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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. California
  3. Carlton

Camping at Carlton near Nevada City

Public campground · Nevada City · 17 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups.

About this campground

Carlton Campground sits along the banks of the North Yuba River just off Highway 49, roughly 13 miles south of Downieville. The site runs right up to the highway, so you'll notice the road as part of the scene, but the campground is shaded by stands of cedar, ponderosa pine and oak that help temper the afternoon sun.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 48 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 5 photos

At a glance

  • RV fit varies by site

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Vault toilets

Not listed — confirm before booking: Max RV length isn't listed.

OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 17 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
007
standard nonelectric
––$24
010
standard nonelectric
––$24
017
standard nonelectric
––$24
012
standard nonelectric
––$24
005
standard nonelectric
––$24
018
standard nonelectric
––$24
004
standard nonelectric
––$24
002
standard nonelectric
––$24
008
standard nonelectric
––$24
009
standard nonelectric
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Vault Toilets
  • Water
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 17 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

YUBA RIVER RANGER DISTRICT
Open in Google Maps ↗

Carlton: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Carlton?
16 RV-capable sites, no length limits listed (per the listing)
Does Carlton have RV hookups?
17 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Carlton?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Carlton?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing 16 RV-capable sites, no length limits listed
Hookups & power
Listing 17 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 16 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 16 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Shade
Listing 16 of 16 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $24/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing YUBA RIVER RANGER DISTRICT (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Cell signal · Starlink / satellite · Water
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (48 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Camp was easy to get into. Our spot, #12, was great!! Near the bathrooms, which were clean and maintained daily. Perfect access to the water from camp. 10 out of 10 ill stay here again on my way through. ”

Justin S 5 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov

“Site was great! Be prepared for the dust to go everywhere if you got a dog tagging along”

Gloria A 5 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

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  • Campgrounds near Camptonville
  • RV rentals near Camptonville
  • Glamping & cabins near Camptonville
  • RV rentals in California
  • Glamping in California

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$24
013
standard nonelectric
––$24
015
standard nonelectric
––$24
014
standard nonelectric
––$24
011
standard nonelectric
––$24
006
standard nonelectric
––$24
003
standard nonelectric
––$24
016
standard nonelectric
––$24

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night

Gold Miners Camp

2.2 mi from Carlton (straight-line)
Sites from $55/night
$110 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night

Gold Country Camping

2.2 mi from Carlton (straight-line)
Sites from $32/night
$64 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night

Quail Ridge RV Park

8.1 mi from Carlton (straight-line)
Sites from $50/night
$100 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • fish for trout (per the campground listing)
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail Self-Guided E-Bike Tour — 2–4 Hours Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr–4 hr · from $100/person
    • Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Scenic Cruise Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr–3 hr · from $116/person
  3. Day 3 · One more stop, then head home

    • Ultimate Lake Tahoe Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour Lake Tahoe area · 3 hr–4 hr · from $14/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 17 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

2021 Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DBH
2021 Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DBH

Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 6 · 61 mi from campground

$130/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
BunkHouse "The Daffy Mansion"
BunkHouse "The Daffy Mansion"

Travel trailer · 36 ft · sleeps 7 · 86 mi from campground

$155/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Entegra Ethos Coach, Your Luxury Adventure Rental!
Entegra Ethos Coach, Your Luxury Adventure Rental!

Camper van · 20 ft · sleeps 2 · 120 mi from campground

$189/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Carlton

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Scenic Cruise
Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Scenic Cruise

Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr–3 hr · from $116/person

Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail Self-Guided E-Bike Tour — 2–4 Hours
Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail Self-Guided E-Bike Tour — 2–4 Hours

Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr–4 hr · from $100/person

Ultimate Lake Tahoe Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Ultimate Lake Tahoe Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Lake Tahoe area · 3 hr–4 hr · from $14/person

See 6 more bookable tours
Scenic Snowshoe Adventure in South Lake Tahoe, CA
Scenic Snowshoe Adventure in South Lake Tahoe, CA

Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr · from $110/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season Apr 15–Oct 15: RV & Tent $24 per night
  • Off-peak Oct 16–Oct 31: RV & Tent $24 per night

stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Carlton

For July weekends, book about 178 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 117 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
April22 days ahead58 days ahead——
May41 days ahead95 days ahead17 days ahead60 days ahead
June88 days ahead149 days ahead86 days ahead154 days ahead
July117 days ahead178 days ahead128 days ahead181 days ahead
August124 days ahead173 days ahead116 days ahead175 days ahead
September53 days ahead109 days ahead41 days ahead86 days ahead
October15 days ahead54 days ahead19 days ahead46 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (4,067 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Compare site types

17 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

17 sites · $24/night

Loops: AREA CARLTON (17)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Clear Kayak Tour of Sand Harbor's Crystal Clear Waters
Clear Kayak Tour of Sand Harbor's Crystal Clear Waters

Lake Tahoe area · 2.5 hr · from $150/person

Lake Tahoe Evening Dinner Cruise
Lake Tahoe Evening Dinner Cruise

Lake Tahoe area · 3 hr–4 hr · from $170/person

Private Yacht-Class Boat Tour on Lake Tahoe
Private Yacht-Class Boat Tour on Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe area · 2 hr · from $642/person

Emerald Bay Helicopter Tour of Lake Tahoe
Emerald Bay Helicopter Tour of Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe area · 10 min–12 min · from $139/person

Yosemite Grand Adventure - day tour from S. Lake Tahoe
Yosemite Grand Adventure - day tour from S. Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe area · 14 hr · from $270/person