We have a tradition of taking a camping trip with my mom and stepdad every summer — they have an Airstream, so we book side-by-side campsites. Over the last few years, we’ve come to love Fallen Leaf Lake Campground near Lake Tahoe, and it’s now our favorite option for Lake Tahoe RV parks. Here’s why Fallen Leaf Lake Campground is our new favorite campground in Northern California.
Read more: First Time Camping Tips & Gear
and my recommendations for camping gear: (click the photos for more info)
The campsites
Fallen Leaf Lake Campground is huge but doesn’t feel busy at all. Even though it accommodates RVs, it doesn’t feel like a big RV park.
With 206 sites to choose from, you can find something to accommodate your RV and/or tent. Some of the sites are better maintained than others, so I recommend booking early, checking on Campground Photos for more site information, and maybe calling to ask for more detail about the sites you’re choosing.
Most of the 206 campsites are spacious and not too close to neighboring sites. We stayed in a busier part of the park and still felt like we had enough space between us and our neighbors. The sites are close to water taps and bathrooms that have flush toilets and sinks (but no soap or towels). The campground also has private bathrooms with coin-operated showers with plenty of hot water.
Each site has a large space for an RV, a tent (even a huge one like ours!), a long picnic table, a fire pit, and a bear box, which must be used. See the bottom of this post for info on the bears, but basically, you have to keep everything scented (food and toiletries) inside the bear box, and the box must be closed when you’re not actively taking things in and out. Once we got used to it, it was totally fine.
As you drive past South Lake Tahoe, you’ll see other Lake Tahoe RV parks that are much more crowded and next to the road. Trust me, Fallen Leaf Campground feels like a world away! For the best campsites, try one of the sites around the perimeter. Our favorites are the even numbers 58-70, #7 next to the bike trail, or 94 & 95 for the views.
Read more: A Guide to Visiting Pinnacles National Park
The yurts
There are only a few yurts at the campground, and we’re so glad we were able to stay in one. Besides the novelty (for us anyway) of staying in a yurt, they’re great because there’s a heater and beds. There was also a nice area behind our yurt for our kids to play with no other campsites behind us. The rest of the site is the same as the tent/RV sites: there’s a large picnic table, bear box, fire pit, etc.
The only downside to the yurts is that they’re near the bathrooms, which means that they’re also close to other campsites. It wasn’t a problem for us at all, but if you really want to feel isolated, you might want to try the tent/RV sites located along the edge of the campground.
The location near South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe is less than 10 minutes away by car, and we loved being able to go there for lunch at Sprouts Cafe (one of our favorite stops!) and knowing that supermarkets and pharmacies were nearby if we needed something.
Fallen Leaf Lake: the highlight of Lake Tahoe RV parks!
Fallen Leaf Lake is about a 10-minute walk from the campground. It may not inspire as much awe as its more famous and much larger neighbor, Lake Tahoe, but it’s peaceful and gorgeous at any time of the day.
Like Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake is a crystal clear alpine lake surrounded by mountains, including Mt. Tallac at 9700 and Cathedral Peak at 8200 feet. In the summer, you can easily swim here, although the water isn’t exactly warm.
The shore of the lake that’s near the campground is quiet, with a couple of benches, several fallen trees and a trail to the dam. On the other side of the lake is where you can rent paddleboats, kayaks, etc., and you can get there by hiking about 4 miles or taking the very narrow Fallen Leaf Lake Rd.
Fallen Leaf Lake Trail goes part way around the lake. We walked from the campground and picked up part of the trail with beautiful views of the water below. From the lake you can also walk toward the creek and pass the dam (watch for beavers in the evening) — the trail meanders around Taylor Creek and back to the campground.
What’s nearby: bike rides, hikes and more
There’s so much to do near Fallen Leaf Campground! This is another reason this is at the top of our list of Lake Tahoe RV parks. Bring bikes and take the bike trail from the campground to Lake Tahoe (below). It’s a quick ride to the lake, but you have to cross Highway 89, so use caution there. Once you cross 89, you can go right or left on the bike trail.
If you go right, you’ll quickly reach Tallac Historic Site, a complex of old buildings on the lake. You can ride around or park your bike and tour the gardens or visit the museum. There’s also water access here.
