Campgrounds and RV parks near Cold Springs, CA

Cold Springs sits in El Dorado County's Sierra foothills, just minutes from the Coloma and Lotus valley along the South Fork of the American River. The area is best known as the birthplace of the California Gold Rush, with Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park anchoring the local landscape and walkable from several riverside campgrounds. Most RV camping is concentrated along Highway 49 between Coloma and Lotus, where private resorts cater to families, river-rafting trips, and Gold Country sightseers. Closest options include American River Resort, a riverfront property in Coloma with RV sites, tent camping, glamping, and cabins on roughly 30 wooded acres at Troublemaker Rapid. Coloma Resort and Coloma Resort and RV Park sit next to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park with full-hookup RV sites, tent spots, and cabins. Ponderosa RV Resort, a Thousand Trails property in Lotus, offers 30- and 50-amp pull-through sites with sewer along more than 2,000 feet of South Fork river frontage. Camp Lotus has ten RV sites and 30 grassy tent sites a short distance downstream from Coloma.

Most campgrounds in this corridor are privately owned and booked directly through each property's website or phone line, not through Recreation.gov or ReserveCalifornia. American River Resort takes reservations by phone or its online form, with phone bookings confirmed immediately. Coloma Resort and Coloma Resort and RV Park book through their own sites and phone lines. Camp Lotus accepts advance reservations online or by phone, requires a deposit, and strongly recommends booking ahead for summer weekends. Ponderosa RV Resort is part of the Thousand Trails network, so members can reserve through their membership and non-members can book nightly stays directly. For July weekends, holidays, and any rafting-trip dates, reserve eight or more weeks ahead. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park itself is a day-use park, not a state campground.