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.

Great place to stay. Everyone is super friendly and the owner Julie is a SUPER host. She helps you…read moreto your site and guides you in perfectly. The sites are level and clean. The best part is the view of Topaz Lake.

Very clean and beautiful spot. We really have enjoyed it. Close to hiking around Markleeville, CA.read more

Great campground right off of the road in Hope Valley, CA! Because it is adjacent to busy route 89,…read moreyou can hear cars passing most of the time during the day. However, the sound is muffled by the calming and pleasant sound of the West Fork Carson River that runs alongside the campground, separating it from the road. The camp host was friendly, helpful, and attentive - the vault toilet/bathroom actually smelled good! It's a fantastic spot for anglers and hikers, and right across the street is Hope Valley Bar and Grill, and I'd recommend the walk over!

We have been camping here over 30 years and it is our favorite spot. Quiet and always clean, with a…read morefork of the Carson River running through it. Mark, the camp host, makes sure everyone has what they need while providing great advice on local events, places to go, and hikes for all ages. We always give this small yet beautiful campground 5 stars.

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

We love love love this KOA. This is probably the cleanest, nicest, prettiest KOA's we have ever…read morestayed at. Love the pup pens behind the rv spots. We feel comfortable putting our two pups in there while we sit out and chill. Thanks Tim and Scott for all you do!

We had a terrible experience with a security guard. There is a STOP SIGN but it states to check in…read moreat the office. It was after hours, so we drove thru the park. You would have thought that were criminals the way he spoke to us. I have never been treated the way this employee treated my family. We frequent this area every summer and have considered staying here. NOT HAPPENING EVER! Keep driving and find accomodations in Bridgeport or Bishop. @Meadowcliff and the KOA organization----You may want to consider some training for your Security employees. And, a reminder to speak with kindness and professionalism would be good, too.

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. :)

A beautiful and very quiet place to camp! No loud sand buggies or party people. We love this place…read moreand stayed for 2 months! Spaces are clean and right on the Walker River. Restaurants and small mini mart 1 minute drive! We will be back for sure!

new management and owners , read the reviews wowww.. same small laundry and showers super clean ,…read morequite ! no problems with reservations , electric went out few months back from carson , 3 hrs later it was back on , its really heaven on earth to me , the river always flows . theirs rosies awesome food ,hayday awesome food !. other than that 30 minutes local gas groc ,,perfect for me .

Beautiful place in the summer. I totally want to go back in the winter when it's snowing and…read moresnowmobiling is in... We had about 20 people at our campsite. Plenty of room. Tables and water spigots to rinse off dishes and feet and little kids too were provided at our site, very helpful. We also had our own small amphitheatre/firepit with lots of benches to sit around it I would guess about 30 people would be comfortable sitting around it. Although no fires were allowed due to Californians most recent droughts and wildfires. REMEMBER; Non potable water comes from the spigots. All drinking and cooking water must be brought in... Non potable means you can't drink it. Vault toliets- That means= Outhouse! Bigger and nicer than most but it still doesn't flush! Firepits are there, but in drought conditions we pretended they weren't there. We had fire rings for s'mores & such. Each different campsites comes with an Attendant to report problems, they pick up garbage & replace TP in those vaults. Basically the manager at each campsite to reduce issues. Ours was a really cool guy named Steve. The lake itself is gorgeous, fairly empty and looks a lot like Tahoe with the humungous boulders. While we were there the boat launches were a nightmare due to the low water levels in the lake. Although the lake was still absolutely beautiful for swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, fishing and a million other activities you can think of. Also the stargazing is amazing the night skies are beyond stunning the elevation is high enough and its dark enough to really enjoy that too! It is a very beautiful and tranquil campground. It is called "group" because you are allowed more people but parking is limited at each campsite and nearby parking lots are fairly close. You could walk around and still not see or hear other people at nearby sites... Very tranquil.

Beautiful beautiful place to spend a couple of days at in a tent. If you're looking to stay longer…read moreI would definitely recommend being a RV owner or renting one. As the campsite location that we stayed at only offered one outhouse. Which means non-flushable man hole and no sink for washing hands. Surfer looking for that true rugged tent camping lifestyle here's the place to be. From the campsite they were at we're probably about 15 minutes from the actual Bear Lake resort campground which offers a lot of amenities in their little neighboring area. In back of our camp site was a little creek that we walked down to and enjoyed the beautiful view for a couple of hours while panting for Gould. The weather was beautiful during the day it did drop down to low 50s in the night. Lots of beautiful wildlife we saw squirrels, two deer, and plenty of birds flying around the night view of the stars was just amazing. Going down to the lake was just an amazing view lots of people out enjoying the water their boats and other fun festivities over the Fourth of July weekend. For sure a grand time while we were there.