The Eldorado National Forest consist of nearly 600,000 acres with lakes, streams, and rivers; meadows and mountains; and campsites and picnic areas. There are over 400 hiking trails that pass through various terrains ranging in technical difficulty. The terrain ranges from meadow, oak foothills, to the 10,000 foot Sierra Nevada. Some hiking trails require reservations for day use permits. There are also campgrounds. Some areas, such as the areas affected by the recent fires, are off limits. For up to date information, It is advised to check out the fs.usda.gov website. The area is beautiful. Gorgeous alpine backcountry. Old growth forest. Pristine streams. There are access roads that will drive into the area. But most of the access roads are ruff, not paved, and could be hard to maneuver without a SUV. read more

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Where do I start?! I absolutely love hiking here. It's a long drive for us, but it is so worth it! If you love Yosemite, then you will love it here as well. We hiked Horsetail Falls Trail, and I can't even explain how magnificent this place is. It is a 4 mile hike surrounded by mini waterfalls and rock formation throughout the hike. Your reward is getting underneath the main waterfall at the top of the hike. You will do a lot of rock climbing the further you hike, and it gets really steep. There are absolutely breathtaking views at the top. I love it! I recommend this hike to everyone. My tip for this hike is to bring lots of water because you will need it. Come early to snag a parking spot because it fills up fast and there is a $10 fee for parking. ENJOY! read more

Eldorado National Forest - Horsetail Falls - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

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Wide open spaces!! There are about 50 campgrounds spread throughout. Some have fees and reservation policies and some are free and you just show up and hope there is a good spot. The forest is almost 600,000 acres. All different terrains. The famous Rubicon trail is here. So much to do here for the outdoor enthusiasts. Water recreation, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, it is legal to shoot your guns here ( it is posted where it is not, obviously use common sense ). Off road vehicles are popular and not just on the Rubicon. We camped at the spot my son has been going to for years. Airport flat. It's one of the free campgrounds and it's quite a bit into the forest. No cell service. His favorite spot on the water was being used so we ended up with 3 campsites just next to it. This is dry camping here but they did have a porta potties that were acceptable. The water was cold but it was hot outside. The guys swam a lot. I thought the campgrounds were private and sites were huge! Most sites could fit our trailer and extra tents with plenty of room to spare. I have definitely paid for less enjoyable campgrounds. read more

Eldorado National Forest - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

Indeed a beautiful place to camp! Fresh air, tall pine trees, refreshing clean waters ...it is gorgeous scene. But prepare to be truly roughing it!! We stayed at Sunset-Union, a lovely spot near the beach of the reservoir. It could be that this camp is low budget, but there were no bathroom facilities near our camp. They just had his/her outhouses--AKA a hole in the ground with a toilet seat. The smell is unbearable and hardly clean. They have several water faucets around the camp, but we are not allowed to wash our hands, wash dishes or do anything except pitch water in your pail and take it back to your site! At your site, there are no bear boxes! So each night we had to clear out everything back into our cars. With a party of 9, we had a lot of food and supplies. It was a hassle having to hide everything each time and the next day not knowing whose car we put whatever supplies. I know, it's camping... but we like camps with some amenities like bear boxes or flushing toilets! Perhaps it's the fact that this was a National Park and the system is different from the State Park system. But the previous years of camping at State Parks we have been spoiled with their amenities. Services like bear boxes and nice bathrooms with sinks you can use and real toilets that flush and don't reek of who knows what! Anyway, despite those things... we enjoyed our time. The Eldorado Forest is beautiful none the less. read more

