Beach Camping Near South Lake Tahoe, California, US: 12 Best Beach Campsites 2025

Looking to camp near South Lake Tahoe, California and enjoy the beach? Look no further than Hipcamp. With over 400 options to choose from, you'll find the perfect beach camping experience. Whether you're pitching a tent or parking your RV, Hipcamp has got you covered. And with prices as low as $20 per night, it's affordable too. Check out some of the top campsites like Sierra Circles Sculpture Garden (388 reviews), Paradise Shores Camp (371 reviews), and Bridgeport Reservoir Campground (315 reviews). Plus, you'll have popular amenities like campfires, showers, and potable water, along with activities like whitewater paddling, off-roading, and exploring historic sites.

98% (1.5K)

Top-rated campgrounds

Looking to camp near South Lake Tahoe, California and enjoy the beach? Look no further than Hipcamp. With over 400 options to choose from, you'll find the perfect beach camping experience. Whether you're pitching a tent or parking your RV, Hipcamp has got you covered. And with prices as low as $20 per night, it's affordable too. Check out some of the top campsites like Sierra Circles Sculpture Garden (388 reviews), Paradise Shores Camp (371 reviews), and Bridgeport Reservoir Campground (315 reviews). Plus, you'll have popular amenities like campfires, showers, and potable water, along with activities like whitewater paddling, off-roading, and exploring historic sites.

98% (1.5K)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Finnon Lake Recreation Area

95%

(2328)

42mi from South Lake Tahoe · 39 sites · Tents, RVs · Placerville, CA

ALL RV VEHICLES AND VEHICLES WITH TRAILERS MUST TAKE ROCK CREEK RD. (Even if your GPS says to use Mosquito Road). These vehicles will not fit and cannot cross the single-lane suspension Mosquito Bridge. These vehicles and trailers will be forced to turn around or back up to take Rock Creek Road. Smoke on the Water diner is open weekends, 530-622-1060. Hours are limited. Use caution - twisty, narrow country road If it's your first time, you might want to check out the route beforehand. From Sacramento on Hwy 50: At the second stop light, Spring St./Hwy 49, turn left, heading north about 1 block to the stop sign. Turn left, staying on Hwy 49, approximately 1 mile. Turn right on Hwy 193. Travel approximately 3.1 miles to Rock Creek Road. Turn onto Rock Creek Road and travel 8.9 miles to Finnon Lake/Diner on the Left. The campground is behind the Diner. The DINER "Smoke on the Water" is open only Saturday and Sunday. Traveling West on 50 from Tahoe: make a right on HWY 49 traveling north. Follow the above instructions. Welcome to Finnon Lake Recreation Area! Our lovely lake to discover. The night skies above Finnon Lake will reveal stars unseen in California. Enjoy searching for bullfrogs, and watch the flock of Canadian Geese fly in right at sunset as the horizon blends into the watercolor sky. This private lake supports the fire protection efforts of the Mosquito Fire Protection District and the firefighters of this community. Community volunteers manage the lake for the residents and the Fire Station. The primary funding source for the Finnon Lake Restoration is the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which was signed into law in 2004 with a mission to support “efforts that improve the environmental, economic and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region, its communities and the residents of California,” according to its Website. Finnon Lake is also home to a popular 18-hole disc golf course and Mosquito’s only restaurant, Smoke on the Water Diner, which is open on weekends only 530-622-1060. During your stay, you can enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, paddling, hiking, or biking. Sites are from post to post. Our property is located in Placerville, California.

2. Water front on Topaz Lake

95%

(88)

30mi from South Lake Tahoe · 7 sites · Tents, RVs · Topaz, CA

Learn more about this land:Beautiful lake front property on Topaz Lake , we have 6 rv sites to choose from on 4 acres .First come first serve . Bring your Rv or pitch a tent . Bring your whole family. We have kayaks and paddle boards . Fishing boat available to rent . Life jackets available and a peddle boat too ! Lots of float toys !!

3. Guesthouse or Glamping Gold Country

100%

(9)

49mi from South Lake Tahoe · 2 sites · Lodging · River Pines, CA

We have owned our 20 acre ranch for 12 years. We enjoy the peace and quiet and beautiful views surrounded by oak trees. We love hiking down to the river. Very private; seldom do you come across other people. Amador brewing, Solid Ground brewing and the world famous Poor Reds are about 30 minutes away. Learn more about this land: Renovated guesthouse on 20 acres in the gold country. 1900 feet elevation. 30 minute hike to the Consumnes River, with beaches and swimming. Great sunrises, sunsets and stars. Mountain biking available. Rock outcroppings for climbers. About a 30 minute drive to numerous wineries and the foothill towns of Plymouth and Placerville. The kitchen has a vintage stove with four burners and two ovens, microwave, toaster oven, and sink. You will also have access to a full size refrigerator. Outside is a propane bbq with two side burners for your use. There is one bedroom with a full bed and in the living room is a trundle bed that converts to two twins. We have installed hardwood laminate flooring throughout guesthouse; some of the pictures show the prior cement floor. There is wifi, Verizon and At&t get good reception. We use our phones for internet and streaming. There is a 50 inch TV and dvd player. Bring your own hardware/cords if you want to stream from your phone. We have goats if you would like to feed or with. My wife and I live on the property in a house about 200 feet away. You will have as much privacy/interaction as you desire. Our garage is attached to the guesthouse, so I may need to access it occasionally during your stay. We also travel so you may have the property to yourself. We do have two dogs on the property. The Australian healeris very friendly. The Anatolian shepherd is a watch dog so he will bark at you upon arrival and then settle down and leave you alone. You may hear him barking at night at any moving wildlife (deer, turkey, etc.). The last 4.5 miles of the drive to the property is on a winding road. Please drive carefully.

