Tahoe National Forest
Forest Service1,181,139 acres · USDA Forest Service
Can you sleep here
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.
Stay limit14 days in most forests — the exact limit is set per forest and district
In an RVDispersed sites are unimproved: no hookups, no water, no dump station, and access roads are often unsurfaced. Designated wilderness inside the unit is closed to all vehicles.
Rule36 CFR 261.58 — occupancy and use, set by forest order
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 1,846 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 85
- Longest rig
- 100 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.
Map loads as you scroll
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 85 campgrounds shown
85 of 85 campgrounds
- Ahart Campground12 sitesJune – November · Reservations accepted
- Bear Valley CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Berger Campgroundto 50 ft · 9 sitesJune 13 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Big Bend Group CampgroundOctober 31 · Reservations accepted
- Big Reservoir CampgroundMay 24 – September 3
- Boca Campgroundto 40 ft · 23 sites · Pull-throughMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Boca Rest Campgroundto 45 ft · 39 sites · Pull-throughMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Boca Springs CampgroundMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Bowman CampgroundNo
- Boyington Mill Campgroundto 60 ft · 13 sites · Pull-throughMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Cal Ida Campgroundto 30 ft · 19 sitesApril 17 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Canyon Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Carlton Flat CampgroundApril 17 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Carr Lake CampgroundMay 27 – October 15 · recreation.pge.com
- Chapman Creek CampgroundJune 14 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- China Wall Staging Area - (530)-478-6254 x228Season not published
- Cold Creek Campgroundto 30 ft · 13 sitesMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Cottonwood Creek Campgroundto 45 ft · 48 sitesMay 24 – October 14 · Reservations accepted
- Coyote Group Campgroundto 99 ft · 4 sitesJune – September · Reservations accepted
- Dark Day Campgroundto 45 ft · 10 sitesApril 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Diablo Campgroundto 60 ft · 19 sitesJune 14 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- East Meadow Campgroundto 48 ft · 44 sites · Pull-through · Bear boxesAugust 1 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Emigrant Group Campgroundto 45 ft · 6 sitesMay 27 – October 11 · Reservations accepted
- Faucherie Group CampgroundReservations accepted
- Fiddle Creek Campgroundto 15 ft · 15 sites · Bear boxesApril 17 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Forbes Group CampgroundMay 14 – October 11 · Reservations accepted
- French Meadows Campgroundto 85 ft · 63 sites · Pull-through · Bear boxesJune – October · Reservations accepted
- Frenchy Point CampgroundOctober 15
- Garden Point CampgroundApril 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Gates Group Campground3 sitesJune – September · Reservations accepted
- Giant Gap Campgroundto 60 ft · 30 sites · Pull-throughApril 30 – October 31 · Reservations accepted
- Goose Meadow CampgroundMay 27 – October 11 · Reservations accepted
- Granite Flat CampgroundMay 27 – October 11 · Reservations accepted
- Grouse Ridge CampgroundMemorial Day – Mid-October · No
- Hampshire Rocks Campgroundto 45 ft · 33 sites · Pull-throughMay 23 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Hornswoggle Group Campgroundto 80 ft · 6 sitesApril 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Indian Springs Campgroundto 35 ft · 36 sitesMay 21 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Indian Valley Campgroundto 40 ft · 17 sitesApril 17 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Jackson Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Lakeside CampgroundMay 27 – October 10 · Reservations accepted
- Lewis Campgroundto 45 ft · 40 sites · Bear boxesJune – September · Reservations accepted
- Lindsey Lake CampgroundNo
- Little Lasier Meadow Horse CampAugust 1 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Little Truckee Summit OHV/Snowmobile Staging AreaSeason not published
- Loganville Campgroundto 40 ft · 19 sites · Bear boxesMay 23 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Logger Campgroundto 50 ft · 205 sites · Pull-throughMay 27 – October 10 · Reservations accepted
- Lower Little Truckee Campgroundto 45 ft · 15 sitesReservations accepted
- Madrone Cove CampgroundReservations accepted
- Meadow Knolls Group CampJuly 1 – September 19
- Meadow Lake CampgroundJuly 1 · Reservations accepted
- Meadow Lake Shoreline CampgroundJuly 1 · No
- Mumford Bar CampgroundSeason not published
- North Fork CampgroundOctober 15 · Reservations accepted
- Onion Valley CampgroundOctober 15 · No
- Packsaddle Campgroundto 100 ft · 18 sites · Pull-through · Bear boxesJune 13 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Parker Flat Staging Area - (530)-478-6254 x228Season not published
- Pass Creek Campgroundto 50 ft · 30 sitesAugust 1 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- Poppy CampgroundNo
- Prosser Family Campgroundto 60 ft · 30 sitesMay 27 – October 10 · Reservations accepted
- Prosser Pits OHV AreaApril 24 – December 31
- Prosser Ranch Group Campgroundto 20 ft · 2 sitesMay 27 – October · Reservations accepted
- Ramshorn Campgroundto 20 ft · 16 sitesTBD – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Robinson Flat CampgroundNo
- Rocky Rest Campgroundto 30 ft · 10 sites · Pull-throughApril 17 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Rucker Lake CampgroundSeptember 19 · Reservations accepted
- Sagehen Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Salmon Creek Campgroundto 45 ft · 32 sitesMay 21 – October 29 · Reservations accepted
- Sardine CampgroundMay 21 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Schoolhouse CampgroundApril 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Shirttail CampgroundApril 30 – October 31 · Reservations accepted
- Sierra Campgroundto 80 ft · 16 sitesReservations accepted
- Silver Creek CampgroundMay 27 – October 10 · Reservations accepted
- Skillman Campgroundto 35 ft · 17 sitesMay 22 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Snag Lake CampgroundMay 21 – October 15 · No
- Sterling Lake CampgroundNo
- Sugar Pine Staging AreaFirst-come, first-served
- Talbot CampgroundNo
- Tunnel Mills Group CampgroundOctober 15 · Reservations accepted
- Union Flat Campgroundto 50 ft · 11 sites · Pull-throughMay 20 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Upper Little Truckee Campgroundto 60 ft · 22 sites · Pull-throughMay 24 – October 13 · Reservations accepted
- White Cloud Campgroundto 40 ft · 45 sitesMay 23 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Wild Plum Campgroundto 43 ft · 47 sites · Pull-through · Bear boxesMay 20 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Woodchuck CampgroundMemorial Day – Mid-October
- Yuba Pass Campgroundto 60 ft · 20 sites · Pull-throughReservations accepted
- Yuba Pass SnowparkSeason not published
Tahoe National Forest
Tahoe National Forest is a United States National Forest located in California, northwest of Lake Tahoe. It includes the 8,587-foot (2,617 m) peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It is located in parts of six counties: Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Plumas and El Dorado. The forest has a total area of 871,495 acres. Its headquarters is in Nevada City, California. There are local ranger district offices in Camptonville, Foresthill, Sierraville and Truckee.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Granite Chief Wilderness28,459 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
Plan it
Drive to Tahoe 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.