Nestled in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Wrights Lake is a sparkling sapphire gem that offers breathtaking natural beauty and a wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities. Located off U.S. Highway 50, 22 miles east of Pollock Pines at an elevation of 7,000 feet, the lake boasts majestic mountain vistas and is home to an abundance of wildlife, including bears, mountain lions, deer, and bald eagles. Visitors can experience the fresh, pine-scented air, fish the lake's fertile waters, and let their troubles drift away as they gently rock in rhythm with the swaying pines. It is a perfect place to paddle and camp! Check it out here: https://www.paddlingcalifornia.com/Wrights_Lake.html read more

Wrights Lake - Pic: Gary Hobgood - Hiking Near Me - Kyburz, California

Nice little lake. OFF the beaten path. Perfect for kayaking, no bites on trout, but still worth it. read more

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Wow . Wrights Lake is some kind of beautiful. Pristine, gorgeous lake in the Eldorado National Forest. It is off the beaten path and secluded. Parking is limited. The road to the lake is gravelly and natural. A day use permit is required. Every time I visit Wrights Lake, the beauty and natural grandeur of it all just humbles me. Darn gorgeous! The mountain range of the Sierra Nevada and Desolation Wilderness is visible from the lake. The forest of pine and fir trees line the lake's perimeter. The lake is about 40 acres with an average depth of 5 feet. No motorized vehicles are allowed. There are nearby campsites which need to be reserved. But beware of the rattlesnakes and bears. No lie. Additionally there are nearby hiking trails heads and a 4 wheeling trail. read more

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Wright lake in Eldorado National Forest is roughly 4 to 5 hours from the San Francisco Bay Area, or 2 hours drive from Sacramento by car. There are many beautiful camping sites and It's well worth the commute. Wrights Lake Campground is situated in the timber belt, close to the lake shore, looking up at the majestic rocky peaks of the Sierra Nevadas and Desolation Wilderness. The area is well-known for its hiking, wildflowers and birding. The campground offers dozens of campsites for tent and RV camping. Eldorado is home to two designated wilderness areas: Desolation Wilderness and Mokelumne Wilderness. It's my favorite place to pass when I headed to Barrett lake four-wheel-drive trail. The trail typically opens late spring and is only open for a few months, usually closing around mid October. Wright Lake is about 15 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Pollock Pines, California. To get to Barrett lake trail, you must be good with ohv/off road driving! Otherwise, just stay by Wright lake like most people would! Incredible, magical and happy! Check it out! You won't be disappointed! read more

Wrights Lake - Hiking Near Me - Kyburz, California

Wright's Lake is a bit off the beaten path, but it's a stunning lake! Motorized crafts are not permitted. I wish I had a kayak with me, as I could sit on this lake all day! There's a small (and I mean small) dam or spill way where several fisherman were trying their luck at catching fish. We followed a nice meandering path along the water through the forest. The dog loved playing in the water. We were mindful of keeping her away from the few fisherman in the area. The water was so clear you could see the bottom. Parking lot by the dock was minimal but we found a spot. Restrooms are pot toilets and there was no running water, so bring hand sanitizer. There was an information office in the distance. We did not go to. This is a beautiful forested area with 4x4 access, camping, fishing & hiking. read more

I ALMOST don't want to write a review of Wrights Lake because I don't want more people to find out about it! But it's too beautiful a place to not share. Came here last July and somehow the camping gods were on our side and we randomly got 2 amazing spots right across from each other (don't count on that though - make sure you reserve early!) The drive in is fairly long but nothing crazy; I made it in my Prius so it can't be that bad. The lake itself is beyond words. It was cold but refreshing, and it's super shallow. We kayaked out to the middle and were able to get out and walk around. At night we could see the stars reflecting onto the water and I'm not a sappy person but I just about cried (also might have been the amount of alcohol I had consumed but that's neither here nor there). The only downside is we were swarmed by mosquitoes so BRING BUG SPRAY! Just look at the picture below. If that doesn't convince you to go then you don't belong outdoors. read more

Wrights Lake - Hiking Near Me - Kyburz, California

Beautiful lake and spacious campgrounds! There are warning signs for rattle snakes and bears. Each site has a bear box to store your food. It was an easy hike around the lake..maybe 2-3 miles. People like to kayak and paddle boat on the lake. Motorized boats aren't allowed. read more

