01
Alpine Meadow Campground
At Martis Creek Lake · near Truckee
~3 weeks out typical booking~96% full in summer (est.)82.5 reservations per site / yrRanked 1st of 15 · 24 reservable sites · 5,676 reservations FY2023–2025
The 15 most in-demand federal campgrounds near Lake Tahoe
Alpine Meadow took about 82.5 reservations per site each year, the most of the 15 campgrounds we ranked. Half its campers booked ~3 weeks or more ahead, and its sites were an estimated 96% full in summer.
Emerald Bay at sunrise, Lake Tahoe Photo: Eric Philbin / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (public domain)
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The top five
- 1Alpine Meadow CampgroundAt Martis Creek Lake · near Truckee~3 weeks outtypical booking · 96% est. full82.5 res./site/yr · 5,676 total
- 2Fallen Leaf CampgroundSouth Shore · at Fallen Leaf Lake~6 weeks outtypical booking · 93% est. full76.3 res./site/yr · 40,062 total
- 3Nevada Beach CampgroundSouth Shore (Nevada) · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe~2 weeks outtypical booking · 94% est. full75.4 res./site/yr · 10,111 total
- 4William Kent CampgroundWest Shore · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe~8 weeks outtypical booking · 94% est. full72.5 res./site/yr · 15,549 total
- 5Zephyr Cove RV & CampgroundSouth Shore (Nevada) · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe~7 weeks outtypical booking · 28% est. full57.8 res./site/yr · 8,107 total
Five campgrounds worth a closer look
Ranked by reservations per reservable site per year (FY2023–2025), so a small campground that fills up counts as much as a big one. "Typical booking" is when half of campers had already reserved; summer occupancy is our estimate (see how we measured).
02 · South Shore
Fallen Leaf Campground
Wooded sites beside Taylor Creek, near Tahoe's south shore
The sites sit among tall pine, cedar, fir and aspen beside Taylor Creek, near the north shore of Fallen Leaf Lake. Lake Tahoe is under a mile away, but the sites don't have views of either lake.
Half of September Friday and Saturday arrivals were reserved at least 137 days ahead, and a quarter at least 181 days ahead.
~6 weeks out typical booking~93% full in summer (est.)76.3 reservations per site / yrRanked 2nd of 15 · 198 reservable sites · 40,062 reservations FY2023–2025
03 · East Shore (Nevada)
Nevada Beach Campground
Follow the campground trails to the sand
Sites sit in a sparse forest of pine and evergreen shrubs by Nevada Beach on the east shore; many have a view of the lake.
~2 weeks out typical booking~94% full in summer (est.)75.4 reservations per site / yrRanked 3rd of 15 · 54 reservable sites · 10,111 reservations FY2023–2025
04 · West Shore
William Kent Campground
A West Shore base with lake access across the road
A few miles south of Tahoe City, under tall pine, cedar and fir, with evergreen shrubs and low ridges screening many sites.
The campground straddles a busy highway. Its day-use area for lake access is across the street, so plan to cross the road to reach the water.
~8 weeks out typical booking~94% full in summer (est.)72.5 reservations per site / yrRanked 4th of 15 · 78 reservable sites · 15,549 reservations FY2023–2025
05 · Southeast Shore (Nevada)
Zephyr Cove RV & Campground
RV camping among the pines, a short walk from the marina
At Zephyr Cove Resort: 92 RV sites, 47 walk-in and 10 drive-in sites under pines, a short stroll from the beach, restaurant and marina.
~7 weeks out typical booking~28% full in summer (est.)57.8 reservations per site / yrRanked 5th of 15 · 150 reservable sites · 8,107 reservations FY2023–2025
RV travelers: see the listing for each site's length limit, hookups and site type.
All 15 campgrounds, ranked by reservations per site
Typical booking: median days between booking and arrival, FY2023–2025. Peak season, est. full: reserved site-nights ÷ (reservable sites × nights) in summer (June–August), 2023–2025; blank where we couldn't estimate it reliably. Ranking is reservations per reservable site per year, averaged over the FY2023–2025 years each campground took reservations (campgrounds that joined Recreation.gov recently are marked "Partial history"). Details in About this data.
