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Posted by Bill S on January 31, 2008 at 4:12:43 pm EST
In reply to Winter (Snow Camping) In California posted by Mr Haze on December 20, 2007 at 1:54:16 pm EST

There are a huge number of places to go winter car camping in the Tahoe area. Sugar Pine Point State Park is open in the winter (standard park camping fees apply). That's on the west shore of the Lake. You come in from the north (SH 89 is closed a bit south of the park due to avalanche danger). They keep a system of XC ski trails open (FREE! unlike the commercial XC ski places, and it takes you to the old Winter Olympics Biathalon target range). You can park at the SnowPark near Boreal and cross under I80 to camp in Castle Valley (half mile or so of snowshoe hiking). Above South Tahoe, you can park at the Snow Park at Echo Summit and hike a couple hundred meters south along the PCT (follow the blue diamonds for the XC ski trail) or go a half mile to Benwood Meadows. Several of the USFS campgrounds around Tahoe are open for walk-ins during the winter as well as some campgrounds just off I80.

In Yosemite, several of the campgrounds in the Valley are open, but might not have snow. You can hike (snowshoe or ski) along Glacier Point road from Badger Pass Ski Resort to Bridal Veil Campground (3 miles, an outhouse is open in winter, plus there is a working payphone) On the north side, you can ski or snowshoe out along the Tioga Road from Yosemite Institute to Gin Flat (3 miles).

Along SH108 (that heads for Sonora Pass, the Pinecrest campground is open in winter - with heated! restrooms). 108 is the highway you start up toward the north entrance to Yosemite, along with 120, until 120 turns off at Yosemite Junction.

Head up SH4 to Bear Valley. At the turnoff to the Bear Valley Ski area, there is a SnowPark. It is about a half mile to the campground at Lake Alpine, which has a restroom open in the winter. There is also a Snow Park at a reservoir a few miles before Bear Valley that has camping in the winter.

That's only a few of the available car camping or short hike places for beginning snow campers.

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