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Scotts Flat Lake

3.1 (102 reviews)

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Stayed in site 77 in gate #1June 2025.  The site is smaller and has no real flat spots.

Site had no flat spots and on the smaller side. Site is about as far away from water as you can get. Lake is nice but get there early for a spot on the water. There is bear activity, but all I had to do is walk at them and they walked away.

Leah E.

This review is for the Cascade Shores entrance... we were staying at an Air Bnb nearby and could see the lake from the balcony. We headed down to check it out with a few drinks and fishing poles. There is a private parking lot with an attendant (who lives in a trailer) that you have to pay (cash only). It was $2 walk in and the sign in my review photo gives additional information. Bathrooms also pictured but I cannot comment on the cleanliness because we didn't use it. There are signs posted everywhere "no drinking." It's not clear to me who owns this lake or any details related to the operation. When I return I'll be sure to ask more questions.

Kitra P.

We really hoped for a better experience, but all things considered it had it's +/- like any campground. Definitely some good memories. Value - 3 * the coin operated showers are abysmal and a joke for the cost of camping at Scott's Flat. You can't control the temperature, so expect scalding showers. Rooms - 4 * tent sites were great, spacious but large parties 20+ people were able to book individual sites instead of group sites and it made for very noisy neighbors. Location - 4 * the lake was nice but definitely suited more for watercrafts than swimming. Very murky towards shore. But gorgeous, like bath water. Had a great time, bring a pop up! Cleanliness - 4 * routinely saw staff cleaning the bathrooms and trash/recycling. Service - 3 * store never open it seems, or maybe only on the weekends? It was only open once during our 6 night stay. Sleep Quality - 2 no enforcement of quiet time. Staff said they would check back several times throughout the night to check enforcement but they only drove by one night, at 10pm during our entire stay there. They never checked back again and guests are rowdy and loud until past midnight. A camper next to us reported a bear running through their site. We did know ahead of time to expect bears, but given it is such a frequent occurrence you would expect the campground to have bear boxes at the sites.

Beautiful Scotts Flat Lake.
Velia M.

Been coming here since summer of 2009, and I still absolutely love it. It's just a gorgeous and relaxing camp ground. We come here 2-3 times per summer, and it's always a pleasant experience. I do have to say that it would be great if the site would have bear lockers/canisters...just this past weekend we were woken up to the sounds of a bear opening up our bins, one even had duct tape around it, and that still didn't keep it from opening it. The bear did come back for a second time, but luckily my brother scared it, and did not return. Regardless, I shall come back, but I'll have to educate myself on how to handle these types of scenarios, and make sure the rest of the clan is too.

Amelia M.

Honestly this review is solely based on how pretty this place is. We didn't spend the night or anything. We just came for the day to boat and bbq. Unfortunately you can't do both so we had to chose only one. So the boat it was. But like I said this review is only based on how nice and relaxing this place was. It was not over crowded. It was beautiful. The drive up is pretty steep especially with a boat trailer but other then that this place is really peaceful and pretty.

Ahris K.

This was our first time here. We had a blast. Everything at the campgrounds was spacious and easy accessible. The showers were hot and they picked up the trash often to prevent any near encounters. They also had a small store on top of the hill and had any essential items if you forgot it at home. All in all we had a good experience and will return. Btw the lake was beautiful.

JMayMay M.

This place is so beautiful! I have no complaints and hope to spend more time here. We set up camp right at the water and we docked our boat to the tree. There was 8 of us. I saw some comments about it being loud at night and we didn't have that problem and the camp grounds were packed. Restrooms were clean

Kayaking at Scotts Flat.
Jenn R.

We just got back from our 1st camping trip here and loved it. It's such a beautiful lake and we had a camp site right at the lake. The camp sites are kind of close to each other but it was ok. We went during the week so it wasn't crowded or noisy. We're planning another trip next summer.

Site 51---AWESOME!
Kim H.

We spent 4 glorious days here with our church--Family Retreat. This is our FIRST full stay, having spent one day here in 2015 (Day Visit.) We were in Site 51, it was completely perfect. We came with a large group, and each site was perfectly tended to/clean. The bathrooms were well maintained, and the Camp Host was quite friendly and helpful. The lake itself was gorgeous. Other visitors joined our group for kayaking and corn hole, every last person/visitor was thoughtful and friendly. We look forward to returning in July each year with our group. FIVE stars, and, THANK YOU!!! My ONLY suggestion? Bear Proof Waste containers.

Upper Scott's Flat Lake

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Beautiful lake. Nice trail by lake. During the spring and summer it is busy. Very nice and well maintained.

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Ask the Community - Scotts Flat Lake

Camp fires allowed?

They are not allowing any wood burning

Planning on camping in june 2021. Is there a water in the lake?

