Zephyr Cove

Lake Tahoe, California Coast & Beyond
June 25th – July 7th 2025 (12 nights)

Our first major Scamp trip was at DL Bliss State Park, Lake Tahoe about five years ago.  Since then, we’ve taken 43 trips at 162 locations and have spent 290 nights sleeping in our 2020 Scamp 13′ travel trailer.  And, we’ve seen and learned a lot along the way — observing fascinating things, tasting good food, meeting interesting people and making great friends.  When we heard Nevada Beach Campground in Lake Tahoe ranked as the hardest campground to get a reservation at in the United States in 2024, we thought it was time to return to this beautiful oasis in the high Sierra to see Nevada Beach Campground for ourselves.

Lake Tahoe is a large fresh water lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains straddling both California and Nevada.  The lake not only has beautiful beaches with crystal clear water but also popular ski resorts.  And, on the Nevada side of the lake, there are casinos as well.  Emerald Bay State Park, on the southwest shore, is famous for the 1929 Nordic style mansion called Vikingsholm.  Lake Tahoe is also well known for outstanding hiking trails, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities (such as boating, kayaking, waterskiing, stand up paddle boarding, fishing, and horseback riding).

The process to get a reservation at Nevada Beach Campground can be challenging.   The camping season is typically mid-May to mid-October.  To have the best chance at getting a campsite it’s best to reserve six months in advance.  We wanted to be at the campground over 4th of July weekend to watch the popular fireworks show (fireworks are launched from a barge right off the beach close by).  We used numerous strategies to make it happen, but even still luck was involved.  To get a more detailed look at the strategies we used to successfully book reservations, see our article “How to Play Master Chess on Recreation.Gov”.

Our cousin Rebecca and her husband invited us to stay at their cabin in Pioneer, California (between the coast and Lake Tahoe).  So, we drove north along the coast (staying at a few campgrounds along the way) and then crossed inland in the direction of Pioneer and Lake Tahoe.

Carpinteria Campground
Located just south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria Campground, in the charming coastal city of Carpentaria (known as “Carp”), is on the beach.  Many of the campsites are close together, so make sure to check out the campsite map before reserving.  Check-in is 2 pm., but they let us in at 1 p.m.  We were lucky and were able to reserve site A121 ($45/night + $8.25 reservation fee) at the last minute.  It’s a great campsite as there’s a lot of space around it (a frequent camper at this campground told us we got the best campsite in the entire campground!).  However, to fit into this 24’ campsite, we had to park our car perpendicular to our Scamp 13’.  It’s allowed to hang the trailer over the pad as long as the rear wheels are not on the grass.  We were able to hang about a third of our Scamp over the grass!  The beach and wooden boardwalk are just a short walk across the “day use” parking lot.  The Verizon cellular service was good while we were here.  There are water spigots (no threads) within the campground.  We used the free RV dump station when we left the next morning.  The train runs behind the campground, but the noise didn’t bother us during our visit.

The highlights of our stay in Carpinteria were walking the bluff trail to the seal rookery (about 3 miles round trip) and exploring the town of “Carp” (walking down Linden Avenue).  There are plenty of nice shops and restaurants to enjoy when visiting.  Make sure to grab a bite at The Spot (very popular with locals) during your visit!  The beach is known as the “World’s Safest Beach” due to its naturally calm waters.  The Channel Islands, along with the Santa Ynez Mountains, help to protect Carpinteria from strong winds and waves, creating its relatively calm and safe environment.

Pismo Beach
Our ride up the California coast would never be complete without a visit with our good friend Jim.  He has a policy that welcomes visitors—“if you ever visit Pismo Beach, lunch is on me”.  Since we don’t make it to the Central Coast very often, we enjoy catching up with our friend Jim over lunch.  Our go to lunch place is Zorros in Shell Beach for great Mexican food.  After lunch and spending time getting caught up, we made our way north to Hearst San Simeon State Park Campground (about an hour north).

Hearst San Simeon State Park Campground
Hearst San Simeon State Park campground is spread out between higher and lower elevations.  Our campsite, #24 ($35/night), is high on a hill looking out over the Pacific and probably one of the most spacious sites within the campground.  There was no Verizon reception at our campsite, but it could be had at the top of the stairs close by (as well as near the ranger station entrance).  Water spigots (without threads) are available.  There’s an RV dump station here ($10, we skipped it).

During our stay we visited the Elephant Seal Rookery (lots of giant elephant seals sunning on the beach), the kite surfing beach, Moonstone Beach (moonstones and other gems), and San Simeon Pier (opposite of Hearst Castle).  We’ve seen Hearst Castle many times before, so we skipped it this trip — but, if you haven’t been, definitely go!

We needed to backtrack south on the coast for about twenty minutes and head up the 41 Freeway since the coast highway was closed going north (it’s been closed for a while due to a landslide).  In order to continue our journey to our next campground in Monterey, we took the 101 Freeway.

