Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 518 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 23
- Longest rig
- 125 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 23 campgrounds shown
- Bayview Trailhead and Day-Use AreaSeason not published
- Buck Lake Road 14N40Season not published
- Camp Richardson CorralSeason not published
- Camp Richardson ResortSeason not published
- Echo ChaletSeason not published
- Fallen Leaf Campgroundto 125 ft · 208 sites · Pull-through · Bear boxesReservations accepted
- Fountain PlaceSeason not published
- Genoa Peak Road 14N32Season not published
- Hellhouse Road 12N01DSeason not published
- Kaspian Campground9 sites · Bear boxesMay – October · Reservations accepted
- Kingsbury Stinger 18E39.3Season not published
- Meeks Bay CampgroundMay – October · Reservations accepted
- Meeks Bay Resortto 20 ft · 99 sites · Electric · Pull-throughMay – October · Reservations accepted
- Mt. Watson 73ESeason not published
- Nevada Beach Campground and Day Use PavilionMay – October · Reservations accepted
- Noonchester 14N34ASeason not published
- Power Line Road 12N08Season not published
- Sand Pit OHV Area (12N28)Season not published
- Sawmill Pond Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Saxon CreekSeason not published
- William Kent Campgroundto 57 ft · 81 sites · Bear boxesReservations accepted
- Zephyr Cove ResortSeason not published
- Zephyr Cove StablesSeason not published
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is a United States National Forest that manages and protects public land surrounding Lake Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin. Straddling the state borders of California and Nevada in the Sierra Nevada, the LTBMU encompasses 154,851 acres (626 km2) of National Forest system lands, ranging in altitude above sea level from 6,225 feet (1,897 m) at lake level to 10,881 feet (3,317 m) at Freel Peak. The U.S. Forest Service established the LTBMU in 1973. The name of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reflects a unique sort of National Forest.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
Drive to Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.