We stayed again at site 183. All the sites are great really. Saw the mama bear and her cubs again…read moreand had a visit at night. Definitely lock your car doors, put food in the bear box! We walked up to the waterfall and it was beautiful.

The campground itself is absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately the staff made our experience very…read moreunpleasant. The staff was extremely rude and, at times, had a very aggressive approach when addressing us. Their communication felt unnecessarily confrontational rather than helpful or professional. The website also does not accurately advertise what guests should expect during their stay, which was very frustrating. Throughout the day, we felt like we were constantly being bothered and watched by staff. What made the experience even worse was hearing staff talk about us afterward. That is extremely unprofessional and made us feel uncomfortable during our stay. It's a shame because the campground is beautiful and has so much potential, but the way guests are treated can really ruin the experience. After this experience, I honestly don't know if I'll ever come back. I hope management takes these concerns seriously and works on improving both customer service and the accuracy of the information provided on the website.

Great tent camping experience! Since the campground was remodeled with fewer campsites, it has…read moretruly become a gem. I especially want to give five stars to the campground hosts, Hobe and Daryl, who kept everything organized, welcoming, and exceptionally clean. They really made a difference in the overall experience. We will definitely be back!

Loved it! Clean bathrooms and showers. Close to the lake, where you can launch your kayak or…read morepaddleboard. The water is clean. Loved everything!

I've been camping all throughout California, and this place hits hard. This is hands down the…read morecleanest most well kept campground I've ever been to. The sunsets hit. Pulling trout out of the stream across the road hit. Eating those trout for breakfast hit. It's a 20-30 min drive to South Lake Tahoe if you need to restock your cooler or tackle box. It's a short drive to potholes swimming hole. The whole experience was great, and we will come back.

This is a great campground which we came across by accident.. We were lucky to be able to find one…read morefirst come first serve spot and spent the night there. Our flat spot was perfect for our Patriot Camper. The only knock I would give this place is actually more due to the fact that stupid Covid is increasing the number of people camping... The campground was packed. When we tried to come back two weeks later it was full. So that's not really any fault of the campground host or the facility. There's a beautiful creek on the other side of the road. As well as a very beautiful Hope Valley, which is very much worth hiking in.

Aww this place says it's closed but they reopen this year. They've been closed for 4 years…read more Apparently they've been cleaning it up. We tent camp this past weekend July 22-23. The cool thing is we were able to get a last minute reservation as we booked it two days prior. But it's very expensive for a tent site. $140. Yikes. We never pay that much but when you're looking for something on a weekend quickly this worked. This was probably one of the more expensive KOA campgrounds. And the tent sites are right near the river. So you really couldn't hear the road all you can hear was the river. Most of them are kind of small although 161 and 162 are decent size and river access. Ours was 160 but it worked for 2 people 1 car. Definitely couldn't get anymore on our site. They definitely have lots of RV spots but check for what size will fit before booking. The roads around the campground are pretty narrow. There's absolutely no fires right now. El Dorado county has put a strict ban on them since we had Caldor fire that ripped through here 2 years ago. Propane only no charcoal either. This campground was saved. Although they're fixing things up around there. The bathroom next to the office was pretty clean and free hot showers. I think they need to bring in an extra garbage can and recycle bin. It literally was overflowing Sunday morning. Also they need to bring bear bins for each campsite as this is beer country! Now that it's open, they will be back on the hunt. Apparently the lady that checked us in, said they had a couple cubs there just the other night. Also at check in, she said they're going to be bringing in airstreams next season to rent as well. Oh, the swimming pool is in construction so not available right now. This is a really good location too for hiking, biking, boating, rock climbing. If they're open in the winter which I'm not sure, they'll be snowshoeing at the state park across the way from there. Enjoy!