| # | Campground | Area / setting | Typical booking | Peak season, est. full | Reservations per site / yr | Sites | Total reservations FY23–25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alpine Meadow Campground | At Martis Creek Lake · near Truckee | ~3 weeks out | 96% | 82.5 | 24 | 5,676 |
| 2 | Fallen Leaf Campground | South Shore · at Fallen Leaf Lake | ~6 weeks out | 93% | 76.3 | 198 | 40,062 |
| 3 | Nevada Beach Campground | South Shore (Nevada) · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~2 weeks out | 94% | 75.4 | 54 | 10,111 |
| 4 | William Kent Campground | West Shore · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~8 weeks out | 94% | 72.5 | 78 | 15,549 |
| 5 | Zephyr Cove RV & CampgroundPartial history: FY2025 only | South Shore (Nevada) · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~7 weeks out | 28% | 57.8 | 150 | 8,107 |
| 6 | Boca Campground | Tahoe National Forest · near Truckee | ~9 weeks out | 83% | 53.3 | 23 | 3,461 |
| 7 | Goose Meadows | Tahoe National Forest · near Truckee | ~6 weeks out | 76% | 52.7 | 24 | 3,526 |
| 8 | Badgers Den at Camp Richardson ResortPartial history: FY2025 only | South Shore · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~8 weeks out | 27% | 51.3 | 84 | 4,095 |
| 9 | Meeks Bay Resort | West Shore · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~3 months out | 77% | 50.8 | 73 | 12,024 |
| 10 | RV Village Campground at Camp Richardson ResortPartial history: FY2025 only | South Shore · within 0.6 miles of Lake Tahoe | ~2 months out | 28% | 50 | 98 | 4,714 |
| 11 | Prosser Family | Tahoe National Forest · near Truckee | ~7 weeks out | 70% | 43.2 | 29 | 3,511 |
| 12 | Lakeside (Truckee) | Tahoe National Forest · near Truckee | ~2 months out | 74% | 39.1 | 42 | 4,691 |
| 13 | Silver Creek-Truckee | Tahoe National Forest · near Tahoe City | ~5 weeks out | 55% | 38.1 | 35 | 3,713 |
| 14 | Boyington Mill | Tahoe National Forest · near Truckee | ~5 weeks out | 56% | 36.2 | 12 | 1,268 |
| 15 | Kit Carson Campground | north of the lake | ~2 months out | 56% | 35.4 | 11 | 1,049 |
Distances are straight-line, from the campground's Recreation.gov location to the nearest point of the Lake Tahoe shoreline, not driving or walking distance.
Not ranked, because Recreation.gov doesn't list a reliable count of individual reservable sites (group, cabin or shared sites, fewer than 10 sites, or site records that don't match the bookings): Kaspian Campground (1,909 reservations), Robbs Hut (537 reservations), Coyote Group (319 reservations).
18 more federal campgrounds in the area were ranked lower; see every campground near Lake Tahoe.
How Tahoe bookings have changed
Recorded reservations rose from about 34,000 a year before 2020 to nearly 74,000 in FY2025.
33,882 a year on average in FY2015–2019, 73,969 in FY2025, across all 36 campgrounds we studied. FY2020–21 were shaped by COVID closures and the camping surge.
FY15
FY16
FY17
FY18
FY19
54,864FY20COVID
57,946FY21COVID
FY22
FY23
FY24
73,969FY25
The set of campgrounds on Recreation.gov changed over these years (some, like Zephyr Cove and Badgers Den at Camp Richardson, joined recently), so part of the change reflects which campgrounds were bookable there, not only how many people camped.
All values
- FY2015: 29,837
- FY2016: 33,998
- FY2017: 34,356
- FY2018: 34,429
- FY2019: 36,788
- FY2020: 54,864 (COVID year)
- FY2021: 57,946 (COVID year)
- FY2022: 57,040
- FY2023: 60,114
- FY2024: 61,838
- FY2025: 73,969
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Search Lake Tahoe campgroundsAbout this data
Data: Recreation.gov reservations FY2015–2025. These are Recreation.gov's public reservation records (the RIDB historical reservation files), covering every federal campground in the area that took at least 300 reservations in FY2023–2025. Federal fiscal years run October to September, so FY2025 is October 2024 through September 2025.
- Which campgrounds are included. Every federal campground within 25 miles of the center of Lake Tahoe (straight-line distance) that takes reservations on Recreation.gov. Area / setting comes from each campground's Recreation.gov coordinates: a lake is named when the campground is within 1 km of its shore.
- How we ranked. By reservations per reservable site per year: a campground's FY2023–2025 reservations divided by its number of reservable sites, averaged over the years in that span when it took reservations (at least one full fiscal year), so a campground that joined Recreation.gov recently isn't undercounted. This lets a small campground that books up compare fairly with a big one. Reservable sites are the individual overnight sites Recreation.gov lists for the campground; group sites, cabins, lookouts, yurts, shelters, boat-in and day-use sites are left out, and so are their reservations. Campgrounds with fewer than 10 such sites, or whose site records don't match the bookings (for example shared walk-in sites), aren't ranked and are listed under the table.
- Typical booking time. The median number of days between the day a reservation was made and the arrival date, across all FY2023–2025 reservations at that campground: half of campers booked at least that far ahead. Profiles turn the busiest month's weekend figure into calendar dates for the next season, worked out from today's date.
- Estimated summer occupancy. The share of possible site-nights in summer (June–August) of 2023, 2024 and 2025 that had a reservation: reserved site-nights ÷ (reservable sites × nights in the season). It's an estimate. Cancellations aren't in the data, so it can run high; sites closed for repairs or late openings make it run low. Each site-night counts once. We leave it blank where the site count is unreliable or the result came out over 100%.
- No "% available". These records show what was booked, not what was open on a given day, so we don't estimate availability from them. The "Sites open" tags come from our live availability check and only appear when it confirms open sites.
- Bookings, not occupancy. Each count is a reservation made. Cancellations aren't in the data, so a booked site may later have opened up, and nights a campground was closed simply show no bookings.
- COVID years are flagged. FY2020 and FY2021 were shaped by closures, capacity limits and a camping surge, so we mark them and don't use them for "then vs now" comparisons.
- Lead time is the days between the booking date and the arrival date. Weekend means a Friday or Saturday arrival. First-come, pay-on-arrival sites are left out of lead times.
- Only campgrounds that take reservations on Recreation.gov are included. State parks, private campgrounds and first-come campgrounds aren't in these numbers.
Updated Nov 3, 2026. Distances are straight-line.