There was when we camped in early June. It's less than usual but still full.

Is swimming allowed in this lake?

Yes and it's one of the cleaner and surprisingly warmer lakes in the area.

Do they rent kayaks? Jet skis?

No, unfortunately they don't.

Are there electrical outlets in the bathrooms?

No outlets in the bathrooms

Is there WiFi?

No WiFi but I do get phone service in some areas.

Which are the best lakeside campsite numbers? I've seen some pics of people camping right on the water

Site #6 was really nice in lot two. It overlooks the lake and you can walk down to water. Parking is for small RV only like a class b or small C

What are the best lakeside campsite numbers? I saw some pics with lake access directly from campsite

7A hands down!

Do they have drinkable water hookups on site?

Not that I'm aware of. I stayed at a lakeside site and did not have one. Not sure if RV sites are different.

Anyone know what the yurts look like? Are there cots?

It was just an open,raised platform.

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Review Highlights - Scotts Flat Lake

I have to give a shout out to the campground staff who gave me excellent help when I got a flat tire.

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Lake Carr Campground - Lake Carr at Sunset... captured on the trail just beyond the last campsite at the very end. Ugh! Heaven!

Lake Carr Campground

5.0(2 reviews)
5.1 mi

- $15 per site per night. $5 for additional vehicles. Cash or Check deposited in an enveloped and…read moredropped off in a bin at the entrance to the campground. - Sites include: Picnic table, Bear Box and Fire Ring. - Camp Fires: As of July 20, 2020. Fires are permitted only in the fire ring. Plenty of wood around to collect and burn. *** Camp Fires are not allowed if you are dispersed camping. *** - Bathrooms: 4 portable bathrooms next to spot 1 in the front and a vault bathroom with 2 stalls by spot 9 &10. When we arrived on Friday, they were cleaned and stocked with toilet paper. By Sunday, they were a stinky mess. The Carr lake campground was great. Spot vary in size. Some of the spots in the front had lake access. The spots in the back have a lake view. You can still access the lake from the spots in the back, but its a pretty steep decent. The spots in the middle do not have lake access but some are pretty private and have lots of shade. Spot 8 has the most privacy and a good amount of distance from the neighbors. Spot 8 is also by a creek. This drowned out the noise other campers made in the evening. Carr Lake was very pretty. However, the main event is Feely lake. Access to Feely lake is between Spot 8 and 9. It's a larger lake with stunning views. A lot of backpackers were heading to Island Lake which is about a mile from the Carr Lake Campground. Due to the Covid related closures around the state, more people than usual are heading to the outdoors. This meant that this usually secluded area was not packed with day hikers and backpackers. The parking lot was at capacity by mid day Friday and people had to park on the side of the road as far as a half a mile away. I recommend that you stake your claim as early as Thursday or very early Friday.

