Eureka lake is located within the Plumas-Eureka State Park. We initially did not know what to…read moreexpect when we saw the sign for it and had not planned anything around it. The directional sign at the beginning of the gravel road states it is 1.3 miles to the lake and my wife said let's go for it and check it out, so off we went! The rock and dirt one lane road to the lake is narrow and rough. There a few turnouts but it gets narrower as you approach the lake. We would recommend 4wd but smaller vehicles would also be better because of the width of the road. We made it easily with a 2015 Toyota Tundra but had to do some rearranging with other vehicles we encountered going the opposite direction. At the top, the parking lot is big enough for about 15 cars and the views are amazing!!! There were several people wading and swimming in the lake and we also saw a small kayak. We personally thought to ourselves "wow that water must be cold this early in the summer!". There is also a trailhead which begins just off the parking area with a directional sign indicating information about hiking to Eureka Peak but we were not prepared and when my wife saw the sign explaining what wildlife was in the area and saw a rubber boa on the list there was no way she was going to proceed any further. We are very glad we decided to explore the area!

Be prepared for a rough dirt road going up. Some may feel they need to be in 4 wheel drive, but…read more hubby felt it not necessary. When you get to the top you experience... what did I hear? SERENITY. Peace! Great place to just experience some outdoor clean air. You can park and go for a hike, or throw a pole in the lake to see what you can catch. Unlike a couple years ago there were only some smaller trout at this lake. If not fishing, you can certainly let the dog(s) play in the water.

Absolutely breathtakingly, beautiful day hike in Graeagle Lakes Basin Area that is not quite 2…read morehours from the Carson City area. Easy directions that has signs that will guide you right to the trailhead with as the other reviewers noted very limited parking but this hike is WELL worth it. With your choice of going to fish at Long Lake or hiking on several different hiking options from the Bear Lakes & Long Lake Loop Trail or take in a more moderate to difficult hike up to Mt. Elwell or Pacific Crest Trail you will not be disappointed by the beautiful nature views plus the four alpine lakes that on this trip in November we weren't brave enough to take a dip in but our Hobey doggy thoroughly enjoyed and we found to be of temperature similar to Lake Tahoe. Big Bear, Little Bear, Cub and Long Lake were exactly what we needed to put us back in touch with the serene vibes of the peacefulness of being outside with nature. Weather, views were stunningly gorgeous, we and our furry companions HIGHLY recommend getting out here to enjoy this easy to moderate hike/loop trail. Enjoy and #moveyourbody !!

I feel like nothing I write will adequately describe the beauty of this place, so I'll let the…read morepictures do the talking for that part. The trailhead is easy to find and off the main road. The road to get to the trailhead is doable in a small car, but take it slow as there are potholes and lots of blind corners. There's a well-maintained bathroom at the start of the trail and good signage. Parking is pretty good, there were plenty of spaces when I went but i could see it getting crowded during the summer months. The trail to long lake is relatively easy, but I wouldn't suggest it for someone with limited mobility. It's also a short hike with almost immediate payoff once you get to long lake, which is BEAUTIFUL. My dog and I elected to keep going past long lake toward the dam, and passed several small pretty lakes and streams on the way there. The trail was a little icy when I went in early December, but nothing too crazy.

I'm fully in my hiking/camping era at this point, so we decided to take a short drive and check out…read moreFrazier Falls. And honestly? This is my kind of hike. It's about a mile, easy, and paved, so you're not out there fighting for your life...but still has a high payoff at the end, which is really all I'm asking for these days When we got there, the waterfall was actually flowing, which always feels like a win. And on the way back, we cut through some rocks and were able to see where the waterfall starts, which made it even cooler. If you're nearby in early spring, I highly recommend checking out Frazier Falls. Easy, quick, and worth it...basically the perfect low-effort, high-reward hike.

Our favorite hike in the whole area. It comes to mind every time we visit our relatives in…read moreLoyalton.