Monterey Veterans Memorial Park Campground
Monterey is about three hours north of Hearst San Simeon State Park.  The campground is first come first serve and only has thirty campsites suitable for trailers (21’ limit), so it’s best to get there early in the day.  We arrived at the campground on a Friday morning in late June and there were several open campsites.  Our first choice, campsite 6, which is adjacent to a large grass field, was one of the open sites!  To get the campsite, park your trailer in the open site you want to occupy and then walk down to the iron ranger, fill out the form, and put cash/check in the envelope and deposit and place the detached portion of your campsite receipt on the post at your campsite.  Campsites are currently $54/night.  There’s slow Verizon mobile service.  We didn’t see any water spigots, but there is a freshwater hose bib near the top bathroom.  There’s a free RV dump station just outside the campground which we used the next morning when leaving.

To honor veterans, Taps and Reverie are played by loud speaker throughout the campground at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day.

There’s a steep road going from the campground to downtown Monterey, so it’s best to drive into town.  The campsite is very close to the major attractions. (e.g. charming downtown Monterey, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row, …).  We enjoyed riding the free trolley from Cannery Row to Fisherman’s Wharf.  The wharf was crowded with tourists enjoying the pier and all its shops and eateries.  We walked back from the wharf to Cannery Row and saw many harbor seals along the way.  The famous Monterey Aquarium is a must see attraction if you’ve never been.

Pioneer
Located in a wilderness mountain area between the coast and Lake Tahoe, Pioneer is in the Sierra Nevada foothills at an elevation of around 3,000 feet.  Our cousin Rebecca and her husband Matt recently purchased a cabin here and invited us for a stay.  Their property is on about 10 acres with plenty of room for us to set up our Scamp 13’.  After a tour of their beautiful cabin and property, which includes a river, underground stream as well as a Frisbee golf course, we were treated to a cave adventure at Black Chasm Cavern National Natural Landmark.  The cavern is in the town of Volcano which is about twenty minutes from Rebecca and Matt’s cabin.  It was a warm summer day, so it was nice to descend deep into the cave where the temperate is always 57 degrees.  A guided tour (about an hour) is necessary to enter the cave and take the steep stairs down into the cavern.  The tour descends about 100 feet deep into the cave!  The cave itself is 225 feet deep, with an underground lake system at 200 feet below ground.  Black Chasm Cavern is known for its spectacular displays of rare helictite formations.  There is also a beautiful blue lake 80 feet below the second chamber viewing platform.  We greatly enjoyed this cave tour.  After the tour, we had a delicious dinner at Volcano Union Inn Restaurant and then explored the quaint town of Volcano.

Lake Tahoe – Fallen Leaf Campground (6,332’ elevation)
The drive from Pioneer to Lake Tahoe was about 1 ½ hours.  We stopped at the Kirkwood Ski Area for lunch as we had some time before the 2 p.m. check-in at Fallen Leaf Lake Campground (South Lake Tahoe).  Kirkwood Ski Area is a beautiful place with a small village at its base.  It resembles a scenic European ski town.  There was still some snow visible at the top of the mountain during our visit in late June.  Since the ski resort no longer offers summer mountain biking, the area was very quiet during our two hour visit.  Most of the stores and restaurants were closed.  We enjoyed the solitude, nice weather and mountain views from our Scamp while we ate lunch!

Fallen Leaf Campground is on the south shore of Lake Tahoe.  It’s a large campground consisting of 206 campsites.  Our campsite (site #169A, $47/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) is right in the middle of the campground and, in turn, exposed to a lot of activity.  Since we reserved last minute, we didn’t have many campsite choices.  In the future, we will reserve a campsite on the perimeter.  Our friends Kat & David recommend campsite #21 if bear viewing is desired.  They said bears came to this campsite every day during their visit (see their video here).  There are threaded water spigots here.  There’s an RV dump station ($10).  There’s no Verizon mobile service at the campground.

This is a great campground to which to bring bikes.  There are numerous bike paths that wind along the edges of Lake Tahoe. There are also several great hikes here, including one with waterfalls (called Glen Alpine Falls) that flows into Fallen Leaf Lake.  Since our stay here was just one night, we chose to hike Maggie’s Peak (considered one of the best hikes in the area).  Our friend Bruce came down from Zephyr Cove to join us on this early morning hike.  Maggies Peak is in the Desolation Wilderness Area and a permit is required to enter (free at the entrance to the hike).  We parked just off the main road at the Bayview parking lot and walked up to the trailhead.  This hike is considered challenging.  There are plenty of steep sections and switchbacks, taking from 3 – 4 hours to make the round trip hike (4 miles total with 1800 feet of elevation gain over 2 miles).  The payoff is an outstanding panoramic view of Emerald Bay. We even ran into some pack goats on our hike!  There’s a private resort next door to Fallen Leaf Campground called Camp Richardson.  Their ice cream shop is a short bike ride from the campground and their ice creams are very refreshing on a hot day (and free Wi-Fi can be had at their hotel – just go inside and ask for the code)!

