. Wifi is sketchy no over the air TV.

Nestled on the tranquil shores of Lake Tahoe, our family's stay at the cabins was nothing short of enchanting. From the moment we arrived, we were captivated by the breathtaking views of the crystal-clear Tahoe water. My wife and I were having a celebratory wedding weekend with family, we had just gotten married (eloped) in Yosemite the day before driving to Tahoe. The cabins were full of rustic charm, very cozy, and in a great location!

One of the highlights of our trip was waking up to the beauty of Lake Tahoe right outside our window. Whether we were sipping coffee on the porch or enjoying a family campfire by the shore, the lake served as the perfect backdrop for our celebratory memories.

The campground itself was well-maintained and staffed by friendly and accommodating personnel who were very helpful when it came to our firewood needs! We took advantage of the various recreational activities available, from hiking trails to water sports, and even had a chance to roast marshmallows over a campfire under the starry night sky.

Overall, our experience at the Meeks Bay Resort cabins exceeded our expectations in every way. It provided the ideal setting for quality family time, relaxation, and adventure amidst the stunning beauty of nature. We can't wait to return for another unforgettable getaway. Everyone voted that we should do this every year so we are looking forward to making this a yearly event!

Jake from the Dyrt here!  If you're looking to get out there but still enjoy some nice amenities, Sierra Inn has some great cabins with a quick drive to famous Lake Tahoe.  Check them out and leave a review on the Dyrt!

Spent a great couple of night here in June. Some of the sites back onto cabins and we were worried they would be noisy at night, but we didn't hear a thing. 

The hosts and rangers were really friendly and helpful. The sites were large considering the prime Tahoe location - we had plenty of space for our 9x8ft tent. 

You can walk to a small beach from here, or go to Sunnyside bar + restaurant for lakeside food and drinks. Also walkable to Tahoe city, but I think cycling would be nicer. 

Recommended!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a bar any family, miner, 4-wheelers, motorcyclist, hunter or explorer would feel at home in. Has been referred to as: It’s as rustic as it gets, Norman Rockwell flashback, jewel of the Sierra, an anomaly on its own and my favorite Best Mountain Bar Ever!

Stop in for a drink or snack from the simple menu of Cold Beer, Soda, Water, Hot Coffee, Cocoa, Tea, Candy and Chips. The bar is old dates back to 1864 and looks it, THIS YEAR 2018 MARKING 154 YEARS, come celebrate with us. Bring a picnic use one of the many BBQ grills and tables. Play a round of horseshoes or bring a tent and stay the evening. Enough room and beautiful scenery for a wedding or group gathering.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin welcomes 4-wheelers year round. Snow never being an issue for the true winter adventurer knowing their arrival at the cabin will be welcoming and warm with the fireplace that’s always being stoked to dry the boots or little ones mittens. In the winter have the kids bring a sled or utilize one that may be hanging around.

In the warmer season stage a tent in the available campground then check out the local lakes, trails, and waterfalls.

When you visit be sure to bring one dollar bills, you will see when you get here as have the thousands of visitors from around the world.

Wentworth Springs Road is the traditional Rubicon Jeep Trail but the 4-wheeling doesn’t begin until the road reaches the old Wentworth Springs town site north of Loon Lake. A connector 4-wheelers route connects from the Lake to the historic route that is legendary among extremist jeepers. The historic “road” continues east until it climbs over the Sierra Crest and drops down to Lake Tahoe near Tahoma. In several places along the route, you can walk faster than the 4-wheelers can drive it. The annual Jeepers’ Jamboree is an ultimate driving experience for passionate 4-wheelers.

Stumpy Meadows Lake is the perfect location for a day trip or overnight camping in any of the three campgrounds. Great for boating (5mph limit), fishing, swimming or just a quick stop on your way to Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Union Valley Reservoir located on Ice House Road is popular for all water activities, camping, hiking or bicycling on the paved route that skirts the shores of the reservoir between Jones Fork and Wench Creek campgrounds.

Loon Lake is one of the prettiest reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada. Campgrounds are designed for RVs, Trailers, Equestrian riders, 4-wheeler groups, tents or a bag on the ground. Trails radiate several directions from the lake.

