By far the one of the best, if not the best, campgrounds in California! Myself, friends, and family have all been to dozens of other camp sites and we haven't come across any that come close to Little Town Campground! Specifically, after the second week of July until about the end of August, the river is AMAZING! The water is crystal clear and the temperature is rejuvenating. Whether you want to tube, swim, or just chill in a floaty, it's perfect. Plus, there's tons of swimming holes up and down river you can explore. The campground itself is awesome! There are bathrooms that are unusually clean for being in the middle of the woods. Also, each bathroom has two shower stalls, so if you want to rinse in the middle of your camping trip you can. You do need quarters and it's a quarter a min, but this cuts down on wait time, if there is any, and prevents wasting water, which I think is great and very reasonable. You can also buy firewood and ice directly from the campsite and they deliver it right to you campsite. Being able to get wood/ice onsite is incredibly convenient! The campground also has a small park, cement flat top, and basketball hoop. We bring our pickle ball net up, play ultimate frisbee, HORSE, and whiffle ball. Sometimes there's too many options on what to do when we're there, which is never a bad thing when on vacation. I've been coming to this place for 40 years now and have never had a bad experience. The owners Dennis and Sandy, are very nice reasonable people. The improvements they have made to The campground these past few years are amazing. If you go up with positive energy and focused on having a good time they will definitely reciprocate! I can't recommend this place enough!! read more

A sweet and cozy campsite situated in the beautiful mountains around Washington town. The little shop 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! read more

Little Town Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Washington, California

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While the town of Washington is super cute and cozy, the people running this campsite are outrageous. We came here last year for a Friday-Monday and loved it. The water nearby in town was crystal clear, the camp sites are decent sized, and the bathrooms were nice (which is huge when camping) but Sandy running the place is unbelievably rude. She isn't welcoming when checking in, not friendly to speak with or anything. Despite that, we spent all year saying how much we loved this place and couldn't wait to go back. We emailed requesting the same sites and received a rude email stating our reservation is being canceled, a full refund is being issued and we are no longer welcome there "due to events that took place last summer". When asked why, the reply was "we received multiple complaints of yelling at kids". We asked about this (we weren't at camp Saturday as we were in town at the water, in bed before quiet hours, didn't play loud music, etc.) we have yet to receive a response, even after multiple voicemails being left as well asking why this is the case now when no one said anything while we were there if this actually did take place. It's a campground, kids were all over yelling and screaming while playing, dirt bikes in and out, etc. Sunday the kids spent most of the day between the playground and running around with other kids at other campsites. But I guess blatant, obvious underaged drinking at multiple other sites is ok. The golf cart drove by our site multiple times, no one said anything. The kids played at the park for majority of day 2, no one said anything. We arrived after dark on Friday, left on Monday in the morning and no one said anything at all. We also left the 2 campsites cleaner than when arrived. The town of Washington around here is beautiful and everyone in town super friendly and welcoming. It's a bummer that Sandy who is running the site is so unwelcoming and rude. If there is an issue, rudely addressing someone almost a year later is uncalled for. read more

Thank you Dennis and Sandy for the best camping experience! We were new to this camp site, and of course we hauled a trailer filled with our camping equipment. If it were not for Dennis, there was no way my husband could have driven the trailer to our campsite. He was so thoughtful and helpful. Dennis had the experience and was able to get our trailer to our camp site. He truly made it possible for our family to enjoy 5 days on the river and we will forever be so grateful to him for his gracious hospitality and the best camp host we have ever visited. Thank you to Sandy his lovely wife and we look forward to next years annual family camping vacation! Thank you to John, he was there twice a day making sure our garbage and campsites were looked after. Our time there was EPIC! Lofton read more

I went camping there and the owner yelled at me because I wanted to park my own trailer

Come here every year with a big family, Dennis and Sandy are always great, campground is clean including bathrooms, showers. Look forward to this trip every year! And did mention the river is absolutely magical! read more

Love this campground! A staple for my family every summer!! Extremely well kept bathrooms, such great camp spots right on the river!!