4. Strange Ranch - River and Gold

100%

(112)

49mi from South Lake Tahoe · 4 sites · Tents, RVs · Wilseyville, CA

Secluded private river camping in a forest and oak woodland on the South Fork Mokelumne River. The site boasts incredible views with a pristine private gold-bearing trout stream with mining history and wildlife preserve located in the gold country of the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern Calaveras County. This unique property is adjacent to over 900 acres of public land and 2 miles of private stream for exploring. With a total of only 4 campsites, it is a great location for a group to reserve the entire campground. All campsites have potable well water spigots and access to a cool water shower. Guests will enjoy the privacy while swimming, stream exploring, hiking, spelunking, forest immersion, fishing for wild trout, gold panning, or simply relaxing in a breathtaking environment – come fall in love with this special private ranch. After one stay, you will be a repeat guest. PLEASE NOTE: An All-Wheel Drive or 4-Wheel Drive vehicle is MANDATORY to access campsites 1 through 3 due to the road incline and rock and gravel road surface. PLEASE PREPARE ACCORDINGLY! Campsite 4 is accessible with a 2-wd vehicle, and has potable well water and 20 amps of power. All sites have beautiful open views of the property and river canyon with natural shade in the morning and late afternoon. Sounds of the river will lull you to sleep. Although partially shaded, please plan to provide your own portable shade structure(s) during late morning and afternoon as the direct sun can be an inconvenience. The Stranges are professional fish and wildlife biologists and have decided to share this special place for others to enjoy. The property hosts a diversity of plant and wildlife species that might be observed during your stay. Prehistoric and historic resources can be observed along the river corridor. Please be aware that some wildlife species including rattlesnakes, bears, and mountain lions have been observed on the 117-acre property and could potentially be observed near the campsites. The Ranch's northern portion of the property supports a leased farming operation. Farming operations should not interfere with camping activities. Day trips are possible to Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, local caverns and wine tasting, and historic gold towns.

Public campgrounds near South Lake Tahoe

83%

(23)

Camp Richardson

3.2mi from South Lake Tahoe · 400 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

95%

(10)

Nevada Beach Campground

3.3mi from South Lake Tahoe · 49 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

98%

(43)

Fallen Leaf Campground

3.8mi from South Lake Tahoe · 188 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

92%

(6)

Zephyr Cove Resort and Campground

5mi from South Lake Tahoe · 150 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

100%

(14)

Boat-In Campground

6.3mi from South Lake Tahoe · 114 sites · Tents, RVs · in Emerald Bay State Park

This is the view from Inspiration Point, across the road from Bayview Campground.

100%

(3)

Bayview Campground

6.4mi from South Lake Tahoe · 12 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

100%

(12)

Pine Campground

7.3mi from South Lake Tahoe · 140 sites · Tents, RVs · in D.L. Bliss State Park

100%

(7)

West Ridge Campground

7.5mi from South Lake Tahoe · 18 sites · Tents, RVs · in D.L. Bliss State Park

100%

(9)

East Ridge Campground

7.5mi from South Lake Tahoe · 20 sites · Tents, RVs · in D.L. Bliss State Park

You can hike directly from the Beach Loop sites at DL Bliss to Emerald Bay - a great hike!

100%

(22)

Beach Camp

7.6mi from South Lake Tahoe · 23 sites · Tents, RVs · in D.L. Bliss State Park

95%

(20)

Meeks Bay Campground

10mi from South Lake Tahoe · 40 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

95%

(21)

General Creek Campground

11mi from South Lake Tahoe · 122 sites · Tents, RVs · in Sugar Pine Point State Park

Stories from the community

M

Michael

2 weeks ago

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

Beautiful. Clean restrooms. Perfect for families. Perfect size grounds. Easy bookings. Can even have a hammock.

J

Jorge

3 weeks ago

Tent

Group trip

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

Great layout, clean and well run. One of the best hidden gems in California.

The van is facing out. The tent is set up on the flat spot.

H

Hebe

November 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

The lake front campsites are simply beautiful. We have a Ford transit van and also a sedan. A huge tent and we still have a lot of space on the site. The campsite has a downward slope just like described but we found a flat spot for our tent. The lake is beautiful for boating and fishing. How peaceful the campground is solely depending on how other campers are especially your neighbors, because the campsites are very close to each other. We didn't have a great night the first night because our neighbors arrived at 2 am and were setting things up and talking, laughing pretty loudly. So we essentially did not sleep at all that night. While the quite time is listed on the rules but seems like it is not enforced at all. So while I love this campground, I highly recommend going during the weekdays. The bathroom is a very nice addition. Again, it's clean majority of the time but it depends on how the campers take care of it. They are dogs friendly. They need to be on leash. We got a tie down which works amazing. There's also a lot of wildlife. I didn't hear frogs but a lot of birds. We saw eagles and their nest which is so beautiful. There is a restaurant called Smoke on the water. The food is AWESOME. They also have firewood for sale. Just need to double check their business hours. The drive up there was good. Remember to pay attention the detours. The last 15 minutes was really twisty. We will be back for sure!