Nevada Beach Campground (6,100’ elevation)
It’s a 45 minute drive from Fallen Leaf Campground to Nevada Beach Campground.  To get here, you cross the state line and enter Nevada.  Nevada Beach Campground was named in 2024 by the popular online camping website The Dyrt as the hardest campground at which to get a reservation in the entire country!  To learn more about how we secured a reservation, click here.

We stayed at campsite #10 ($47/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) for six nights.  It’s a prime campsite with a lake view and a short walk to the lake.  There is good Verizon mobile internet as well as water within the campground (threaded water spigot near the bathroom). There’s no RV dump station here, but there is one a few minutes down the road at Zephyr Cove Resort ($10).  We did notice many people using outdoor showers within the campground so as not to fill up their grey tanks.  A ranger I asked said this is OK as long as biodegradable soap / shampoo is used (since the shower water falls directly onto the ground).

This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever been too – the combination of striking views of Lake Tahoe with dramatic snowcapped mountains in the background and awe-inspiring trails through meadows and pine filled forests is amazing.  And, the beach is very beautiful.  Dogs are even welcome on part of the beach!  Even though we stayed through Fourth of July weekend, the campground, with only 54 campsites, never felt crowded.  Definitely bring your bike (our new rack worked out really well) as there are fantastic paved paths through wonderful pines to enjoy. Walking is fine too if you don’t ride.  You can even ride your bike or drive into town and do some shopping at The Shops at Heavenly Village.

We made some new friends, Kat & David, who were camped next to us in their Airstream.  They were extremely generous, and when they learned that I strained my back lifting a 6 lb. water jug (over 50lbs filled) to fill fresh water into the Scamp, they gave us a specialized water transfer pump!  The device allows water to be quickly pumped from the jug at ground level to up and directly into the travel trailer.  So, with a dolly and one of these pumps, heavy lifting is not needed.  This is a game-changer and we will only use this method for fresh water fill in the future.  We enjoyed spending time with Kat & David.  Kat enjoys working with plants and is an avid birder.  And, David is extremely knowledgeable on all things camping and the environment.  David pointed out to us what appeared to be a “T” on the mountain (Mt. Tallac) across the lake from our campsite.  The “T” on Mt. Tallac is a cross shaped snow formation visible in spring and summer associated with interesting folklore, particularly among the Washoe people.  The Washoe people considered Mt. Tallac sacred.  One legend says that if the snow melts out of the cross completely then a harsh winter will be coming to Lake Tahoe.  This natural phenomenon is particularly famous because it was used as the backdrop for the opening sequence of the classic TV show Bonanza (aired 1959 – 1973); the specific location where the opening sequence was filmed was Nevada Beach!

Our friends Bruce, Gracia, and their dog Ben just moved into their newly completed condo next door at The Tahoe Beach Club.  Bruce is an avid hiker and made sure we were up early every morning to complete a hike from his favorites list.  In addition to hiking Maggie’s Peak, we hiked up Round Hill (awesome views of Lake Tahoe) and walked around Spooner Lake.  We also enjoyed playing ball with Ben each morning – he loves to retrieve his ball from the lake.  One of the highlights of our trip was having lunch with Bruce and Gracia at their condo beach club (The Tahoe Beach Club).  We enjoyed burgers on the outside patio with spectacular views overlooking the lake.  And, watching the 4^th of July Fireworks show from the campground was the cherry on top!

It was hard to leave our friends and Nevada Beach Campground.  We had such a beautiful time.  We plan to come back next year if possible.

Instead of making our way back to the coast, we chose to return home the more direct route on the US395.  Our next stop, June Lake, is a three hour drive from Nevada Beach Campground.

June Lake – Oh Ridge Campground (7,600’ elevation)
June Lake is often called the “Switzerland of California” due to its stunning alpine scenery and similar characteristics to the Swiss Alps.  June Lake is in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and surrounded by dramatic granite peaks, including Carson Peak.  The June Lake Loop is known for its four pristine glacial lakes (June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake).

We stayed at Oh Ridge Campground and had campsite #27 ($38/night, 50% off with a Senior America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass) — one of the prime campsites up on a hill directly overlooking the lake.  The views of the lake and granite mountain peaks from the Scamp were amazing.  The water spigot near our campsite was painted red, so we assumed the water was not drinkable (although there were no explanation signs and no ranger warnings).  We used it for washing and showering.  There’s also a central RV dumpstation ($10).  The Verizon reception was good during our stay.  During our one night stay, we had a chance to walk down the hill to explore the beach.  It was a warm day and people were having a good time swimming and boating on the lake.

This trip was filled with many fun locations, extreme natural beauty, good food, and a blast of a Fourth of July.  We enjoyed seeing friends and family along the way as well as making new friends at the campgrounds.  Like all trips, this one left us with some ideas for future adventures.  We definitely want to go back to Lake Tahoe as well as try some new high elevation campgrounds in the Sierra (such as Big Pine Creek Campground).  Picking intriguing locations always sets the stage for new exciting experiences.  Travel writer Rolf Potts expressed this idea well when he said, “the secret of adventure is not to carefully seek it out, but to travel in such a way that it finds you.”

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