We love this campground located on the west side of Lake Tahoe. It's within easy walking distance…read moreof the beach front at Sugar Pine Point State Park and near the historic Ehrman Mansion. West Shore Sports even has a kayak rentals located at the park. The campground has large campsites, bear boxes, firepits, and paved parking pads. We also like the fact that there are restrooms with flushing toilets, mirrors and sinks. There are even some individual restrooms with more privacy if needed. A central shower facility is located within the camp and with multiple shower rooms operated by tokens you can purchase on site. With the tall pine trees this campground makes you feel like you are within the middle of the forest. In addition, you may experience bear sitings within camp. Be sure to keep all food products and anything with scent in the bear boxes. The bears do frequent the campground at all times of day.

July 1-6, 2026 Love…read morethis campground. Large sites, as long as you choose correctly when you reserve. Clean restrooms. Nice showers. $1.00 per token. One token gets you 3 minutes. The token machine takes $1, 5, 10 and I believe $20 dollar bills. Bears are active in the campground, so you must be diligent about keeping all food items and scented items inside your RV or locked in the bear locker. So much to do here. Bike, hike, swim, and kayak. We were here on July 4th. Park staff organized a parade for campers, which was fun.

Our first time at Camp Shelly... it's cool bc you get to select the site! Reasonably priced per…read morenight $60 for non-residents of Livermore. Spaces were pretty large compared to other camps we've been too. Clean bathrooms & free showers! No coins needed. Yes, we encountered a bear almost every day... bc we are in their home... but the rangers were awesome! They made it seem like the bears were "friendly" and shoo'd them away with ease. Make sure to keep your food in the large bear containers. Thank you rangers Katelyn, Gilbert & Drew!

I don't understand why Bob gave two stars to Camp Shelly for the second point "lack of…read moreOregon-ness". :( That's like going to a great Italian restaurant and docking a star because it's not in Rome. I'm not sure what camping fees are in Oregon so I can't compare, but this is California and I think it's pretty fair compared to most other campgrounds. Though I'm fairly certain everything is more expensive in California than other states, so that could induce a breathtaking moment... and not just because you're around 6,000' elevation. ;O) Unless a place is truly awful, say if the bathrooms stunk to the high heaven's which he cited they did not or service is inexcusably horrible, then I would give as low as two stars. I know the Rangers at Camp Shelly are outstanding and though the restrooms are rustic for most, it's clean. I respectfully ask that Bob reconsider that missing third star since it's a great campground and I'm going to tell you why. :) This is a wonderful little campground in beautiful S. Lake Tahoe which is operated by the Livemore Parks Department. It's a clean campground and cozy. It's likely not for hard core campers, but it's also not geared toward RV camping either and I think it's for everyone! It is an institution for many families of Livermore. This is a place many pine for the whole year long (no pun intended as there are Jeffrey Pines all about), I am one of those people. The bathrooms are clean and if you're lucky enough to have indoor plumbing (ladies) the outside of the stalls are painted in a lovely mural which is in the photos section. The Rangers are awesome and each Saturday night there is an old fashioned ice cream making/social and most importantly EATING! Campground kids are encouraged to come over and give the ice cream machine a crank. It's a great time to meet other campers and let the kids burn off energy and get a taste of ice cream made the old fashioned way. On the weekends LARPD Rangers offer interactive programs such as Astronomy walks/talks and Wildflower walks/exploration. One thing I especially love is the lack of poison oak that one might find in lower elevations. There are mosquitoes so do bring protection or, if you're like me, DEET it up and wear three layers of clothes. I try to encase my body in the Fortress of Solitude. There is a horseshoe pit, basketball, ping pong table (that was being refurbed last summer, but I hear it's making a comeback for 2012!) and yes....oh yes, volleyball. If you're lucky and stay during the time when Camp Shelly competes with neighboring Camp Concord in a volleyball tourney for the Golden Toilet Seat... well, good times are had by all. The campground is very chill and small enough to where you can feel comfortable letting your kids wander around, dig in the dirt and build forts on the hillside by your camp. It feels like a mini community and is very family friendly. Oh, when I say "family" I'm also including your four-legged canine family. Camp Shelly is dog-friendly and our dog loves it up there. We go up 2-3 times in the season and sometimes see friends we know from school/community. Other times we find familiar faces we see regularly at the Farmer's Market, but may not know personally. It's a cool thing to go back each year and see some of the same faces and it's fun to see the kids grow from year to year. It's always great meeting folks from outside of our community those that come from other cities or other states. There are some great hikes and wonderful places to visit nearby. One of our family favorites is the hike up to Eagle Lake. Our dog LOVES the climb and the jump into a snow-fed Alpine lake. If you're lucky and go early in the season (and winter has been good) sometimes you can have a snowball fight with what little snow is left. Baldwin Beach is right down the main drive from Camp Shelly and Camp Richardson is a 5 minute drive. There is dog-friendly Kiva Beach just down the road in case your pup is a water hound like ours. Another of our favorites is the Camp Richardson Ice cream shop, but remember to ask for a KIDS scoop because the regular scoop is bigger than a toddler's head. The trip up to Angora Lakes is wonderful and our daughter enjoys kayaking or doing the paddle board. Camp Shelly is a place worth checking out. It's become a place of lasting lifetime memories for many people I know, including our own family. As soon as Labor Day passes and Camp Shelly closes we do a countdown to opening day. Even as I write this I can smell the faint vanilla-bark of the Jeffrey pines, hear the ocean like cadence of the breeze making it's way through millions of pine needles, the crackling of our hyptnotic campfire, the sound of crickets lulling me to sleep, kids playing and campers having real exchanges in a simple world. Camp Shelly is a fantastic place to enjoy "just being". I hope you come take a look for yourself and make some lasting memories of your own. :)

