Fallen Leaf Campground

Compared to the extremely crowded and more popular CA/NV State Parks and other areas of the Tahoe Basin, we were pleasantly surprised by this very large (over 200 sites) campground just a hop, skip, and jump away from Lake Tahoe itself. The campground was amazingly quiet the weekend we were there, but it was right after the Labor Day weekend, so probably low-traffic as a result.

Clean, modern, combo shower/bathroom facilities (token-based showers) seem recently updated/built and our site #81 was downright huge in size with a very long paved driveway suitable for a long RV. Not sure if the adjacent site 83 might have been removed due to a downed tree, but there was a HUGE amount of space between 81 and 85, so this would be a great site for families with kids. Site 78 and 79 next door were pull-through sites so that's an option as well. Site 80 across the street was a side-by-side parking with a short trail down to the site itself, so do note details like this before reserving.

Some loops are much more tightly packed than others, so if you can scout out your sites ahead of time, it's worth doing so you don't end up in areas that are very close to neighbors.

There are also yurts available near each of the bathroom facilities for those who want to opt out of tent camping.

There is a paved multi-use path open to bicycles starting near Site #5 that will take you directly towards Lake Tahoe then can proceed to the West towards Emerald Bay (will not get you all the way there, ends at Spring Creek Rd, near Tallac Creek) or to the East to take you all the way to Stateline via Camp Richardson. Definitely makes for a good way to save on day-use fees if you ride/walk to the local sites like Baldwin Beach, Pope Beach, or Camp Richardson itself. Do note the camping fee/pass is not applicable for the Federal day-use fees, so you'd have to pay if you drive into those parking lots.

The road that proceeds south along the East Shore of Fallen Leaf Lake is a nice route to bike along as well, just beware of the odd car coming around a blind corner to/from the vacation home community towards the south end of Fallen Leaf Lake. Glen Alpine Falls is a little reward for trekking all the way to the South End of the lake, don't miss it!

There is direct access to the Fallen Leaf Lake shoreline near site #85. Bring your kayaks and SUPs for an easy day on the water, just be aware that the wind across the lake seemed to to pick up in the afternoon.

Cell service is not particularly strong, we had maybe one bar of spotty ATT service and VZW only had a useful bar when up near Fallen Leaf Lake itself with a clear line of sight. Cell boosters might be enough to get coverage at your site.

On-site dump station is $10 dump fee, pay at the kiosk or in the locked drop box next to the station. Note the access road into this campground is not plowed, so early/late season access may not be possible, depending on conditions. There is an on-site camp store (closes at 6pm daily) where you can get firewood and light supplies like ice cream. Firewood was $9 for a bundle that lasts around 1 hour (wood is very dry).

We did have a situation with the local fresh water supply the weekend we were there (~9 Sept 2023) where they detected E. Coli contamination in their well supply and had to place a (temporary) boil-only warning on all fresh water sources, so it doesn't hurt to be prepared and arrive with a self-sustaining supply of fresh drinking water just in case. I was surprised the source for their water in this area was a well and not a typical/expected alpine source.

For those who depend on solar panels for power, our site was partial shade most of the day and having portable panels to move around chasing the sun are almost required if you want a decent charge during the daylight hours.

We stay here several times every summer. The campground is gorgeous with amazing views of the snowcapped mountains that surround it. Fallen Leaf is a beautiful alpine lake with cold, crystal clear water-it's great for kayaking and paddle boarding depending on the wind. You're in the trees and the smell is delightful. There are bears so please use the bear lockers provided. They do not attack and run off when yelled at. They are only looking for food so keep it locked up. There it little to no cell coverage in the campground but it's a short drive to pick up service again. Fallen Leaf is across the street from Lake Tahoe.

A great lake for a Summer dip with cool, crystal clear water. Not as crowded as Lake Tahoe but just across the street basically. Beaches are pebble and not sand but I don’t mind that. The campground is large with a camp store, clean, warm showers ($1 for 3 min), get tokens at kiosk outside camp store, and flush toilets. Sites vary, some very large and private, others closer together and less private but all larger than average. Water spigots can be a bit of a hike from some sites. Very quiet during our stay. Our site also backed up to a stream and the sound of flowing water could be heard from the site. One of my favorite campgrounds. No dump station but some nearby. I believe $10 parking for day use well worth it if you don’t camp here, saw many park on the road to the campground and hike in for free.

