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South Lake Tahoe, CA

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Fallen Leaf Campground

4.3 (181 reviews)

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Site #200 (Yurt) - bunk bed, chair
Jeniece M.

My little family had an amazing time at Fallen Leaf Campground! We stayed in a yurt (#site 200) and had ample space. The site itself has a large picnic table, campfire ring, park-type style bench, bbq grill, and soooo much surrounding nature for kids to explore and play. Walk to the lake and hiking trail is less than 10 mins. All of the hosts and workers there were amazing and so helpful. We're definitely coming back!

Kyle C.

I've RV camped at Fallen Leaf a couple times now and the campground is terrific, has a nice and clean RV dump station, water fill stations throughout, clean bathrooms and showers, and a general store where you can get basic supplies (including ice!). It's a beautiful place, but I had a few issues on my last particular trip. First, all the host staff that I dealt with were VERY rude and accusatory. My space (102) was advertised for a 30' RV plus 1 vehicle. My RV is 24' and barely fit, which didn't allow my vehicle to be parked on the pavement easily. Immediately after unhooking, several staff rushed over and literally screamed at me telling me I needed to park on the pavement or that I'll be fined and towed. I had 2 wheels on torn up dirt, barely off the pavement. I debated them stating what their site advertised, to no avail. So, I ended up getting my truck between two large trees and an inch from my RV to make it work because the main road is a good distance from the campground. I made it work, but the way the staff treated me was disrespectful and rude to say the least. My group had several other brushes with the staff and said the same thing with their encounters. You'd think that being a host at this campground would be a vacation-like work and total utopia but apparently not. My other issue is because the lake is a over a hill a ways from the campground, they only have one small parking lot that they make you pay extra to use, even if you're staying there. We got yelled at for taking 2 minutes to unload our beach stuff. So, a loading zone would be nice. Not sure if I'll be back, there's plenty of other campground where I don't get disrespected.

Nichole R.

Another beautiful, relaxing trip to Fallen Leaf. Also have to give kudos to the teams running it this 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!

Han M.

This was my second time coming here and I LOVE it. BEARS: We stayed for a couple of days and saw black bears. I thought they were brown bears at first because of the color of their fur, but they're black so it was definitely a relief! Just know that the bears won't hurt you so don't be so scared. They only want food and view the campground as their buffet. They were so used to the campground that they weren't fazed when we were blowing whistles, honking our cars, clanking pans. Our neighbors had their dog's medicine stolen from the bears because they left dog treats with the medicine unsecured. Long story short: leave food in bear lock, and don't worry! BEAR LOCK: The bear lock is a must and it's super sturdy! If closed right, the bears can't get in. Our camp neighbors had a lot of incident with the bears where they ate their food. Make sure to get what you want out of the bear box and lock everything else up, unless you want to see a few bears at your campsite! BEARS AND TENT: Don't leave any food in tent should be something obvious. But the people there also warned us about leaving anything SCENTED in our tent (perfumes, toothpaste, bug spray, etc...). The first day we were definitely paranoid about leaving toothpaste in our tent but honestly, the bears only come for food. They don't hurt you whatsoever. So if you're paranoid, leave scented things in the bear lock. If not, it's fine, nothing happened to us at least! MONTHS WE WENT: Last year we went around August 11th and there were no sightings of bears. We went a few days ago, July 19th-22nd, and there has been bear sightings everyday when we camped. BATHROOMS: Quick note regarding the bathrooms: No mirrors and hand soap! Only toilet and sink. The women's bath room near campsite 104 was clean! There wasn't any problem with it at all. As for the men's bathroom, my boyfriend has mentioned that it was dirty and someone sounded like they were smoking and vomiting in there SHOWERING: The showering system: $1 for 3 minutes. You have to get tokens outside the campground store. 1 token = 3 minutes. There will be showering bathrooms around the campground. You just have to look for one. Inside the showering bathrooms, there's a toilet, sink with a mirror, hangers to hang your stuff up, a bench, and machine to insert your coins by the shower. Make sure you're prepared to go into the shower before inserting your coin! It'll start immediately after you do. The water varies. My family said the shower was REALLY hot, but my experience was okay. It did get SUPER hot in the beginning but eventually durable and cool. EATING: We didn't have experience last time we went so when we were preparing and eating food, a ton of wasps swarmed our area and it was a disaster. This time, we brought along citronella candles and it was a LIFESAVER!!! We brought 3 along to spread it around the tables and it was amazing. Definitely a tip! Entrance Lady: It's nothing that important but I do want to note that one of the younger lady, I forgot her name, was really really rude and upset when talking to us. It was really unpleasant being all happy and on vacation and having someone ruin that few minutes for us. Working at a vacation and tourist area is the wrong job for her. Will definitely be a regular at this campsite!

