Sierra

Tahoe National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hiking

Location: Nevada City, CA, CA

Price: From $18 per night

Rating: 4 out of 5 (0 reviews)

Season: May through October

Sierra Campground is located on the north bank of the North Yuba River between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing and gold panning.This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (530) 265-4531.The campground offers single-family tent-only sites.

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

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

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

Sierra Campground offers riverside camping on the North Yuba River with access to hiking, fishing, and the Pacific Crest Trail. Real campers praise it as a quiet, well-maintained facility with clean vault toilets despite being near Highway 49.

Wildlife alert: American Black Bear, Gray Wolf, American Mink present in area. Also White-headed Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, and Sierra Garter Snake.

Insider tips for Sierra: Site 9 has river access and a great fire pit despite lacking flat tent spots Firewood can be purchased at Basset Station, less than 5 minutes west Sardine Lakes Resort offers boat rentals about 5 miles away for water recreation

Skip Sierra if: You need potable water — none available at campground. You require RV hookups — campground has no hookups. You visit outside May-October — seasonal operations only. You need to book last-minute — federal campground requires early reservations.

Best time to visit Sierra: May-October — Verified operating season for the campground.

Nearby campgrounds: Chapman (Nevada City, CA), Salmon Creek (Nevada City, CA), Sardine Lake (Nevada City, CA), Yuba Pass Campground (Nevada City, CA).

Cell Phone Coverage at Sierra

Cell signal at Sierra (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.

CamperWatch
CamperWatch›CA›Sierra
Sierra — photo 1
Sierra — photo 2
Sierra — photo 3
Tahoe National Forest — lakeside, fishing, hikingLive availability via Recreation.gov· synced every 30 min

Sierra

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Nevada City, CA, CA★ 4 (0 reviews)From $18/nightFederal campground · book on Recreation.gov
On this page ↓OverviewConditionsPlan Your TripCommunity

Sierra Campground is located on the north bank of the North Yuba River between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing and gold panning.This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (530) 265-4531.The campground offers single-family tent-only sites.

Best for:AnglersHikersFamiliesSites: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
Max RV80 ft
HookupsNo hookups.
Bear boxesYes — at every site
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed
Max/site6 people

Amenities

RIDB /facilities /campsites · owner-verified
Essentials
Fire RingsFishing
Recreation
Picnic TablesBoat Launch
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 potable water — none available at campground✕ You require RV hookups — campground has no hookups✕ You visit outside May-October — seasonal operations only✕ You need to book last-minute — federal campground requires early reservations

Insider tips & when to go

CamperWatch intel · hand-curated entry

Site 9 has river access and a great fire pit despite lacking flat tent spots

Firewood can be purchased at Basset Station, less than 5 minutes west

Sardine Lakes Resort offers boat rentals about 5 miles away for water recreation

Best: May-October

Verified operating season for the campground

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, Gray Wolf, American Mink present in area. Also White-headed Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, 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 about 7 miles the campground is on the right side of the road. From Sierraville travel south on Highway 49, for 15 miles the campground is on the left side of the road.

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 Sierra cost per night?+
Sierra costs $18 per night. Hookup options: No hookups.
What season is Sierra open?+
Sierra is open May through October. Check-in is 2:00 PM, check-out is 12:00 PM.
Does Sierra have hookups?+
No hookups.
What is the maximum RV length at Sierra?+
Sierra can accommodate RVs up to 80 feet.
How do I make reservations at Sierra?+
Sierra 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 Sierra?+
According to FCC coverage maps, cell signal at Sierra is rated none. FCC maps show theoretical coverage — actual signal in remote or heavily forested areas may be weaker.
What season is Sierra open, and what are check-in times?+
Sierra 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.

$18 /night★ 4 (0)
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 Sierra cost per night?+
What season is Sierra open?+
Does Sierra have hookups?+
All 7 questions →

Nearby Campgrounds

Chapman

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

Salmon Creek

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

Sardine Lake

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

Yuba Pass Campground

Nevada City, CA

From $24/night

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