Wouldn't even rate a one star! We stopped by this KOA because we were considering staying there in…read morea few weeks and wanted to look at the camping sites. We drove around 2 hours to get here specifically for that reason. It was our first time there, and we were following the map the young woman in the office had given us. As we were driving through, a silver truck aggressively started following closely behind. We pulled over to let them pass, and the truck pulled up, stopped abruptly and blocked us. The woman in the passenger seat asked what we were doing in a not so friendly manner. We explained that we were looking for campsites and lifted up the map to show her that we were given at the office. Instead of offering assistance, she was extremely rude and told us we needed to follow the road. When we explained that we were following the map, she responded, "No, you weren't. You wouldn't have gone that way." We understand that we may have misunderstood the directions, especially being first-time visitors, but there was no reason to treat us that way. A simple, "You're going the wrong way, let me show you where to go," would have been completely different. Unfortunately, the interaction left such a bad impression that we decided to leave. If this is an example of how KOA treats its customers, we will not be staying at a KOA. Customer service matters, especially when you're trying to decide whether to spend your money at a campground.

Our first time at Camp Shelly... it's cool bc you get to select the site! Reasonably priced per…read morenight $60 for non-residents of Livermore. Spaces were pretty large compared to other camps we've been too. Clean bathrooms & free showers! No coins needed. Yes, we encountered a bear almost every day... bc we are in their home... but the rangers were awesome! They made it seem like the bears were "friendly" and shoo'd them away with ease. Make sure to keep your food in the large bear containers. Thank you rangers Katelyn, Gilbert & Drew!

I don't understand why Bob gave two stars to Camp Shelly for the second point "lack of…read moreOregon-ness". :( That's like going to a great Italian restaurant and docking a star because it's not in Rome. I'm not sure what camping fees are in Oregon so I can't compare, but this is California and I think it's pretty fair compared to most other campgrounds. Though I'm fairly certain everything is more expensive in California than other states, so that could induce a breathtaking moment... and not just because you're around 6,000' elevation. ;O) Unless a place is truly awful, say if the bathrooms stunk to the high heaven's which he cited they did not or service is inexcusably horrible, then I would give as low as two stars. I know the Rangers at Camp Shelly are outstanding and though the restrooms are rustic for most, it's clean. I respectfully ask that Bob reconsider that missing third star since it's a great campground and I'm going to tell you why. :) This is a wonderful little campground in beautiful S. Lake Tahoe which is operated by the Livemore Parks Department. It's a clean campground and cozy. It's likely not for hard core campers, but it's also not geared toward RV camping either and I think it's for everyone! It is an institution for many families of Livermore. This is a place many pine for the whole year long (no pun intended as there are Jeffrey Pines all about), I am one of those people. The bathrooms are clean and if you're lucky enough to have indoor plumbing (ladies) the outside of the stalls are painted in a lovely mural which is in the photos section. The Rangers are awesome and each Saturday night there is an old fashioned ice cream making/social and most importantly EATING! Campground kids are encouraged to come over and give the ice cream machine a crank. It's a great time to meet other campers and let the kids burn off energy and get a taste of ice cream made the old fashioned way. On the weekends LARPD Rangers offer interactive programs such as Astronomy walks/talks and Wildflower walks/exploration. One thing I especially love is the lack of poison oak that one might find in lower elevations. There are mosquitoes so do bring protection or, if you're like me, DEET it up and wear three layers of clothes. I try to encase my body in the Fortress of Solitude. There is a horseshoe pit, basketball, ping pong table (that was being refurbed last summer, but I hear it's making a comeback for 2012!) and yes....oh yes, volleyball. If you're lucky and stay during the time when Camp Shelly competes with neighboring Camp Concord in a volleyball tourney for the Golden Toilet Seat... well, good times are had by all. The campground is very chill and small enough to where you can feel comfortable letting your kids wander around, dig in the dirt and build forts on the hillside by your camp. It feels like a mini community and is very family friendly. Oh, when I say "family" I'm also including your four-legged canine family. Camp Shelly is dog-friendly and our dog loves it up there. We go up 2-3 times in the season and sometimes see friends we know from school/community. Other times we find familiar faces we see regularly at the Farmer's Market, but may not know personally. It's a cool thing to go back each year and see some of the same faces and it's fun to see the kids grow from year to year. It's always great meeting folks from outside of our community those that come from other cities or other states. There are some great hikes and wonderful places to visit nearby. One of our family favorites is the hike up to Eagle Lake. Our dog LOVES the climb and the jump into a snow-fed Alpine lake. If you're lucky and go early in the season (and winter has been good) sometimes you can have a snowball fight with what little snow is left. Baldwin Beach is right down the main drive from Camp Shelly and Camp Richardson is a 5 minute drive. There is dog-friendly Kiva Beach just down the road in case your pup is a water hound like ours. Another of our favorites is the Camp Richardson Ice cream shop, but remember to ask for a KIDS scoop because the regular scoop is bigger than a toddler's head. The trip up to Angora Lakes is wonderful and our daughter enjoys kayaking or doing the paddle board. Camp Shelly is a place worth checking out. It's become a place of lasting lifetime memories for many people I know, including our own family. As soon as Labor Day passes and Camp Shelly closes we do a countdown to opening day. Even as I write this I can smell the faint vanilla-bark of the Jeffrey pines, hear the ocean like cadence of the breeze making it's way through millions of pine needles, the crackling of our hyptnotic campfire, the sound of crickets lulling me to sleep, kids playing and campers having real exchanges in a simple world. Camp Shelly is a fantastic place to enjoy "just being". I hope you come take a look for yourself and make some lasting memories of your own. :)