Gorgeous views around the lake
Heidi C.

Our first stay at fallen leaf was awesome. We did four nights and although the trek to the lake was quite far from our camp spot it was well worth it! Recommend you pack lightly if you are located far from the lake and to find some of the trails that make the trip shorter. Really enjoyed having a close spot to explore other areas of Tahoe. Oh.. and the waterfall at the other side of fallen leaf lake made our trip Also, lots of bear activity at this camp spot so plan ahead and be bear aware!!

Samuel L.

one of the best campground that I ever experience in Ca. We stay in site 55 and the campsite was big , good shade and space and easy to access bathroom and toliet , well maintained and clean . Watch out for the active bears, they visited out camp site during dinner time and mid nite .

Skipping rocks on the lake

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1 year ago

Crowded bad location. Just kidding. It's fantastic. Large campsites, beautiful location.

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2 years ago

We just came for a quick hike. Day passes were reasonably priced and the area was beautiful and easy to hike.

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Fallen Leaf Campground Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Fallen Leaf Campground

Do you have rv rentals?

No.

How does one make a reservation for a larger group? Individuals from my group have been trying to secure campsites all week for August date and the site says it's busy then says the site is booked and we are there at 7am exactly. We have one site!

Maybe try calling. I've been camping here since 1968. Since they implemented the site specific reservation system, it's been difficult, to say the least. Not sure what's "up", but I find it strange that 6 months to the minute making a midnight… 

Is there cell service?

We have T-Mobile and had absolutely no service. Not until back to camp Richardson area.

Hi! Are the showers coin operated?

Yes

Is it open for day use?

Yes I believe day use ends at 7PM.

Are they open all year round?

No they are seasonal May-Sept/Oct I believe

Is there a bad problem with bears entering the camp sites?

I have camped here since 1968. There were no bear "issues" until about 2000. They're looking for easy meals. Don't leave food out. No food in tents. No coolers out. Lock them in the bear boxes. Keep anything visible in your vehicle that may resemble… 

They have an overflow area or first come first served area?

There's nothing posted, but I've been told they hold 2 sites for that. This is a very popular campground, and I think the FCFS is more for emergency use....

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Review Highlights - Fallen Leaf Campground

“The campground is a short walk to Fallen Leaf Lake, which is a great substiture to Lake Tahoe on crowded weekends.”

Mentioned in 30 reviews

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The Tahoe Experience

The Tahoe Experience

5.0(79 reviews)
2.7 mi

This was one of great highlight from the bachelor party we had over the weekend. We booked a…read morepontoon for 4 hours on the lake with Captain Bret. He took us around a few of his recommended spot and let me tell you, the views were stunning. The clarity of the water was no joke. We had a chance to dock up for an hour or two where we could spend more time in the water. The pontoon came with a water slide, cooler, and speakers, but Bret also provided us with two paddle boards and a lily pad. He even took out his drone to capture a few pictures and videos to share with us. What made the whole experience great was Bret sharing all his fun facts. He is very knowledgeable about the lake and the surrounding areas. I would highly recommend booking with them if you are interested in going out to the lake.

Bret is such a great person to work with! I asked for a quote on Yelp, and he got back to me in an…read morehour. He even called to chat about the details. We ended up choosing Tahoe Experience because Bret was so positive, patient, and offered great prices. On the boat, we had Chris, a freelance captain who works with Bret. Chris was a joy to be around. He was super relaxed, funny, and kind. He took great care of us during our boat rental. The ride to Emerald Drive took about 30 minutes, and we spent an hour there before heading back. Sadly, I got hurt while paddleboarding. It was all my fault since it was my first time. Chris helped me out of the water, took care of my scrapes, and drove us back to shore safely. He even gave us the closest emergency hospital details and offered to refund half of the agreed amount. We were so grateful for his help and really appreciated his kindness. Bret texted me to check in and say he was sorry about what happened. Bret and Chris are truly amazing people to work with. Even though I was at fault, we had a blast meeting Chris and having him as our captain. I definitely plan to reach out to Bret again when I visit Tahoe in the future and would highly recommend his services to anyone who comes to the area.

