A beautiful spot to kayak, SUP and fish. Parking can be challenging, depending on the weather,…read morelocation you choose and time of the year. Because the lakes are tucked back into the woods and off the paved road, it might be difficult for some, depending on your vehicle. Although it is a dirt road for several miles, it is maintained in great condition and should be passable by most cars. I recommend both lakes, but since you're in the area, Spicer lake is also very close, and much larger.

My pictures do not even come close to documenting just how pretty this place is. I'll have to…read moreremember my waterproof case next time so I can take pictures beyond the shore. At any rate, these reservoirs are nothing short of awesome. Totally non-motorized and crystal clear water - this is a paddler's paradise. There are plenty of spots along the shoreline and throughout the many granite islands to camp out and enjoy. The west side of Utica also features a shallower, swimming hole-like section with large slabs of granite to lay out and enjoy the sun. This was the perfect place to relax after SUPing around the lake. Both Utica and Union reservoirs each feature two small first come, first serve campgrounds that fill up fast to capacity and have limited resources. Seriously though, this place could have zero bathrooms and I would still give it five stars. Utica has a large day use/overflow parking lot across from the Sandy Flat campground that is totally free. Keep driving down the road another couple of miles and you'll find the staging area at the start of the Slick Rock Jeep Trail. I'll definitely be back, especially to explore the waterfall area between the two reservoirs.

This is a great reservoir to enjoy some fun on the water and it's absolutely huge!…read more Located in Stanislaus National Forest, it's about eight miles off of Highway 4 and feels even more remote. From the boat launch the view is deceiving - it looks like just a small lake next to a dam. But turn the corner around the first hillside and the lake opens up and appears to go on forever. According to the Forest Service, the reservoir covers 2,000 acres when it's full. There's a max 10 mph wake, so this is more of a lake for kayakers and SUPs, but there is the occasional fishing boat too. A portion of the reservoir to the northeast is also restricted altogether from motorized watercraft. With the rocky terrain around the reservoir you won't find much for a beach, but there are some great coves and island-like rock formations throughout the lake that are excellent for swimming and lounging. Both boat launch and day use parking are free (yes, really) and there is a campground nearby with first come, first serve sites.

Duck Lake Trail or Loop is a very nice, moderately challenging hiking trail around Duck Lake (one…read moreof several lakes with that name) in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, an appendage of the Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada east of Sonora and north of Yosemite. This is reached by Highway 4 (running across the Sierra Nevada from Stockton to near Markleeville, via Ebbetts Pass). The trailhead is at the Silver Valley Campground on the eastern side of Lake Alpine. If coming from the west, this is reached via a small road to the right off of Highway 4 just east of Lake Alpine, which is just east of Bear Valley. The small access road ends at the campground and just before the campground is the trail head. As of September 2023, the trailhead was not immediately obvious because of damage to the trees and sign. There is limited parking on the side of the road. In its full length includes a roughly 4-mile loop. There are links to other trails as well. Much of the trail is easy going physically, but there are some significant uphill or downhill parts, mostly at the beginning and end; around the lake itself the terrain is mostly easy going, with some woodland, meadows, and granite outcroppings. This trail could take about 2 hours to complete, more or less, depending on a number of factors. For us, the biggest thing to slow us down was the fact that the trail, though obvious in the start/end, tends to become vague and harder to identify in many sections around the lake. It is not especially well cleared for much of that, and mostly one must follow it by being careful about the direction, orienting via the lake, looking for trail blazes, and, especially in the hard granite areas, stone markers which hikers put up. This is a common issue, apparently. Otherwise, it is a very nice hike, and the lake is lovely. There is an old cabin next to the lake, and some pasture areas with cattle since livestock grazing is permitted int the Wilderness. It is peaceful and we only encountered three other groups of people on the entire hike when there in September 2023.

We camped at Lake Alpine's East Shore a couple of weeks ago, and loved it so much, we decided to…read morereturn two weeks later. A week ago, I happened to see an availability for a weekend so I snapped it up. We stayed at Pine Marten a couple of weekends ago, so just down the hill from Silver Valley. Site 5 was just gorgeous. Lots of wildflowers were in bloom on this site. It's a large site, so there was plenty of room for a picnic table, a fire pit, and a few tents. There is even a water spigot conveniently located at the site. There are three vault (pit) toilets on site, and we used all three at some point, and the one that was best was the farthest one from us which by Site 10. No showers but you can use the showers at Lake Alpine Resort for a fee. You can also rent kayaks and boats, and buy stuff at Lake Alpine Resort. The stargazing was awesome! Our site had a great view of the sky, so we got to see the Big Dipper, lots and lots of stars and the Milky Way. We made sure to hang out and look at the stars after we've completely doused our campfire. We stayed up until about midnight just to enjoy the stars. To get down to the Lakeshore Trail, head to Site 12. You will see a trail next to the water spigot (to the right of Site 12 facing it), go down that trail and you will be at Pine Marten and follow the road to the Lakeshore Trail. I would book a site located on the inner ring of the campground. The ones across the road from Site 5 are all on the hill and it may be hard to pitch a tent on flat ground.