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Pretty awesome spot. They just put in bear boxes so right on. I've been camping here for around 5 years now. My wife's been camping up here for 26. It's a good spot. Its usually pretty quiet and there are lots of spots with only a few camping slots. there's also great places to camp that are hike in only which clears out most of the riff raff. I went up this last weekend and their were some jackass's doing the usual jackassery.... blasting bad music all day and night, annoying everyone around them with their wanna be hickness. Some lady across the way called rangers on them... hoo boy. Those rangers take care of business! next day they got hit with multiple visits, breathalyzer tests, and all sorts of awesomeness. That night..instead of listening to dudes grab-assing each other while playing beer pong...i actually got to sleep before 3am and didnt have to listen to any disney inspired country songs. Sweet. The rangers = awesome. read more

The El Dorado National Forest is surprisingly snowy even in early May. I had been reading articles that the snow depth in the California mountains was half the normal depth. To the unaccustomed eye, the snow depth was surprising at this time of year. This was probably because I have never ventured through the mountains at this time of year. I am used to baseball games and bike rides in May. Many of the trailheads are closed on the Eastern side of the National Forest. We never traveled down the western side of the mountains. Instead, we stayed at higher altitudes, driving from lake to lake and hoping for an open trailhead. Finally, we found Shealor Lakes Trailhead. The trailhead was not closed, nor was it necessarily open. The entrance wasn't blocked off, but part of the parking lot was unusable due to the large snow drifts. We hiked in until the snow levels stopped our advance. At this time, I didn't have much experience in deep snow hikes. Nevertheless, it was beautiful to see the mountains in transition from winter to spring. There were little streams running down the path and on the side of the mountain that, I assume, are not there in mid-summer. read more

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This is a great National Forest with many campgrounds and even areas of disbursement. It seems they have something for everyone. Lakes, rivers, redwood trees, trails and beautiful hilltop views. We had been there before and found a large variety of different types of campers. The person who answered the phone today was very helpful in letting me know which campgrounds I might like based on my set-up and interests (we like "quiet" camping so we can hear nature....not neighbors). Future campers coming -- This is gem, please keep it that way -- keep it clean and be respectful- don't make the forest rangers become your personal sanitation service and understand you are not the only ones in the forest. (This is not just for this great National Forest --- a trend of noisy disrespectful camping seems to be becoming the norm in the last 5-10 years, especially on weekends). Don't let that happen here, please. read more

We love camping in the Crystal Basin region. Sometimes we do a bit of free primitive camping on national forest land to avoid crowds and sometimes we opt for one of the many public campgrounds that dot Ice House Road. Most recently we stayed at Gerle Creek Campground and for the most part, loved it. We had site #21 which meant we had no one behind us. The good: Easy walk to a very pretty reservoir where no motorized boats are allowed. Cold but fun swimming - if you can make it out to the little island, it's great. Nature walks abound, and if you are lucky and there are few people about, we let our dogs off leash to run and enjoy. Bathrooms were well maintained but note it's not flush toilets. Next to each toilet is a bear-proof garbage container and a water spigot. The camp host can sell you firewood ($8). It's about 12 miles to the nearest public showers at the Fashoda Campground ($3 in quarters as of 2013). We really liked that there was not only a fire pit but also a stand-up BBQ grill for charcoal at each site. The bad: Unfortunately, for the most crowded nights (Fridays and Saturdays), we noticed a trend of groups of families and friends who booked several campsites but congregated at one, completely ignoring the "six people max per site" rule. In our case, we had a group of about 35 people (yes, we counted) who booked surrounding campsites, but pretty much set up their tents and ate all at the one site next to ours. It was a church group, so there was a lot of singing and praying and group activities. Another family group reserved three sites and congregated at one site as well. So by sheer misfortune, we were surrounded unexpectedly by large groups, who should have just gone to a group campground. We hoped the camp hosts would do something about it, but they didn't seem to care. Very annoying, but we gritted our teeth and waited it out. It's not fun to expect a max of 12 people in the two nearest sites but instead get 45 people. It gets LOUD. If you book online, prepare to spend about $25 a night with assorted fees. Additional fees are charged if your site has more than 1 car and if you bring dogs. We don't know what the fees are because the camp host never bothered to collect it from us. PRO TIP: Book your stay starting on a Sunday - most campgrounds empty out until the weekend crowds start arriving Thursday and Friday. read more

