Lakes Basin

I’ve never seen the camp ground so empty! Of course, the weather was wet and cold the week we were there, and school still hasn’t gotten out so that’s probably why. We weren’t camped close to the camp post, but I noticed that he is running his generator every evening, and if I was close to it it would drive me nuts. We are in a tent, and generators are annoying . Plus, I just wonder what it is they need the electricity for? If they want to watch TV, maybe they should’ve stayed at home?

Great campground!

Camp hosts were very welcoming. Website for booking was confusing - I meant to book for three days and inadvertently booked for only two nights, then had to pay an extra reservation fee to reserve the third night.

Make sure you ask where the swimming hole is if you camp here!

Close to a wide range of lakes and hikes.

Campsite in excellent shape. Hosts keep it clean and neat AND quiet. Toilets clean.
Love this place

Wish we had known our campsite was closed before hand. We had reservations.
Best to check campsite is open just before you go.

Reserved space for late May. Received confirmation, as usual. A day before leaving home for the camping trip I happened to at a Plumas NF web page and read that the campground would not open until the week after our reservation. Received no notification from Recreation.gov that the campground was not yet open. We went up to the area anyway and, being early in the season, were able to find a campsite at a nearby campground. I hope communication about delayed openings can be improved. Campers, before you leave home, check the National Forest page for the campground you intend to stay at so you can make a plan for finding space at other campgrounds, if needed.

When we arrived at the campground there was a sign saying it was closed. The reservation site, however, allowed us to make reservations. So we had to go elsewhere and later request a refund.

We had stayed at the campground before and separately hiked from the trailhead inside the campground. The map at recreation.gov did not match our memory but we reserved a site that allowed a trailer. We did walk around the campground to learn that the site we had chosen was not appropriate for a trailer. My sense was that the website's map was not for the Lakes Basin campground.

Had a nice quiet stay in Site 002. This reservation was just a few days before the Memorial Day weekend so the campground wasn’t full yet. There were still some first-come, first-serve sites. 002 is a large site with few trees so you get the advantage of warmth in the spring. It did get a bit hot as the days got warmer so we just planned to be away from the campsite (hanging out as Grassy Lake or having a beer at the Gray Eagle Lodge!) before heading back to the site. It only had a few areas for tents and the rest is rocks. It is a great site for kids to play in. It is right across from the bathrooms. I stayed in my truck camper and we had one tent also. There are a couple trails a couple hundred feet from the site. Loved the easy access to the rest of the Lakes Basin Recreation area since it is close to the road. Make sure to hike to Long Lake and the “Bear” lakes.