We were looking for a place to camp on New Year's Eve and happened upon this location. The main…read morecampground is closed for winter, but the day use area was available. Ranger was very nice and helpful. Area has enclosed restroom facilities available near campsites. We found a great spot near the water and ended up being the only campers there. The hot springs facility was closed until the weekend, but looked great. We had a peaceful start to the new year and can't wait to go back to this location to hike and fish in the summer.

Cute place to hike with a beautiful view of nature and waterfall. Once you're done head over to the…read morehot spring pools for a nice soak.

What a disappointing experience! I miss the old Sorensens. We were the only people in restaurant…read moreand we were neglected. We just wanted appetizers and cocktails. The trout dip was mediocre. I ordered a basic tequila soda and we were charged two dollars extra for their basic tequila on the menu and never before have I been charged for soda water 2.00 extra plus two limes. The resort at Caples Lake was full so we thought we would go to our old haunt. what a disappoint.

I can no longer recommend this resort as it has been taken over by a new owner and charges almost…read more$90/night to have your own RV here.

Nice spot. Very windy at night. Cool creek that you can cool…read moreoff in running thru. Best lemon bars in the world 10 min up the road. Only thing I disliked was the road noise from highway, and parking was slim in the campground. This whole area is nice though, many spots along the river.

My family went for our first ever camping trip the weekend before the Fourth of July. We had to do…read morea "first come, first serve" as our work schedules are unpredictable so reservations aren't always easy. We ended up at Crystal Springs and it was well maintained, the hosts were extremely friendly and accommodating, and the site was perfect for us. There are picnic tables, fire rings with attached grates for BBQing, and bear boxes for food storage. Some sites are better for trailers than others (these are marked). The bathrooms were vault toilets that I thought were quite clean. Cost of the site is $18 a day, $6 for extra vehicle. We also purchased three bundles of wood for $18 (one is $7). There's a rushing river nearby which we walked along but it's not water the kids can play in - it moves pretty fast where we were. But the kids had a lot of fun climbing rocks, playing in the dirt, and playing with glow necklaces in the dark. A great spot with quick in and out of you need it. The hosts, Amy and Eric, were really great.

Cool secluded campground! Lots of places to explore will defiently be back! Water fall swimming…read moreholes so pretty!