Hell Hole Reservoir has to be a close in the rankings of great back-country reservoirs. The Hell Hole hiking trail along the south side of the lake is one of the best in the Georgetown area.

The Middle American River provides some of the best whitewater action of any river in California. However, the easier access is from the north and the Foresthill Divide.

The upper (eastern) end, that provides some of the most remote sections of the Auburn State Recreation Area in the Middle Fork of the American River, lies north of Georgetown. OHV routes behind Volcanoville provide access into the canyon that can’t be readily reached from any direction.

On the other side, south, of Georgetown is the Rock Creek OHV Area that is one, if not THE, best in our area. The huge area has well over 115 miles of trails, most of which are available for motorcycles or ATVs – but not 4-wheelers. Several trails are popular with mountain bikers and still others for equestrian riders. Maps available at the local Ranger Station located on Wentworth Springs Road.

Equestrian riders also enjoy the Dru Barner Equestrian Campground and the Donadlson Campground that attracts enthusiastic trail riders. Loon Lake also has an equestrian campground with popular rides leading into the Desolation Wilderness.

Fallen Leaf Lake Campground is a sweet spot to get away. It is just south of South Lake Tahoe, and generally won't be as crowded. Weekends get busy for sure. We have been several times and my 3 boys loved being near the mountains, out of the heat, and so close to an awesome body of water. Hopefully next time we can get a site next to the lake. Either way, the campground is clean, and the sites are large.

We reserved and camped at this AWESOME campground in September of 2018. 
We were going to camp here in 2017 when it first opened up to the public, but a near death experience from a ladder accident occurred to me in July of 2017. I survived though and so happy to have had a chance to finally camp at Webber Lake!

We reserved a spot #6, which was in the corner of the North Campgrounds. It was nice and secluded and on the water's edge :-) It was dry camping, so there were no power, water or sewage hookups. They are working on upgrading several of their campsites but I do not know the status of those upgrades. 

The campground was nice and peaceful. It is a historic location with an old hotel museum on the property. They had a old firetruck near the hotel and you can go into the hotel (1st floor) to look at historic items. 

The fishing was awesome. Before the lake opened up to the public, it was a private lake that was used by fishing groups. We are kayak anglers, and we had a blast here! There was quite a bit of weed in the water which made it hard to paddle out to open water. The maintenance crew were working on dredging the weeds so it was more easy to pass through, especially for the rental boats that they provide. I caught quite a few cutbow trout and rainbows. 
There is some awesome hiking trails in the area. You can hike to a small falls that feeds into the lake. I would definitely camp here again!!!

This campground was one of the nicest I've come across. It's right on the California-nevada state line near Lake Tahoe. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful places in the US. A lot of the campsites have a view of the lake. They have sites for tents and RVs. The bathrooms are nice and there's fresh drinking water. There are some public grills to use. Really nice amenities at this place.

I personally just love lake Tahoe. Amazing hiking around the lake. Mount Tallac is a killer but gorgeous hike. Go stand on the line between Nevada and California like I did! In the winter this place is awesome too, because the ski resort has some great runs.

Campground right on Nevada Beach shore of Lake Tahoe. Very quiet where we were with little to no traffic noise. We were right near Dog Beach where your pooch can play on the beach unleashed. We camped the first weekend the campground opened. Things were still a bit wet (standing water that we had to use a board to cross to get to the bathrooms) but the beautiful weather and quiet campground made up for it. I wish it opened earlier in the season before Tahoe becomes packed. It was easy to just stay at the camp and avoid the crowds. No showers.

Fallen Leaf Campground • South Lake Tahoe

$34.50 - 36.50 • Sites 078, 156

Pulling into Tahoe via Stateline, Nevada is like pulling into a Las Vegas/Up North baby. Casinos and resorts turn into camps and fudge shops. From the East you’ll pass thru all of that, past the Camp Richardson and finally turn away from Lake Tahoe into Fallen Leaf Campground. If you’re going to camp in Tahoe you’ve made the right decision. Fallen Leaf Lake is at the rear of the camp. While smaller and not as well known it is also not overly trafficked, crystal clear and surrounded by hiking paths along the water.

