South Lake Tahoe Camping: Campgrounds Around the Lake, Seasons and Rules

Lake Tahoe's campgrounds ring the lake: on the South Shore around Fallen Leaf Lake and Camp Richardson, along Emerald Bay and the West Shore's state parks, and on the Nevada side at Nevada Beach and Zephyr Cove. The Forest Service counts more than a dozen campgrounds and three resorts with cabins in the basin. Most are summer-only, from mid-May to mid-October, and there's no free dispersed camping anywhere on the National Forest around the lake.

Lake Tahoe camping at a glance

The rules around the lake

Three Forest Service orders matter most for campers:

• Camping only in designated places. On National Forest land you may camp only in designated campgrounds and in a few backcountry areas: Desolation Wilderness (with a permit), Meiss Country, the Mount Rose Wilderness, and within 300 feet of the Pacific Crest and Tahoe Rim trails, except where the trail is within a quarter mile of a campground, road, trailhead or day-use area. Dispersed camping, vehicle camping and overnighting are prohibited (order in force through December 1, 2027).
• Campfires only in the permanent iron fire rings of open, designated campgrounds. No fires in Desolation or Meiss, along the PCT or Tahoe Rim Trail, in rock fire rings, on beaches, at day-use areas, picnic areas and trailheads (except the permanent grills at the Nevada Beach and William Kent day-use areas), or in the general forest. Portable stoves with an on/off valve need a valid permit.
• Bears: all unattended food and trash must be in bear-resistant containers, including the lockers and dumpsters at campgrounds, and hard-sided bear canisters are required in Desolation Wilderness (order through December 31, 2029).

Most National Forest campgrounds allow 6 people per site and 14 nights per calendar year.

South Shore

Fallen Leaf Campground

Best for: the classic South Lake Tahoe campground. Under tall pines a quarter mile north of Fallen Leaf Lake, off Highway 89, open mid-May to mid-October.

• $47 a night for a single site, $126 for a cabin, plus $2 a night on holidays. Book on Recreation.gov.
• Standing iron grills and fire rings at every site; restrooms when the campground is open.
• Across the highway: the Taylor Creek Visitor Center and its Rainbow Trail. Nearby: Pope and Baldwin beaches, the Tallac Historic Site, the 3-mile Pope-Baldwin Bike Path, and the Glen Alpine and Mt. Tallac trailheads into Desolation Wilderness.
• Leashed pets allowed. Watch for harmful algal bloom alerts.

Camp Richardson Resort

A historic resort on Forest Service land, a short walk from the lake, with tent sites in two campgrounds (Recreation.gov lists 84 at Badger's Den and 31 at Eagle's Nest): Badger's Den on the lake side of Highway 89 and Eagle's Nest across the road, each site with a bear box, table and fire pit. Its RV Village has water and electric hookups at every site, with full hookups at some (see Lake Tahoe RV parks). Cabins, hotel rooms, a store, restaurant, beach and rentals are on site. Book on Recreation.gov. No pets except service dogs.

Campground by the Lake

Run by the City of South Lake Tahoe, typically open mid-May to mid-October, and closed for the season now.

• $47.04 a night including 12% tax, for up to 6 people and 1 car, plus a $10 reservation fee. Extra person $6 a night (8 max), extra vehicle $6, pets $2 a night (up to 3 dogs and cats).
• No electric or water hookups: every site is a dry site.
• Reservations open in January for opening day through September; October is first come, on site only. No same-day reservations.
• Loops A and B and the tent cabin village are gone, replaced by construction of a new recreation and aquatics center.
• Cancel 30 or more days out for $10; 29 days to 48 hours out costs $50 plus $10; no refunds inside 48 hours.

Tahoe Valley Campground

A private campground that the Forest Service lists among the basin's few year-round campgrounds.

Emerald Bay and the West Shore

Emerald Bay State Park

Eagle Point Campground and the boat-in campground (campsites $35 a night) open in summer and are closed for the season now. Dogs are allowed only in the campground areas, on boats and at the vista overlook, never on trails or at Vikingsholm.

D.L. Bliss State Park

Camping is closed until May 2027. In season it's $35 a night for 8 people ($45 at the beach camp), $10 for a second vehicle. The campground dates from 1934 and its parking pads are small. Motorhomes up to 18 feet, trailers up to 15, no hookups. Reservations open six months ahead on ReserveCalifornia; the park recommends booking.

Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Best for: winter camping. The California state park campground at the lake that stays open in winter, for motorhomes up to 32 feet and trailers up to 26: from October 1 its first loop is open first come, $35 a night, $10 per extra vehicle, with a central restroom and water (the showers and dump station closed for the season on October 16). Day-use parking at the lakeside Hellman-Ehrman estate is free for campers.

Kaspian, William Kent and Blackwood Canyon

• Kaspian: a small tent-only campground four miles south of Tahoe City across Highway 89 from the lake, with flush toilets, water and trash pickup, open May to October; bike trails start nearby. Reserve on Recreation.gov.
• William Kent: two miles south of Tahoe City, with a day-use area across the street. $42 a night, $116 for a cabin or yurt; book at least a day ahead, with 2-night minimums on weekends and 3 on holidays. No showers, 6 people per site, $5 per extra vehicle, max 2 pets, no pets on beaches.
• Blackwood Canyon: six sites on Barker Pass Road about three miles from Highway 89 near Homewood, mid-May to mid-October, restroom but no potable water.

North Shore

• Tahoe State Recreation Area (Tahoe City): 23 sites in pines, trailers to 15 feet and RVs to 18 feet, no hookups; summer only, closed for the season now.
• Lake Forest Campground (Tahoe City PUD): 20 first-come sites, $30 a night, up to 10 consecutive days, vehicles to 25 feet, no showers or hookups. It closed for the season on October 25.
• Watson Lake: a free backcountry campground off Forest Road 16N50 at 7,759 feet, six first-come sites, a vault toilet, no water or trash service, and a 5-day limit per season.

East Shore (Nevada)

• Nevada Beach: about three miles north of Stateline in pines, many sites with a lake view, paved spurs, flush toilets and water. $47 a night on Recreation.gov. 6 people and 2 vehicles per site, RVs up to 45 feet, 14 nights maximum. Leashed pets in the campground only, not on the beach.
• Zephyr Cove: a year-round resort with an RV park and tent sites across the road from its beach; see Lake Tahoe RV parks. No campfires on the beach.

Desolation Wilderness and backcountry camping

Desolation Wilderness requires an entry permit all year for day and overnight trips, with overnight fees year-round and a quota from May through October; book on Recreation.gov. Hard-sided bear canisters are required. Campfires are banned there and in Meiss Country. You can also camp along the PCT and Tahoe Rim Trail, with no fires.

Before you go

• Book early for summer. State park reservations open six months ahead.
• Bring layers. Summer days are warm and dry, but nights get cold and snow is possible in any month.
• Store every scrap of food and scented item in the site's bear locker, never in your car or tent: the forest order and state park rules require it (at the state parks, even ice chests go in the locker).
• Check algal bloom alerts before swimming, and burn status before lighting a fire.

For hookups and big-rig sites, see our Lake Tahoe RV parks guide, and for the rest of the state, the California camping guide.