Red Fir

Eldorado National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hiking

Location: Twin Bridges, CA, CA

Price: From $125 per night

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 (3 reviews)

Season: May through October

Situated on the north side of the Loon Lake Reservoir, Red Fir Group Campground offers a primitive group camping experience in the lush Eldorado National Forest. The campground offers tent-only campsites, accommodating a group of up to 25 guests. A group kitchen area is equipped with multiple tables, a campfire circle and grills.

Cell coverage (FCC estimate): none signal. Actual signal may vary in remote areas.

Amenities: Fire Rings, Picnic Tables, Vault Toilets, Drinking Water, Fishing

Availability alerts: Set a free cancellation alert at camperwatch.org/campground/red-fir to be notified when sites open up.

Red Fir Group Campground offers primitive group camping on the north side of Loon Lake Reservoir in Eldorado National Forest, with direct access to fishing, swimming, and boating just a short walk across the road.

Wildlife alert: Humboldt's Flying Squirrel, Gray-headed Pika, California Ground Squirrel, Green-tailed Towhee, White-headed Woodpecker, Mountain Quail, Gopher Snake, and Northern Rubber Boa documented within 8km

Insider tips for Red Fir: Book early as this is a federal campground with high demand Lake access is within a short walk across the road for fishing and swimming Rubicon Jeep trail nearby for off-road vehicle and motorcycle riding

Skip Red Fir if: You need RV hookups — no hookups available. You plan to camp outside May through October — seasonal operations only. You prefer individual sites — this is a group campground.

Best time to visit Red Fir: May-October — Campground operates seasonally May through October only.

Nearby campgrounds: Northshore Campground - Loon Lake (Ca) (Pollock Pines, CA), Loon Lake Chalet (CAMINO, CA), Loon Lake (Twin Bridges, CA), Gerle Creek (Pollock Pines, CA).

Cell Phone Coverage at Red Fir

Cell signal at Red Fir (Twin Bridges, CA): none overall signal based on FCC broadband data.

Coverage data source: FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC). Actual signal may vary due to terrain, tree cover, and distance from towers. Camper reports are more reliable than coverage maps in remote areas.

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Eldorado National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hikingLive availability via Recreation.gov· synced every 30 min

Red Fir

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Twin Bridges, CA, CA★ 4.7 (3 reviews)From $125/nightFederal campground · book on Recreation.gov
On this page ↓OverviewConditionsPlan Your TripCommunity

Situated on the north side of the Loon Lake Reservoir, Red Fir Group Campground offers a primitive group camping experience in the lush Eldorado National Forest. The campground offers tent-only campsites, accommodating a group of up to 25 guests. A group kitchen area is equipped with multiple tables, a campfire circle and grills.

Best for:AnglersHikersBoatersFamiliesSites:Tent
LIVE · weather + fire + AQI + availability + wildlife

Verified facts

RIDB / Recreation.gov official database
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
SeasonMay through October
Stay limit14 days
HookupsNo hookups.
ADA sites1 sites
CampfiresAllowed
Max/site6 people

Amenities

RIDB /facilities /campsites · owner-verified
Essentials
Fire RingsDrinking Water
Recreation
Picnic TablesFishing
Family & Pets
Vault Toilets

Straight talk

CamperWatch intel · curated from camper reports

Known issues, each with the workaround. Read before you book.

Known issuesFederal campground — book early. No hookups at most sites. Seasonal operations.
Skip it if:✕ You need RV hookups — no hookups available✕ You plan to camp outside May through October — seasonal operations only✕ You prefer individual sites — this is a group campground

Insider tips & when to go

CamperWatch intel · hand-curated entry

Book early as this is a federal campground with high demand

Lake access is within a short walk across the road for fishing and swimming

Rubicon Jeep trail nearby for off-road vehicle and motorcycle riding

Best: May-October

Campground operates seasonally May through October only

Things to do nearby

RIDB /activities /recareas + intel

Conditions today

Live
at campground coordinates

Cell signal

FCC BDC · quarterly dataset
T-Mobile
4G · 0%
Verizon
4G · 0%
AT&T
4G · 0%

FCC maps are theoretical — camper reports confirm signal.

Wildlife nearby

iNaturalist · research-grade · 8 km
Alert: Humboldt's Flying Squirrel, Gray-headed Pika, California Ground Squirrel, Green-tailed Towhee, White-headed Woodpecker, Mountain Quail, Gopher Snake, and Northern Rubber Boa documented within 8km

Location

Leaflet · OpenStreetMap tiles
Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
831-245-6891· Eldorado National Forest
Getting there →

Take Highway 50 east of Placerville for approximately 21 miles to Ice House Road. At the river take a left and go north 28 miles, then veer right at the fork in the road and continue 9 miles to Red Fir Group campground.

Campground entrance

Google Maps API

Community

#community · posts, photos & Q&A · AI-moderated (Claude Vision)

Pro tips

  • Book on recreation.gov exactly 6 months ahead at 10am ET — Eldorado National Forest fills fast in peak season.
  • Check current road conditions at Eldorado National Forest before arrival — seasonal closures common.

Frequently asked questions

RIDB facts + intel · FAQPage schema, speakable
How much does Red Fir cost per night?+
Red Fir costs $125 per night. Hookup options: No hookups.
What season is Red Fir open?+
Red Fir is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.
Does Red Fir have hookups?+
No hookups.
What is the maximum RV length at Red Fir?+
Red Fir is primarily a tent camping facility.
How do I make reservations at Red Fir?+
Red Fir is a federal campground — book 6 months ahead at Recreation.gov. Set a free CamperWatch cancellation alert to be notified the moment a site opens.
What is the cell service like at Red Fir?+
According to FCC coverage maps, cell signal at Red Fir is rated none. FCC maps show theoretical coverage — actual signal in remote or heavily forested areas may be weaker.
What season is Red Fir open, and what are check-in times?+
Red Fir is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.

Official resources

Royal Elk Park Management
Compare campgroundsPlan a multi-stop trip
●Data sources on this page
Recreation.gov — Live site availability — updated every 30 min
recreation.gov · RIDB API
National Weather Service — Live hourly forecast + active alerts
api.weather.gov · open-meteo.com
Google Air Quality API — Live AQI at exact campground coordinates
airquality.googleapis.com
iNaturalist — Research-grade wildlife within 8km
api.inaturalist.org
Google Pollen API — Today’s tree, grass & weed pollen forecast
pollen.googleapis.com
FCC Broadband Map — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile 4G/5G coverage data
broadbandmap.fcc.gov · quarterly
Sunrise-Sunset.org — Sunrise, sunset & golden hour for today
api.sunrise-sunset.org
Google Street View — Campground entrance & access road imagery
maps.googleapis.com
RIDB — ADA sites, hookups, toilets, pets, campfire rules, bear boxes, max RV, activities, contact, directions
ridb.recreation.gov · /facilities /campsites /activities /links /recareas

CamperWatch never fabricates data. Where data is unavailable, it is not shown.

$125 /night★ 4.7 (3)
SeasonMay through October
Check-in2:00 PM
Check-out12:00 PM
Reserve on Recreation.gov ↗
Dates full? Get an availability alert
FAQ
How much does Red Fir cost per night?+
What season is Red Fir open?+
Does Red Fir have hookups?+
All 7 questions →

Nearby Campgrounds

Northshore Campground - Loon Lake (Ca)

Pollock Pines, CA

From $36/night

Loon Lake Chalet

CAMINO, CA

From $20/night

Loon Lake

Twin Bridges, CA

From $36/night

Gerle Creek

Pollock Pines, CA

From $36/night

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