0
Pull-thru
USFSEldorado National Forest · California
South Shore Campground
Overview South Shore Campground is located next to Lower Bear River Reservoir in the Eldorado National Forest the central Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Sites3411 reservable
Elev.6,145ft
Comf.Jun-Oct5 months
Max rig35 ft
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento1h59real 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 6,145 ft, South Shore Campground has a 5-month comfortable window (Jun-Oct). Winter nights average around 25°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 34 sites total: 11 reservable and 23 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 1 named hiking route, 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and cool nights. Softest on big-rig fit.
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 12
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 17.
54°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
89 mi
1h59
02
Fresno
164 mi
3h39
03
San Francisco
169 mi
3h45
04
Los Angeles
427 mi
9h29
05
San Diego
569 mi
12h39
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.6 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 34 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
34
Sites
★ The standout
Site 012
Area South Shore Campground · shaded.
0
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
1
Trail segments
10
Peaks
1
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
2.6 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.