This is a beautiful, well-maintained campground that sits right up against the Truckee River. The…read moresites are a decent size, and some are right at the edge of the water--those are the prime ones if you can snag them. Each site comes with a large bear box, a fire ring with a cooking grate, and a big picnic table. The bathrooms are vault toilets that were clean and well-stocked with toilet paper. There is a busy road nearby that drowns out the sound of the river unless you're right next to the water, but once night falls things calm down nicely. We stayed in a tent trailer while attending a show at the Salty Gebhardt Amphitheater, so we didn't spend a ton of time hanging out at the site, but it still made for a solid basecamp. Would happily stay again.

This is a beautiful, well maintained campground that sits up against the Truckee River. The sites…read moreare decent size and some are right at the edge of the river. The bathrooms include vault toilets that are well stocked with toilet paper. Each site has a large bear box, a fire ring with a grate for cooking, and a large picnic table. I have to say that I don't think I would go back to tent camp at this spot. The busy road nearby drowned out the sound of the river unless right near the water. Some campers were up and partying until almost 0300 when my husband and I were trying to tent camp. Lights from the road shined across our tent the whole night. This spot would be great if you have a camper or RV.

The proximity to Lake Tahoe - right across the street - is the main reason to camp here. The…read morecampsites were decently spaced apart. The restrooms & showers were clean. The camp hosts were friendly. My only complaint is that we didn't receive notice that briquettes aren't allowed to BBQ our food until 6 minutes before check in via email. If we had known before we had driven 5 hours to get there we could have packed our propane grill . We tried pellets in our BBQ but that didn't work so we ended up ordering pizza. I completely understand the fire safety issue; I just wish the website would have posted the information like it did the construction noise notice then we could have planned better & actually cooked the cooler of food that we had packed.

Love the campsites, spacious. The two office people are very nice and helpful. Just not happy no…read moreelectrical or water hook ups. Have been going there for over 20 plus years.

This was definitely not on my plan to check out, but the universe let us here and we decided to do…read morethe .6 miles to the top where we were greeted with the most stunning and beautiful view. The rangers working at the start of the hike were extremely kind and knowledgeable. I enjoyed learning about the two hikes and what to expect from each. I am a newbie so the hike I went on was so challenging. I found myself huffing and puffing, taking several breaks and turning very red. Once I made it to the top, it was totally worth it and coming back down was so much easier than going up! I would do it again and I highly recommend you do this too!

I'm sure the trails are beautiful, but the bathrooms were SO HORRENDOUS that we could not continue…read moreand we had to drive somewhere else entirely! Almost threw up when I entered the bathroom.

