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    Eldorado National Forest

    4.3 (28 reviews)
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    Eldorado National Forest Photos

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    The one showering facility shared by several camps... don't forget your quarters!
    Earlene C.

    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.

    Craig B.

    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.

    Colleen R.

    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!

    Kimi W.

    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.)

    Bridal Veil Falls, right off the hwy
    Talar P.

    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.

    Rubicon trail in the forest next to loon lake.
    Josh S.

    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!

    Dan K.

    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.

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    13 years ago

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

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

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    Ask the Community - Eldorado National Forest

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    Review Highlights - Eldorado National Forest

    They have a few 1st come 1st serve campsites, but the one that is never really over crowded is Airport Flat.

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    Hangtown Gold Bug Park - In the mine

    Hangtown Gold Bug Park

    4.5(96 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    My family and I trekked up the mountain to meet our friends at Gold Bug Park yesterday in…read morePlacerville. It was the first visit for all 7 of us and we had a great time! Our first stop was the mine cave that was very cold inside and educational - they give you a phone that plays audio with all of the historical facts while walking through the mine. It's about 15 minutes and we really enjoyed ourselves. The staff member who handles the cave tour was great with getting the 7 of us situated and explaining the rules. We also checked out the Blacksmith and the Stamping Mill - both were also very entertaining and educational. My daughter got to hammer a square nail into a tree truck - cool way to leave a little mark on the place. Gold Bug Park also offers Gem Panning which would did not check out, but we saw a couple of kids having fun while doing it. Entrance to the park is free, but the mine cave tour is $12 per adult, $8 per kid - 5 and under are free! Overall, we had a lot of fun! So many cool artifacts and history to explore. I thought every single staff member was knowledgeable, friendly and did a great job keeping our kids engaged! We would definitely come back to Gold Bug Park next time we are in Placerville!

    Gold Bug Mine is such a cool experience! It was amazing to walk through an actual mine and listen…read moreto all the historical facts during the tour. This place makes for a great educational field trip -- fun and informative. We even got to see a blacksmith in action and learned a lot about the craft during a live demonstration. Everyone who works here is super knowledgeable and really helps complete the whole authentic vibe. It truly felt like a blast to the past! The kiddos especially loved panning for natural gems. Highly recommend for families, history buffs, or anyone looking for a fun day out!

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    Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Lizard

    Lizard

    Hangtown Gold Bug Park - In the mine

    In the mine

    Hangtown Gold Bug Park - Visitors Center

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    Visitors Center

    Clyde F Curtis Rotary Park - Swings

    Clyde F Curtis Rotary Park

    5.0(1 review)
    1.8 mi

    This park is in downtown Placerville, CA. It's one of the prettiest neighborhood parks that I've…read moreever seen. Gorgeous aspen (or pine, one of those) trees surround the park. In its four acres is a lighted little league baseball field (home to the Hangtown League) complete with an electronic scoreboard and snack shack, play ground, picnic tables with bbq pits, and restrooms. The park is on Clark Street which is a narrow neighborhood gravel road. Drive cautiously because the street turns into hybrid part parking lot and street. On game days, the parking lot fills up quickly. When that happens, parking on Clark Street is scarce and the best bet is to park on Pacific Street and hike in. There are some handicapped parking spots located at the far end of the parking lot behind the little snack shack. From that end, there is a walking ramp that leads to all areas of the park including the walking path around the back field. So if you have folks in your group that would benefit from using the ADA ramps, it's best to unload from back there. Besides that access point, there are stairs, with hand rails, in the front parking lot. The parking lot has only one entrance and exit point. A big shout out to the Placerville Rotary Club for creating this park and helping to maintain it. Great community partnership.

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    Clyde F Curtis Rotary Park - Stadium Sitting and Snack Shack

    Stadium Sitting and Snack Shack

    Clyde F Curtis Rotary Park - Playground Area

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    Clyde F Curtis Rotary Park - Little league field with scoreboard, restrooms, and play ground area

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    Little league field with scoreboard, restrooms, and play ground area

    Old Depot Bike Park - Children's play area.

    Old Depot Bike Park

    5.0(2 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    What a cool park!! My son and his family live near here and…read morestumbled on this track walking the trail. So when we visited this last time my husband brought his bike and the boys hit the track. We had a delightful conversation with a county employee there, he explained how they built it ALL by hand! We had it to ourselves for a long while, then the kids started piling in. It's a big space. Clean bathrooms. Picnic tables. My husband's bike will travel with us now when we visit.

    Calling all BMXers and those in training to be an Xer, Placerville opened a new BMX bike park…read more.. Old Depot Bike Park. It opened this past September. It is off Missouri Flat Road on Old Depot Road. The enclosed park is 2.5 acres with an asphalt pump track, dirt ramps, children's play area, bike repair station, picnic tables and restrooms. The play area is not your typical swing and slide set. It looks like a scaled down version of an agility exercise station for elementary school aged children. The City is still working on building a parking lot. Right now in certain areas along the side of the gravel road, parking is allowed. But if those limited spots fill up, further north down Missouri Flat Road is the El Dorado trailhead parking lot. You can park there and walk or bike the short distance along the El Dorado Trail to the park. The trail runs right next to the bike park. My young grandnephews and their friends enjoy this park. They live nearby and have been eagerly awaiting the park opening. The atmosphere is family friendly. There is an important rule that must be adhered to in the park. It is that anyone riding inside the park must wear a helmet, no matter the age. Good rule because I did see a few kiddos take a few flops but quickly bounced back.

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    Old Depot Bike Park
    Old Depot Bike Park
    Old Depot Bike Park - Rules

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    Rules

    Eldorado National Forest - parks - Updated May 2026

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