Photos
The Tahoe Experience - Bret (left) and my husband!

Bret (left) and my husband!

The Tahoe Experience
The Tahoe Experience

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Calawee Cove - Callawee Cove, don't miss it

Calawee Cove

4.6(9 reviews)
4.8 mi

Surprisingly empty beach for the amount of traffic that comes by the park. Parking is troublesome…read moreto find, but we managed to squeeze an SUV into a (hopefully legal) spot way at the end of the lot closest to the beach, parallel to the tree line. The water is calm enough here for paddleboarding and swimming; sand is coarse but soft enough to walk around barefoot on. Not ideal for sandcastle building given its weight, but still doable. :) Within walking distance of the gorgeous Rubicon and Lighthouse trails - the beach is the perfect place to park yourself after a long day of hiking.

Drove up here to the entrance of DL Bliss Park at 7:55am Wednesday only to find Park Closed sign…read morewith a lowered gate to the front entrance to the Park. I park the car at the entrance right off of Highway 89, grab our hiking gear and start walking the 1 mile to the ranger station. 25 minutes later at the ranger station, we learn that the ranger just opened the front entrance to the park, letting in vehicles. $10 pay by credit card at the ranger station for each vehicle. No way we are walking back, as by the time we get the car the 15 vehicle Calawee Cove parking lot will be filled by 9am. T 10 more minutes and we join the Rubicon trail at the Lighthouse parking lot. 5 miles and 4+ hours later we hike the Rubicon trail through the Calawee Cove. these are the only flush toilet bathrooms on this part of the trail. Very clean bathrooms. When I wash my hands in the sink, the water turns brown. Wouldn't want to eat lunch at the beach with those hands. The Calawee Cove reminds me of Hawaii, with it's long light brown beaches, crystal clear waters, and bright green colored waters near shore, and deep blue waters farther ashore. Summer Lake Tahoe water temperature 64 degrees compared to 77 degrees in Hawaii. Very few people on the beach, due to only 15 parking spots, and the $10 pay by credit card entry fee at the ranger station. Takes me 70 minutes to hike the 2.3 miles of paved road back to our parked car at the Park entrance from Calawee Cove. 1000 feet elevation gain, at 6,000 feet elevation, and I'm dragging my feet at toddler speed back to the car. Wife does it in 65 minutes, and wife's sister does it in 60 minutes. Along the way meet various families with kids wearing swim suits and flip flops, and adults hauling towels, sun umbrellas, food, and other beach equipment, all walking to Calawee Cove. The rangers closed the park entrance gates to vehicles going the beach, once all 15 parking spots are taken.. These are folks who walked in, smiling now, but hiking back to the car with their mouths open gasping for air on the brutal return. Paved road so smooth it could be wheelchair accessible, at least on the way down!

Photos
Calawee Cove - My son, testing the crystal-clear water

My son, testing the crystal-clear water

Calawee Cove - From the parking lot above Calawee Cove

From the parking lot above Calawee Cove

Calawee Cove

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Zephyr Cove - North Beach - Cute goose

Zephyr Cove - North Beach

3.8(85 reviews)
7.2 mi

Came here for a few hours to enjoy this popular spot. I was surprised by the $12 parking fee, but…read moreit wasn't too bad and they have public restrooms. The cove was nice, shallow, calm, and great for kids. However, I didn't love the rocky sand. The beach area is fairly small and people had chairs / blankets claiming beach spots fairly early for a while.

