We got visited by a real live bear! Bears visit sites 1-3, which happen to be the best sites for parking nearby to set up. 4 has a great view, but is up a trail. 5 has an okay view. 6-9 don't really. I love this site. It is real camping because you can't park near your site, so no RVs or generators. Unfortunately, the sound of the road is constant. The views are amazing. 4 stars because there is only one sink and no shower. read more

Kaspian Campgrounds - Bear - Campgrounds Near Me - West Lake Tahoe, California

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I loved it, but it's not for everyone. What I loved: No RV's Very few campsites Campsites were spread out Site was 100% cleaned up from the last campers Running water near our site Bathrooms (one flushing with sink) Close to bike trail/lake/grocery store We went during the week in mid-summer - there was only 1 other camper there both nights (although several sites said they were reserved) What I did not care for (but it was still ok): You have to walk up stairs and a hill if you reserve sites 4-9. Traffic noise - mostly during the day - it dies down and night and did not disturb my sleep at all. Bathrooms are far - especially for middle of the night trips to the bathroom! You should know: The website map has the sites marked in the wrong locations - so I reserved a site that I would not have preferred. The lower sites are 1-3, they have views of the lake, close to bathrooms, but the most traffic noise. Sites 4 & 5 have decent views of the lake - they require walking up stairs and will still have more traffic noise. Site 7 has views of the lake through trees - close to the top of the stairs. Sites 6, 8 & 9 don't really have lake views - they are farthest from the road with the least traffic noise, but also have the furthest to haul your gear from your car. read more

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Sometimes the lake with the skyline will make you pull the car over, just to take pictures. The allure of the blue water and beach made us do just that. We didn't stay at this campground, I just wanted to check out the local beach. It's a narrow and has a rocky shore. Not my favorite Tahoe beach, but the view is pretty and I wanted to see as many beaches I could when it was warm out. read more

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Nice location right across from the lake and a really nice host (who looks like Santa Claus). We had three sites together to avoid other campers being too close, but we were still close enough to disturb another camper on our second night. Sound echos pretty far and loudly. Beware of the LONG flights of stairs from the parking lot and bathrooms and then another small hill to hike up to the camping sites. Pretty hard bringing all our gear up and then back down. There are no wood or charcoal fires allowed at this time so bring a butane stove. There is a clean water spigot for washing and making coffee. The bathrooms are as clean as they could be, but bring wipes! We also brought pee buddies for the girls that came in handy, because who wants to walk down all those stairs in the middle of the night? read more

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Since when did "camping" become: - rows of RV's each with their own stereo - generators running until 10:00 pm (or later) and starting up again at 7:00 am - dodging kids on bikes, skateboards, scooters If you miss the days of quiet camping without the work of backpacking in for miles, check out Kaspian Campground: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/recreation/camping/kaspian.shtml Maybe I shouldn't tell you about this gem, because it's pretty darn small. It is officially a "walk-in" campground with keeps the crowds away. I have stayed here 3 times now for multiple days and at no time were more than 3 other sites used. And several nights we were the only campsite occupied. It's right across the road from Lake Tahoe. The campsites are a 50 foot to 300 yard walk from the parking area. The furthest ones back are also furthest from the road. Not much noise at night, actually can get a little creepy if you are used to noisier camping. New bear boxes at most sites. Well laid out campground with no crowding. Close to lots of recreational options including Blackwood Canyon, Tahoe City, the lake, etc, etc etc. So if you want some actual peace and quiet without a 5 mile hike, check this place out. read more