If you go left on the bike trail, you’ll soon reach Taylor Creek Visitor Center, which is beautiful anytime of year but especially in October when the Aspen trees turn yellow and native Kokanee salmon fill the creek. One of the best features of Lake Tahoe RV parks is the places you can visit nearby!
Lily Lake, Glen Alpine Falls and the Desolation Wilderness:
A short drive from Fallen Leaf Lake on a tiny, curvy road takes you to the trailhead for the Glen Alpine Falls trail. This 2-mile loop in the Desolation Wilderness is on an old fire road, so the trail is wide and rocky, but the views of the surrounding peaks are spectacular.
We scrambled down to the creek and then hopped on the rocks to a waterfall before turning back and catching a view of the mountains behind Lily Lake. Best of all, there was no one except us! It was a highlight of our trip!
Tips for Fallen Leaf Campground
Reservations: Reservations are required. This is a popular campground, and the best sites get reserved very early. Campsites are $35 per night for tents or RVs and $86 for yurts.
Bears: This is bear country, and bears live around the campground. In fact, we saw three bears during our last stay. This means that you have to be extremely careful with food and diligent about using your bear box, but if you follow the rules, you should be able to avoid bears.
The bears are used to people and aren’t looking to hurt anyone, but you should be aware of the risk at Lake Tahoe RV parks and ask what to do if you encounter a bear when you check in. The camp hosts drive around in golf carts and are always making sure that guests are not attracting bears by leaving garbage out or bear boxes open. When a bear is around, the hosts make noise to scare the bear away.
Weather: It gets cold at night, but in most of the summer, you should be fine in sleeping bags, and it warms up quickly in the mornings. If you visit early or late in the season when it really gets cold, you might prefer the heated yurts. Bring sunscreen since the higher elevation means stronger sun.
Check in and check out times: Check in is 2:00 and check out is 12:00. Try to get there before 5 or 6 p.m. so you can talk with someone at the kiosk when you check in.
The camp store: It’s not open as often as I’d like, but they sell camping supplies, ice cream bars, and nice souvenirs. Firewood is for sale at the kiosk daily.
Dump station: Fortunately, Fallen Leaf Campground finally has its own dump station, so it’s easy to stop and dump on your way out.
How many days? Considering all there is to do in the area, I’d suggest 3 nights as a minimum stay.
Click here for more information about Fallen Leaf Lake Campground and my tips for first-time campers and packing list
Do you have suggestions for other Lake Tahoe RV parks? What are your favorite Northern California campgrounds?
P.S. Much more about Tahoe here:
What to do with kids at South Lake Tahoe
What a wonderful post with great photos and tips! And we agree that Fallen Leaf Lake is one of the most peaceful and beautiful campgrounds to be found anywhere.
So happy we finally gave it a try 🙂
Looks like a fun weekend. We just went tent camping this weekend which I hadn’t done in forever and it was a ton of fun, I had forgotten! Enjoy the new school year with the boys!
I’d love to hear more about it!
What a great trip! I’m going to have to re-visit your camping post from last year to check out all your gear if we ever take the leap and do real camping!
Have you all been to Burney Falls before? We used to go camping there every year when we were kids. I haven’t been in a very long time…but I have great memories of camping there!
I haven’t been to Burney Falls. It sounds familiar. Going to look it up now 🙂
It’s not quite as north as Tahoe, but I love, love, love Mono Hot Springs! Good camping and cabins available as well. The hot springs are a short hike away. Lots of great places to see. It’s super remote and only open May-Oct but a must visit.
Thank you for this tip! I have been wanting to plan a trip to Kings Canyon and this seems like a good stop to add to that trip.
We too camped at Burney Falls when I was a kid, usually splitting our time between there and Castle Crags. We’re currently planning a family (of 6) road trip from the Bay Area to Seattle, WA, with the intention of visiting the varios volcanoes along the way including Lassen Volcanic National Park, Crater Lake and Mt. Saint Helens. We are hoping to maybe grab a night in a yurt rather than a hotel along the way there or back. Thank you for the great information about Fallen Leaves!
My error! Fallen Leaf Lake Campground, not “Fallen Leaves”.
How fun! My son recently did the cinder cone hike and Lassen Peak hike at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and although they were challenging, he loved both. I hope to visit Lassen this summer. I haven’t heard of Castle Crags but will check it out.