Cruises & boats
Yellowjacket
California · Nearby: US-50 west of Echo Summit (CA)
Yellowjacket is near Lake Tahoe, listed on Recreation.gov. It has tent and RV sites.
ELDORADO
23.9 mi from the middle of Lake Tahoe16 mi to Emerald Baystraight-line
Quick facts
| Agency / operator | Not listed |
|---|---|
| Booking | Recreation.gov [Recreation.gov] |
| Max RV / trailer length | Not listed |
| Bear storage | Not listed |
| Season | Not listed |
| Hookups | Not listed |
Sources: Recreation.gov — Yellowjacket. "Not listed" means no source we use states it.
This weekend (Fri, Oct 23 – Sun, Oct 25): Book online. Reservations online on Recreation.gov — open dates and rates come from the booking site.
Key facts
- Max rig length
- Longest RV site listed: 25 ft (25 of 35 RV sites list a length) Listing
- Hookups & power
- Hookup type not listed for RV sites Listing
- Pull-through / back-in
- 0 pull-through, 31 back-in Listing
- Booking
- Reservable on Recreation.gov Listing
- Getting there
- 23.9 mi from the middle of Lake Tahoe · 16 mi to Emerald Bay (straight-line, not driving) Listing
- Boat Ramp
- Boat Trailer Parking
- Campfire Rings
- Drinking Water
- Dump Station
- Food Storage Locker
Why stay here?
- RV sites listed for rigs up to 25 ft.
- Rated 4.0★ across 62 guest reviews.
- Public-land campground run by a federal or state agency.
Choose a site
Your dates & setup
Checking 2 nights (your saved dates or this weekend). Showing options for: 35-ft RV.
Sites that match your setup
No recent availability data on Recreation.gov: availability may have changed, so check availability with the provider. Rates are listed rates, not an offer.
RV Nonelectric
Up to 6 peopleRV length limit not listedNo hookups
? Length limit not listed
Check availabilityEnter your dates on Recreation.gov, then choose “RV Nonelectric”.
$36/night
Continue to Recreation.gov ↗
Standard Nonelectric
8 sites like thisUp to 6 peopleRV length limit not listedNo hookups
? Length limit not listed
Check availabilityEnter your dates on Recreation.gov, then choose “Standard Nonelectric”.
$36/night
Continue to Recreation.gov ↗
Standard Nonelectric
Up to 12 peopleRV length limit not listedNo hookups
? Length limit not listed
Check availabilityEnter your dates on Recreation.gov, then choose “Standard Nonelectric”.
$72/night
Continue to Recreation.gov ↗Compare booking options
You book with the provider. Each row shows that provider's lowest open option that fits your setup for your dates, and which provider our main button uses.
Recreation.govMain booking button
No recent availability data — check availability on the provider's site
Check availability
Pick your dates again on this provider's site.
Other nearby options
Closest stays by type. Distances are straight-line from Yellowjacket, not driving.
- Closest public campgroundWolf Creek0.7 mi away (straight-line) · PublicCheck availabilityCheck availability on Recreation.gov ↗
- Closest private full-hookupLake Tahoe KOA Journey19.7 mi away (straight-line) · PrivateCheck availabilityCheck availability on KOA ↗
- Closest public / first-comeWench Creek0.8 mi away (straight-line) · PublicCheck availabilityCheck availability on Recreation.gov ↗
- Next closestFashoda1.7 mi away (straight-line) · PublicCheck availabilityCheck availability on Recreation.gov ↗
View calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov
No recent availability data on Recreation.gov: this grid may be out of date, so check availability with the provider.
| Site | Fr 23 | Sa 24 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 26 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 20 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 32 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 35 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 29 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 31 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 21 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 23 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 30 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 33 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 27 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 28 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 34 walk to | – | – | $36 |
| 36 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 24 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 25 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 001 rv nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 010 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 002 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 006 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 014 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 007 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 005 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 009 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 003 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 008 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 018 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 004 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 011 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 017 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 016 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 015 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 012 standard nonelectric | – | – | $36 |
| 019 standard nonelectric | – | – | $72 |
| 013 standard nonelectric | – | – | $72 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Before you go
CA California rules for campers
- Booking
- California State Parks book on ReserveCalifornia up to 6 months before arrival. Forest Service campgrounds book on Recreation.gov (individual sites up to 6 months ahead, group sites 12). California State Parks Recreation.gov
- Bears
- State park campgrounds: food, drinks, toiletries and scented trash go in the site's metal locker; ice chests may not be left in vehicles; bear-proof coolers must be locked (up to $1,000 fine). National Forest land: Forest Order 19-24-03. California State Parks USDA Forest Service
- Chains
- Caltrans chain controls R-1, R-2 and R-3 apply on CA-89, US-50 and I-80; check Caltrans QuickMap for live status. Caltrans Caltrans QuickMap
Longest RV site listed: 25 ft. Unsure if your rig fits? Check it in the Lake Tahoe Rig Fit tool
Yellowjacket: questions answered
- What is the maximum RV length at Yellowjacket?