It's been so long since I've gone camping. When I told my honey I wanted to go camping, he jumped at the chance to find us a place...but and there is a big BUT!!! I had some rules. #1 rule: It has to have a flushing toilet. No out house, no digging a hole and taking a crapper and filling it back up and no porta-potty. #2 rule: Needs to have a shower. #3 rule: Needs to have running water. Not a river besides it. An actual faucet that disburses water. Last but certainly not least, it has to have a fire pit because camping isn't camping if you can't make s'mores. With all these stipulations, did my honey come true!! I would say 3 out of 4. When he booked this site, he thought it had a shower but unfortunately it did not. The nearest shower is about 5-10 miles away and was coin operated. He already booked it and paid for it but was willing to cancel it and look for another site with a shower. I told him it was ok. What's two days of roughing it?? I think this OCD girl can do it. It's not the end of the world. When we arrived at the campsite, we headed to the "host" trailer. She explained to us where our site was and the bear box. Yes, they have bears here. Luckily we didn't have to witness it. The Bear Box is basically a steel locker located on your site where you store all your belongings. Our location was very spacious. The only disadvantage was you have to park your car at the parking lot and carry your stuff to the camp site. Our camp site was not that far, just up a small hill. It gave us exercise. They have sites on the lower level (Site 1-3) which I don't recommend since it's right off the road and you can hear the cars driving by. They only have a total of 9 sites (I think) and none of them are trailer accessible. This is moderate "roughing it" camping...yes you have to pitch a tent. None of that trailer bed allowed here. There's a lake across the street that you can swim in. It's cold at first but once you dip your body in, you'll get use to it. This is what we did Sunday afternoon to wash up, since there was no shower. So ladies you're probably wondering did I survive without a shower. Yes, I did but I used a lot of disposable cleansing wash cloths. In the end the camping adventure was a lot of fun. We definitely OD on s'mores. Learned how to cook Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner on a fire pit. My honey even made "brewed" coffee for me. We helped a fellow first time camper put up a tent together. But the best part was experiencing it for the first time with my honey and just being able to relax without worrying about the world outside. Not having to worry about what you're wearing and putting makeup/fixing hair. That's the life. Must have when going camping: Tent, Sleeping Bag, Air Mattress, Air Mattress Pump, Sleeping Bag, Pillow, Tarp, Stove, Lantern, Large Water Jug container, folding chair, Shovel, Axe, Cooler, Cutting Board and utensils (knife, spatula, tongs, can opener and etc...) Food/Water (just don't be like me and pack the entire kitchen...LOL), Garbage bag. These are the main necessities but at least you can survive one day. read more

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It's a small campground. Unfortunately, we reserved spot #1, which is right next to the main road. Apparently South Lake Tahoe is super busy during the summer and so it made getting a good night sleep VERY DIFFICULT. You can hear every vehicle go by. I hardly slept. I hated it. The spots do have a fire pit and grill though. There's one bathroom hut: left side is a pit and the right side is a flushing toilet with sink. No lights in there and soap. The guy comes by 3x a day to clean it and replenish the tp. It's not the worst bathroom really. Joshua Tree has some pretty rank pits :( If you reserve a spot like #5 or up, you have to walk up stairs, which can be rather tiring, but you get a quieter spot. If you're around spot #1, you're closer to the traffic, the pier, the toilets, and the water faucet. There's enough parking and it's a good place to bring your family, but I'd prefer another campground if you don't want to be near traffic noise. read more

Awesome experience! Great location, beautiful view. The sites are "walk-up" (which a lot of reviews made seem like a hike but really means one flight of stairs or a short trail from parking lot). Tents only - no loud RVs or trailers. There are only nine campsites and they are really spaced out from one another. The host stays in a camper in the parking lot and was helpful and friendly! Campgrounds were quiet and peaceful & the lake is right across the road, along with picnic tables and grills. Perfect weekend getaway. read more

Kaspian Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me - West Lake Tahoe, California

Just returned from a weekend at this campground. I really liked it because there were no RVS, generators or sounds of trunks slamming in each campsite, and almost NO other campers. This is a "walk in" campground. You must carry your gear from the parking lot to your site, but the furthest site probably isn't more than 100 yds from the top of the stairs. The sites are a comfortable distance apart. There are only 9 sites. There is a campground host that lives in RV in parking lot. I give 4 stars because they don't sell firewood. Bring your own, get it at a market or go get it from the William Kent campground. Bathrooms are in a building in the parking lot. There is one room with a pit toilet and one room with a flush toilet, sink (cold running water only) and mirror. They are cleaned daily and not smelly. 5 stars for the bathroom maintenance. It was windy, so we did not notice the traffic noise from Hwy 89. It was a bit breezy and we noticed that the wind whipped through the campground much more than lakeside or in the parking lot. The fire rings were good and had a grill to flip over the fire. The picnic tables were good and I didn't notice any sap dripping onto them. VERY roomy bear proof lockers that were more than adequate for the gear we had. Reservations may be made online at recreation.gov, but be forewarned that the map with campsite numbers has not been updated. There were some other people there that were very disappointed where their site was located. They thought they had reserved one of the lower sites, but were up above on the top of the hill. Sites 1-3 are right off the parking lot and probably not as windy. They are closer to the highway and close to each other. . Sites 4-9 are up 27 stairs from the parking lot and do have more space between each site. The bicycle trail is right across from highway and we had lots of fun walking along it. There are picnic tables and standing grills that are lakeside. There are also bathrooms about 500 feet north right on the lake. There is a nice dock that you can use to jump off of. It was cold while I was there, so we did not swim. This is MY kind of campground. May not be for everyone, but I would rather go to a place like this than a drive in site with RVs and too many campers too close to each other. read more

