Best Tent Camping near Yerington, NV

This was our first time at a KOA and we throughly enjoyed ourselves. We stayed for one night. (Tent Camping) The staff was friendly and helpful and all of the sites and communal areas were clean. The tent sites were a tad smaller than what we imagined, but was able to situate our 10x10 canopy and connecting tent between the hook ups and picnic table. The views are beautiful and it is mostly quiet but you can hear the road at times.

Nice bear boxes and bathrooms. Tent sites were big

Booked a tent site. The campground was completely full. My fire ring was at the bumper of my vehicle, the picnic table was basically in someone else’s campsite, and I had to walk up a flight of stairs where the tent site was supposed to be. The site on one side of me looked down on top of me from 10 feet away, the RV site next to me was crammed on top of me as well. Their front porch was basically staring right at my site, like I would be there entertainment for the night.

I had planned to camp out of the back of my truck for a quick overnight stay. Lots of better options around.

It is nice that it is walking distance from Zephyr Cove. But Zephyr Cove was packed. Nevada beach was only a four minute drive away and much more spacious and relaxing.

$67, plus taxes and fees, for no services and being packed in like sardines, no thanks.

Nice campground with numerous RV and tent sites. Bathroom with flush toilets and showers. Big trees provide ample shade. Quiet area close to the amenities of the Carson Valley.

Campground is setup in a loop. Pay at the post upon entry - fill out the reservation envelope and put your nightly fee into the envelope.

There are spots for tent camping and even or truck spots with a larger parking space.

This is a seasonal campground and will be closed during the winter months.

Turtle Rock is a hidden jewel. It is well kept and maintained. Showers are provided for a small fee so make sure you have quarters. Toilets are dispersed throughout the campground. There’s a section for tent camping as well as RV camping. No reservations required as I always drive in whenever I go. One of my favorite spot around Markleeville area.

Great little spot for tent camping or vehicle camping. You'll be fine if you have a smaller RV or Camper trailer but would not recommend for large units. Camp host Scott was really cool and down to earth. The campsite is clean and well maintained. Pit toilets were the best I have ever seen/smelled. The site can be pretty windy so bring tent stakes and cordage to tie out your walls.

Camping during a heat wave so RVs had generators going and tent site near us was having a party. But overall this was chill, plenty of spots on a Sunday evening in July, easy to find (don’t use the GPS directions from this app - nav to Fort Churchill and camp is in the park.

Cell service came and went.

I stayed only one night here in 2022 while traveling through.  It was a pretty drive through rural western Nevada,  which ended in a four mile graded dirt road.  I was driving an SUV with high clearance,  but the road is suitable for RVs if you take it slow.  Both campgrounds are RV suitable.  This one does not have hook ups,  but quail run does.  The facilities are very new.  Each site has a covered picnic table  It is not a great tent camping area in my opinion because it is a desert loop and you are out in the open.  I slept in my SUV.  The area itself is beautiful though,  and I need to make another,  longer stop there and at the nearby "elbow"  unit,  which is more remote.

Typical of a county park and fairgrounds campground, this is meant for RV campers only. In fact, there is a sign that says tent camping is not allowed. There are water and electric hook ups and a dump station, with a couple of trees for shade(nothing you could hang a hammock on). The campground is closed for special events at the fairgrounds, and you are right next to the Rodeo Arena. The flip side is that you ARE on the Lonliest Highway in America.

It’s nice. The kids are excited about the amenities and I would definitely stay here again.

Great activities for kids. Huge pool. Great campground for riding bikes and scooters. Cute park. Love the amenities and nice neighbors. Love the diversity in campers too - lots of tent camping interspersed with RV.

That said - sites are tight. And the ground is a really Sandy like fine ashy dirt. Dusty dusty! And we had a huge hole I needed to avoid and park over. Unfortunately we didn’t have power working at our site either and needed to find a number to cal the front desk (harder than you’d think!) wait for maintenance and it eventually got fixed (breaker was missing at the main electrical panel a couple hundred feet away). Super nice maintenance guy and it’s fixed. Just a little hiccup. Fingers crossed no one checks in the the adjoining sites since I’m parked so wonky over this hole.

There are two loops of areas for RV/Trailer, or tent camping. Multiple handicap accessible slots and pull thru sites. Nice and clean showers and bathrooms along with water spouts for those who are washing dishes. There are camp fire pits at each site with a covered table. Set in scrubland leading up to the lake, you will see plenty of birds, squirrels, and rabbits. I had several deer wander through the scrub behind my campsite and we were visited by one of the local bands of mustangs. In the main day use area, there is a take off/landing site for those who are hang gliding. Across the road and at the top of the hill you can find the launch point for the gliders. In the far side of the camp grounds you have the boat launch and several day use camp sites for picnics. You can watch the fish leap from the water, the birds soaring over the lake, and occasionally have one of the mustang bands hang out in the cool of the lakeside grazing on the lush grass.

The views are stunning in watching the sun set across the lake and over the peaks of Mt. Rose.

This was the first stop on my National park road trip. Not an N.P. but it was the perfect distance for my first leg from Eugene,Or.

I got into camp in early afternoon to find it snowing; in early May. I was hoping that I had waited long enough to avoid too much snow. Luckily it stopped just as I was finishing my tent setup. It didn't stick in the campgrounds, but dusted the mountains nicely.

This campground was on the smaller side, I lucked out it being off season, I was able to score a site. At $33 it was a little steeper than I was expecting for a tent site, but It was well worth it. It was a short walk to the sandy lake beach and awesome mountain views. I can only imagine how busy this place gets in the winter. There were hiking trails nearby, unfortunately I hadn't the time or energy as I had to continue on my journey early in the morn. I imagine they would have breathtaking views.

