Your Perfect Primative Relaxation Destination
Why We Chose Utica Reservoir
We were originally going to head up to Pinecrest Lake in Tuolumne County, but there was something about the Utica Reservoir area that caught our eye. It seemed more primative with dirt fire roads and multiple bodies of water in the area.
We really wanted to start getting out to areas that had less amenities and were a bit more rugged than the campgrounds we had been staying at. Ruck-a-Chucky Campground is another great primitive campground further north. Sandy Flat Campground is run and maintained by the US Forest Service. Their campgrounds are generally less expensive, have less amenities and are much smaller than what we were used to.
The only issue is that all the campgrounds were first come first served. We had no idea if there would be any sites open. Luckily were were set to arrive by noon on a Friday. We hooped that would give us an edge.
Getting to Sandy Flat & Rocky Point
We were looking for a destination that was within three hours of home. Sandy Flat fit that to the tee. From the east bay region of the San Fransisco Bay Area it took us just over three hours. The main reason it took three hours was that getting there was not just a matter of hopping on a freeway and driving at 70 mph.
Once we got to the foothills of the Stanislaus National Forest, we were treated to smooth, well maintained mountain roads lined with huge red fir and lodgepole pine trees. We couldn’t believe neither of us had ever been here after spending our whole lives in California.
The closest towns are Bear Valley to the east and Arnold to the west. Arnold is a great small town with quite a few places to eat if you are feeling hungry on the drive up.
From highway 4 you will turn onto Spicer Reservoir Road for 8 miles. You will then come to forest road 7N75 which is a gravel road. Go 0.7 miles to the T intersection. To the right is Union West and East Campgrounds. To the Left is Sandy Flat and Rocky Point Campgrounds.
Being that the campsites are first come first served, we got lucky. They had two sites left. We chose site #3 as it had great mid day and afternoon sun for solar charging. All of the sites are nice and quite level. The lake is not more than a couple hundred feet from the furthest campsite.
There is a nice dirt / grass area to launch your kayaks, canoes and paddle boards.
Getting Out On The Water
Once we got camp set up, we were ready to get out on the water. The temps for the time we stayed were in the low 80’s which was perfect. The water temp was cool but refreshing. We were worried the snow melt was going to mean frigid water temps. We were there in June and there were still patches of snow on the higher elevations we could see from the water.
Once the paddle boards were inflated we carried them about 70 feet to the water’s edge. The water was fairly clear. In most places you could see 8-10 feet down. Huge granite rocks line the shoreline as they extend down into the water. There are a few places that have dirt banks and one island that has a sandy beach area.
Something to be aware of is the wind that can pick up in the afternoon which makes it quite challenging to get back to camp. The kayaks didn’t seem to have a problem, but our stand up paddle boards quickly became kneeling paddle boards to get back against the wind. Luckily the campground avoided all of the wind that passed over the water.
Boat in camping is very popular there. Many people had rafts, boats and canoes along the shore and full camps set up with tents, hammocks and campfires.
We spent hours paddling around the lake looking at all the rock formations that are scattered throughout. We must have covered 6-7 miles over the four days we were there. There are a lot of fingers and coves you can see if you look at a map of the reservoir.
The main wildlife we saw where geese floating all around the reservoir, chipmunks and a few random birds in the sky. We are still waiting to see our first bear.
Walking The Campground
Walking the campground did not take long since there are only 9 campsites. One of which is for the camp host. Sincew you can’t reserve ahead of time, I won’t rate the sites other than to say we really likes site #3. The host site is in the middle. He was very nice and gave us some great suggestions on where to go on the reservoir.
Amenities And More
- NO reservations. First come first served.
- NO water.
- $25 per day. Cash only.
- You must stay at your campsite for the first 24 hours. They don’t want people setting up camp and then leaving for the day.
- 2 pit toilets.
- Picnic tables.
- Fire rings.
- Bear boxes.
- Camp host.
- Dirt boat launch area. No gas powered boats. Electric motors are ok.
- A very large day use parking lot. No fee for day use.
- Three Utica Reservoir campgrounds are in this are; Sandy Flat, a group camping area and Rocky Point.
- Rocky Point 12 sites, Sandy Flat states they have 12 but we only saw 9.
- Elevation 6,800 ft.
- Be prepared for mosquitoes and other flying bugs. Install those Van Essential bug screens on your van.
Open Season
- Sandy Flat and Rocky Point Campgrounds are “usually open June to late September” as stated on the USFS website.
Cell Signal
- ATT – 1-2 bars.
- Verizon – 1-2 bars.
- WeBoost – gave us an additional 1-2 bars.
Pingback: Stanislaus National Forest, Service Road 7N17 California