Large campground
Only a couple of miles from South Lake Tahoe...very convenient
Little space and no trees between parking aprons
Flush toilets and sinks
Expensive $35/night
It felt very crowded, no privacy at all
No dump station....closest is Richardson Camp one mile away for $12.00!
No cool views...just views of your neighbors
Zero cell coverage AT&T

Absolutely beautiful campground! Large sites with plenty of trees and bushes between them to provide privacy. Easy walk to lovely Fallen Leaf Lake to hike or launch kayaks. Easy and safe 5 min bike ride on dedicated bike path to all the amenities of Camp Richardson- restaurant, bar, general store, ice cream, stables, without the highway noise and crowds. No dump station or hookups, but you can use the dump station at Camp Richardson for $12. Clean camp bathrooms and coin op showers. Each site also has a charcoal bbq grill. Our parking pad was large and almost level, easily corrected with jacks. We’d come back with both RV and tents.

There is no signal at this campground, despite its proximity to a bustling city. Go into town for supplies but go up north for trails and boating in Emerald Bay and the smaller coves. The larger parts of the lake seem great for big motorboats but not paddleboards or kayaks.

Just about everywhere here charges for parking even when it's federal lands and the America the Beautiful Pass doesn't get you in so be prepared for that. This includes Pope Beach down the road from the campground. Kiva Beach, right across the street, is a rare exception and I recommend it.

The bike trails are extensive and there's a paved one off the main road coming in from the campground. If you are going to boat they have very specific rules even for non-motorized craft so be careful you may need an inspection decal. They also require lifejackets be worn even on kayaks and paddleboards.

The road leading to the campground is one lane and pretty janky. Go slow.

Bears are habituated here. Leave your food and anything that smells in the bear lockers. There was a mama bear and two cubs checking out sites in broad daylight and three male bears checking the lockers for 3-4 hours every night.

We stayed in 2 different spaces. Space 36 was a great spot although it is not very private. The spot is level and spacious. I would definitely stay in that spot again. We also stayed in spot 17. Space 17 is pretty and large as a pull through but the space itself is on a hill and from side to side is not level either. Space 17 is not easy to level out a trailer. The campground itself is wonderful and very nice and very well maintained. We had cell phone with att but it was not fast but did work. Would definitely come back.

We had no reservations arrived on a Sunday. Our site was awesome, flat, 50 feet long, good sun for our solar and we got satellites on our dish. Huge area around us with 2 bathrooms close. Other sites that looked good were 5 and 55.
Water available for the RV near the entrance station, ask so you don’t have to make a complete loop around the campground. Lots of spigots also.
Numerous paths to the lake. Two main ones, one with parking and the other a shorter shot where people dropped off paddle boards and kayaks. We did both and also hiked around numerous paths near the lake. Some windy and some flat days on the lake. Some people were swimming or just sitting enjoying the view of Mt Tallac. Water was cold when not near the shallow part of the lake.
You can mountain bike ride to the marina or road ride on the bike path out to the main road and put in some mileage.
All roads are bumpy and irregular.
The marina was closing the end of the month and the campground was closing mid October.
Cell service varied all the time and in different areas of the lake. Don’t depend on it.
Across from the campground is one of the few free beaches called Kiva. Lots of paths over near Lake Tahoe to walk all around the historic Mt Tallac Museum which is free.

It was a standard CA state campground filled with burners looking to decompress after Burning Man. The campground was ok. Lots of bear scares though. Mostly I think of the yellow jackets who stung me in the first hour. They were everywhere. And it had zero cell service which was frustrating being so close to Tahoe.

We did enjoy the Fallen Leaf lake and the proximity to good mountain biking.

The road into the park is a terrible patch work of asphalt that will rattle everything in the RV.

Another down side was the bathrooms and showers were very dirty. I watched the host mop one and rinse the mop in the water access point. No soap or mop bucket.

I need to break this review down into two parts...

Part 1: the campground. Beautiful. Good amount of space between sites. Close proximity to bathrooms and showers which were clean enough. Water was warm and showers had good water pressure. Our site was nicely paved. Other campers seemed to be mostly quiet and there were minimal screaming kids. Definitely worth checking out Fallen Leaf Lake, an easy walk from our site. We enjoyed a beautiful hike along the NW corner of the lake, across Taylor Creek dam, which connected to Cathedral Rd. and dumped out at Hwy.89 and then back to Fallen Leaf Rd. (approx. 4 mile loop). Staff and Camp Hosts are SUPER friendly and helpful. Great proximity to Tallac and Camp Richardson... and even S. Lk. Tahoe if you’ve got a bike or a motorcycle. Caution: the half-mile(?) access road into the campground main gate is super bumpy with lots of potholes and a bit narrow for a big rig.

Part 2: our van. We have learned that we need as much direct sunlight as possible throughout the day to keep our batteries charged, so that our electric only fridge/freezer will run... AND so that we can avoid running our obnoxious generator. Yes, this campground is generator friendly and there were a smattering of generators running at various times throughout the day. Our Sprinter van is equipped with a loud Onan propane generator which seemed too noisy given the peaceful nature of this campground. Word of warning: if you need a lot of direct sunlight for solar charging, this campground has a beautiful tree canopy which filters out most of the direct sun.