Revamping a family tradition from over two decades ago... We grew up camping here at Carlton and…read morelove it. The rangers stay on top of keeping the outhouse as clean as a woods outhouse can be... The grounds are immaculate and you're close to the Indian Valley Outpost if you run out of anything. I love that you're completely disconnected from electronics... it's HEALTHY people! The section of the Yuba in which Carlton is located is also swim friendly. We will be back every year we can.

I love this campground…read more Definitely influenced by emotions and memories: this campground was where my husband and I took our first solo camping trip together. It's where his grandpa's memorial was held. And most recently, it's where I threw his surprise 30th birthday camping weekend. Moreover, his family has been camping in this exact same campground for generations. But: feelings aside, we keep coming back because it's a lovely spot. You get camp RIGHT next to the river. Site #4 has a direct path to a rocky beach, and a sweet bathing rock. However, the other end, sites #13 thru #17, are next to a little sandy beach that leads into a fairly large pool, so formed by a rock wall created and maintained by my husband's family for years and years. It's perfect for kids, and I've watched my nieces and nephews grow up here, as did my husband and his dad before him. Whew! This is certainly more flowery than my normal reviews. However, this campground holds a special place in my heart, and therefore gets a more serious Sara B. Notes: * There's no electricity, people. Don't expect to charge your iPhones. * No running water, either, save a spigot near the entrance. Hello, freezing cold river baths! * It's pretty near the road, but not dangerously near. Honestly, the road noise has never bothered me, and I only really notice when something big or fast goes by, or a motorcycle gang. * Also near a shooting range. Probably the most annoying thing for me, but it's never all the time. But damn are those shots loud. No matter, still love. * Brand new bear boxes for every campsite! * And finally, be prepared for outhouses. Go in the morning, when they are freshly cleaned and not smelly. Gets a little dicey at night. There is a little store almost right across the street called the Indian Valley Outpost. it's CLUTCH for things like ice, milk, etc. VERDICT: Love. GO!

Love it and very quiet spot. It got bathroom, very clean and dog friendly. There's a lake as well…read moretoo.

If you're looking for peace and tranquility when camping, this is NOT the place for you. We…read morefrequent Lake Valley Reservoir day use area in the summer to swim and hang out without having boats flying all over the lake. It's a nice area for kayaker and paddleboarders alike, so we figured the campground would probably be fairly chill as well. WRONG! We booked Site #2 based on the campground map, it looked like it was away from most of the other campsites. Well, the map was grossly exaggerated and Site #1 was right next to us basically staring at us all day. To top it off all of the other campsites were on TOP of each other. PG&E is clearly making their money with the small section of land they have for campgrounds. The real kicker was when we had a family walk right into our camp following the creek looking for crawdads.. the kids literally run right through our hammock setup like it was recess at school. The creek or North Fork of the North Fork American River as it's shown on the map, runs right behind campsites #1 and #2, so you'd think getting either of these, you'd have a bit of privacy? Nope! Inconsiderate rookie campers ruin the experience. Most of us come camping to get a bit of peace and relaxation, here at Lodgepole Campground you'll be hearing screaming kids and have people walking right through your campsite completely disregarding your space and privacy. Ohhhh and here's the most awesome thing, the camphosts suck! They are nonexistant and didn't see them once, even when I drove up to their trailer and walked up.. no one came out at all. It's also the ONLY PAID campground I've ever been too that doesn't sell wood for the campers. For $30 a night, there are much better options. I'm starting to see a trend with PG&E campgrounds.

Amazing a little bit rundown but next time I will doing tent camping for sure. I felt like we were…read morekinda roughing it but what the heck it was camping. Yeah? We had a relaxing fun time.

I liked the owner, the location-right by a creek and under old growth trees. Price was affordable…read moreand would like to stay here again in the future.

