North Fork Yuba River
North Fork Yuba River
Yuba River
Campsite Carlton
Carlton Campground

Featured amenities

River Access River Access

Available sites

16 total sites

About Carlton

Carlton Campground is located along the North Yuba River, adjacent to Highway 49 and 13 mi from Downieville. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing and biking. This facility is operated and maintained by the Tahoe National Forest.

Activities & Attractions

Nearby

Canoeing

Canoeing

Spring Summer Fall
Fishing

Fishing

Year-round
Hiking

Hiking

Year-round
Hunting

Hunting

Year-round

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently open - Oct 16 to Oct 31

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

River Access River Access
Water Access

Water Access

  • River Access
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

16 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 002, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 003, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 004, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 006, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 007, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 008, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 009, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 010, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 011, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 012, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 013, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 014, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 015, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 016, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 017, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 018, Loop: AREA CARLTON RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In

Reviews (63)

What Guests Are Saying

Overall, Carlton campground is praised for its beautiful setting, quiet atmosphere, and direct access to the river, making it a favorite destination for many campers. Although some concerns were raised about full dumpsters, restroom cleanliness, and noise from the nearby highway, most guests found their experiences enjoyable and relaxing. Many expressed a desire to return, highlighting specific campsites for their privacy and river access.

Review Summary

4.1
63 reviews
5
61.9%
39
4
12.7%
8
3
7.9%
5
2
11.1%
7
1
6.3%
4

Danielle W

Verified

July 5, 2026 • Stayed at: 016, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

What a fantastic find. Quiet, clean, relaxing. The water was perfect and the water access from site 16 is fantastic Beautiful views, checkin and out was no problem at all. Highly recommend and we will be back!

Erik S

Verified

June 12, 2026 • Stayed at: 017, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

I stayed in spot 17 and it’s beautiful there. Plenty of shade and easy access to the river. My only “complaint” is that the fire ring is in pretty bad shape and IMO not in the most ideal spot.
Other than that the site was very relaxing and I’ll reserve it again in the future.

Jordan L

Verified

May 18, 2026 • Stayed at: 017, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

Beautiful campground and very peaceful on a Sunday night. I'd highly recommend site 17 or 18, both feel more private and have direct river access and shade. Make sure you take screenshots of your reservations before losing cell service, unfortunately day use visitors were in my site when I arrived and I needed to prove my reservation.

Marissa O

Verified

May 16, 2026 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: AREA CARLTON

3

Gotta pick the right camp site for a good time. Too close to the main road, where motorcycles are constant. Very few sites have shade.

Gillian L

Verified

December 24, 2025 • Stayed at: 004, Loop: AREA CARLTON

1

All we could hear was highway noise and dogs barking and fighting ALL NIGHT LONG. Any minute of peace we thought we had to fall back asleep, nope, dogs would start barking. Restrooms were a nightmare. You have random people walking through your campsite to get to the river. The one nice thing was the wild blackberries

Justin S

Verified

September 27, 2025 • Stayed at: 012, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

Camp was easy to get into. Our spot, #12, was great!! Near the bathrooms, which were clean and maintained daily. Perfect access to the water from camp. 10 out of 10 ill stay here again on my way through.

courtney c

Verified

September 21, 2025 • Stayed at: 013, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

Been coming to this campsite for years and have a great time every year. Love that most sites have their own river access and the campground is well maintained, bathrooms are always clean and have never had a problem with other campers. Wish the little outpost shop/cafe was still open for grabbing anything you forgot or run out of, but downieville is only 20 minutes up the road if you really need something

Gloria A

Verified

September 18, 2025 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

Site was great! Be prepared for the dust to go everywhere if you got a dog tagging along

Sherri O

Verified

July 29, 2025 • Stayed at: 010, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

This is a wonderful campground. It is disappointing that the local outpost/store/bar/cafe (Indian Valley Outpost" was closed. No ice from them, you need to travel to Grass Valley, or Camptonville/Downieville. I sure hope someone gets an interest and buys that location to reopen for campers to enjoy. We really missed it.

They did have the water delivery problem resolved, so that was great. I have been coming to Carlton for the past 40 years, always a wonderful family time. The river was high this year, so you could float without bumping your rear much.

We did not have any "Bear" visitors this year, so that was great also.

April A

Verified

July 2, 2025 • Stayed at: 012, Loop: AREA CARLTON

5

I’ve camped here for over 48 years even though there has been lots of changes I still love to camp here it’s absolutely beautiful . Lots of memory’s here . Thank you

Location & Directions for Carlton

Yuba River Ranger District, Nevada City, CA 95959 United States

Elevation: 690 ft

Getting There

From Downieville, travel south on Highway 49 for just over 13 mi. The campground is on the left side of the highway.

From Nevada City, travel north on Highway 49 for just under 30 mi. The campground is on the right side of the highway.

Nearest town

Nevada City, CA - 30 mi

About 43 min to downtown

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: October 18, 2026

Message us

Need help?

Our team is here to help you find the perfect spot for your next adventure.

Message us

Replies within minutes

Explore Nevada City, CA

Population: 3,172

Nearby larger city

Yuba City, CA

Approx. 42 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 2,513 ft

USDA Forest Service Logo
Managed by the USDA Forest Service