Connectivity
No community carrier report is currently published for this campground.
Community-reported service can change with terrain, weather, congestion, and carrier coverage.
Campground
South Shore Campground
Eldorado National Forest, California
About this campground
South Shore Campground is located next to Lower Bear River Reservoir in the Eldorado National Forest the central Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The campground is nestled in a mixed conifer forest on a hillside just above the south shore of Lower Bear River Reservoir at an elevation of 5,900 feet.
Some campsites offer partial views of the lake through the trees.
Map
Loading map
- Latitude
- 38.533056° N
- Longitude
- 120.234722° W
Know before you arrive
Access, sites & campground features
Official facility and campsite inventory, supplemented by clearly marked community reports when the official listing does not publish the detail.
Access
- Drive-in
Site types
- Tent sites
- RV / trailer sites
- Standard campsites
- Group sitesCommunity report
Features
For campers
- Toilets
- Drinking water
- Picnic table
- Firewood availableCommunity report
- Trash serviceCommunity report
- Pets allowedDogs are allowed in developed Forest Service recreation sites when restrained, crated or caged, or on a leash no longer than six feet. Posted site restrictions still apply.
- Reservable
For vehicles
- Back-in sitesCommunity report
Official campground guide
Plan with the full campground details
Facility information, site rules, booking windows, and published rates. Source snapshot checked Oct 18, 2026.
Overview
South Shore Campground is located next to Lower Bear River Reservoir in the Eldorado National Forest the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's a prime location for fishing and boating.
Facilities
Each campsite comes with a picnic table and grill. One campsite is accessible, as is one of the vault toilets. Drinking water is provided.
A general store is about a mile from the campground on the northern part of the reservoir.
Recreation
Lower Bear Reservoir covers 166 acres and has 2.5 miles of shoreline.
Activities include fishing, swimming, boating, canoeing and picnicking. Anglers may catch rainbow, brown and mackinaw trout. A boat ramp is located within a mile of the campground.
The Pardoe Trail can be accessed a short distance past nearby Upper Bear River Reservoir, and borders Mokelumne Wilderness.
Natural Features
The campground is nestled in a mixed conifer forest on a hillside just above the south shore of Lower Bear River Reservoir at an elevation of 5,900 feet. Some campsites offer partial views of the lake through the trees.
A Mediterranean climate extends over most of the forest, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters.
Nearby Attractions
Not separately publishedRecreation.gov does not publish a separate nearby attractions section for this campground.
Activities & amenities
What Recreation.gov or the campground’s official source specifically lists.
Available activities
- Swimming SiteSwimming
- Fishing
- Camping
- Boating
- BikingMountain Biking
Amenities and facility features
- Vault or pit toilets
- Potable water
- Picnic tables
Recreation sites
Published inventory grouped by site type. Individual sites can have stricter limits.
Tent Only Non-Electric
12 sites- Reservation type
- Site-Specific
- Equipment
- Tent
- Maximum people
- 6
- Maximum vehicles
- 2
- Maximum vehicle length
- 0 ft
- Check-in
- 2:00 PM
- Check-out
- 1:00 PM
- Accessible sites
- None flagged in site inventory
Management
13 sites- Reservation type
- Non Site-Specific
- Equipment
- RV, Tent, Trailer
- Maximum people
- 6
- Maximum vehicles
- 2
- Maximum vehicle length
- 35 ft
- Check-in
- 2:00 PM
- Check-out
- 1:00 PM
- Accessible sites
- None flagged in site inventory
Standard Non-Electric
9 sites- Reservation type
- Site-Specific
- Equipment
- RV, Tent, Trailer
- Maximum people
- 18
- Maximum vehicles
- 6
- Maximum vehicle length
- 35 ft
- Check-in
- 2:00 PM
- Check-out
- 1:00 PM
- Accessible sites
- None flagged in site inventory
Site rules, inventory & rates
Facility rules, inventory procedures, and price seasons published by the official source.
Site rules
- Holiday-weekend minimum
- 0 days
- Weekend minimum
- 2 nights
- Reservation cutoff
- 4 days before arrival
- Scan And Pay
- 1
- Maximum published occupancy
- 18 people per site
- Maximum published vehicles
- 6 vehicles per site
- Check-in
- 2:00 PM
- Check-out
- 1:00 PM
- Food storage
- South Shore Campground's official facility record checked 2026-10-16 does not publish a food-storage method; confirm the posted rule with Eldorado National Forest.
- Fire and stove use
- The current official campground record does not publish a campground-specific fire or stove rule. Check current posted restrictions before using any flame.
- Pets
- Dogs are allowed in developed Forest Service recreation sites when restrained, crated or caged, or on a leash no longer than six feet. Posted site restrictions still apply.
Inventory window
Recreation.gov publishes a rolling booking window. The dates below are the official snapshot captured for this catalog build.
- Currently bookable through
- Sep 19, 2026
- Next release
- Dec 5, 2026, 7:00 AM PST
- Next book-through date
- Jun 5, 2027
- Group sites bookable through
- Sep 19, 2027
Published seasons & rates
| Season | Site type | Nightly rate | Additional person | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2027 – Sep 6, 2027 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2027 – Sep 6, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2027 – Sep 6, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2027 – Sep 6, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2027 – Sep 6, 2027 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2027 – Sep 19, 2027 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2027 – Sep 19, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2027 – Sep 19, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2027 – Sep 19, 2027 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2027 – Sep 19, 2027 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2028 – Sep 6, 2028 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2028 – Sep 6, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2028 – Sep 6, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2028 – Sep 6, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJun 5, 2028 – Sep 6, 2028 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2028 – Sep 19, 2028 | Management | $33.97 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2028 – Sep 19, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2028 – Sep 19, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $72 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2028 – Sep 19, 2028 | Standard Non-Electric | $108 | — | — |
| First-come, First-served SeasonSep 7, 2028 – Sep 19, 2028 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $36 | — | — |
Important facility notices
Read these with current closure and fire notices before departure.
- Bears frequent the area; all food must be kept in approved containers
- Keep family pets on a leash at all times.
- Forest Order No. 19-15-01: Prohibits camping for a combined total of no more than 14 days during a calendar year (January-December), forest-wide. Visitors may book campsites annually but the maximum stay may not exceed a total of 14 days each calendar year (January-December)
- Please Note : One (1) vehicle per single site. Most sites can accommodate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation fee. Extra vehicle will be charged a per night fee.
- Fire Restrictions : Fire restrictions may be imposed at any time due to hot, dry weather conditions, at which time campfires and charcoal fires may not be allowed. Call (530) 644-6048 for local information and conditions.
- Reserved Sites will be held until check out time (NOON) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of that following day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests. Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
- Refunds : Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).
- Don't Move Firewood: Protect California's forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. For more information visit firewood.ca.gov.
- Click here for more information on Eldorado National Forest
- There is a fee to move from a reserved site to a first come first serve site. Site Transfer Policy
Getting there & contact
Official directions
From Pioneer, CA, take State Route 88 east 21.9 miles to Bear River Lake Resort sign. Turn left at the sign and go 3.4 miles to campground on right side of the road.
Facility contact
209-295-4360