My family and I have been camping here for the past 5 years and we love it. Dennis and Sandy are…read morefriendly, and helpful. There's always plenty of ice and wood available for purchase. The bathrooms are consistently clean and if they aren't, let the office know. They are quick to fix any issues. The showers are coin operated (one quarter per minute). Our kids love the river, and it's always a relaxing time. Make sure to make your reservations early: they get booked up fast!

A sweet and cozy campsite situated in the beautiful mountains around Washington town. The little…read moreshop on site was perfect for getting ice and firewood delivered right to your campsite (although my partner and I noticed the wood would make the fire extremely ashy?). The Yuba river was epic! Do bring extra bug spray if traveling during warmer weather, mosquitos were extremely active. Also bathrooms are extremely well kept and convenient. I do wish quiet hours were more enforced, I'm all for people enjoying and having fun but a few sites close to ours were partying until around midnight which made it difficult to sleep and enjoy the river. All in all, would go back with ear plugs!

Overall, loved this place and would come back…read more The location is kind of random and not close(20 min drive) to the lakes. thats not a bad thing, but if you were hoping to only have a short hike to the water this isn't it. There is a nice hike (Pioneer trail) that goes right through the campground and it is very convenient. The bathrooms were clean and the toilet paper was replaced frequently. You are sort of close to other people at the individual camp sites, but quiet hours start at 10 so there aren't noise problems. The camp host was nice and gave good advice. A cold water spicket was in proximity to each site.

Loved the camping experience here. The camp host 'Pat' is the sweetest person you will meet here…read more While getting to the campground we encountered traffic because of a fatal accident. The campsite was a mile away so we decided to walk there and parked our car alongside the road. When the road cleared and it was time to get our car, Pat offered to give us a ride. This was late in the night and Pat's car got stuck in a ditch. She flagged down a pickup truck and the got the car out. We loved her energy and helpful nature. We will definitely go back again. PS. Some restrooms are not working and rental bathrooms have been added instead.

- $15 per site per night. $5 for additional vehicles. Cash or Check deposited in an enveloped and…read moredropped off in a bin at the entrance to the campground. - Sites include: Picnic table, Bear Box and Fire Ring. - Camp Fires: As of July 20, 2020. Fires are permitted only in the fire ring. Plenty of wood around to collect and burn. *** Camp Fires are not allowed if you are dispersed camping. *** - Bathrooms: 4 portable bathrooms next to spot 1 in the front and a vault bathroom with 2 stalls by spot 9 &10. When we arrived on Friday, they were cleaned and stocked with toilet paper. By Sunday, they were a stinky mess. The Carr lake campground was great. Spot vary in size. Some of the spots in the front had lake access. The spots in the back have a lake view. You can still access the lake from the spots in the back, but its a pretty steep decent. The spots in the middle do not have lake access but some are pretty private and have lots of shade. Spot 8 has the most privacy and a good amount of distance from the neighbors. Spot 8 is also by a creek. This drowned out the noise other campers made in the evening. Carr Lake was very pretty. However, the main event is Feely lake. Access to Feely lake is between Spot 8 and 9. It's a larger lake with stunning views. A lot of backpackers were heading to Island Lake which is about a mile from the Carr Lake Campground. Due to the Covid related closures around the state, more people than usual are heading to the outdoors. This meant that this usually secluded area was not packed with day hikers and backpackers. The parking lot was at capacity by mid day Friday and people had to park on the side of the road as far as a half a mile away. I recommend that you stake your claim as early as Thursday or very early Friday.