2021 Camping Trip #2…read more I was soooo lucky to get a weekend reservation here! They must have just opened up reservations as there were still sites available when I booked in May. We camped here the last weekend of June, and from the looks of it, the snow must have just all melted as the ground was still soft and damp. This meant we had mosquitoes of course, but it wasn't too bad. They were around in the morning and at dusk. However lots of wildflowers were in bloom, and lots of butterflies. It was also damsel flies mating season, so they were flying around, landing on people and rocks to mate. Lol We also saw a lot of trout jumping! Saw lots of stars at night and the sky is definitely bluer and cleaner up at this elevation! This campground is located at 7300 ft elevation. We did not feel the elevation which is nice. This campground is on the East shore of Lake Alpine which is the less busy side of the lake. Pine Marten is just past the Backpackers Campground and the beach is only a few minutes walk from Pine Marten. There is very limited parking for Day Users (maybe 10 cars?) so it is better than the West Shore. Site 32 was great! It was spacious. You can easily fit 3 tents on flat ground. There is a bear box which has a nice easy latch system, and a picnic table. It's about 2 sites away from pit toilets and water. The fire ring is very low though. Just make sure you don't build too big of a fire. The campground hosts were so nice! They would always wave and say hi when they are making their rounds. The campground was pretty quiet all weekend. Maybe coz it gets so cold at night. Friday night temps got all the way down to the high 30s, but Saturday night lows only got down to the 40s. Lake Alpine Resort is only a little over a mile walk away, so we walked there to rent kayaks in the afternoon. So much fun kayaking the lake! They also have a general store so you can buy ice, sundries, food, souvenirs, fishing stuff and drinks. Bear Valley is less than 4 miles so you can always drive there if Lake Alpine Resort doesn't have what you need. We will definitely camp here again. The Lake is gorgeous, the people friendly, and it feels secluded. Lots of trails, and lakes nearby too. Ebbett's Pass is also nearby. We loved our camping here so much, we are returning in another week, albeit at Silver Valley Campground which is adjacent to Pine Marten. I had reserved a campsite near Nevada City, but I happened to see an availability at Lake Alpine for the same weekend. Someone must have just cancelled their reservation. Can't wait to return! :)

Took a day trip from the bay. Lots of fresh snow after a new year storm. I strongly recommend…read moresnowshoeing or walking down the spicer reservoir road. Just a couple hundred feet and there are plenty of sledding options, with longer runs and fewer boulders. Paid $15 to park for the day ($40 for a season ticket). We arrived at noon and although the lot was full, people were constantly coming and going, so we were able to find a spot after one loop around the lot. It's 2hrs 40mins and about 150miles from our part of the Bay Area. This was a good amount of time for a day trip. more than 3 hours and it starts to feel a little less appealing.

Great park! A little past Arnold. But well worth the drive for a day of fun in the snow. We will…read morereturn!

This is a large, well-maintained campground in Stanislaus National Forest, adjacent to Spicer…read moreMeadow Reservoir with 60 first come, first serve sites. Is it the cheapest? Nope. It's $30/night for a single site ($60/night for a double). The campground is maintained by Sierra Recreation Managers (and not the Forest Service) so although you pay a little extra compared to the typical campsite, there are a few perks. For starters, the boat launch and day use amenities nearby are free, and there is a paved trail that connects from the campground. There are also several friendly camp hosts posted throughout the campground and all of them sell an ample amount of firewood for a reasonable price and will deliver it to your campsite. Restrooms are vault toilets but are kept stocked and maintained. The sites themselves are also sizeable and most can easily fit trailers. My friend and I camped in #5 and noticed that even though there was a clear tent platform, the campsite could have easily accommodated a couple more tents. There was also a larger than average fire ring, but unfortunately no bear boxes. I would definitely stay in this campground again when I'm in the area to kayak or SUP.

Spaces are to small. And access to Lake is only via boat ramp and it is 300 yards away. Bathroom…read moreare not maintained very good

Generators all day!…read more I've seen cleaner bathrooms in Tijuana Mexico! It's pretty much of the worst campgrounds in the Stanislaus National Forest. Here's a tip, the best places to camp closer to Spicer reservoir.

I was surprised at how pretty this overflow campground was. I'm used to dusty, unshaded overflow…read moreareas that are far from the main attraction. This place had beautiful redwoods, an old school water pump, the sites were decently spaced apart, and we were very close to Lake Alpine. The only negatives were the bathrooms, which I don't think were cleaned the whole weekend. I made the mistake of opening the doors to a couple on Sunday, in the hopes that one would be decent. They were all obscene and I felt contaminated. I saw a park ranger putting toilet paper in one of the stalls on Saturday, but I guess she was not responsible for actually cleaning them. Blech. I made sure to hold everything until we got to a place with flushable toilets. For that reason alone, I think I prefer camping at Kennedy Meadow, where they keep everything very clean, even during the weekends. They don't take reservations. It was good that some of our group got there early, so that we could get several sites pretty close together.