Campgrounds and RV parks near Penn Valley, CA

Penn Valley sits in the western Sierra Nevada foothills of Nevada County, California, between the Yuba River drainage and Lake Wildwood. The town works well as a base for foothill reservoir camping and for trips into Tahoe National Forest, with Grass Valley and Nevada City a short drive east on Highway 49. The nearby campgrounds cover a range of styles. Collins Lake Recreation Area sits in the Gold Country foothills with a 1,600-acre lake and 12 miles of shoreline, between Marysville and Grass Valley. Lake Francis Resort, above Lake Frances in Dobbins, offers cabins, tent sites, and full-hookup RV and trailer sites, plus a restaurant, lodge, pool, swim beach, fishing, and paddle boat and canoe rentals. Lake of the Springs RV Resort, a Thousand Trails property in Oregon House, sits on a private lake with hundreds of sites. Closer to Grass Valley and Colfax, Greenhorn Campground sits on a northern arm of Rollins Lake, about seven miles from Colfax, with a boat launch, swim beach, store, and game room. Inn Town Campground in Nevada City rounds out the options with a hookup park within walking range of the historic downtown.

Reservation systems vary by property. Collins Lake opens a full two-year booking window every January 1, with a two-night minimum on advance reservations, three nights on holidays, and some sites carrying longer minimums. A non-refundable deposit is required per site, and prime lakefront spots book up well in advance. Greenhorn Campground has 79 sites along the northern arm of Rollins Lake and takes reservations through its website or by phone or text. Inn Town Campground books through its own website. Lake of the Springs is a Thousand Trails resort, so members book through the Thousand Trails network. For public-land options, most Forest Service campgrounds in Tahoe National Forest are first-come, first-served, with some of the most popular sites reservable through Recreation.gov.