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Yellowjacket Campground provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun on Union Valley Reservoir. The water plays host to an array of activities like water skiing and fishing. The surrounding cedar and ponderosa pine forest is a lovely setting for hiking and biking.
Facilities
Sites are equipped with picnic tables, grills and campfire rings. The campground offers a dump station, drinking water and both flush and vault toilets. A host is on-site. Some sites at this camp are available on a first-come, first-served basis (more campground details)
Natural Features
Union Valley Reservoir sits in the Crystal Basin within the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an elevation of 4,900 feet. The area is part of the Eldorado National Forest, which includes the famed gold mining territory of the 1800s. Protected remnants of the days of the California Gold Rush are all around the region. The climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. An abundance of wildlife can be found within the Sierra Nevada Range, including black bears, mule deer, bobcat, gray fox, bighorn sheep, pikas, martens and a variety of squirrels. Several species of reptiles, amphibians and birds also inhabit the area.
Recreation
The Union Valley Bike Trail spans 4.8 miles with an easy climb of 300 feet. The trail connects campgrounds on the east side of the lake, from Jones Fork Campground to Wench Creek, and is open to hikers and bikers. The Bassi Falls Hiking Trail is also worth exploring. Anglers seek rainbow, brown and mackinaw trout or kokanee salmon. The reservoir also offers opportunities for swimming, water skiing and boating. A boat ramp and boat trailer parking are provided at this campground.
Not too much restroom but it's better then no restroom at all. Clean camp site not too.mich trash around..
Super crowded. Very steep access road. Brakes were smoking on the way in and engine was overheating on the way out. River was raging so bad we couldn't get in.
Love this place. I come out once a year. It so relaxing and peaceful. The scenery is gorgeous and the sound of the river is so captivating. The water is always pretty chilli, but on a nice hot day, there's nothing better than a cool dip. The fact that its FREE to camp there still boggles my mind but hey I'm definitely not complaining.
Ok place to camp. However, they've closed off half of what used to be there and ruined a lot off the remaining spots with borders, nowhere as nice as it used to be!!! Now they're charging $25.00 a night, for what I don't know?? There's a dirty stinky outhouse, period!! Ranger Rick comes by, he's a hard-nosed jerk!! Why?? Everything across the river is gated off, they've put huge borders blocking off what used to be really nice campgrounds, it's just a shame!!! I'll leave it at that, find out for yourselves if you want...
