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.

Goose Lake campground is a small Forest Service campground located on the Gold Lake Highway just…read moresouth of the more well-known Gold Lake campground. It is often simply used as overflow for the latter. However, although much smaller than Gold Lake, it is no less beautiful, and the lack of motorized watercraft give it a quieter, more serene appearance. Not camping at the time, we were simply looking for a nice lake to have a picnic by that was accessible by car. In the Lakes Basin area, in spite of what everyone says, this is no mean feat. The forest service seems to assume that the great majority of users have four-wheel-drive vehicles anyway, so no sense wasting money fixing the multitude of hazardous potholes on seemingly every access road. At this campground, we took one look at the dirt campground road and its giant potholes, and aborted an attempt to drive in. Fortunately, off the highway just south of the entrance is a large dirt area to park, fairly devoid of holes, that had a walk-in path to the campground and the lake. Goose Lake is a short walk from that parking area, and if you don't mind sitting on a rock, there is an abundance of beautiful areas to have lunch by and enjoy the water. Even if you only have a short amount of time, Goose Lake is worth a visit. The campground is small, with only 13 spots, and was quite quiet during our midday visit. The big disadvantage to this campground: no water. You would probably need to make visits to nearby Gold Lake and refill water supplies. The vault toilet was clean and relatively odor free. The daily camping fee is only $10, and does not take reservations. To reach the campground, go south on Highway 89 from Graeagle for 2 miles, then proceed south for 12 miles on the Gold Lake Highway. Definitely a four star for day use, but potholes and the lack of water knocks it down a star for camping...

I've never been, but I just bought 1.3 acres... dead flat land, super cheap…read more Now I have more of an incentive to drive seven hours to go visit.

Beautiful camp ground So peaceful here…read moreThere's a boat launch area A lot of people with dogs here. No cell service Waters nice Not too crowded which I love! People here are really nice. Not too many bugs which is always a plus.

Cool secluded campground! Lots of places to explore will defiently be back! Water fall swimming…read moreholes so pretty!

Amazing place, ten out of ten. However if anyone finds keys in the swimming hole please let me know!read more

Sometimes Plan A goes awry. That's happened to me too many times to count in the beautiful Lakes…read moreBasin Recreation Area. The second to last time that happened, I discovered this campground, which is right below my all time favorite, and because the host was so nice I mentally bookmarked for the future. Well, after trying to find a spot at our favorite again, we hit this one hoping to find a spot on a busy weekend and lucked out! Most of the sites were reserved, but the host pointed us toward sites 6+7, which were perfect! The grounds are impeccably maintained. Almost as if the ground itself was swept and vacuumed! Fire rings are strong and in tact, though one of our sites was missing a grate. The grounds are far from the road, so there's no noise, and the sites are pretty well spread apart, so that makes them pretty cozy! But the best part about staying anywhere in this area is the beauty of the night sky. Stars abound. The Milky Way is visible. Shooting stars are nearly a guarantee. And if that's not enough, this is an ideal jumping off point for some phenomenal hikes. Reserve a spot and plan a trip or hit it on a whim. You won't be disappointed!

PROS: This…read morecampground is great! The sites are very large and super close to the water (Lake Davis). It's a short drive into Portola if you forget anything while you are there. The campground is surrounded by trees and there weren't very many bugs at all! CONS: Wow, this years camp host was awful! She doesn't make sure the campground is cleared out for the next people arriving at 2pm so when we pulled up we had to wait, she is rude and not friendly and doesn't even stock the bathrooms with TP. You would think the multiple times a day she drives around she would check the restrooms? I hope next year they get a new host! The only downfall with the campsite itself is that there are no grills at the sites, just a small grate over the fire, so if you plan on grilling a lot, bring your own grill!

One of our favorite nearby campgrounds. Sites are placed so you are not right on top of eachother…read moreand the camphosts (Steve and Roeanne) work hard to keep sites prepped for next camper and bathrooms cleaned for those that need them. The hosts are what makes this campground special as they are friendly and available if you have any questions about the area. Lake Davis is low now so perfect for launching your kayak or SUP from shore. New concessionaires this year so prices have been raised- campsites/$30.00, wood bundles/$9.00 and rv dump/&15.00. Still a good deal in a beautiful wildlife area- bears in camp the last few nights but all well at our site because nothing left out for them to forage through. We will be back.