Lake Carr Campground is a true gem for those adventurous enough to brave the road up there…read more Quick Campsite Stats: Number of Sites: 11 Cost: $15 per day, honor system by envelope (cash or check only) Amenities: - Pit Toilets, but generously stocked with toilet paper. - Metal fire rings with a grill - Picnic table at each site Does not include: - Water (unless you purify the lake water, plenty of that around) - Trash cans (you must pack in what you pack out) Pets Allowed? Yes! Elevation: 6,663 ft Reservations Required?: No. All first come, first served as far as I could tell. Owned and operated by PG&E Getting There (the hard part): It's a good 30-40 minute drive north of Hwy 20 up Bowman Lake Road (Forest Road 18) to where it splits off to Forest Road 17. From there you will see a giant log with "CARR" spray painted in white with an arrow to the right (pretty awesome, I know). Now you're in for three miles of rocky dirt road... and I mean rough. A road full of rocks ranging from the size of grapefruits to dodge balls... so take is slow and steady. I will warn all sedans or low-clearance vehicles to be extremely careful. I saw many cars bottoming out (a mini cooper and prius among them). Towards the top of the road, you'll need to navigate around some big boulder-like rocks embedded in the road. Here is where most low-clearance vehicles gave up, pulled to the side and decided to walk the rest of the way. I have a two-wheel drive Honda CRV. I decided to give it a whirl and made it up to the parking lot by some miracle. Entry to the Campground: Surprisingly the parking lot was already packed at 4:30pm on a Friday! Who are all these people brave enough to make it up that road? I was impressed. I wasn't quite sure what to expect campsite wise considering it was 4th of July weekend and I was hoping to snag one of the first come, first served sites. I wasn't too optimistic, but I threw on my backpack and decided to take a look around. You want to head to the top of the trail (i.e. the road barricade). There you will see a wood bulletin board of sorts with the campsite rules and a place to leave your nightly fee ($15). You put your cash/check in an envelope and tear off the receipt at the bottom. Put the envelope in the slot on the green post and take the receipt to your campsite of choice. Clip it under your campsite number and voila! Note: The PG&E people are checking to make sure you've done this word to wise, but I have no idea if and how they would "cite" you if you didn't pay. It's kind of the honor system. Surveying the Campsites Right after you walk past the bulletin board there are a number of campsites up off to the right. Some of them were already taken by the time I got there, so I walked on down the road, but I heard from some other seasoned campers that one of the first campsites was one of the best out of the eleven. I continued down the road and saw some absolutely stunning ones! I was thrilled to see a few were empty and available. On 4th of July weekend!! I couldn't believe my luck! After I checked out all the real estate I decided on my beauty, campsite number 8... I think? Can't remember exactly. Also recommended is the very last campsite past the bathrooms (farthest from the parking lot). Totally spectacular lake view. I was jealous. Most of the campsites do not have lake access. You're behind some seriously thick brush with no paths to the lake, but I believe the campsites at the very beginning and the very end do have lake access. Something to keep in mind. Not a deal breaker at all though considering Feeley Lake is just a hop skip and jump up the road and even MORE beautiful! :) The bathrooms are clean, although to get there you have to cross part of a river... a stream really, but might be hard to do in the middle of the night unless you have one of the campsites nearest to the bathrooms. Think hopping from stone to stone or just wading through up to your ankles. The campsites grew fairly crowded as the day went on but I observed there were still two or three out of the eleven campsites that were unoccupied throughout the weekend (I was there Fri-Sun). The crowd level was just enough to feel safe and not too much so that you felt it was cramping your solitude time. If you do end up campsite-less for some unfortunate reason, disperse camping is allowed and I saw a ton of people do it along the Round Lake Trail and Crooked Lakes Trail. This is something I will do next time for sure, as the scenery gets even more spectacular the father down the trail you go, espectially up towards Penner Lake. I will definitely be back here as it is one of my new favorite spots in the Tahoe National Forest. I hope this is helpful! :)

I spent a year camping around all of the Rocky mountains, through Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado,…read moreNew Mexico, Arizona and California. Hand's down the two top campgrounds for me were Zion National Park and Inn Town Campground in Nevada City. Go Figure. The people who created Inn Town Campground are clearly outdoor adventurists who understand how camping can help us reconnect with nature. The grounds are spacious, immaculate, their staff is grounded and kind, and the facilities are immaculate. I wanted to move in. I felt like I was in the wild but fully pampered like I was at a retreat. The bathrooms are immaculate. The outdoor showers are phenomenal -- beats Zion hand's down. Yes, they have a cancellation policy J H, try to cancel at Zion lol. You won't get your money back. This place is a gem ... treat it as such.

