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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. Salmon Creek

Camping at Salmon Creek near Nevada City

Public campground · Nevada City · 29 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

Beyond the campsite, the Lakes Basin and surrounding high-country lakes offer much of the recreational draw: a large network of trails (including Tamarack Lake, Deer Lake and access points to the Pacific Crest Trail) plus more than 30 miles of maintained routes for hiking, mountain biking and singletrack riding. Sardine Lakes, roughly a mile west, provides fishing, swimming and boat rentals through Sardine Lakes Resort, and a more developed ramp at Gold Lake accommodates larger boats; anglers can expect rainbow and brook trout across the basin's lakes and streams.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 81 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 3 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 45 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Vault toilets
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 29 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
005
tent only nonelectric
––$24
023
standard nonelectric
––$24
024
standard nonelectric
––$24
015
standard nonelectric
––$24
022
standard nonelectric
––$24
027
standard nonelectric
––$24
012
standard nonelectric
––$24
031
standard nonelectric
––$24
018
standard nonelectric
––$24
001
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

  • Drinking Water
  • Host
  • Paved Roads
  • Pets Allowed
  • Self Pay Station
  • Shade
  • Trash Collection
  • Vault Toilets
  • Water
  • Water Spigot
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 29 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

YUBA RIVER RANGER STATION
Open in Google Maps ↗

Salmon Creek: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Salmon Creek?
Longest RV site listed: 45 ft (24 of 24 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Salmon Creek have RV hookups?
29 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Salmon Creek?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Salmon Creek?
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 Longest RV site listed: 45 ft (24 of 24 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 29 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 30 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 30 gravel site driveways; 3 hike-in sites
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): AT&T 0 (26 reports), T-Mobile 1 (7 reports)
Water
Listing Drinking water listed
Shade
Listing 30 of 30 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 STATION (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (81 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.

“The camp grounds are always wonderful, and a great experience. Jack is the campground supervisor and maintenance worker and he is one of the easiest guys to get along with. Super helpful, and great with our kids and pets. I give this campground a 5 star every year we go!”

Douglas H 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

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Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Sierra City
  • RV rentals near Sierra City
  • Glamping & cabins near Sierra City
  • RV rentals in California
  • Glamping in California

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$24
017
standard nonelectric
––$24
016
standard nonelectric
––$24
030
standard nonelectric
––$24
002
tent only nonelectric
––$24
026
standard nonelectric
––$24
004
tent only nonelectric
––$24
020
standard nonelectric
––$24
003
tent only nonelectric
––$24
028
standard nonelectric
––$24
010
standard nonelectric
––$24
007
standard nonelectric
––$24
021
standard nonelectric
––$24
009
standard nonelectric
––$24
006
standard nonelectric
––$24
029
standard nonelectric
––$24
008
standard nonelectric
––$24
011
standard nonelectric
––$24
019
standard nonelectric
––$24
033
tent only nonelectric
––—

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

No sites offered for these dates

Sardine Lake

0.4 mi from Salmon Creek (straight-line) 4.0 · 105 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
Recreation.gov isn't offering sites Nov 13–15
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
No sites offered for these dates

Diablo

1.5 mi from Salmon Creek (straight-line) 4.0 · 35 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
Recreation.gov isn't offering sites Nov 13–15
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
No sites offered for these dates

Berger

1.7 mi from Salmon Creek (straight-line) 4.0 · 23 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
Recreation.gov isn't offering sites Nov 13–15
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · 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: 29 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 45 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Go Yonder! 2022 Thor Magnitude GA31
Go Yonder! 2022 Thor Magnitude GA31

Class C motorhome · 31 ft · sleeps 10 · 65 mi from campground

$250/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

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

Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 6 · 77 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 · 105 mi from campground

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

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Salmon Creek

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 Jun 7–Oct 15: per night
  • Peak season Jun 7–Oct 15: per night

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

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Salmon Creek

For July weekends, book about 177 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 128 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
May85 days ahead131 days ahead43 days ahead124 days ahead
June90 days ahead154 days ahead94 days ahead158 days ahead
July128 days ahead177 days ahead101 days ahead177 days ahead
August76 days ahead148 days ahead66 days ahead157 days ahead
September41 days ahead94 days ahead66 days ahead159 days ahead
October17 days ahead51 days ahead20 days ahead56 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 (6,554 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

29 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

24 sites · $24/night

Loops: AREA SALMON CREEK (24)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Tent-only sites

Tents only, no power

5 sites · $24/night

Loops: AREA SALMON CREEK (5)

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