HORRIBLE customer service!!!!!!!! booked on a fri, had some family emergencies and had to cancel…read moredue to being unable to travel and emailed to cancel on the same day. SAME DAY that I booked, lady on the phone told me "if you would have called right away we could have maybe done something".... I CALLED, and nobody was there and she goes "well there was no-one here it was after hours" soooo I emailed...... which was dated that Friday I booked and they are still charging me $50.00 to cancel. I get policies and cancellation fees. but come on.. the reservation was more than a month away and canceled (attempted) the same day as noted on email. Horrible customer service. Will NEVER book here again. Hope you enjoy my $50.

We had reservations for the last weekend in June. Our 8 year old son just recently passed away…read moreunexpectedly and we are trying to cope with that and do all the things that come with the horrible circumstance. Needless to say, I called to cancel our reservations. I knew there would be a $50 cancellation fee no problem. In the fine print of the FAQ page, it says reservations must be cancelled at least 10 days prior (I didn't see that). I told the lady owner why we were cancelling. She said sorry, those are the rules and I understand what you are going through because I am about to lose my spouse. Losing a spouse is extremely difficult, but it is not even close to losing a child, especially when your spouse is elderly. It was really just a complete lack of empathy.

Best part of this trip! Please wear shoes as the rocks and…read moregravel can be slippery. Must take your time getting to this area but worth it. There's a rope section to get up/down to the waterfall. Kids had a blast jumping off the rocks. Water was cold but the kids had too much fun. Plenty of parking Not crowded which is always a plus.

To get there: You can turn from CA-89 onto Johnsville Rd. and it is approximately 4.6 miles to…read moreJamison Mine Rd on the left. The trailhead parking area is 1.3 miles from the turnoff. The trail: From the parking area you'll see the trail and you'll go up to an old mine building and the trail goes to the left. The climb is moderate but partially shaded. If you go to Jamison and Rock Lakes you'll have an elevation gain of about 1100' to 1400' depending if you make it a loop and check out Wades Lake. We ended up exploring different areas and clocked 9.15 miles. This trail is extremely rewarding with a good workout, beautiful views, excellent cool lakes to swim in, and friendly people.

After being frustrated in the lack of access for our sedan to many of the lakes in the Lakes Basin,…read morewe looked forward to the easy access and hike to Madora Lake. The trailhead is marked by a sign on the Graeagle-Johnston Road (A-14), and is hard to miss if you are coming from Blairsden in the East. But if you are coming from the main part of the park, the sign faces the opposite way, and it's easy to miss (the trailhead sign is on the north side of the road, about 2 miles east of Park headquarters). There is a short, paved road to the trailhead, and we appreciated the lack of potholes after struggling through many of the forest service's access roads. No formal parking lot, but lots of room to park on the side of the road near the trailhead. A vault toilet is at the trailhead. The trail is 1.5 miles long, a loop around the lake. They are in the process of converting the trail to make it ADA accessible, and in the summer of 2017 parts of the trail could be closed depending upon construction. The whole trail was open when we were there in late August, parts of the trail now flattened and hardened, other parts still the original dusty dirt. Much of the trail goes through pine forest, a beautiful, peaceful setting. A small creek and an unexpected abundance of ferns can be found a small ways past the trailhead. However, if like us, you were expecting to see a beautiful mountain lake, this trail can be a bit of a disappointment. For most of the hike you can't see the lake at all, you are separated from it by the forest. But it turns out you aren't missing much: the lake is more like a large pond, and is rapidly being subsumed by an explosion of water-loving plants. A large number of willows along the lake edge shield the hiker from many lake views, and most views of the lake yield more plants than water. The best views of the lake are halfway through the trail along the north bank. A decent hike, and a good choice for those not prepared for anything strenuous - just maintain modest expectations for the "lake".

The Madora Lake Trail is a very accessible 1.5 mile loop that can be found just off the…read moreGraeagle-Johnsville Road (County Road A-14). Elevation is ~5,025 ft. Difficulty: Easy Hiking season: May to November, with wildflowers best in early to mid summer.

