The fate of the French Pete Creek drainage -- one of the last relatively untouched drainages that connected the lower-elevation and higher-elevation western Cascades --was uncertain when I marched to "Save French Pete" with my University of Oregon Outdoor Program colleagues and 3000 other supporters in 1969.

Years later (1977-78?), we gathered at this campground to celebrate the preservation of French Pete and the establishment of this campground for future generations. It is a lovely, green place to camp year-round, IMHO. (Be prepared for cold and wet weather from September-July and rain year-round.)

Be prepared for mosquitoes and ticks when hiking or picnicking along the creek from spring through fall.

Our family camped here every summer when I was growing up. The waters of Lake Tahoe were much clearer and far less crowded then (1950s - 1960s), so we often had an entire beach along the northeastern shore to ourselves when we took our boat out for the day.

It was a special place for my mom, too: she grew up in Reno and attended Campfire Girls summer camps there in the 1930s.

Even after all of the development and human impacts, Zephyr Cove and Lake Tahoe are very nice spots for family camping and outings. Try it after Labor Day, when many summer-season tourists leave, if you are ready for chilly weather and the occasional early-season snowfallin exchange for a quieter experience.

This relatively remote and unknown BLM campground is a real find: gorgeous scenery on the coast a few minutes down the hill and not many other campers.

When we were there a few years ago, there was no water available because illegal pot growers had "poached" the park's water for their crops, forcing the BLM to shut down the water system.

The other problem was several parties of hunters using the campground as a base for the opening weekend of deer season, which we had not anticipated. If you do not like the sound of nearby rifle fire, avoid visiting this campground during hunting season.