By:
Submission
Tuttletown Recreation Area is located at New Melones Lake on the Stanislaus River. The 12,500 surface-acre lake is the fourth largest reservoir in California and is situated along the edge of the Mother Lode, the rich gold vein that prompted the California Gold Rush of 1849. At an elevation of 1100 feet, the Foothill Oak Woodlands hug the 100 miles of shoreline.
Popular activities on and around the large lake include fishing, boating, water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing, sailing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, wildlife viewing, rock climbing, hiking, biking, and picknicking. The New Melones Visitor Center offers year-round interpretive events and a museum highlighting natural and cultural resources.
*COMING APRIL 2021: A new disc-golf course is being constructed and will be available for play!
Hiking, fishing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, boating, sailing and biking are just some of the activities available in Tuttletown Recreation Area. Equestrian trails are also present in the Peoria Wildlife Mitigation Area and open for the general public. Camping is also permitted in designated campsites.
Other interesting sites include Natural Bridges, which can be accessed from Parrott's Ferry Road. It has a hiking trail and creek that flow through a marble cave. The Table Mountain Trail provides visitors an opportunity to hike to the top of an extensive lava flow which occurred over nine million years ago.
The campground provides modern conveniences like flush toilets, showers and water spigots. Visitors will also find a fish cleaning station and electric vehicle charging station in the Lupine day use area. Picnic tables and fire rings are provided at each campsite.
Recreation Area gates close at:
9:00pm: October 1 – March 31
10:00pm: April 1 – Memorial Day (May)
11:00pm: Memorial Day (May) – Labor Day (September)
10:00pm: Labor Day (September) – September 30
New Melones Lake is located in Northern California between the historic gold rush towns of Sonora and Angels Camp. The terrain varies from rolling hills to steep marble cliffs, and the vegetation consists of oaks, Ponderosa pines, chamise and buckbrush shrubs.
Visitors can experience the beauty of New Melones by hiking the many trails in the Tuttletown and Glory Hole Recreation Areas.
The climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. For those who wish to venture outside the main recreation areas, there are many unique places to visit. Overall, the geography is quite varied and provides many opportunities for all types of recreation.
Tuttletown Recreation Area is surrounded by countless places of natural beauty, including Natural Bridges, Camp Nine, Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Moaning Caverns, Big Trees State Park and Columbia State Park.
Angels Camp Museum, Calaveras County Museum and Sonora Military Museum provide great opportunities for learning interesting information about the area.
Surrounding communities are popular vacation and retirement destinations and provide necessary services and shopping opportunities. Golfing, snow skiing, river rafting, commercial caves, historical railroad and Native American museums are also located nearby.
All site changes and cancellations need to be done through the Recreation.gov website.
From Sacramento take 99 S, 88 W and 12 E to San Andreas. Take 49 S for approximately 20 miles. Turn right onto Reynolds Ferry Road and follow the road 2 miles to the recreation area.
From Central California and the Bay Area take 80 E, 580 E then 205 E to 120 E in Manteca. Take the exit for 120 E/99 N. Continue on 120 E. Take 108 E to 49N. Turn left onto Reynolds Ferry Road and follow the road 2 miles to the recreation area.
This camping location was super last minute for us. Our first location was further north and got canceled due to the fires. We came here not knowing what to expect.
SITES▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
We had about 20 people and booked 3 sites online. We booked sites 147, 148, 149. However, these sites are really hilly. It was difficult to find a place for 3 tents. We asked the ranger, a super cool guy, if we could switch sites. He checked in and allowed us to do so. We switched 147 to 146 because it had a great spot for a tent. (See images)
BATHROOMS▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
The biggest reason I gave the stars is because of the bathrooms. The bathrooms are with stalls, flush, have sinks, lights, and are even cleaned everyday! There are several bathrooms located around the campground. You do not have to worry about the restrooms. (See image)
Every campsite has spots dedicated to park next to it. The fire puts are a little close to the table, and the tables are bolted, meaning you cannot move them.
WATER ACCESS▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
This is the biggest reason why I had to take off stars. The water acces was terrible. If you want to swim, you have to take everyone in the car and drive about 5 minutes to the water. I tried to walk to the water, and it took me about 15 minute. However, the walk does get steep sometimes. It is about a 100 foot altitude difference between the campsites and water. The water was super low when we went. We went to the boat ramp and swam there.(See Images)
OTHER NOTES▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
There is a water hose spout located next to the sites. I recommend bringing a hose to attach it to. This was really nice because you can use this water to wash whatever you need because it is right by the site.
Make sure to bring flashlights/lanterns, tarps sor the tents, and sprays for ants. We went at the end of August and did not see mosquitoes.
Great area! I stayed in campsite 31. It was nice and close to the bathroom 🙂
Everything is well organized and set up.
The boat area is very nice.
The view is amazing! I woke up to deer grazing next door. Wonderful place!
Not all camping sites are created equally. We have camped here twice now, and both times in the acorn campground. One site had literally no trees so no shade at all, and the other was filled with trees and plenty of shade.
Toilets and showers in the main area are better maintained. Toilets near the 50's in Acorn were out of paper each late night/early morning and were non-flushing (which is fine, but just letting others know). There were no sinks and no sanitizer in these toilets either, so bring your own sanitizer!
I wish there was a better route/path to get to the lake. We've had a hard time walking there on trails, and we just wanted to hike and swim. Overall not bad, but could be better.
Amazing camping with clean bathrooms great view of the lake a definite must.
We woke up to a morning rain shower and gorgeous rainbow