Great for camping!! Sometimes I get stuck in a little foggy bubble of city-living, that I forget how varied and absolutely gorgeous the rest of the California landscape is... We found a small remote camping area, near a babbling brook and gorgeous waterfall, surrounded by lots and lots of trees. During late spring and the rest of the summer, it gets hot & sunny during the day and gets cool/cold at night. It's about 2.5 hrs east of San Francisco. (There's absolutely no cell phone reception where we were at, though, so be forewarned.) read more

Eldorado National Forest - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

We went back to Gerle creek campground early June. We really packed for the wrong weather! It rained the first day but was sunny/cloudy the rest of the days. The lake is super full, couldn't access the fishing dock. Too cold to swim. Still had a great time! We always love the scenery. This was our first time experiencing a bear near the camp grounds! Make sure to use the bear-proof box they provide for you. I was awaken early morning by people alerting other campers that there is a bear walking around. The bear was able to push down a large garbage bin. Always a great place to camp, but it is very rural! read more

Eldorado National Forest - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

I don't know about the address (Forni Place), because when we plugged it into our car's navigation system, the forni place address brought us to some homes in a wooded area. You need to take 50East all the way through Placerville (20 miles east at least)... once we found it though - wowie! so many places to hikes - trees for miles as far as the eyes can see - waterfalls - creeks - wildlife! unfortunately, it was pouring rain when we got to the top so we had to turn around....but can't wait to go back when it's a little drier. read more

Eldorado National Forest - Bridal Veil Falls, right off the hwy - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

Wow this place is gorgeous! So quiet, peaceful, great place to come out for a hike or bring the pooch out for a day of fun! I would highly recommend, even the slay day park area (can't remember what it's called) that has an entry fee was worth it. Just so peaceful. read more

Love this forest there is so many activities for everyone to do. My favorite things to do are exploring and camping. There's lakes for fishing and water sports, boating jet skiing , and anything else you can do. Also the forest spans a good distance with lots of 4x4 trails and scenic views! read more

Eldorado National Forest - Rubicon trail in the forest next to loon lake. - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

Always a great place to go to enjoy the nature and get away from the city life. There's a lot of activities I enjoy doing from fishing to hiking to kayaking. Plus it is usually a lot cooler than Sacramento's heat. read more

Went. To get a permit for only ten dollars for a Christmas tree! 2 tress per household! The employees were all very friendly! We learned how and where to cut down your tree read more

We stayed at the "Gerle Creek" campgrounds, one of many in Eldorado National Forest. They were clean and closely set campsites deep in (and up) the mountains. But the windy drive up to about 6,000 feet is splendorous: green pines all the way, lookouts over breathtaking valleys and ranges. Gerle Creek has just enough of what you need: tidy campsites with a fire pit, food locker, picnic table and grill, outhouse-style restrooms, and laid-back campsite managers who keep the sites and restrooms clean. Showers are a few miles away at another campground, and so is a general store for stocking up on stuff. If you reserve a campsite at Gerle Creek on Recreation.gov, make sure to specify preference for a "waterfront" site. We lucked out with one right along the creek, which was tranquil and leads to a reservoir where families were hiking around and swimming in. (Fortunately, no motorized vessels on the water here.) Another bonus: Gerle Creek campground is close to the Desolation Wilderness Area. Amazing hiking and high-country lakes such as Loon Lake. read more

From a camping point of view, Fashoda was pretty nice. The campsites seemed well laid out, the showers worked well, the lake and beach were a nice addition. Our site was well shaded, which helps when the heat of the day settles in. I don't care too much for vault toilets, but these were quite clean, and the smell was minimal. Unfortunately, the thing that often ruins camping for me is people who don't respect the nature of the experience for others. There was a large party of Russians, and they clearly didn't know or care about the courtesy of keeping quiet after 10:00 pm. The loud laughter and singing went on until well after midnight. We never saw a ranger, and I don't think the camp host ever patrolled the area. If they had, there was no way this unruly bunch could have been overlooked. Anyway, good spot if the rules could be enforced. Date of stay: July 16-19, 2014 read more

Just returned from a night at Gerle Creek. Be advised: There is no potable water at Gerle Creek. I showed up with no extra water so I had to boil drinking water. Beautiful campground, but bring water. read more

Big, big beautiful trees not like the national forests that are primarily redwood or sequoia but still beautiful.