Fallen Leaf Campground is a massive 206+ site compound complete with its own store, shower houses and if you travel past the camp all the way to the other side of the lake (and other campgrounds) an ice cream shop. That said, Fallen Leaf Campground does a great job of keeping an “out in the woods” vibe. It is absolutely that place that families go year after year after year, but if you can get a site on the outer loop you can still have some separation, plenty of trees and with the lake so close, feel like you’re in the heart of nature. One of the better jobs by a large scale campground I’ve experienced.

But be prepared. It’s going to be full of kids and dogs and campers who are not necessarily out there to experience nature but to see family and friends and likely drink a caseload of Bud Light a day. There may also be bears. Bears are everywhere here. Or so we heard. We never saw one, but the camp staff and campers around us all had bear stories that "just happened yesterday! or last week! or in 1950!" Basically, bears. There are bear boxes at each site, and kids everywhere you probably won't be a bears first target. Just be bear aware. Across the main road from the campground is the mighty Lake Tahoe. It was okay. Lots of people, lots of choppy waves. We preferred setting up the hammock by Fallen Leaf Lake.

The showers were nice but pricey. Four U.S. Quarters for 3 minutes. You can get done what you want but no more. There are about four per loop (give or take 25 sites) but we never had a problem finding one open. There are no outlets for charging or bathroom appliances though. The older bathrooms along the inner loop are dated and worn but have accessible outlets if you need some juice. The toilets everywhere are flush and each loop has at least one camp host staying on it. The staffers were friendly, helpful and accessible.

The outer loop is where you want to be if you are looking for any privacy or traveling alone. The inner loop, with its lack of privacy, was the spot for large groups. On our second night we stayed in the inner loop and our neighbors had booked 19 sites for incoming family and friends. It’s tough being in the middle of that when you weren’t planning on joining a new family. The outer loop sites are mostly well shaded and have a lot more privacy, as well as lake accessibility if you are in the back row which I’d recommend. At $34.50 you want the best spots. It also forced me to ask myself, “How much is too much for a campsite?”

Fallen Leaf Lake Campground gets 3 Tent Stakes of Awesomeness. In Tahoe, you’ll never escape the crowds or tourists, but Fallen Leaf Lake Campground does a good job of insulating you somewhat from that while maintaining a nice campground on the edge of a lovely lake. No blasphemy intended but I’d spend the day at Fallen Leaf Lake over Lake Tahoe any day.

Pro-Tip #1: Site 078-079 are massive pull-thru sites but great if you’re tent camping. More private, well shaded and closest to the lake and free downed firewood.

Pro-Tip #2: Site 156 sucks. Unless you want to look at stars. No shade or privacy. A long way from any shower/bath house and electric wires running above you.

_Pro-Tip #3: Firewood is readily available downed by the lake or on trails if you’re willing to put in five minutes of effort. _

Pro-Tip #4: The Baldwin ruins aren’t worth it, but the walk around the lake or along the Morraine Trail is.

Pro-Tip #5: There is a decent wind that starts early to mid-afternoon coming in against the shore over the lake. It is blocked to the camp, but mornings are the best time for lake time. Mornings are glassy on the lake for paddle boarding and kayaking as well, but choppier in the afternoon.

We were grateful to get a last minute spot here. The young man in the office who helped us was super nice! Some of the sights on the “valley” side have amazing views!! Ours was not one of these as we got a spot last minute. The lower rating is because the whole park is tight with it looks like 50% long term residents who don’t keep their sites very tidy. Also, 2 of the 4 combo toilet/shower rooms were out of toilet paper and a third one had a clogged toilet. The showers had hot water but look like they could have used a scrub with some vinegar to get rid of all the calcium deposits that made them look not so clean. Also, we couldn’t get the Wi-Fi to work at all. The park was very quiet at night and all the people there seemed nice and respectful of their neighbors. Just not our scene as it was too crowded. I think if you can get one of the sites when a view it may be worth an overnight stop. Virginia City, in spite of the history there, is a tourist trap.