This place rocks. We have joined friends the last three years and this place is perfect for friends…read moreto gather. We have a wide range of kids age and there is a bit of everything to keep the kids entertained. Movie night at night, snacks to purchase, small swimming pool and space to bike around. There are so many lakes and river access points near by. The community kitchen is clean and equipped. Already looking forward to next year. The rooms are comfortable and the fan is a must.

My boyfriend and I camped at Salmon Creek, and I was very pleased with the site. We stayed in early…read moreOctober, so there were very few other campers. It gets very chilly in the evening! Our site, number 33, was far away from other camp sites. We had a great stretch of woods to enjoy, although poor Salmon Creek was totally dry. All of the sites come with a fire pit, a second pit with a grill top, a picnic table, and a bear box. We could hear a little bit of car noise from Gold Lake Hwy, but not too much. The location is very close to the Sardine Lakes, Sand Pond, and the trailhead for the hike to the Sierra Buttes fire lookout tower. It was a lovely 1.5 hr drive from Reno: not too far, but far enough so that it felt like we were in a new and different environment! I booked the campsite on recreation.gov for $33. In the morning the campsite manager stopped by to have me sign in. Check out is 2 pm. I highly recommend this site.

We stayed at Salmon Creek Campground in late August 2020. There were fires all over that had…read morefinally been contained enough for us to feel comfortable going. We live in Sacramento and had been dealing with all the ash and smoke for weeks. Coming up to the campground was so nice, as the air was clear and mostly crisp. It was a much needed break. We stayed at campsites #27 & #29. According to the reservation site (recreation.gov), both of these sites are on the creek side, rather than the highway side. But when we arrived, we found they were on the highway side (along with #26, so not all of them are listed improperly). It wasn't so bad, though, as the highway is a ways up above the site and it wasn't too busy. At night, I honestly didn't even notice the sound. #26 is really close to #27, but no one was there when we went, so it was fine. #29 is on the creek side and is actually downhill a bit. It's definitely the most secluded site on the entire campground. The restrooms are almost directly across from #26 and the door has slams literally every time someone uses it (unless they hold it to stop it from slamming, but why would anyone do that?), so it was a bit of a nuisance at night or in the early morning. The campground was clean overall. We saw the Forest Service truck come through a couple times each day just to check up on things. There was no camp host when we went. We had no issues with bears or anything rummaging through our site at night (though we did put everything in the bear box). There also wasn't much of an issue with noise, but that really just depends on how considerate the neighbors are that happen to be there when you are. And since there is no camp host on site, there would be nothing done about noise anyway. We hopped in our cars to drive just a few feet up the highway to access the Sand Pond & Lower Sardine Lake. They were nice, but the issue here is that while Salmon Creek Campground allows dogs, neither of these allow them. And since we didn't have anywhere we could keep our dogs, our visit to these spots was very brief. If you want to bring your dogs with you, you have to head up to Upper Sardine Lake. This is an OHV trail, so you need 4WD to drive up there. Your other option is hiking it, but it is a bit of a hike uphill...not a simple walk. With that said, my 7 year old made the hike both ways without issue, but it is rocky, so be careful. My hubby has a truck that could handle it, so we took that, but it was terrifying for me, as the width of the trail is only a few feet wider than the width of the truck and you're literally on the edge of this mountain cliff with no guard or anything. And if another vehicle comes, one of you have to back up till there's a wide enough space for passing. It was very nerve-wracking. So while we loved the campground, we have opted not to return mainly because we enjoy bringing our dogs with us camping & it just wasn't an ideal situation.