0
Pull-thru
USFSEldorado National Forest · California
Red Fir
Overview Situated on the north side of the Loon Lake Reservoir, Red Fir Group Campground offers a primitive group camping experience in the lush Eldorado National Forest.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.6,365ft
Comf.Jun-Oct5 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento2h01real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 6,365 ft, Red Fir has a 5-month comfortable window (Jun-Oct). Winter nights average around 25°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 1 named hiking route, 7 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on cool nights.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
Jun-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
92%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Jun 13
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 14.
53°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
91 mi
2h01
02
San Francisco
185 mi
4h07
03
Fresno
207 mi
4h36
04
Los Angeles
469 mi
10h25
05
San Diego
609 mi
13h32
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 9.9 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
1
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
1
Trail segments
16
Peaks
7
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
9.9 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.