Just returned from Wrights Lake for a weekend of camping that was the most memorable of this summer season. If you are a tent only camper, try to get to or reserve a site in the tent-only loop - sites 1 to 19. We stayed in site 10 and loved it. Probably one of the largest sites we have camped in. All have a picnic table, fire ring, grill and new bear box. None of the sites are lake front, but the crystal clear lake is a very short walk away. There are also numerous picnic tables and grills that afront the lake. This campground is more for families or couples, as most sites were dark and quiet by 10:30 pm, and surprisingly, were still quiet at 8:30 the next morning! But, the tall trees, with the wind through them, and the picturesque lake is all one could want from a weekend away from it all. Note, the El Dorado County website says to take 50 E to Ice House Road, then on to 32 then 4. We took that way there, but it is very windy and slow. We found that taking 50E to Wrights Road 8 miles to the campground was much faster and easier (as we did on the way home). read more

Wrights Lake - Hiking Near Me - Kyburz, California

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Wrights lake is one the best, if not the best, camping spots we have gone to. I almost don't want to talk about it because if it gets anymore popular it will be too hard to get a reservation next summer. Wrights Lake is South of Lake Tahoe on highway 50. It is a smalll high mountain lake that only accepts non-motorized boats on the lake. There are two camping areas. One for only tent campers and the other for both tent and RV campers. We stayed for a complete week at the lake in mid-August and spent every day either canoeing or playing in or around the lake. There are many hiking trails that lead up into the Desolation Wilderness that we didn't have time for (next year for sure). And talking with people who have hiked the trails it is a fantastic hike. If you are traveling with an RV definitely only use the Icehouse road to the campground. Wrights Lake road is way too narrow and scary to attempt. See my extensive review at http://www.familyrvfun.com/family_rv_fun/wrights-lake-beautiful-week/ read more

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Camped there for the first time last week. Wow! I've only ever come up for the day a few times prior. This is one of the best camping spots I've ever stayed at. The water is soooo clear and very cool. There's rocks you can stand on in the middle of the lake, and most of the lake you can even walk around. The trees are tall and provide good shade when needed. There's trails all around that you can use for short hikes to the surrounding lakes and to Desolation Wilderness. During the day it was so quiet as most people were at the lake. We never saw anyone on the trails either. Plus no motorcraft are allowed on the lake so you won't get the drunk parties as you would at other lakes. You can paddle board, kayak, canoe or just swim to your hearts content. So some info about where I stayed. The tent only camping (1-19) is the closest to the lake, you can easily walk to it. The other camp spots have to walk a long ways or drive to the lake. If you want seclusion spot 19 is the further from anyone, around the corner. Spot 16 is good as it's surrounded by boulders. We stayed in 15 which has a nice creek and meadow behind it. The sun was on the picnic table most of the day but our tent was mostly shaded. Mosquitos are anyplace you go camping near water so they will be there. Just bring protection or wear long sleeves and pants. Getting there is easy enough. The quickest way is Hwy 50 to Wrights Lake Rd. It's steep, narrow and winding so it will take about 25 minutes to drive. If you have a trailer or RV you should use the recommended route through Ice House. FYI there's no cell service up there except in one spot. It's called Cell Rock. Go to the Twin Lakes trail head. At the start turn left after the first cabin to go towards to lake. It will go for a ways (about 5-7 min slow walk). Once you hit the lake and the path turns left (south) you want to stop and there's a rock jutting out from the shore a few feet on the right (north) that will get good reception. I have Metro PCS and couldn't get anything, but I watched someone else try it and it worked. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

An incredible view!! Lake is beautiful and mountains and trees and large rocks are sweet to camp around. Lake was a little cold but nice to swim in. $29 for camping reservation Went mid Aug - around 43 degrees at night and 75 in day. Pretty cold at night so it's probably better to go in Jun-July. If you like to go camping and 40min from any store or running water and you love nature, this is a 5 star place. Me, not so much. On the way there I kept thinking I was lost because the road seemed to turn into a bike path, but 40min later I did arrive. No one to check you in. Only saw the ranger drive through one time. No wood for sale No ice for sale No place to wash hands or pots and pans No flushing toilet Will I go back - no, I'm a city girl and the whole bear thing scared the crap out of me. I was in the tent sites near the lake, there is a bear safe for your food but no bear safe for you. I couldn't sleep, heard dogs barking and other people pounding on pots and pans, but I didn't see any bears. If you are an avid camper this won't faze you...thank you for the view and the peace but I think I'll go back to a cabin or RV camping for this type of out of the way place. read more

