Sardine Lake

Tahoe National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hiking

Location: Nevada City, CA, CA

Price: From $24 per night

Price range: $24–$48 per night

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 (106 reviews)

Season: May through October

Sardine Lake Campground is located in the North Yuba River area, near the beautiful Sardine Lakes. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing and gold panning. This facility is operated and maintained by the Tahoe National Forest.Lakes Basin offers many opportunities for boating, fishing and hiking.

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

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

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

Sardine Lake Campground offers stunning lake access with excellent amenities including solar-powered vault toilets, picnic tables, and a dish washing sink. Campers praise its cleanliness and proximity to recreational activities like fishing, hiking, and boating at nearby Sardine Lakes.

Wildlife alert: American Black Bear present in area — use bear boxes provided. Also expect Long-eared Chipmunk, Douglas' Squirrel, White-headed Woodpecker, and Sierra Garter Snake.

Insider tips for Sardine Lake: Book early — this is a federal campground with high demand. Bring a self-contained RV or plan tent camping; no hookups available. Utilize the dish washing sink at bathrooms to reduce water use at your site. Solar-powered vault toilets provide lighting at night.

Skip Sardine Lake if: You need RV hookups — none are available at most sites.. You require winter camping — seasonal operations end in October.. You need privacy and shade — sites are close together with minimal shade..

Best time to visit Sardine Lake: May-October — Campground operates seasonally May through October only..

Nearby campgrounds: Salmon Creek (Nevada City, CA), Diablo (Nevada City, CA), Packsaddle (Nevada City, CA), Sierra (Nevada City, CA).

Cell Phone Coverage at Sardine Lake

Cell signal at Sardine Lake (Nevada City, 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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Tahoe National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hikingLive availability via Recreation.gov· synced every 30 min

Sardine Lake

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Nevada City, CA, CA★ 4.1 (106 reviews)From $24/nightFederal campground · book on Recreation.gov
On this page ↓OverviewConditionsPlan Your TripCommunity

Sardine Lake Campground is located in the North Yuba River area, near the beautiful Sardine Lakes. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing and gold panning. This facility is operated and maintained by the Tahoe National Forest.Lakes Basin offers many opportunities for boating, fishing and hiking.

Best for:AnglersHikersBoatersFamiliesBackpackersSites:TentRV
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
Max RV48 ft
HookupsNo hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed
Max/site6 people

Amenities

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

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 — none are available at most sites.✕ You require winter camping — seasonal operations end in October.✕ You need privacy and shade — sites are close together with minimal shade.

Insider tips & when to go

CamperWatch intel · hand-curated entry

Book early

this is a federal campground with high demand.

Bring a self-contained RV or plan tent camping; no hookups available.

Utilize the dish washing sink at bathrooms to reduce water use at your site.

Solar-powered vault toilets provide lighting at night.

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: American Black Bear present in area — use bear boxes provided. Also expect Long-eared Chipmunk, Douglas' Squirrel, White-headed Woodpecker, and Sierra Garter Snake.

Location

Leaflet · OpenStreetMap tiles
Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
(530)478-6253· Tahoe National Forest
Getting there →

From Sierra City, travel north on Highway 49 for 5 miles. Turn left at Bassett Station on Gold Lake Highway and continue just over a mile to Packer Lake Road and turn left. Continue for about 1 mile and turn left into the campground. From Sierraville, travel south on Highway 49 for about 18 miles. Turn right at Bassett Station on Gold Lake Highway and continue just over a mile to Packer Lake Road and turn left. Continue for about 1 mile and turn left into the 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 — Tahoe National Forest fills fast in peak season.
  • Check current road conditions at Tahoe National Forest before arrival — seasonal closures common.

Frequently asked questions

RIDB facts + intel · FAQPage schema, speakable
How much does Sardine Lake cost per night?+
Sardine Lake costs $24–$48 per night. Hookup options: No hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
What season is Sardine Lake open?+
Sardine Lake is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.
Does Sardine Lake have hookups?+
No hookups. Suitable for self-contained RVs.
What is the maximum RV length at Sardine Lake?+
Sardine Lake can accommodate RVs up to 48 feet.
How do I make reservations at Sardine Lake?+
Sardine Lake 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 Sardine Lake?+
According to FCC coverage maps, cell signal at Sardine Lake is rated none. FCC maps show theoretical coverage — actual signal in remote or heavily forested areas may be weaker.
What season is Sardine Lake open, and what are check-in times?+
Sardine Lake is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.

Official resources

Print Facility Map
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.

$24 /night★ 4.1 (106)
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 Sardine Lake cost per night?+
What season is Sardine Lake open?+
Does Sardine Lake have hookups?+
All 7 questions →

Nearby Campgrounds

Salmon Creek

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

Diablo

Nevada City, CA

From $18/night

Packsaddle

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

Sierra

Nevada City, CA

From $18/night

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