Nice little campground near the tiny town of 'Washington' CA. Right on the river, nice little swimming hole where you can crawdad dive, swim, relax. Mild current and deep. The campground is small, and quiet. If you like camping, and just want to experience a small slice of nature, instead of tourist attractions, this is an awesome spot. read more

Wonderful campground that is now the pride of Washington, CA. My family has been going to River Rest since they opened and when it turned into a RV parking lot a few years back, full of dust from the ongoing ATVs riding in and out from early morning to late night and the super small spots with people who party well into the early morning (which is against the rules yet no one does anything), we stopped going (my late Grandma would be so sad to see that place now). We started going to Gene's Pineair about a decade ago and have been coming here since. The new owners took over when Gene passed and really cleaned it up. The Yuba River it the star of the area and you have so many great places to swim just off the campsite, up the street and all over. Check out the local eggs from the "downtown" store if you get a chance and buy a shirt from Little Town. We come here every year and enjoy it very much. read more

We absolutely love this campground! Everything about it was perfect for tent camping. They also have some RV sites available. The owners Dennis and Sandy were welcoming and friendly. The campground is well kept. The bathrooms were beautiful and didn't have to wait in a long line for the shower. It's the perfect place to enjoy the river & escape from the world. There was no cell service or internet, which I enjoyed. We made lots of memories walking the beach and swimming in the river. We even had a bear come visit our campsite and eat all of our cookies lol. Make sure to lock up your food when camping here. Also don't forget to bring quarters for the showers. We will definitely be back next year. read more

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Just spent some time at little town campground and we really enjoyed it. Dennis the owner really nice guy. He helped us get situated when we arrived. They have done a ton of work over the past 2 years. I brought my UTV and can be on trails in 3 minutes. We will be back! read more

Little Town Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Washington, California

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Great spot, beautiful and quiet. The hostess was absolutely kind to our family. She went out of her way to be of service when we needed to receive a message about a family member's passing. It has pay showers and flush toilets. The main office has a little store. And there is a pay phone (remember those? ) There is absolutely no cell service whatsoever, not even while driving through town. You don't get service almost until you're back on I80. So, definitely bring quarters for the shower and phone in case you have to make a call. It would be kinda nice if WiFi was offered, even if it cost extra. Because of the situation we had to deal with in our family, we kept running through quarters - would've been nice to get a WiFi signal at that point. Other than that, this place was awesome, they even did a little movie night for the kids at the playground and they passed out popsicles to the kids. It was a nice treat after a hot day in the river! read more

The river is amazing!!!! Bathrooms are newly remodeled. The place is perfectly manicured. Customer service was excellent. It's a quiet place, so unless you get a bad neighbor, expect silence. There's no privacy between spots either! We went tent camping with 4 kids and 5 adults. The price is higher than most places. I don't understand the pay to shower thing tho. The gallon of water is $5 and the wood is $10 and burns in 10m. You'll spend a heck of a lot of money on that. If you want a wildlife experience, this isn't a place to go. On out 3d stay, we saw a squirrel, and mosquitoes. We took long walks looking for wildlife too. The bathrooms are a hike away, depending on where you are. If you're near the water, you'll have to climb a pretty large hill. We just came back 2 weeks ago and the mosquitoes were constantly in our faces. Hard to talk. Don't stay near the water! Also, we could NOT get in the water and not even enjoy being near it because there are boulders and then deep water. They said the river was high. This was a huge disappointment. There is dust everywhere. Completely dusty. read more

i love going to little town campground. i've been going there for almost 20 years now, since dennis and sandy took over the campground has gotten so much better and cleaner, if you go there just go by the rules and regulations everything will be great, if you act like an idiot then you will be asked to leave so dont be an idiot and ruin it for yourself, go there and enjoy the yuba and the town and the campground and have fun. it's a great place to get away from the city and enjoy yourself. thanks for everything you two do i love the place. dan butler.... ps. you guys are awesome read more

Love this place! My son and I have been coming here for the last 10 years. Gene passed away a couple of years ago and Sandy and Dennis have taken over in very good ways though we miss Gene. First, the amazing Yuba river is not a stone's throw away but rather a toss if you're in one of the riverside sites. Lovely swimming and hanging out. Second, if you're a city person like me the night stars are incredible as there's no light pollution. Sandi and Dennis are very hospitable and friendly! They're making great improvements including remodeled bathrooms, and a generally cleaner campground. Also taking important steps for forest fire mitigation. This is a very quiet, chill and low key place. If relaxation, quiet, nice people, and an awesome river are appealing I'd say give them a call. (Not the party place, IMO) read more

Best campground ever! Even with the water flowing we still had a blast. Knowing how much snow we had last winter we knew we possibly wouldn't be going in the water. The campground is clean with newly updated restrooms and showers. Can't beat that! We will be booking later in August for sure, can't wait. read more