Lake Carr Campground is a true gem for those adventurous enough to brave the road up there…read more Quick Campsite Stats: Number of Sites: 11 Cost: $15 per day, honor system by envelope (cash or check only) Amenities: - Pit Toilets, but generously stocked with toilet paper. - Metal fire rings with a grill - Picnic table at each site Does not include: - Water (unless you purify the lake water, plenty of that around) - Trash cans (you must pack in what you pack out) Pets Allowed? Yes! Elevation: 6,663 ft Reservations Required?: No. All first come, first served as far as I could tell. Owned and operated by PG&E Getting There (the hard part): It's a good 30-40 minute drive north of Hwy 20 up Bowman Lake Road (Forest Road 18) to where it splits off to Forest Road 17. From there you will see a giant log with "CARR" spray painted in white with an arrow to the right (pretty awesome, I know). Now you're in for three miles of rocky dirt road... and I mean rough. A road full of rocks ranging from the size of grapefruits to dodge balls... so take is slow and steady. I will warn all sedans or low-clearance vehicles to be extremely careful. I saw many cars bottoming out (a mini cooper and prius among them). Towards the top of the road, you'll need to navigate around some big boulder-like rocks embedded in the road. Here is where most low-clearance vehicles gave up, pulled to the side and decided to walk the rest of the way. I have a two-wheel drive Honda CRV. I decided to give it a whirl and made it up to the parking lot by some miracle. Entry to the Campground: Surprisingly the parking lot was already packed at 4:30pm on a Friday! Who are all these people brave enough to make it up that road? I was impressed. I wasn't quite sure what to expect campsite wise considering it was 4th of July weekend and I was hoping to snag one of the first come, first served sites. I wasn't too optimistic, but I threw on my backpack and decided to take a look around. You want to head to the top of the trail (i.e. the road barricade). There you will see a wood bulletin board of sorts with the campsite rules and a place to leave your nightly fee ($15). You put your cash/check in an envelope and tear off the receipt at the bottom. Put the envelope in the slot on the green post and take the receipt to your campsite of choice. Clip it under your campsite number and voila! Note: The PG&E people are checking to make sure you've done this word to wise, but I have no idea if and how they would "cite" you if you didn't pay. It's kind of the honor system. Surveying the Campsites Right after you walk past the bulletin board there are a number of campsites up off to the right. Some of them were already taken by the time I got there, so I walked on down the road, but I heard from some other seasoned campers that one of the first campsites was one of the best out of the eleven. I continued down the road and saw some absolutely stunning ones! I was thrilled to see a few were empty and available. On 4th of July weekend!! I couldn't believe my luck! After I checked out all the real estate I decided on my beauty, campsite number 8... I think? Can't remember exactly. Also recommended is the very last campsite past the bathrooms (farthest from the parking lot). Totally spectacular lake view. I was jealous. Most of the campsites do not have lake access. You're behind some seriously thick brush with no paths to the lake, but I believe the campsites at the very beginning and the very end do have lake access. Something to keep in mind. Not a deal breaker at all though considering Feeley Lake is just a hop skip and jump up the road and even MORE beautiful! :) The bathrooms are clean, although to get there you have to cross part of a river... a stream really, but might be hard to do in the middle of the night unless you have one of the campsites nearest to the bathrooms. Think hopping from stone to stone or just wading through up to your ankles. The campsites grew fairly crowded as the day went on but I observed there were still two or three out of the eleven campsites that were unoccupied throughout the weekend (I was there Fri-Sun). The crowd level was just enough to feel safe and not too much so that you felt it was cramping your solitude time. If you do end up campsite-less for some unfortunate reason, disperse camping is allowed and I saw a ton of people do it along the Round Lake Trail and Crooked Lakes Trail. This is something I will do next time for sure, as the scenery gets even more spectacular the father down the trail you go, espectially up towards Penner Lake. I will definitely be back here as it is one of my new favorite spots in the Tahoe National Forest. I hope this is helpful! :)

Photos
Lake Carr Campground - Feeley Lake right next to Carr... who needs lake access to Carr when you have this 100 yards away! Gorgeous!

Feeley Lake right next to Carr... who needs lake access to Carr when you have this 100 yards away! Gorgeous!

Lake Carr Campground
Lake Carr Campground - Last campsite at the end of the road by the bathrooms. Sweet setup. They told me they were here at 11am Friday morning to grab this one.

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Last campsite at the end of the road by the bathrooms. Sweet setup. They told me they were here at 11am Friday morning to grab this one.

Inn Town Campground - RV Sites

Inn Town Campground

4.5(231 reviews)
5.5 mi

As a large family, we had a great experience for our first time camping. Our tent camping…read moreexperience was affordable, the bathrooms and kitchen were extremely clean, the shower we had access to looked very clean and modern, and the staff were all nice and helpful. Shout out to Vince, one of the night managers! He was so warm and friendly to us and especially to our baby! It was great getting to know him and learned more about how the camp aims to welcome families and kids.

Having now stayed at Inn Town for 3 nights, I highly recommend this fantastic glamping/camping…read moreexperience. I have stayed in a few glamping tents before in CA and UT and MT. The glamping tents here are special. I mean heated mattress pads, lights, plugs, and fans? Fantastic. There is even warm, welcoming area specific decor. Our bed has a charming headboard made from a door where the recessed panels are hand painted. We came with two adults and three children and had two glamping tents, which were a fantastic value compared to the fancy KOAs which have become very expensive. Bathroom, shower (including a lockable outdoor shower), kitchen, and pool facilities are immaculate. If you are looking for a super clean, super fun, well located place with all the amenities you could want, and you are able to be a respectful camper, this is your place. So nice to be able to sleep without the smell of cigarettes, loud music, cussing when you have kids trying to sleep. Thank you Inn Town for providing that place. Most peaceful camping experience I have had in years. We will definitely be back and recommend to friends! Also, there is a gorgeous meadow to hang out in and you can walk downtown easily, and there is a camp store with necessities and luxuries.

