A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service campground

Chapman

Forest Service campground in Tahoe National Forest, Sierra County, California. 5,852 feet. 13.7 miles from Portola.

Managed by
Forest Service Tahoe National Forest
Elevation
5,852 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
25 16 standard non-electric, 4 tent only non-electric, 4 rv non-electric
Longest rig
45 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Sierra County

Overview

Chapman Creek Campground is located next to Chapman Creek, near the North Yuba River. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in the area, including hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, This facility is operated and maintained by the Tahoe National Forest.

Recreation

A large network of hiking trails is available in the area, including the nearby Pacific Crest Trail. The trailhead for the 2-mile long Chapman Creek Trail is located within the campground. Boating, fishing and swimming opportunites are available at nearby Sardine Lakes, about five miles from the campground. Sardine Lakes Resort offers boat rentals.

Facilities

The campground offers several single-family campsites. Each site is equipped with a picnic table, food storage locker and campfire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided.

Natural Features

The campground is split into two loops, with one overlooking Chapman Creek and the other, neighboring a small meadow. Stands of mature fir and lodgepole pine trees covers the area, providing pleasant shade at most campsites.

Nearby Attractions

The nearby Lakes Basin area offers boating, fishing, hiking and more than 30 miles of maintained trails, that are also open to biking and horseback riding. The lakes provide visitors with ample opportunities to enjoy boating, canoeing and fishing. Anglers will find rainbow and brook trout in many of the scenic bodies of water in the area. A boat ramp is located at Gold Lake.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • hunting
  • swimming site

The land around Chapman

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated March 11, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.