Lake Tahoe- Free Camping June/July?

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Messages 1 - 8 of total 8 in this topic
Guangzhou

Trad climber
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 30, 2018 - 12:17pm PT
Well, summer is here again and I am looking for some possible free campsites around Lake Tahoe. I would prefer areas accessible by mini-van, but if absolutely needed, I have a Nissan Xterra for clearance. I prefer the mini van because we're planning an extended trip 3 to 7 weeks. (Wife and Daughter)

Camping near Lover's Leap (Use to be able to camp at Phantom Spires?)
Camping near Donner Summit

Our daughter is 27 months?

Any disperse camping outside of Yosemite would be nice too. Would be limited to single pitch cragging, but.
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Apr 30, 2018 - 12:48pm PT
For camping on the way up to phantoms spires there are places a minivan would work, but 4 x 4 will get you to better and more spots.

For Donner Summit unfortunately there's nothing close to the climbing. The closest I've come has been kidd lakes and cascade Lakes but I don't know if that was even legal the last time I did it.

To the west if you go up Bowman Lake Road there's a lot of camping options. If you're heading up that way you could go all the way to Bowman Lake climbing which would be good which would be good with kids in tow, and you can camp walking distance to the climbing. It might be hot at that time of year. The last part of the road can be rough to the climbing but doable in a minivan just go slow. Going past the climbing to the lake you'll want the 4x4.

You can go north out of Truckee up 89 and camp by the little Truckee River.

For the valley it's 45 minutes to the valley or Toulumne meadows from Hardin Flat Rd outside the North park entrance.
Stewart Johnson

Mountain climber
lake forest
Apr 30, 2018 - 01:28pm PT
Blackwood canyon
West shore
Brandon-

climber
The Granite State.
Apr 30, 2018 - 01:58pm PT
What Stewart said.
adventurous one

Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
Apr 30, 2018 - 02:15pm PT
Cabin Creek Road off of Hwy 89. Between Squaw and Truckee. You would need 4x4 to get to the climbing area (Deep Creek Crag) that is accessed by Cabin Creek Rd. but the first part, for camping, is easy with 2wd van. About 25 minutes to Donner Summit.
G_Gnome

Trad climber
Cali
Apr 30, 2018 - 02:29pm PT
If you are looking to climb in Tuolumne then once you get east of 395 it is all open camping. You can just drive a ways out the 120 east and pull off the road. THere are a few spots on Tioga but they fill up fast and aren't very good for more than one night.
Ney Grant

Trad climber
Pollock Pines
Apr 30, 2018 - 08:19pm PT
For Lovers Leap search for "Lovers Leap Trailhead", the entrance road being about 1/4 mile west of Strawberry off hwy 50. Once past the houses there are numerous side roads and pullouts.

BTW, that is a nice trail to the top.
Flip Flop

climber
Earth Planet, Universe
Apr 30, 2018 - 09:22pm PT
Big Chief Road - aka the 06
Prosser Lake
Cold Stream with considerations for clearance and proximity of train
Pole Creek
Long Lake trailhead



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