Five stars, if you don't mind noise…read more 4 PROS: 1) Cheap. $20 a night. That's like a McDonald's Value Meal. (Thanks, Obama). 2) Great location. The Truckee River is a sleepy and underrated river that is safe for innertubing if you know the few spots to avoid. It's a straight-shot, seven mile ride to Lake Tahoe, and at 1.5 miles down the road, 7-Eleven is walking distance, if you wake up early and go get coffee. [That 7-Eleven also has $8 bundles of firewood, which comes in handy when your host is empty-handed) 3) Spacious space with a low fire pit so you can see the fire better, a picnic table, and a bear locker, the bear locker locks with a noise, so it's hard to steal cookies without getting caught. 4) Relatively small, with only 21 spots, which potentially limits some neighbor noise and keeps multiple parties closer together. 4 CONS: 1) The number one complaint for all reviewers is the car noise from the steady flow of vehicles roaring up and down the 89. Tent only spots 22-28 get a little buffer because they're the furthest from the road, closest to the river, and down a small hill. 2) This is likely more rare, but there's a big house across the river, visible from sites 23-28. They hosted a party the night and went from loud to louder throughout the night. They aren't subject to Quiet Hours, and it especially intolerable when they intentionally yelled and hit our tents with flashlights. I kept thinking it was an alien invasion coming to take us away. After a while, I was hoping it was. 3) The first time we went to our hosts at #2 (D & K), they weren't there. The second time, they were out of wood. Had we not bought wood elsewhere we'd be in the dark, literally. So, don't rely on the host for wood. 4) This is minor, but the dirt roads make the Indiana Jones ride look like a block of greased marble. NOTE ON RIVER ACCESS: I expected to be level with the river, or at least able to walk to a clearing for a beachy area, to either climb rocks or wade into the water, but I didn't see clear river access aside a few paths through six feet high shrubs. [Psst, US Forest Service: Clearing a thirty-foot beach area would make for a nice, safe communal space] NOTE ON BUGS: We didn't experience yellow jackets (super late June). I used bug spray to avoid mosquitos. Not a bunch of gnats, like other sites. There are anthills, but only one adventurous ant made it into our tent. Finally, Of the 28 sites, 12 are tent-only. Of the tent-only sites, the #22-28 spots are the best, though you have to use the parking lot and can't keep your car at the site. Having a spot a hundred steps down a hill means it is a little more quiet and private, but packing and unpacking is a little tougher and time-consuming, Plus, you can't keep an eye on your ride to make sure bears aren't tearing it apart to find an four-year-old French fry. #28 is the clear winner having only one neighbor. I would avoid 25-26 because they might share a path to the parking lot. The guy is 25 kept walking through our camp (behind our bear locker), so either the separate path is nonexistent, hard to find, or he's a jabroni. My wife loved 26 for the perfectly spaced hammock trees. I assume #19-21 would be next best, being in the pocket furthest south. #9-11 are trash. I couldn't imagine staying in Spot #10. Like #9 and #11, it's practically in the parking lot, so you'd see more taillights than starlight, but 10 is on the bathroom trail. It should be renamed #2.

Small and pretty simple campground with a few cons. There…read moreare no showers and the bathrooms are not very well kept. However, the campsites are clean and spacious. The big con is our campsite was right by the main, busy road so it was hard to sleep. Overall though, Silver Creek is a beautiful campground and worth checking out.

I chose spot #46 for two nights as a get away for my birthday at the end of the season. This spot…read moreis huge with a good view of the lake and near the restroom. It is tucked back a bit and appears to have been 2 spots at one time. This would be a great spot for a family with kids as there is plenty of room to run around. You can reach the water from here but not the beach. The rangers were very helpful! I saw lizards, squirrels, chipmunks and birds.

This campground is beautiful & has bay beach access. There is lots of bear activity. The park…read morerangers are relaxed & helpful with information. They also come around to sell fire wood. We are camping here lots this summer so it's safe to say it's my favorite!

I really liked the staff members, the activities they planned and scheduled. I went there as a high…read moreschooler and experienced a lovely time with them. I recommend you guys go there and have fun, make memories. I would recommend them to kinna rebuild the cabins and make it a little lighter.

I had an amazing stay in camp concord the accommodations were very nice , the cabins were…read morecomfortable , showers and bathrooms were conveniently located, the meals were delicious and the views were incredible . I'll definitely be coming back next year .