Folsom Lake Peninsula Campground, Pilot Hill California

AMAZING ROMOTE LAKESIDE CAMPING

Getting There

The end of October and it’s still hard to get a campsite on short notice. After searching within a 150 mile radius of us, we finally found a campsite with 7 spaces left out of 100. We booked it for Friday through Sunday even though the weather report showed rain on Saturday. We left our house at 7pm and headed to Folsom.

For weekend trips we like to leave on Friday after work because it makes the weekend feel extra long. The drive was pretty relaxing until we got to Auburn and the roads got windy for most of the last 15 miles. A review I read said the last 9 miles were on a gravel road, but luckily that must have been an old review. Although the road was narrow and windy, it was well paved. It would have been better to drive while it was still light out, but we just took it slow.

We arrived and easily found our campsite. It was not an ideal site as far as proximity to our neighbors went. Sites 78,79 and 80 are right on top of each other. While we had a nice view of the lake, there are a few other sites we would have preferred. We will give you those suggestions later in this review.

The Campground Layout & The Best Sites

The campground is set on the side of a hill so choosing a good site using the one dimensional campground map below is impossible. We walked around the campground on Saturday morning and looked at all 100 sites, 34 of which are tent only. Very few are right on the lake, and because the water level is low this time of year, even those close to the lake have a 100 yard walk to reach the water.

We took a walk down to the water and were pleasantly surprised how clear it was after a recent visit to Clear Lake, which was anything but clear. The water was a bit chilly, but not enough to stop people from swimming and water skiing. The weather was in the mid 60’s on Saturday so we did not have the urge to jump in this time.

Most of the parking pads are either sloped to the campsite or to the road, so leveling your van may take some tall blocks to get level. Some were so angled that it’s not possible to get your van perfectly level. We will give you some site suggestions for lake views and level pads. All of the pads are well paved at least.

Sites with great views of the lake with flat or fairly flat pads are,23, 60, 61, 62, 64, 83, 84, 85. Be aware that because the campground is on the side of a hill, you may have to walk up or down the hill a bit from your van to get to your picnic table and fire pit. Sites 1 through 21 are at the very top of the hill and furthest from the lake.

Nice Bathrooms

There are 4 large multi bathroom buildings around the campground. They have flushable toilets and a sink. We still use the porta potty in our van at night. One bathroom near site 96 has two shower rooms, but the water pressure is extremely low and make sure to bring your quarters (50 cents for 4 minutes). The bathrooms were fairly clean, but the shower floors were a bit dirty from people wearing there shoes in and getting the bottoms wet. There are plenty of water spigots sprinkled around the campground.

Our Impression

Our overall impression of this campground was quite good. It was very peaceful with enough things to do to keep us busy for a two night stay. The key is getting the right campsite. I’m sure we will return, but next time I hope to have a couple of stand up paddle boards to have some fun on the lake.

On our way home we happened to pass by Brannan Island Recreation Area. This campground always seems to have available spots so we decided to drive through and see why that was.

Open Season

- Open year round.

Amenities And More

- Ample bathrooms with flushing toilets and sink (no soap or paper towels).

- Two private showers (50 cents for 4 minutes).

- 1-10 minute walk to the lake depending on your campsite location.

- Each site has a picnic table, food locker and fire ring.

- Large oak trees offer nice shade on most sites.

- RV dump station.

- Parking pads vary greatly in how level they are, but they are well paved and smooth. (Leveling Blocks Review)

- Nicely spaced water spigots.

- Dogs on leash at all times.

- Be aware the RV dump station is right near sites 10 and 11. (Gray Tank Cap Review)

- The closest town is about 11 miles away on the windy road, so bring all your supplies.

- Elevation 467ft / 142m.

Fees

- $28 a day. Additional vehicles $12.

- Check-in is 2pm with a 12pm check-out.

Nearby Campgrounds

- There are no other campgrounds on the east side of Folsom Lake. The camp host said the two below are not as quiet and relaxing as this one.

- Beals Point Recreation Area.

- Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.

Local Things To See And Do

- Oaks Nature Trail in the boat launch parking lot is a 1.8 mile round trip out and back walk along the lake.

- Mountain bike fire trail from camp.

- Lake activities.

Cell Signal

- T-Mobile – 2-3 bars.

- AT&T – 4-5 bars.

Address

7980 Rattlesnake Bar Road, Pilot Hill, CA 95664

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