Last minute lake or river camping sites
We've had to change our camping dates due to unforeseen circumstances and I despair of finding a good place to camp. We want something walking distance from a lake or swimming hole in a river, tents that are not next to RVs, lots of shade, capacity for a large group (up to 20 - side by side camping sites are fine), kid friendly, hopefully within 1-4 hours of the bay area, Kayak friendly, swim friendly. We prefer lush vegetation and sites that have some privacy from others. Our kids are 6 months, 5, 11, 12, 14 and 17. All of the archived reviews are very old and I'm sure conditions have changed since them. I've heard, for example, that the rivers are swollen and currents swift this year, so maybe a lake would be preferable. Oh, rustic (no internet, no TV, electricity optional) cabins would be great too. I really hope this is not to much to hope for!
Thanks in advance.
Parent Replies
Caswell Memorial State Park is very nice, and often has spaces available with not a lot of advance notice (not none, though). Definitely shady and lush (riparian woodland). I had some friends who went mid-June, though, and they said the water was so high it swamped the swimming beach. You can reserve a site, but can't choose (and won't be assigned) a specific campsite. Because of this, it's hard to tell how many sites are actually available when you use the online reservation system. I don't know whether they have group sites available.
Brannan Island State Park almost always has last minute spots available, has great swimming on Three Mile Slough, BUT it doesn't meet your criteria for shady and lush. It's in the Central Valley, is dominated by grass (dry at this time of years) with a few oak trees in the camping area. They definitely have a group site.
You may want to check out Oakland's Feather River Family Camp. It's near Quincy, and seems to fit your description pretty well. We just got back from an incredibly relaxing vacation there, filled with inner tubing, bike rides, swimming, arts & crafts, hiking, and meeting other nature loving Bay Area folks. I'm pretty sure they have some space still available for later in the summer. Google OFRC; Oakland Feather River Camp.
Our family (7 adults & 5 kids) had no reservations for July 4 weekend. Some of us were able to go on Thursday before & we got 2 beautiful sites at Letts Lake in Mendocino National Forest. A bit long to get there - a windy road, but it was lovely. Everyone enjoyed the shade trees & the warm lake - even the 6-month-old!
There are tons of non-reservable shady sites in the Crystal Basin area of the Eldorado National Forest by Loon Lake, Union Valley reservoir and another lake whose name i forget. Also, this was pricey for camping but we recently camped at Mendocino Magic right on the beautiful, pristine, private lake, with kayaks left at our campsite, it was a short but uphill walk in but they drove our stuff.
We recently camped at Jackson Meadows, which is an hour above Truckee. We loved it. Quiet, green, beautiful lake. 3.5 hour drive.