Never going back. My family and I have been camping at Little town campground for over 10 yrs. Long before the new owners came along. ( previously named Gene's pine aire ) We always book about 10 campsite each time we visit, as we have a yearly family/friends camping trip here. Our favorite part of our time here used to be playing basketball on the adorable court located onsite. Sadly, they now charge more for each space (which we don't mind paying for because it's a beautiful place) but now also charge separately for showers. Unfortunately, the new owner (Sandi) thinks it's okay to yell at everyone ( including my children) to resolve issues. This sadden my heart heavily and I have yet to experience something to this effect at this location. I understand that part of the issue that arose was our mistake but she handled it in a very unprofessional manner. Yelling at the top of her lungs..... at children is just not okay in my book. We ended up cutting our camping trip short, she just made us feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. read more

Always a great time, river was amazing as usual, staff is friendly and and amenities are clean.

I came here for the first time last weekend and had a blast! Very different from anywhere else I've ever camped, but I love how homey it is and how everyone is like a big family. The only downside was that there was no shade in our spot but others had shade, swimming area was amazing. If you want to camp under the stars and get off the grid for a few days, this is the perfect place. I will definitely be coming back. read more

We love this campground, I can't say it's the cleanest or most organized but it's beautiful, secluded, and lovely. We were surrounded by mellow families and it was awesome! read more

We love camping here. The weather is great, the shade is perfect, and the swimming hole is to die for. Unfortunately, the customer service is lacking. read more

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Brian and the rest of the fam that are helping Gene continue to run Pineaire are top notch. Things that are important to me at a campground, and that Pineaire delivers on: 1. Helpful staff: They allowed us to keep our vehicles parked on their property for a nominal daily fee while we engaged in a four-day off-road dirtbike ride. TREMENDOUS piece of mind!! 2. Cleanliness: This campground is wonderfully clean, well maintained, with accessible garbage cans, hardly any litter, and CLEAN BATHROOMS AND SHOWERS! 3. Preserving of nature: The camp itself is situated on the river, and is natural. Nearly every campsite is unique, and they are all well bordered. 4. Affordable: For a going rate you get free showers, flush toilets, clean grounds, friendly campers and folks who live there. I was so so so pleasantly surprised. I will return often and help them keep on keepin on. read more

Magnificent place and peaceful place to camp and rest at

Been coming here 34 years. I'm 34. Yup you guessed it, one of the best places on earth.

Been coming here since I was a child. I'm now 29 and still have yet to find a better camping spot. Amazing views, river walking, exploring Camp sites are right on the water. Amazing place! Great people read more

Awesome spot!! So beautiful and relaxing! Right on the Yuba River where there is mini waterfalls. Bathrooms were awesome and very well cleaned. My friends and I are adding this camping trip (or even multiple!) as our summer tradition every year from now on! BONUS! Downtown Washington is on the other side of the campground so you can grab some super cheap apps as you head out! CHAPS!! read more

If you want to be off the grid and do some hillbilly camping this is a pretty good spot. No cell service for about 8 miles. The views are great and if you hit the town at the right time of year the locals have some fantastic weed!! Haha read more

Great camping ground with showers, bathrooms, fire pits, picnic tables, plenty of trees, friendly staff, helpful neighbors, and right next to a great part of the Yuba River. The water there was so clear that you could see all the rocks under the water and most of it was about 3 ft deep. My husband and I had several issues with an inflatable bed cause our inverter wouldn't work to be able to blow it up. Long story short, one of the RV residents there saw us struggling and tried to help us. When that didn't work he even let us plug in our bed to his electrical outlet to blow up our bed! I was so impressed by how friendly and helpful everyone there was! read more

We absolutely loved this magical place! We called on our way with nowhere to stay and they let us have a campsite before the "season" opened. The folks here are friendly beyond belief, and the views and hikes are unbeatable. We will definitely be back and highly recommend Gene's! read more