Amazing place, ten out of ten. However if anyone finds keys in the swimming hole please let me know!read more

Sometimes Plan A goes awry. That's happened to me too many times to count in the beautiful Lakes…read moreBasin Recreation Area. The second to last time that happened, I discovered this campground, which is right below my all time favorite, and because the host was so nice I mentally bookmarked for the future. Well, after trying to find a spot at our favorite again, we hit this one hoping to find a spot on a busy weekend and lucked out! Most of the sites were reserved, but the host pointed us toward sites 6+7, which were perfect! The grounds are impeccably maintained. Almost as if the ground itself was swept and vacuumed! Fire rings are strong and in tact, though one of our sites was missing a grate. The grounds are far from the road, so there's no noise, and the sites are pretty well spread apart, so that makes them pretty cozy! But the best part about staying anywhere in this area is the beauty of the night sky. Stars abound. The Milky Way is visible. Shooting stars are nearly a guarantee. And if that's not enough, this is an ideal jumping off point for some phenomenal hikes. Reserve a spot and plan a trip or hit it on a whim. You won't be disappointed!

(Overdue review) We loved our camping experience at Dream…read moreCatcher! Even though it was Labor Day weekend, the campground and Lakes Basin area was so quiet and peaceful. It's a hidden gem, compared to more popular, overcrowded nature areas. Mike and Brandi were super responsive and helpful via text and in person. It truly is a family business so always happy to support that. We stayed at one of the two campsites and it seems like, at least when we were there, the rest of the RV park folks there were mostly chill, quiet seniors. We helped ourselves to free hot showers (!!!!) and had the sparkling clean restrooms pretty much to ourselves the entire weekend. Nice hiking trail on their property, games and activities available if you choose. We chose to SUP, check out all the pretty lakes in the area. Highly recommend this campground, will visit again.

What a beautiful spot. It felt like the 3 couples we had, had the entire park to ourselves. Clean…read morerestrooms, super funny signs that will make you want to potty in every stall. Only complaint is Dale and the boys working on their trucks ALL NIGHT LONG. I don't know what they were on but it rhymes with Shmeth. People actually live on the SE side of the campground so unless you're in to tweakers banging on things all night, don't stay on that side of the campground. Super loud metal on metal and welding and grinding. I didn't plan on staying at an auto shop but here we are. So we have to be quiet after 10 but they can rage all night? No thanks I do appreciate the care that the owners have put in to this spot, again, super clean and very well maintained. Location is great for golf, local restaurants etc. I'd stay here again but Dale and the boys better put their tools away. Other than that, super great experience

Well cared for and beautiful dog friendly park. Great hikes available from the campground and lots…read moreof alpine lakes to explore just a short drive away.

Stunning. Old growth trees. Clean bathrooms, hot showers included. Campsites seem large. Very…read morequiet at night and could hear the river from all parts of the campground. Trailheads (1.5 mile hikes) from campground. Fishing and swimming holes. River is a cold plunge for adults but kids were fine with temperature. A very long drive from Bay Area.....6 hours with just quick stops. Quite remote.

We love this state park for camping, hiking, biking, fishing, and especially for the history! It is…read morean old gold mining town, and home to America's first downhill ski races! We love the museum and the volunteers who work there.

I don't want to be the one to spoil the secret, but I recently camped here, and it was incredible…read more I think this will probably be one of my favorite places to camp from now on. I stayed at Upper Jamison Creek, and loved it. I made reservations about a week ahead of time on Reservecalifornia.com My site was very spacious, private, and well shaded. There were lots of redwoods on my site, some purple irises, and even some snow plant. There are a few lovely short trails that run throughout the park, like the one mile hike from the campground to the Visitor Center, or an extra mile to Camp Lisa or the Jamison Mine Complex. From the historic mine complex, the PCT is just three miles away. Or, you can also drive to the trail head and park there. In the other direction, the Trail carries on to a series of alpine lakes and waterfalls. Like other reviewers have said, it was very cold at night. Even in June, I needed both sleeping bags. There are several other amazing hikes within driving distance. If you look carefully, there are some free campgrounds, too. The only time this state park charges fees is to camp at the nicer campgrounds. All parking is free. Showers are free. Plumas Eureka is more accessible than some state parks. They Reserve disabled sites for people with disabled passes, which is something to keep in mind if you have a pass and are looking for a site at the last minute. Lots of gorgeous lakes and opportunities for kayaking, too. Pretty much as good as it gets for a state campground.