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Wolf Creek Campground is a modern facility on the north shore of Union Valley Reservoir. The reservoir offers plenty of opportunities for water activities like sailing, boating, swimming and fishing. Bring a bike to explore the neighboring bike trail.
Eldorado National Forest includes the famed gold mining territory of the 1800s. Remnants of the days of the California Gold Rush are all around the region.
The paved 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, starting from Wench Creek on down to Jones Fork Campground. Interpretive signs along the trail tell the story of the use and development of water resources in Union Valley. This trail can be used by both hikers and bikers.
Anglers seek rainbow, brown and mackinaw trout or kokanee salmon. The reservoir also offers opportunities for swimming, water skiing and boating. The nearest boat ramp is at Yellowjacket Campground.
Sites in this two-loop campground come with picnic tables, campfire rings and bear-proof food storage lockers. Most of the family sites will accommodate up to five small tents (1-2 person) or two medium-sized family tents (4-6 people). Vault toilets and drinking water are provided.
Single, double and group campsites for up to 25 or 50 guests are all reservable. Some sites are tent-only.
A host is on-site, and firewood may be available for a fee ([more campground details](http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev7_018802.pdf)).
At an elevation of 4,900 feet, Wolf Creek sits in the Crystal Basin of the Sierra Nevadas. This is an area known for granite peaks, alpine lakes and pine forest.
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.
The Desolation Wilderness is nearby, offering the opportunity to get away from the crowds and enjoy the serenity of nature.
* Recreation Fee: Recreation fees are the fees a visitor pays for things like overnight camping, a day-use pavilion, group facilities, a tour or a permit. Recreation fees vary by location and/or activity.
* Reservation Fee: A fee may be charged at the time a reservation is made to cover the cost of reservation services. This fee is in addition to the Recreation Fee and is non-refundable. Fees for camping, day use, group sites, cabins and lookouts: $8 if made on-line; $9 if made through the call center; $3 if made in-person.
* Change Fee: A service fee may be charged at the time a modification is made depending on the changes.
* Cancellation Fee: A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refunds for a cancelled reservation. Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee..
* Cut-Off Window: The latest date and/or time that you can make an advanced reservation or a change to an existing reservation. Cut-off windows can vary by location, but are typically 4 days before your arrival date. A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (see Late Cancellation below).
* Late Cancellation: If you cancel your reservation too close to the start date, additional service fees may be withheld.
From Placerville, get on Highway 50 and head east for 21 miles to Icehouse Road. Turn left 21 miles to turnoff. Then go three-quarters of a mile to campground.
Wolf Creek is one of our favorite campgrounds, the lake is awesome and the park is so peaceful. We camp here as often as possible and enjoy daily walks, fishing or just hanging out relaxing the day away.
This is a pretty good place to camp. We went this past weekend. Beautuful and the lake is accessible from every campsite. Bathrooms are simply dump style. Pretty nasty, but at least there were some! We had a big group of 11 kids and 7 adults and 4 campsites. I reserved 3 and when we got there we realized that they were too far away from eachother. The camphosts allowed us to switch, so they were all together, since there were PLENTY of walk in spots still available, that don't show up for reservations.
The only reason I would give it 4 instead of 5 is because the camphost was a crack head and came flying into our campsite just after 10 pm 1 night, yelling at us while we were playing a game with the kids! He scared the hell out of everyone, when it was really unnecessary. He only needed to tell us to be quiet. So that was a bummer. But, they never bothered us any other night... Also, only 1 car allowed per site and they come around and charge you for more, even though they're parked IN THE SITES! Crystal Basin website, says there are 2 cars allowed, like every other camp ground SO? That needs to be fixed.
Mostly a good campground and we had tons of fun! We'll still go back.
Camping footprint is nice. Campsites are very nice, far enough from each other. The beach lake is nice too but too many rocks and dirt. The issue with campground is that the bathrooms were very very dirty and at the end of the day Sunday they had no port towels and were really disgusting. We were there for 2 days and I didn’t see anyone cleaning or collecting trash. It smelled from outside. I think the worst camping bathroom I’ve been too. There was also a laud crowd making lots of noise after 10-11 pm. No manager came to ask them to be respectful and quiet. Just not returning there anymore :(
Location is great, the campsites are far enough away from eachother, and fairly close to the water. The reason for only 3 stars is the bathroom was horrible and trash pickup needs to be more often. I realize it's camping and the bathroom is always gross to a point but there was urine on the floor and they brought toilet paper and didn't even attempt to freshen it up at all.
We much prefer this side of the lake to the larger campgrounds like Sunset and Wench. Wolf creek isn't as "modern" but I think it better matches the camping atmosphere. We were in the lower loop section (site 28) but all the sites are close to the water. The beach is decent with easy access but plenty of sharp rocks and dirt. Early July the water is still a bit chilly but feels great on a warm day. Western Toads come out at night around the shore so check them out if you like.
The camp host was nice and made the rounds after 10pm to make sure everyone was keeping the noise down. Obviously it will be very hit or miss with the type of people camping but everyone was very respectful and quiet at night.
Bathrooms are pits with only one stall. They were pretty gross. Dirty floors, tons of flies, poop under the seats, mystery stains on the top of the seats/lid. Toilet paper was out a few times as well so make sure you have some of your own.
There are dumpsters for garbage and recycling for cans (although since nobody crushes their cans, they're always full).
The campsites: The bear boxes are large (larger than yellowjacket but a little smaller than sunset) but you should be able to fit any size cooler(s) plus any other food/smelly stuff. There's a fire ring and stand alone grill plus a large table. Our table's paint was terrible and flaking off in big chunks. The paint chips would get stuck to anything wet or get jammed under your fingernails.
Overall we definitely enjoyed our stay and will most likely return. It's not perfect but its camping anyway
