We were really happy to get a spot at the last minute, to camp one last time this season. The…read moreweather is cooler, but it's so much nicer without the Summer crowds. When we arrived, we were told the bears were very active, which in this area, they usually are. There are alot of signs informing the public they are in Bear Country and what to do if they come across one. There's also information on the proper way to store food, so the bears can't get to it. Unfortunately, we see the carelessness from campers all of the time. It's very frustrating, especially when you hear a bear and cub may be euthanized because they have gotten too comfortable approaching people at the campsites and could be a danger. This place is beautiful and the bears are a treasure. If you camp here, please be responsible! Aside that, we love this campground. Staff are always very pleasant and helpful.

Another beautiful, relaxing trip to Fallen Leaf. Also have to give kudos to the teams running it…read morethis season, everything was pristine, the bathrooms, showers and all other areas were very clean! We barely pulled out of our spot when one of the camp hosts was coming in to get it set up for the next visitor. Thank you all for all the work you do!

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!

Daryl and Hobie were some of the best campground hosts we've had during our van life! this…read morecampground is extremely well maintained and the bathrooms were the cleanest we've encountered. Theres a short path that takes you to the lake to enjoy. Thank you for all your hard work!

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.

We live in our RV full-time, and there are very few options in the Tahoe area for a 45' motorhome…read more We brought our boat to Tahoe and stayed at the KOA South Tahoe for a month, as we have kids and grandkids in Northern California. Although the sites are a little close together, and the highway noise is noticeable during the day, we thought this was a beautiful setting full of tall trees and situated near a pleasant little creek. We found every member of the staff very helpful and friendly. Just a few minutes away there are cafes and a nice market. Tahoe Keys Marina is about 15 minutes away. There is a little swimming pool where our grandkids enjoyed swimming. We enjoyed campfires and making s'mores. Some of our visitors stayed in the Chalet cabin, which was cute and very clean. We would definitely stay here again.

We've been camping with KOA across California since 2014, this is our second time camping on this…read morespecific location and this was by far our most disappointing experience. We are in our 30s-40s trying to have a fun camping time with our kids and our elderly parents. We are not party animals by any means. Admittedly, we may have gotten a little carried away with laughter on our first night. However, we were respectful and compliant with campground rules moving forward. The next morning, we were surprised when a staff member approached us and began with, "Everybody speak and understand English?" This was incredibly offensive and came across as racially insensitive. Still, we gave the benefit of the doubt and assumed they were just trying to ensure clear communication. The staff member then reminded us of the one-vehicle-per-site policy. Though we had multiple campsites booked, we immediately complied and moved extra vehicles to the designated overflow area. Later that evening, another staff member approached our group to remind us of the 10 PM quiet time. We were well aware of the rule and even reminded each other around 9:45 PM to keep our voices down and prepare to wind down. We are a group of professionals -- registered nurses, an attorney, a clinical lab scientist, an architect, an occupational therapist, and an engineer. We fully understand English and have every intention to follow campground guidelines. At 10:12 PM, the same staff member returned, flashing a flashlight into our campsites and loudly calling out, "Campsites # 1, 2, 3 -- it's quiet time! No music! No loud noises! No car alarms!" We politely acknowledged the reminder, reiterated our understanding, and clarified that the car alarm was not from our group. We admitted to the previous night's noise but assured him we were keeping things quiet this time. Despite this, he continued yelling, saying, "I'm not here to argue. I'm just reminding you. If you don't want to comply, I'll call the sheriff and get you all out of my campground." One of our friends calmly and respectfully tried to explain that while we fully acknowledged and respected the rules, we did not appreciate being spoken to in such a disrespectful and public manner -- especially since we were not being disruptive at that time. We even asked him if we were being too loud right now, and he said No. Ironically, he was preaching quiet time while he himself is yelling across the campground. This entire situation could have been handled far more professionally and respectfully. We've always had good experiences with KOA in the past, but this left a lasting negative impression. Sadly, this will likely be our last time staying at this location -- or possibly with KOA altogether. I don't typically write negative reviews, but this experience warranted one

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. :)

I'm local and have been visiting Grover for two decades and things have really gone downhill since…read moreCovid. The reservation system sucks. Why can't we make reservations the same day? This makes no sense. I used to visit Grover weekly, so they made around $500/year from my visits. Since Covid, I've been three times, so they've made about $30 from my visits in the last five years. Making it harder to visit is extremely stupid and has turned off many locals who used to visit regularly. I'm in favor of keeping the reservation system, but the 48 hour cutoff is idiotic. The other major issue is the inconsistent opening hours and arbitrary closings. This has been true since before Covid. However, these days the phones NEVER work, so there's no way to know if they are actually open. Even if you have a reservation, I wouldn't trust them to be open. I've made that mistake more than once and wasted an hour and half in the car. Since they can't be bothered to fix their phones (this has been going on for YEARS) or get a cheap cell phone for the pool area, it's impossible to know if they are truly open. Buyer beware. Opening hours also suck from a soaking standpoint. Grover used to be open until 8pm, then it was 7pm, and now it's 5pm. Grover used to be a great place to stop for a soak after skiing, but now that's no longer possible because of the 5pm closing. Soaking in the summer is even worse. Who wants to soak in a hot spring mid-day in July? No one. In the summer you want an evening soak, when the sun has dipped behind the mountains, but nope! They're closed at 5. Stupid. Opening hours on Yelp are incorrect as well. I've submitted a correction. Per the State Park website, Grover is now only open Friday-Sunday. Of course no one who works for the park bothers to update this information. This place is so poorly run., On a positive note, the staff is always very nice and it's a beautiful spot.

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.

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!