john W.

Sacramento, CA

Joined April 2021

Convenient location with great amenities

Great location if you want to be near Costco and the capital city.  Great views of the Sierras and the Carson valley.  Sites are narrow, about twice the width of your RV, and separated by chain link fencing.  But all sites are perfectly flat, paved pull-throughs; easy in, easy out parking.  Also electric, water, sewer hookup, cable and strong wifi and cell service.  Sites are gravel, but the campground has nice grassy dog parks, clean bathrooms and laundry, and well-stocked store with propane refill.  Pool and fishing pond were closed but looked great.  We were there in early April 2021; with our binoculars we could see skiers at the top of Heavenly Mountain ski area!

Views of a dry lake bed

A nice campground.  Lots of space between sites, some with electric and water.  Nice views of where the lake should be, with volcanic outcroppings all around.  Site 01 was shaded, level and easy to back our 24 foot trailer into.  Unfortunately the lake was way low due to drought.   Things we did not like:  (1) although not far off of Highway 99, the road from Chowchilla was incredibly rough.  15 miles of poorly-patched pot holes.  I went no faster than 35 mph but still bounced the rig badly.  (2) a vagrant guy was wandering around for the three days we were there.  He came up to our trailer once; he seemed harmless but pretty out of it, maybe just stoned.  (3) a large gathering of campers in the tent area were loud and raucous well past midnight, laughing, loud music, and drunken arguments.  We were worried they could break out weapons.  (4) bathrooms were cleaned daily, but quickly trashed, probably by the aforementioned campers.

Mountain top camping with lake view

Camped three nights during the week in early May 2021 in a 24-foot travel trailer.  Site 007 was shaded with lake view, but narrow and barely long enough for our trailer.  Electric, water and sewer, all for Federal Golden-pass rate of $15!  Campground was mostly empty.  Bathrooms were ok: not sparkling clean but not horrible either.  Poor cell service.  Lake was too low to go swimming, although people were launching fishing boats.  Smooth roads to get to campground, but some very steep grades.  Would not recommend this campground for large rigs.  It was very hot even in early May, so expect extreme heat throughout the summer.

Small yet spacious campground with views of the Sacramento river

Camped 4 nights at site 32 during the week.  A nice shaded site with river view, but not very level.  All sites are pull throughs with electric, water, a stationary picnic table and fire ring.  Online reservations are required and must be made a minimum of 2-weeks in advance.  Campground was nearly empty and had big grassy areas between sites.  Senior rate of $20.  Flush toilets and showers were spartan but cleaned daily.  Campground is adjacent to public beach, boat ramp/dock, and picnic area.  As expected it was very windy most of the time so you need to stake everything down.  Wind was strong enough to knock over our wine glass, twice!  We could hear humming from wind turbines that were just over the hill from the campground, but otherwise quiet.