It is off the beaten path and then off that path, however for those of you who elect to go to the enchanted ponds from wright's lake you will be rewarded. This is an I maintained trail so follow gps but so worth it. Sit by the waterfall and enjoy read more

Wrights Lake - View of the snow capped mountains - Hiking Near Me - Kyburz, California

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It's quite a drive to get to this location. Although there is a route accessible from Highway 50, it's the ten-mile road from Ice House that I'm familiar with. I love the scenery and view of Wrights Lake. I've never done hiking in the region, but I'm sure the experience is top-notch. The lake is overall shallow. I'd be surprised if the water's depth went deeper than twelve feet. The water is generally clear with a leafy-decomposing and silty, bottom. Kayaking is fun because there is a quaint and quiet channel to explore at the back of the lake. Along the shore there are many cabins. I'm not sure if they're rentals or family-owned, but they give me the impression of privately owned property and an affluent-y feel that I don't enjoy. But that's just me. The bugs do bite here and it's the one big turn-off for my visits as other lakes in the area don't seem to have this issue. Three stars for the lake's accessibility, bugs, and crowded feel. But don't let my rating stop you from experiencing this lake. I definitely recommend the visit at least once if you've never been to Wrights Lake. read more

Best camping trip ever! Hiking, Kayaking, Campfires and Fishing. It got a little busy on the weekend but I'm not complaining.. The lake was so clean & quiet. We lucked out with our neighbors (also Giants fans) ;))) We will be going back next year for sure! read more

Wow, what a beautiful place. Our family were all surprise of how quite and beautiful this lake is. Will definitely go again. read more

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Wright's Lake campground is one of the most wonderful places in the Sierras. A friend and I camped there every summer for 6 or 7 years. I'm sorry to read of the bad experience posted here but you do run into awful neighbors every once in a while. I think it was a fluke that there was nobody there to let you change campsites. We could always find the camp host when we were there. I just didn't want people to get the idea that it's a bad place to camp based on this one posting about loud and obnoxious camping neighbors. It's fabulous. read more

Perhaps it was just a bad experience but this was one of the worst experiences I have had as far as the campground goes. The lake and the scenery are beautiful and vicinity to hiking trails is awesome. But, as far as being a family fun experience I have to say I have had much better. This was our first trip to this campground and we tried it based on the reviews that it was a great family place. The site next to us was a single site that had 8 tents posted up all over the place and like 18-20 people in it, they had 2 pit bulls and another dog running off leash all over the place. You know it is not a good start when you over hear someone say "oh, I forgot someone moved into the site next door. Well they are going to learn real quick!" Not exactly the typical camping attitude I have been used to. The first night they completely disregarded the 10:00pm quiet time (common courtesy every other place I have stayed) they were loud and decided to play guitar and party at like 11:30 at night. We looked to see if we could possibly move sites but the ranger station was closed, the camp host was off duty and even the forest service unit was no assistance (this was during our entire stay of 4 days). Not a very "family" environment to me. Other campsites I have been to enforce the POSTED leash law, enforce the POSTED quiet times and the camp host is there to offer assistance when needed. I spent the whole time making sure my dog was safe since HE WAS tied to a leash in our site and having to keep my son close since the people chose to let their dogs run anywhere they wanted unsupervised. If you want a campground that you don't have to follow rules, you can have as many people in one site as you want and the normal camping courtesy that most people follow are non applicable then this may be a great site for you. I much prefer courteous people, a camp host that actual watches over the grounds and a campground that I can at least feel somewhat safe that a site I paid for isn't going to have someones unleashed dog come running into it while my son is trying to play. read more

Such a shame such a great place is no longer available to the public. Recently the state of California has given up control of the public use camp sites and so far no one else has taken up responsibility to open and care for camp sites this is heartbreaking news read more

OMG! What a wonderful place this is. My family and I drove up for the day to go kayaking and swim. This place is not only beautiful but the people we talked to were oh so friendly. The lake is so crystal clear you can see the trout swimming. The lake has a canal that is great for exploring and the wild flowers are so gorgeous. read more