- Longest RV site listed: 25 ft (25 of 35 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
- Does Yellowjacket have RV hookups?
- Hookup type not listed for RV sites (per the listing)
- How do I reserve a site at Yellowjacket?
- Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
- Are pets allowed at Yellowjacket?
- Allowed (per the listing)
Recent guest reviews
Terry C ★ 3 · Aug 2025Need 3 yard dumpster because the 2 yard fill up by the weekend and are overflowing by Sunday afternoon or schedule 2 pickups per week. Camping was good , need to have the purple star thistle sprayed around Yellowjacket campground and along bike/walking trail between Yellowjacket campground and SMUD campground and powerhouse.
Juan P ★ 4 · Aug 2025The place is great, I love Union Valley reservoir. The host is very good, but he needs to put a better love to the bathroom areas /
Sally E ★ 4 · Aug 2025Disappointed at the lack of education regarding bears and garbage. There were NO signs asking people to lock bins and NO working locks on main campsite bins; only the newer ones outside the campgrounds had working locks. People are ignorant and you need to spell it out; "USE CLIP EACH TIME YOU USE BIN". Bins were 98%full when we arrived on a Friday. Completely unacceptable in peak season. Campers then left bags of trash next to the bins and wondered why a bear came in before quiet. PLEASE get your host to get new clips and swap ild bins for new ones with lids that actually fit. It is unfair for wildlife.
Location
ELDORADO
23.9 mi from the middle of Lake Tahoe (straight-line)
16 mi to Emerald Bay (straight-line)
Open in Google Maps ↗
Policies
- Check-in
- 2:00 PM
- Check-out
- 1:00 PM
- Max stay
- 14 nights
- Pets
- Allowed (per listing)
- Campfires
- Allowed (per listing)
About
Yellowjacket Campground sits on the east side of Union Valley Reservoir in the Crystal Basin of the Sierra Nevada, about 35 miles east of Placerville via Highway 50 and Ice House Road. At roughly 4,900 feet elevation the site is framed by cedar and ponderosa pine and opens directly onto lake access; a boat ramp and trailer parking at the campground make it a convenient base for boating, water skiing and swimming. Anglers come here for rainbow, brown and mackinaw trout and kokanee salmon, and the nearby Union Valley Bike Trail a 4.8-mile route with a gentle 300-foot climb that links campgrounds…
Amenities
Boat RampBoat Trailer ParkingCampfire RingsDrinking WaterDump StationFood Storage LockerGrillsHostLake AccessParking AreaPets AllowedPicnic AreaSelf Pay StationVault ToiletsWater Spigot
Nearby activities
Swimming SiteWildlife ViewingWater SportsHuntingHikingFishingCampingBikingBirdingWater Skiing
At a glance: all 15 facts with sources
At a glance
Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
- Max rig length
- Listing Longest RV site listed: 25 ft (25 of 35 RV sites list a length)
- Hookups & power
- Listing Hookup type not listed for RV sites
- Pull-through / back-in
- Listing 0 pull-through, 31 back-in
- Road & site access
- Listing 36 paved site driveways
- Pets
- Listing Allowed
- Cell signal
- Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): AT&T 3 (20 reports), Verizon 4 (20 reports), T-Mobile 3 (13 reports)
- Water
- Listing Drinking water listed
- Shade
- Listing 0 of 36 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
- Booking
- Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
- Price
- Listing Lowest listed rate $34/night (live price once you pick dates)
- Stay limits
- Listing 14 nights max
- Getting there
- Listing 23.9 mi from the middle of Lake Tahoe · 16 mi to Emerald Bay (straight-line, not driving)
- Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
- Not listed — check with campground
Nearby parks (straight-line): Emerald Bay 16 mi
Check availability
For your RV
- Longest RV site listed here: 25 ft.
- Dump station listed on site.
- No hookups listed.
Build around it
Things to do near Emerald Bay
Compare Yellowjacket with alternatives
Public-agency campground
vs Wench Creek
RVs to 25 ft vs 35 ft
Read comparison →Public-agency campground
vs Wolf Creek
RVs to 25 ft vs 50 ft
Read comparison →Public-agency campground
vs Loon Lake
RVs to 25 ft vs 35 ft · 23.9 vs 17.8 mi from the middle of Lake Tahoe (straight-line)
Read comparison →Where Yellowjacket fits
- By rig & style
- Tent camping at Lake Tahoe
- Nearest alternatives
- Emerald Bay State Park (16.5 mi) · D.L. Bliss State Park (17.3 mi) · Meeks Bay Resort (17.6 mi)
Other stays nearby
Wolf Creek
Tent sites · RV sites
Check availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · Continue to Recreation.gov ↗
Wench Creek
Tent sites · RV sites
Check availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · Continue to Recreation.gov ↗
Fashoda
Tent sites
Check availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · Continue to Recreation.gov ↗