Well cared for and beautiful dog friendly park. Great hikes available from the campground and lots…read moreof alpine lakes to explore just a short drive away.

Stunning. Old growth trees. Clean bathrooms, hot showers included. Campsites seem large. Very…read morequiet at night and could hear the river from all parts of the campground. Trailheads (1.5 mile hikes) from campground. Fishing and swimming holes. River is a cold plunge for adults but kids were fine with temperature. A very long drive from Bay Area.....6 hours with just quick stops. Quite remote.

I love Gold lake. Snow camping here is epic if your rig and winch can get you through the icy snow…read moreto camp by the lake! The best part is no one will be here in the cold! Snow hiking is awesome but you can easily get lost! Have fun!

10/21/2023 It's been…read morea very long time since our last visit.. Still have the fishing bug... trying to take advantage of the time and weather... Windy as heck, but the scenery takes it all !!! Next trip, hoping to catch some nice ones!

(Overdue review) We loved our camping experience at Dream…read moreCatcher! Even though it was Labor Day weekend, the campground and Lakes Basin area was so quiet and peaceful. It's a hidden gem, compared to more popular, overcrowded nature areas. Mike and Brandi were super responsive and helpful via text and in person. It truly is a family business so always happy to support that. We stayed at one of the two campsites and it seems like, at least when we were there, the rest of the RV park folks there were mostly chill, quiet seniors. We helped ourselves to free hot showers (!!!!) and had the sparkling clean restrooms pretty much to ourselves the entire weekend. Nice hiking trail on their property, games and activities available if you choose. We chose to SUP, check out all the pretty lakes in the area. Highly recommend this campground, will visit again.

What a beautiful spot. It felt like the 3 couples we had, had the entire park to ourselves. Clean…read morerestrooms, super funny signs that will make you want to potty in every stall. Only complaint is Dale and the boys working on their trucks ALL NIGHT LONG. I don't know what they were on but it rhymes with Shmeth. People actually live on the SE side of the campground so unless you're in to tweakers banging on things all night, don't stay on that side of the campground. Super loud metal on metal and welding and grinding. I didn't plan on staying at an auto shop but here we are. So we have to be quiet after 10 but they can rage all night? No thanks I do appreciate the care that the owners have put in to this spot, again, super clean and very well maintained. Location is great for golf, local restaurants etc. I'd stay here again but Dale and the boys better put their tools away. Other than that, super great experience

Great campground! There are two loops, the higher numbers being further away from the highway. The…read morescenery is beautiful and the view of the stars at night is breathtaking. The campground itself is kept very clean. There are no showers and the toilets are vault. The toilets are kept exceptionally clean but are still pretty fowl smelling upon entering (just a heads up). There are several swimming holes you can hike down to (directly across the highway from campground). The town of Downieville is also very close and has some fun places to visit. Best camping trip thus far, I will definitely return next summer for more fun!

This great campground is about 6 miles west of the town of Downieville, tucked among the trees of…read morethe Tahoe National Forest. As the other reviewer notes, there are two loops. The lower loop is almost parallel to Hwy 49, but the upper loop is up a bit further back. Though traffic noises could be heard, they weren't too intrusive. I booked campsite #13, which was in the upper loop. Great site! We didn't have any neighbors immediately next to us, in any direction. Though the campground was almost completely full during my July visit, most people seemed to be out and about exploring the area during the day, and were quiet during the night. This is a tent-only campground, so it was nice not having to hear the hum of RVs all day. The grounds themselves were kept neat and tidy, the vault toilets were some of the cleanest I've seen, and there is potable water available. The campground is really close to some awesome swimming holes on the Yuba River. There is a trailhead directly across Hwy 49 that provides access. My group walked down to the river most days we were there. The traffic on Hwy 49 isn't very heavy so we felt really safe walking across and along the Hwy. The small town of Downieville is a definite must visit while you're in the area. We were camping specifically to attend the Downieville Mountain Brewfest (which was awesome!) but the town itself is charming and full of interesting historical places and things to see. All in all, the Ramshorn Campground provided a great base to explore Downieville, the Yuba River, and Tahoe National Forest. I'll definitely be back to explore more of the area and camp here again.