This campground and lake area seems like a great place for families to enjoy a traditional car-camping "nature" vacation . The lake is indeed very pretty, so smooth and still that that the ducks are leaving wake trails and the backdrop of crumbling sierra peaks makes the whole scene picturesque. There were some trail heads for some short local hikes as well as trails into the desolation wilderness. Note that this is NOT a dirtbag campground, in fact, it would be the furthest thing from it. The place looked pretty crowded, your typical family car-camping, giant coleman tent clusterfuck. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with enjoying a sterilized version of nature with your family, but you should know what to expect. Lots of children on bikes and grandparents fishing with their grandkids in the shallow alpine lake. Not sure I've ever seen summer cabins on national forest land for rent, but they exist here. Standard amenities like pit toilets, potable water, bear lockers, and fire-pits. I was scoping out potential alternative campgrounds in the south lake tahoe area, this is definitely not a good choice for me. There are some restrictive rules like no unattended campsites for over 24 hours (so no trips to the back-country or overnight hikes in the desolation wilderness from here) as well as the slightly pricey campsite fee ($20 for a "single-family" $35 for "two-family", not sure what the person limit is for us non-married folk) makes this place really only suitable for vacationing families, which is a shame because its a quite a nice place. However, Its quite possible the situation changes in the off-season. read more

Great area for camping and hiking. The Beauty lake trail is very nice and it takes you to desolation wilderness. There is a lake near by called bloodsucker lake that is supposed to be the only lake in the area that has leeches in it. Unfortunately I was swimming in Wrights lake with my 4 year old son and my 12 year old daughter when we saw a leech on a rock that is out in the middle of the lake. A couple minutes later I rubbed the bottom of my foot and felt a leech that was attached to my foot. My kids were screaming and i somehow got it off while holding my son in my arms. We quickly got to shore and I saw another leech on the trail by our clothes. We were there on 6/25/15 and the park was unofficially open so hardly anyone was there. This weekend will be packed so I hope they consider not letting people swim in the lake. read more

I am surprised by some of the negative reviews here, but any place I suppose will have a few people have bad experiences at it. Even my absolute favorite place on earth. I'm biased I admit. My family would camp at Wrights Lake every year, sometimes twice, my entire growing up years. My father started coming up when he was four years old. I'm amazed that someone said the cabin owners were unfriendly. I'm always amazed at how friendly everyone is! As far as the cutting of wood, you have to understand all the fallen trees are creating a huge fire hazard that the cabin owners are very concerned with.(and one owner lost a roof and was working like mad to get it winter ready when I was up there last month) The forest service could only do so much, and actually it was the fire service that finally cleared the sites and paths this year. They lost HUNDREDS of trees. The lake has a short season before it is covered in snow, even in this drought. They have to get as much clear as possible when they can. There is a couple weeks in July where biting flies are especially bad. And mosquitos are definitely an issue in the mornings and evenings, especially if your site is near the lake. Be covered up as it cools and use some bug spray, you'll be fine. The lake doesn't allow motor boats because it's to shallow. And it is pretty far off the "beaten path" so to speak, but I've never found that a problem. It is generally a quiet and peaceful place and feels like an escape from the world. The people are friendly and helpful, though I will admit I miss the old camp host, his name was Welcome, no joke. Typically the noise curfew IS enforced. Even so far as the sheriff coming up. The sheriff has to come up a long way, if he has to come up he WILL be bringing someone back with him. The people who come up to this lake, from campers to cabin owners (we know a few of the cabin owner families) LOVE this lake. We all kind of feel a bit of ownership. One year my dad met a couple from Hawaii camping at the lake, they said it was the PERFECT place to camp. The lake is shallow, about 6 feet deep most of the way across excepting the original creek bed, (it's a damned up meadow) and great for swimming, it is cold but its shallowness helps the sun heat it up more than most mountain lakes. I'll admit it isn't a camping experience for everyone. Lack of plumbing and electricity and basic civilization is not something many people these days want. Personally I love it. read more

Really nice campground and mostly quiet. Unfortunately there is a really bad mosquito problem right now (most likely due to time of year) that it was almost unbearable at times. Some nice fishing holes down stream if you can get them before swimmers. read more

We camped in the 20 unit tent-only area. Best camping for me in a long time - great spacious site with privacy, many latrines, QUIET, beautifully maintained hiking trails. There were no bugs the weekend we went, 8/8-8/9, mid-70s during the day, but pretty chilly at night, maybe mid 40s. Didn't make a fire, but would recommend one for warmth. The lake is pretty shallow, but fun to paddle around in a kayak; will concentrate more on the hiking the next time. The views of the lakes (we hiked to Dark Lake and Beauty lake) were spectacular. Plan on going back in the next month. read more

Just returned from a great day where we hiked from wrights lake to grouse lake with 4 friends. Wrights Lake is a great destination for a day away.. A return visit to camp and explore more is already on our calendar for next summer, 2016. read more

Very clean, very pretty, and nice big campsites. Close walk to Desolation Wilderness trailhead.