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Inn Town Campground - Family glamping tent

Family glamping tent

Inn Town Campground - Glamping Tent

Glamping Tent

Inn Town Campground - A look inside a glamping tent

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A look inside a glamping tent

River Rest Resort

River Rest Resort

3.9(54 reviews)
8.3 mi

Driving a 36 ft motor home there was a challange, the spaces are tight with each other, your head…read morehas to really be on a swivel. At my site #39 i had to crib up the front end up quite a bit to get level. As im hooking up there was absolutly NO water pressure, neighbor said they were working on a busted line, it all came on a hour later, i use a surge protector on my rig which kept shutting off due to low voltage 94volts, i spoke with the office, they wrote a note, then it spiked over 136 volts i spoke with the office, they wrote a note, i removed my surge protector an connected directly to my dog bone, same thing 94 volts, i went to the office an purchased one of there dogbones for sale, same thing very low voltage. As im packing up to leave i take there dog bone back for refund an explaned why, the person behind the desk said "i wonder why they didnt call the electrican" So you know we went there to meet a large group, we dont have kids it was supposed to be a fun get away, i was to use my smoker to make a meal which i ended up using a seperate extension cord to another unit so i could use my smoker, This started on a thursday an we left sunday, plenty of time to get "there guy" but no one! There was no cost adjustment, just a "sorry"... Even the guy next to me said his electric fireplace kept turning off.The place appears nice other than that, guess my complaint revolves around for what was paid for the site $$$ they should be a little more attentive to issues when advised... several times.

Wonderful camp grounds and very clean I look forward to my…read morenext visit. Enjoyed camping for the first time and loved the little market

Photos
River Rest Resort - My slipper says it all. This was the bears path to my cookies . Guess he already had dinner  Lock up your food when away

My slipper says it all. This was the bears path to my cookies . Guess he already had dinner Lock up your food when away

River Rest Resort
River Rest Resort

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Salmon Creek Campground - Sand Pond

Salmon Creek Campground

4.3(10 reviews)
29.6 mi

My boyfriend and I camped at Salmon Creek, and I was very pleased with the site. We stayed in early…read moreOctober, so there were very few other campers. It gets very chilly in the evening! Our site, number 33, was far away from other camp sites. We had a great stretch of woods to enjoy, although poor Salmon Creek was totally dry. All of the sites come with a fire pit, a second pit with a grill top, a picnic table, and a bear box. We could hear a little bit of car noise from Gold Lake Hwy, but not too much. The location is very close to the Sardine Lakes, Sand Pond, and the trailhead for the hike to the Sierra Buttes fire lookout tower. It was a lovely 1.5 hr drive from Reno: not too far, but far enough so that it felt like we were in a new and different environment! I booked the campsite on recreation.gov for $33. In the morning the campsite manager stopped by to have me sign in. Check out is 2 pm. I highly recommend this site.

We stayed at Salmon Creek Campground in late August 2020. There were fires all over that had…read morefinally been contained enough for us to feel comfortable going. We live in Sacramento and had been dealing with all the ash and smoke for weeks. Coming up to the campground was so nice, as the air was clear and mostly crisp. It was a much needed break. We stayed at campsites #27 & #29. According to the reservation site (recreation.gov), both of these sites are on the creek side, rather than the highway side. But when we arrived, we found they were on the highway side (along with #26, so not all of them are listed improperly). It wasn't so bad, though, as the highway is a ways up above the site and it wasn't too busy. At night, I honestly didn't even notice the sound. #26 is really close to #27, but no one was there when we went, so it was fine. #29 is on the creek side and is actually downhill a bit. It's definitely the most secluded site on the entire campground. The restrooms are almost directly across from #26 and the door has slams literally every time someone uses it (unless they hold it to stop it from slamming, but why would anyone do that?), so it was a bit of a nuisance at night or in the early morning. The campground was clean overall. We saw the Forest Service truck come through a couple times each day just to check up on things. There was no camp host when we went. We had no issues with bears or anything rummaging through our site at night (though we did put everything in the bear box). There also wasn't much of an issue with noise, but that really just depends on how considerate the neighbors are that happen to be there when you are. And since there is no camp host on site, there would be nothing done about noise anyway. We hopped in our cars to drive just a few feet up the highway to access the Sand Pond & Lower Sardine Lake. They were nice, but the issue here is that while Salmon Creek Campground allows dogs, neither of these allow them. And since we didn't have anywhere we could keep our dogs, our visit to these spots was very brief. If you want to bring your dogs with you, you have to head up to Upper Sardine Lake. This is an OHV trail, so you need 4WD to drive up there. Your other option is hiking it, but it is a bit of a hike uphill...not a simple walk. With that said, my 7 year old made the hike both ways without issue, but it is rocky, so be careful. My hubby has a truck that could handle it, so we took that, but it was terrifying for me, as the width of the trail is only a few feet wider than the width of the truck and you're literally on the edge of this mountain cliff with no guard or anything. And if another vehicle comes, one of you have to back up till there's a wide enough space for passing. It was very nerve-wracking. So while we loved the campground, we have opted not to return mainly because we enjoy bringing our dogs with us camping & it just wasn't an ideal situation.

Photos
Salmon Creek Campground
Salmon Creek Campground - Our campsite, late June

Our campsite, late June

Salmon Creek Campground - Another view of site 33.

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Another view of site 33.

Scotts Flat Lake - campgrounds - Updated May 2026

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