Gene's Pineaire is in the perfect location if you are up for some back country camping. The camp ground is really in the middle of nowhere right along the Yuba River crossing that goes through this little town of Washington, California (population of 100 I think). The camp ground has really nice sites equipped with picnic tables and fire pits. You also have showers (free) although it is pretty much like bathing in a rusted tin can. They sell firewood for $5.00 a barrel and bags of ice for $2.00- thank goodness because all of our food would have gone bad. If you do venture to Genes be sure to bring your patience when you check in. Janai (owner), Gene's wife checks you in and she likes to chat. Gene himself cruises through the campground on patrol several times per day, it makes for a very homey feeling. There are several places to swim right along the campground and the water is great! If you go in the summertime the water is the perfect temperature to sway you from the 100+ temperatures. Notes to self- bring your beer coozy and don't forget sunscreen. If you end up forgetting something you could always go back to the town store in Washington and pick it up, beware, cash only and their marshmallows are probably 4 years old! For 3 nights/2 people we paid $40.00- not bad for a camping trip! read more

My wife and I have been coming here for over 40 years. Now it's a tradition for our 4 kids and 3 grand kids and a lot of our friends. The camping is fantastic and the swimming hole is amazing. Rustic bathrooms and showers are always clean and accessible. Beautiful places to hike. The old mining town of Washington with it's "forever been there bar" is great. Brian and Gene and family are great and make this a safe and fun place to go year after year. read more

I first camped here about 1970. It's long been named Gene'r Pineaire Camp Ground. Excellent place to stay a spell.

My family has been going there since my mom was a baby and I love going back to it. Gene and Janai are awesome people,even in their old age the campgrounds still look great. Atleast half the camp sites are right on the water so it's really easy to get to. The river itself is so clear you can almost see the very bottom of it, there is always fish and crawdads to catch. You can rent inter-tubes for $2.00 bucks a day. If you don't feel like staying in the campground Nevada city and Reno (other direction) are only an hour away from the campgrounds. It's also the best way to relieve stress since not many people are there most of the time so you can laze about in the water peacefully all day. They have a small park area in the middle with swings, basketball court, horse shoes, tether ball and if you ask for the net you can play volleyball. It's the best place to go camping in the summer. read more

First off I love the town of Washington, I have been coming here for 20+years and camping at Gene's Pineaire Camp Ground! Brian has always been very helpful and polite. Today was a totally different story.... yes I understand that this campground is "private property " however I've always been allowed to park out of the way and swim at the big hole down from the bar/hotel for the past 20 years. Well apparently Genes daughter is running the show now and holy cow she is the rudest most disrespectful woman I have ever come across in this town! She came down to the swimming hole screaming at me that my vehicle was going to be towed and I needed to leave immediately!! I was down there with a friend and her daughter not being rowdy or loud just trying to enjoy a really hot weekday afternoon cooling off in the river. Her approach was uncalled for and so out of line. So I nicely said ok and we packed our stuff and attempted to leave however she parked her golf cart in the middle of the road so I couldn't leave and walked up to my car and continued to not be nice and told me I couldn't go that way and to turn around... mind you this is a loop and I've always gone out that way! So I turned around and left and unfortunately will NEVER be back! I will never camp there and will not continue to recommend it to anyone!!! She is so RUDE!!! She could have approached this different and I most likely would not feel this way but after how she treated me today in front of a child Never again will I go there, and honestly if she continues to treat people this way she's not going to have business to keep that campground up and running! Gene would never treat someone like this! She needs a reality check and not work in any type of customer service!!!! read more

At first when you get to this Campground it looks really sketchy, but to our surprise it was very awesome, inviting, fun, and the kids had a great time. We will be back. read more

Have you tried to get there, the sign sucks and I know a lot of rv's have been miss directed and the road is horrid, rocks, divits and a messy dirt road, the town is cute and the other rv park is beautiful, be careful and choose the right place to stay, yuck, I don't think the previous reviewers stayed here.... read more

My husband's family has been camping here EVERY YEAR since he was a child. I've been joining in this adventure for the past 3 years. This place is amazing. There is ABSOLUTELY no cell reception, and that is one of my favorite parts! Don't panic though. There is a payphone so you can still contact someone if needed. There are flushing toilets, free showers with warm water, and hilarious reminders on the stall doors not to steal the toilet paper. I LOVE it. It's a mom and pop facility. Brian is Gene's grandson, and keeps things in order. He is always available and helpful. There are multiple swimming holes throughout the grounds which are BEAUTIFUL and within walking distance. We take our pups, and they love it just as much as we do. Important to note: there is a store close by that is open so you can pick up those last minute needs (no more driving to Grass Valley - THANK YOU!). This is not glamping by any means, but if you are looking to get back to the basics and enjoy nature/people this place is for you. read more