Very nice campground. Spacious sites, clean, and right across from the lake. The kids loved skipping rocks and dipping their feet in the lake. The best thing is there are no RVs up where the tents are. This is what camping is all about. The traffic noise and absence of a shower took away one star, but it's not going to stop my family from coming back. read more

Kaspian Campgrounds - Site 7 - Campgrounds Near Me - West Lake Tahoe, California

Was a great Campground if what you like is no RVs and just tent camping. Pretty rustic no shower, but toilets. Unfortunately, when we were there they were having a water issue which meant that their water was turned off for a day, and even when the water was turned on it was not safe for drinking (Non potable). The water issues are why I took the star off. Otherwise we loved the campground! One of the main reasons we chose this Campground is because it was right next to a beach that allows dogs on the beach. The beach is not marked on Google Maps but just north of Kaspian Campground. The only downside to that beach is that there's no fence between where you sit with your dog and the road, which is maybe 20 yards from where you sit. A woman at the beach told me that a couple days before someone's dog had been hit and killed on the road. So just be safe with your dog if you take them to the beach. Each campsite has a bear box, a wooden table, and a fire pit. read more

This is a great summer campground for someone who bikes. The bike trail is literally across the street, and so is the road to a great off roading trail! There is a pier right across the street, a rocky beach and an awesome view of the lake! When we went, there was no one else there except for one couple somewhere in the distance. It is literally a dream come true - BUT it is very close to the road, which is the only thing that prevented me from giving it 5 stars. The traffic starts up early so you must plan to be up. Otherwise your wake up call won't be birds and camping sounds but morning traffic. The spot is so great that I am willing to overlook that... read more

Kaspian Campgrounds - Breakfast at Kaspian - Campgrounds Near Me - West Lake Tahoe, California

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Lake Tahoe is gorgeous and perfect for a peaceful getaway but I was very disappointed in the area this campground was located. I wanted to be tucked in at least a mile away from things but that didn't happen. This campground is right on the road and plopped right next to a bunch of houses. Plus you had to walk up a hill with all the stuff to get to your campsite from the parking lot below. A horrible location for relaxation and it did not feel like I was camping. It seems to be a place that is good for a quick night as a person passes through Tahoe. I will be going somewhere else next time that is more secluded. read more

Kaspian Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me - West Lake Tahoe, California

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This use to be my favorite camground. We come here once a year but this year (labor day weekend) the camp host really maximised on the amount of people they let camping. People showed up to set up camp in the parking lot and all the campsite were overbooked leading to overpopulation of the campground. Bathrooms we disgusting (which we never had a problem) people we showing up without reservations asking if we were willing to share our campsite ( we made reservations 6 months ago) . Very unpleasant experience. read more

Went here for Labor Day weekend and not crowded at all. Large campsites right across from the lake. Site #9 is far from the road so it is more quiet. Bring your own soap as the bathrooms don't have any. And no showers so pla to jump in the lake. read more

Great Campground, most of the sites are up quite a flight of stairs -- choose the handicapped sites if one of your group isn't into doing a hike to and from the bathroom. read more

We've stayed at this campground several times now and it's great each time. It's not a car camping site (since you can't pull your car into the spot) but the parking lot is 20 yards away so you can have the comforts of your car or simply go tent-only and still have a great time. The views are incredible of Lake Tahoe (you're less than 100yds away from the shore) and the sites are well-spaced out and comfortable. A great spot that is still a hidden gem - never had more than 3 groups of people staying there even during peak seasons! A great deal for the price as well, since it's located right in the middle of the Lake on the West shore. read more

We spent a weekend here over the summer. This was on of the last campgrounds available in the entire Tahoe area as we were booking pretty much last minute. We got super lucky to find this place. ITs only about 12 campgrounds and their "walk-in". I think this term scares off alot of potential campers which is great. But in reality the walk is only about 50 yards. So you cant pull your RV right up to camp and blare music out of it all night, which is a plus in my book. All sites have firepits, and this is one of the few campgrounds were you can collect firewood from the surrounding areas where it is plentiful, so you dont have to buy or bring firewood. a few of the sites even have standing BBQ's in addition to the firepit. When we went we had the whole campground pretty much to ourselves. There was a family in a nearby site the first night but they left leaving us pretty much alone. Did I mention its a rocks throw from the lake? Ya thats right our site was on a little hill overlooking the lake. And theres a small public pier that you can jump into the lake from. Next plus, if you forget soemthing the albertsons is only liek 5 minutes up the road. Its just unfortunate that Hwy 89 was between us and the lake, and thats the only reason this campground didnt get 5 stars. However, the proximity of the road is less bothersome than I thought it'd be and a small matter considering all the other benefits of the nice little campground. read more