Loved the camp ground and the hosts, Bob and his wife, they were awesome! It was super clean and pleasant to stay there and enjoy the outdoors. read more

Eldorado National Forest - Parks Near Me - Placerville, California

Beautiful place, we visited from the Boston area. Drove all around lake Tahoe. I took many pictures and will have wonderful memories

The Eldorado National Forest is a great plaqce to get away for the day or camping over night. Off road activities and hunting and fishing are also fair. This has been my escape for over 40 years. In the last 4 or 5 year it seams that more and more roads are closed each year. Now this year they have closed 42 roads that go through meadows. These roads have been there for over 40 years and now they want to close them. Many of these are major routes to popular areas, such as Cody lake. Before you waste your time buying California hunting and fishing licences for the area check with the Eldorado National Forest office. It may be to cumbersome to bother with. Take your money out of the state of California and spend it in the free states of the USA. I know this is a US Forest issue but this state is rolling over as usual and letting this happen. This land and roads were designated for recreational use, not wilderness. This forest would rate four stars if you could drive down the road to experience it read more

The El Dorado National Forest is absolutely beautiful! Fun place to play in the snow, awesome hikes, great place to go shooting where you don't have to deal with idiots at the range and you can rapid fire all you want - lol - its also cool because the Forest Service patrols regularly. read more

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I live here, the forest is breathtaking! Lots if cedar. Go past pollock pines about ten minutes and there are places to pull off on the side of the road that are right on the American river. Do: hell hole, loon lake, union valley, ice house, and jenkinson for good camping and fishing. read more

Best place . We return always. Gerle creek rocks... Hidden paths and secret places everywhere. Biking, kayaking, fishing brown trout, paddle boarding , hiking. Love it!!! Tranquil, spacious, quiet, groomed and in the wilderness. thank you read more

We drove through here on two separate occasions and made quick pit stops. This forest is awesome! There seemed to some construction going on during the drive both times which congested traffic as well. Overall, the woods were beautiful and seemed pretty remote. I bet it would be great to camp, if you are into that sort of thing. We just appreciate walking in nature and taking it all in. The areas that we saw were clearly not "popular" because the beach is a ways off. Keep that in mind, but other than that, seems like some great wildlife watching and great views of Lake Tahoe. read more

We went to the El dorado forest to do some hiking, unfortunately the place we went was closed for road work. Go figure. The next time we go we will go somewhere else in the El dorado Forest. What we did see of it, was beautiful. Guess we just picked the wrong place that weekend. read more

Highly recommend this beautiful find. A true getaway from the city life, with chains of lakes and rivers, with waterfalls, hiking trails, off road driving, fishing, boating, and swimming. You'll drive up a mountain off highway 50, enjoying the scenic blue skies, pine trees, and just peacefulness. They have a few 1st come 1st serve campsites, but the one that is never really over crowded is Airport Flat. I've checked out Yellowjacket (crowded), Wench Creek (little better), but I highly suggest going for the group campgrounds, especially Wolf Creek. Don't let the horror movie with the same name give you any ideas. This spot rocks. So much privacy, room to roam, that you could totally have polygamists start a clan there. Just kidding. But you get your walkway to the lake and your own restroom vault (no flush). Showers are limited and coin-op. You'll have to drive to the more populated crowded campground to shower. In any case, this will still be my all time favorite location to camp. Its worth the ugly traffic drive for sure. read more