B

Berlynn

November 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

Nice and maintained spot to camp at. I love the views from my tent and the bathroom is very clean. It was super easy to access

T

Tetiana

October 2025

Tent

2 nights at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

This is our second time at this camp. This time, the weather was a bit disappointing. But overall, everything was wonderful. Hospitable hosts, safe stay, clean grounds and bathrooms.

M

Magdalena

October 2025

25 ft campervan

Weekend Trip to Strange Ranch - River and Gold

We had such an amazing time! The campsite and surrounding area were spotless, and the river and landscape were absolutely beautiful. Terry was a fantastic host—friendly, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable about the local area and ecology. We’re definitely making this trip a yearly tradition!

Henry

October 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Strange Ranch - River and Gold

Beautiful camp, river is lovely and Terry, the host, is ultra accommodating. Can’t wait to come back when it’s a little warmer next year.

K

Kaitlyn

October 2025

Tent

1 night at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

I loved staying here, it’s really easy to find. Make sure to follow the host’s instructions on driving there. Overall it was a beautiful, friendly, calm yet lively, experience. I’m already planning on another trip. It was wonderful to see a campground actually really close to home. Their bathrooms are really nice too

F

Faith

October 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

We had a great time at Finnon lake I can hardly wait til the next time.

Betsy

September 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Strange Ranch - River and Gold

A wonderful location and an even more wonderful host, Terry! He’s so welcoming and made sure we were well taken care of. The shared shower, porta potty and sink are all clean and well maintained. We had campsite #2 which was perfect for our part of two with plenty of space. During the day, we explored trails along the creek and enjoyed the beautiful nature around us. The creek water is clear and had fish too! While we did share the swimming hole and “beach side” area and chairs with others, it was still very enjoyable. One thing to that would help is better signage to exit the property. Other than that, it’s a big thumbs up for us!

Hannah

September 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Strange Ranch - River and Gold

Beautiful spot, super clear instructions, communicative and friendly host, very clean facilities. River is special and serene, and was a great spot for the kids to explore. LOVED the campfire setup on the beach, it was perfect for us to safely roast some hot dogs and smores later in the season. Stairs down were very sturdy and while we had to keep an eye on the kids, the 3/4 year olds were able to safely navigate themselves up and down. Mentioning this because I found this helpful in other previous reviews :)

Kelli

September 2025

Tent

Group trip

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

The camp ground and lake were beautiful. The bathroom were clean. Toilet paper, paper towels and soap to wash your hands. Also lights in the bathroom. No shower which was very hard to do. But we all enjoy the time spent at Finnon lake. We will be coming back next year.

C

Careena

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Strange Ranch - River and Gold

Amazing location and Terry was an awesome host. River was beautiful and so clear!

M

Michael

September 2025

Tent

1 night at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

Very clean bathroom. Clean clear water lake. Drive is scenic but narrow roads.

A

Ashley

September 2025

Tent

3 nights at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

This is our second time camping at Lake Finnon. It’s definitely one of our new favorite spots. Always peaceful and well kept.

M

Moises

September 2025

16 ft car

2 nights at Strange Ranch - River and Gold

It is a good place to relax and unwind. :)

T

Tetiana

September 2025

Tent

Group trip

2 nights at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

We had a wonderful time at this wonderful camp. We enjoyed the stunning scenery, the quiet, and the enchanting starry sky. We watched eagles and other birds in flight. Roe deer and wild turkeys visited us. We spent wonderful evenings around the campfire. Our deepest gratitude and appreciation go out to the camp owners for their help and support, and to the staff for keeping the place clean. We will definitely come back here again.

T

Terri

September 2025

16 ft car

With pets

1 night at Finnon Lake Recreation Area

It is a beautiful, peaceful campground. Very well kept, and quiet. I was very impressed with the clean bathroom! Fully stocked with TP, liquid handsoap in a dispenser, and paper towels.

T

Tim

September 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

My family has camped here for many years and we always have a great time. The lake is great for kayaks and paddle boards and the fish are always biting. The multiple water taps around the campground and the flush toilets are nice conveniences.

B

Brandy

September 2025

Tent

Group trip

Weekend Trip to Finnon Lake Recreation Area

Pros: Quiet; nice partial views; sites were not crowded, each site had plenty of space to set up; limited number of camp sites, clean bathroom's, plenty of shade, close to potable water station, nice walking trail around lake, onsite restaurant (did not eat there however). Cons: Being close to restrooms you do hear everyone going late at night and in the early morning (some walk and some drive to restrooms). I used ear plugs but others did not and this was one complaint from my party. Not huge.