My husband and I came to Zephyr Cove - North Beach two Thursdays ago (in March). We came here to…read morekayak and decided up this spot because it was highly recommended by the woman who owned the Airbnb that we were staying in. On the afternoon that we arrived, we were lucky that the parking kiosk was not working and the gate to enter was open, so we lucked out with free parking. But will mention that this most likely was during off season because it was pretty cold on the day of our visit (we were one of very few crazy people willing to kayak in the water on this cold day (low to mid 60's). After we parked, my husband and I pulled our foldable kayaks over to the sand. After putting our kayaks together, we launched ourselves from the sand and then were off. Initially the water nice and calm but about 30 minutes into it, the waves started to get choppy and the winds were blowing kind of hard, so we only managed to kayak for about an hour but it was a fun visit. The view from my kayak was very beautiful and serene (before the winds starting to blow harder). Please note that near this beach is dog friendly, Zephyr Shoals Beach north of Zephyr Cove Resort. But where we parked and launched our kayaks is not dog friendly. There is food sold from the concession stands and there are restrooms on this beach (but I did not use any of the restrooms, nor did I purchase any food). Also kayaks are available for rent here. Overall, we had a good visit and would consider coming back here to kayak again the next time we visit Lake Tahoe.

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Zephyr Cove - North Beach - Kid having fun

Kid having fun

Zephyr Cove - North Beach - Restaurant nearby

Restaurant nearby

Zephyr Cove - North Beach

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Lakeside Beach - Lots of ducks walking and swimming around

Lakeside Beach

3.0(82 reviews)
5.9 mi

We were here in The beginning of March 2026. We were here during a warming trend. It was around 65…read moreand sunny. We saw people in shorts T-shirts and flip flops. No people in Bikinis but there were sill people daring each other to get in the lake and filming the experience. On course there were kind playing in the sand, digging holes and getting to there knees wet. There is also a jungle Jim for the kids to plan on and it was filled with happy kids. We found a picnic bench to sit at and over time another couple of guys joined us. We were happy to share our bench. We enjoyed the view of the lake and snow capped mountains. Very little snow up there. We also did some people watching and such watching. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach, but there were a ton. A few daring ones even enjoyed fetch in the water. Due to it was still off season there was still parking available. It did appear us like many others walked over, which helped with the parking issues. I've never been here during high season when the facilities were open and the snack bar was in business. The beach was busy, but not packed on our trip. I bet during high season it would be packed with a hard time carving out personal spaces. Due to this was off season it was free to come in but the facilities were not open. That was a bit of a dower as the bathrooms were closed. That put a limit on how long we spent here.

Directly across from The Landing Hotel. Great dog place…read more Hidden little gem away from hustle of other beaches.

Photos
Lakeside Beach
Lakeside Beach - Shoreline

Shoreline

Lakeside Beach - $20 for the beach?

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$20 for the beach?

Timber Cove Marina - Dipping our toes in Lake Tahoe!

Timber Cove Marina

4.2(13 reviews)
4.7 mi

Excellent parasailing experience this morning…read more We had booked the 10am 1000 foot experience and arrived around 9:45 am to fill out waivers (we had prepaid the $480 fee) and then boarded our boat. We had two crew members - one driving and the other helping with the preparation for the parasail (harnesses, life jackets, picture taking and so on). There was one more passenger and he went up first, then it was our turn - our tween and I went first in tandem (it was her first time) and then our teen and the missus. It was a magical ride; while I've done this before, it was lovely to see it from my daughter's eyes. It was chilly up high and she was a bit nervous, but the lake and mountains were breathtaking and she relaxed enough to soak it all in. We were 500-700 feet above the pristine "Tahoe Blue" surface, and we even got to dip our toes in the lake as we were being reeled back in! Can't wait to return!

Terrible scammy business practices!…read more Called them because my bank statement shows I was charged $230 when I only booked a 2 hour single kayak rental. They said they can't refund me because it was over 48 hours. And they said I also had two SUP's on that order. I told them, how can that be, I only requested the kayak. And so I asked them for the documents that I signed and then they said "sure". Get this, soo I was like...do you need my email? They said they're too busy to send it me me. On a monday morning. So you need people to check their bank accounts on a daily basis, but can't spend 5 mins to send me the supporting documents. If she gave me her real name, the manager's name is Kasandra. Completely not understanding and just accuses me of booking the SUP's and just so rude.

Photos
Timber Cove Marina - One is 500-700 feet above the surface with the 1000 foot parasail.

One is 500-700 feet above the surface with the 1000 foot parasail.

Timber Cove Marina - Parasailing is fun!

Parasailing is fun!

Timber Cove Marina - Ivy from Timber Cove. Very helpful and nice with getting us up on our first parasail trip.

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Ivy from Timber Cove. Very helpful and nice with getting us up on our first parasail trip.

Fallen Leaf Campground - campgrounds - Updated November 2026

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