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

Forest Service campground

Northshore Campground - Loon Lake

Forest Service campground in Eldorado National Forest, El Dorado County, California. 6,457 feet. 18.8 miles from South Lake Tahoe.

Managed by
Forest Service Eldorado National Forest
Elevation
6,457 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
24 16 standard non-electric, 8 rv non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

23 miles east of Placerville on Highway 50 and 31 miles north on Ice House Road (Forest Road 3), take the Loon Lake fork.

Recreation

Swimming and Fishing

Boat Ramp at Loon Lake Campground

Picnic Area (5 sites) at the Loon Lake Boat Ramp

Rubicon OHV Trail (summer)

Hiking and horseback riding in Desolation Wilderness, permits available in Recreation.gov or the Placerville Ranger Station on Highway 50, Exit 54 in Camino. Day use permits area available at the Loon Lake trailhead in the summer and Placerville Ranger Station year‐round.

Loon Lake Chalet rental cabin, reservations required.

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

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • horseback riding
  • off highway vehicle trails
  • picnicking

The land around Northshore Campground - Loon Lake

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 May 2, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.