Each site had tables and firepits. I don't recall water bibs, but I had already planned ahead and brought my own. They had a covered group area where I'm sure many weddings have taken place.

There were nice clean flush restrooms and garbage/recycling areas.

…..But we don’t participate in any of these activities. We had reserved a site but now wish we had not and left it to chance as we didn’t end up staying and had to pay regardless. It was VERY windy (in fact, there was an area-wide high wind advisory) and with our pop-top campervan, it would have been challenging. The sites are all gravel and appear level. There is a mix of full hook-up and non-hook-up, tent sites, and, in the summer, tent cabins. There is no privacy between the sites. Although our site backed up to the reservoir, the view from the front was a work in progress (i.e. piles of dirt, extra equipment, etc.) The picnic table had seen better days. 

The bathhouse closest to the nonhookup sites was still closed for the winter; the other one was tiny. The stalls had doors but no privacy closure and would be challenging to navigate for anyone of a larger size. Hot showers were $4.00. There is no private place to dress when showering. There is a laundry room but had a code entry and since we didn’t stay, I did not see the inside. 

As the name suggests, there is a marina. The staff was all pleasant. For us personally, this would be a two-star stay but for those who have a boat or ATV, this would likely be an excellent place to stay, especially in the summer, so I am giving it 3 stars.

This US Forest Service campground is in a longish (5 miles?) steep valley with tall stone walls on both side.

The West Fork of the Kit Carson River runs down the center of the valley and, alongside it, Highway 88. Numerous campgrounds and rustic resorts and hotels are in the area, especially along Highways 88 and 89.

The Kit Carson Campground is well less than an hour from Carson City and South Lake Tahoe, on a very well traveled road. With basic shopping, WiFi, and a few small restaurants relatively nearby, you aren’t “away from it all.” You definitely are away from the big city with beautiful skies and surrounded by a beautiful forest. But this is a super easy campground for a casual trip where you may want to cook sometimes, eat out others, drive to visit various hiking trails to some incredible views, even use as a base camp to explore towns nearby.

THE CAMPGROUNDS

-Campsites are generally open to the camp loop road, but have some good separation from each other with large trees and many large boulders.

-The camp has a camp host at the first campsite, who can be very helpful. When I visited, they sold firewood. $7 for one bundle or$18 for three bundles. $7/bundle was the same price as nearby rural stores, buy larger gas stations on the highway were $6/bundle. There isn't much wood to collect at the campsite.

-Multiple potable water spouts are available throughout the campground.

-Bathrooms were clean and well maintained.

-The entire campground is only 100-200 feet off highway 88, and the main camp loop is a well paved road - so any vehicle can access it without issue.

-Cell reception(Verizon) was very spotty. One bar, maybe two. Occasional data connection. I doubt calls would work. Texts were going through intermittently. The entire valley has poor reception, but a few miles in either direction and reception was perfect. A cafe/bar across the street has free WiFi.

-Each campsite has a large bear locker, fire ring, picnic table, parking space, and clear area for a tent. They won’t fit a large travel trailer (e.g. 25’), and most aren’t a good position for even a small driven RV or sleeping in your car… the vehicle locations tend to be off to the side. Perfect for tent camping.

-The river runs along side of the campground and there is very easy access. When I visited, the water was high enough to walk around in at knee deep. Not exactly for swimming and I didn’t see any deep swimming holes.

-The campground is at almost 7,000 feet.

THE NEARBY AREA

-There are several hiking trails in the area, but nothing intersects with the campground. If you walk 1/2 mile east on 88 you'll reach a trailhead with a short scenic hike (0.5 mi round trip) and access to other longer trails. Walking down the highway isn't great (driving would be safer), and that 1/2 trail actually comes out to the road about 1/4 mile from the campground…. safer access if you spot that entrance.

-The highway runs along the river which runs beside the campground. During the day, I could hear every vehicle, and when walking around the campground, that seemed to be the case for every campsite. This includes semi trucks, large diesel work trucks, RVs, and large commercial construction trucks who frequently use the route. At night, things quiet down quite a bit, but you’ll always be reminded that you are roadside.

-Numerous other campgrounds are in the area. This includes yurt rentals, rustic resorts, USFS tent campgrounds, RV campgrounds and private campgrounds. This isn’t a bad thing- but just a head’s up that you aren’t in some remote secluded destination.

-Across the 2-lane highway from the campground is a cafe. They have three beers on tap, a bar area, a table seating area, and a small stage for live musical performances. They close at 5pm during the week, so this is likely a bit more happening on the weekend. It is part of a neighboring yurt campground.*They have free WiFi.* I don’t know about their food menu. They have some bakery items(cookies, etc.) and a very basic store with some limited camping supplies. It is a 30 second drive to the cafe, and the walk is very short, but you do have to cross a bridge that doesn’t really have a good sidewalk- I would be very nervous with young kids in tow.

-About 1 mile away is a larger restaurant affiliated, I think, with the same resort. It is west along Highway 88.

-There are several “resort hotels” a few miles further away than that, and the town of Merkleeville is about 5 miles east on 88 and then 6 miles south on 89. The town has a brewery (closes several days a week), full rural general store catering to campers with lots of camping food, wine, beer, alcohol, and a good range of general campground supplies. The town also has a cafe with good coffee and a selection of food.

CAMPSITE 8

-I stayed in campsite 8. The pad for the tent is*super* private, at the very back of the site with three enormous boulders providing lots of separation. The fire pit/ bear locker/ picnic table section has several boulders creating some privacy, but you can see through to the adjacent site and the host site is on the other side… your vehicle will most block that. You can easily peak between the boulders to see the camp look road, but you aren’t right up against it. There was virtually no vehicular or pedestrian traffic on the loop road.