Scotts Flat Lake

One of my favorite places on the planet. This lake is just a beautiful place to be. Clear cool water surrounded by beautiful mountains and set at 3000 feet so it stays cooler. The dam is positioned to the west so watching amazing sunsets go down through the pines will leave you breathless.

What a crazy 2 nights stay, first night people next to us were up drinking til 3.30am no one gave a shit about the other campers trying to sleep, and seems everyone around us was a stoner the smell of dope every where. Second night we used the showers 2 «of water all over the floor, gross to say the least. Never ever going back! If you have young kids this is not the place for you. the people running this place should be fired.

Enjoyed Scott’s Flat… never been before. Was shocked @ the only 50% capacity of the lake due to our current drought… but was pleasantly surprised with the upper lake difference. At 10% colder it was apparent it is normally over looked by campers but so wonderful when discovered. Like a different world with trails emphasized similar to hobbit living & witnessing God at his finest with peace, tranquillity, and adventure… or really just feeling one with nature after experiencing… quite mentally uplifting & appreciative to witness such beauty in nature!
Life is so good when you get a chance to enjoy our beautiful earth… loved my impromptu trip & my 4 sons who shared my joy! Thank you!

Scotts flat was my favorite camp ground growing up. I have nothing but happy memories year after year. So when I had some vacation time to burn I wanted to go back here with my mom. First off, getting a reservation was a nightmare. I started calling almost a month in advance. I did finally get a call back but since I work for a living I wasn’t able to answer right away. I called back within minutes and no answer. We played that game for weeks :(
The camp staff was friendly and the store was cute and clean. The lake was insanely low which I guess I should have figured since it’s a drought. The campsite was nice and clean. But the showers were not the nice clean things I remembered. Definitely needed some attention.
The neighbors were loud and stayed up way late. I know that’s part of camping. But still.
I was sad that this placed I loved so much had gone downhill. It’s still pretty, still nice people, nice campground. Just not what it used to be.

First things first, if you choose to camp here you should know that they have a two tent maximum requirement per site. This can make it difficult to plan a multi-​site camping trip. Also, they only allow one car per site and charge $ 5 for each extra car, AND they charge a fee of $ 7.50 per site to book… Ok, aside from those annoying obligations, the lake is really pretty. The temp is also very nice because it’s still kind of in the valley, but elevated enough that there is kind of a crispness to the air. The camping spots are kind of far away from the water, but they do have restrooms and showers. The actual camping sites are kind of small, and pro tip — do not reserve site 73 as it is literally slanted downward. I gave this place 3 stars because the sites are nice, but the limitations on camping and extra fees are annoying.

I grew up in Nevada City and was looking forward to returning for a weekend of camping at Scotts Flat. When we tried to make a reservation, it could only be done over the phone. We left several messages and tried calling over a period of 2 days. We could not get a person to answer the phone, or return a call. When I did reach someone in the administrative office, she could not help with a reservation and was very defensive about the process. Customer service is out the window. It is unfortunate because this was something that I was excited about. Unfortunately, we will not be staying here due to the fact that we can’t even get to the first step.

OK — so not only did my family have a horrendous camping trip last year due to campers being unruly and the campground doing absolutely nothing about it, but now my nephew and his friends just went up for a long weekend trip and the campground ACTUALLY charged him $ 3.00/day for bringing his paddle board! REALLY! ! ! What next? They’ll charge for bicycles or inner tubes and air mattresses to used on the lake! ! ! Are they really that desperate for money! ! This is absolutely insane. Then, it was so windy that he couldn’t even use his paddle board so there was $ 12 down the drain. Really — why would anyone want to come back and camp here??? I know we won’t.
Gigi

This is my new favorite place to go camping. The sites are nice and spread out, the bathrooms are super clean and have outlets. There are showers and even a store and a playground for kids. If you’re looking for somewhere family friendly near Sacramento I would suggest this place. The only place I’m camping from now on,

Hubby and I do a lot of camping in our RV and we definitely know good from bad. We stayed up here for 2 nights so that we were close to our Grandson’s wedding. Very overpriced for a spot with No water or power hookups. We moved from a premium spot to a regular spot because next to us was a group of 25 campers. We were not reimbursed the difference. They charge an extra fee per dog. We have 2 small dogs. Not that they have any control but the lake (reservoir) was extremely low, not attractive at all. Very crowded and noisy for the end of the season. A group of campers were drinking and carrying on to all hours of the night. We would have slept better in a Walmart/​Kmart parking lot and would have been easier on the pocketbook.

This is another favorite «local» site to go to for camping. They do have a separate group campsite that can hold up to 100 people, but we have never used it. We normally get a few of the lakeside campsites that are next to each other and group up that way if it is more than just me and the gidgets.
Their prices are decent and you can even rent canoes, kayaks, and 14′ fishing boats with motors from the marina while you are there. The people operating this campground are very friendly and helpful as well.
In all the years we have been coming here, the only time we had a rough experience was when they were doing extensive renovations to the campground. Even then it was not too bad, just simply a little nuts navigating and of course not having access to certain sections of the campground.

Beautiful camp ground. My family loves coming here. We’ve only stayed on gate 2 on the lake but I can’t complain too much. I wish the showers were closer, the bathrooms are decent, bring water shoes because the rocks will tear your feet up entering the lake. We usually go during mid week so our neighbors including ourselves aren’t too loud. Its true there isn’t anyone to reinforce the curfew. Try to go kayaking if you get a chance, its beautiful

Beautiful camp ground. Tends to get a little noisy at night quiet during the day. The lake is amazing, take water shoes it’s all rocks! The closer you get to the lake the closer the campsites are to each other. A lot more partying goes on closer to the water (noisy at night) Trash gets picked up twice (morning & night). The bathrooms are clean and the showers have hot water (50 cents for a shower). Dogs are allowed at the camp site for an additional fee. Each year my family always argues about whether or not there are bears. We have had food disappear from the camp site but we have never seen anything, we have heard animals around our campsite so they are not shy about visiting. The people at the gate are friendly. Overall it is a great place to visit and it’s surrounded by beautiful nature.

Okay, I read some of the other reviews on here before deciding to give mine.
This was my first time coming to Scott’s flat lake. We came on a sunday afternoon just to enjoy some fun in the lake. We only stayed for half the day so I can’t say anything about the camping experience or people staying on the camping sites.
But as for the excitement, this place was a joyous experience for me, I’ve only been to two lakes since moving to Sacramento, the surroundings were really beautiful, although I’m so used to beaches I’d rather have sand in my toes than rocks. Lol
We rented stand up paddleboards for a few hours, got a 2 for 1 deal with military discount which was great, feels like Hawaii again being back on a surfboard.
I could stay out on the lake paddling for the whole day but I aint trying to get no major sunburn. Hahaha
The staff at the entrance and store were friendly too.
Overall, good experience and scenery for first timers like myself. Would be pretty sick if there were shaded areas and benches closer to the lake.

Been coming here since summer of 2009, and I still absolutely love it. It’s just a gorgeous and relaxing camp ground. We come here 2 – 3 times per summer, and it’s always a pleasant experience.
I do have to say that it would be great if the site would have bear lockers/canisters…just this past weekend we were woken up to the sounds of a bear opening up our bins, one even had duct tape around it, and that still didn’t keep it from opening it. The bear did come back for a second time, but luckily my brother scared it, and did not return.
Regardless, I shall come back, but I’ll have to educate myself on how to handle these types of scenarios, and make sure the rest of the clan is too.

We have been camping at Scotts Flat Lake for over 40 years and it has become home away from home. We go with our extended family and have anywhere from 25 – 40 people for 7 – 10 days at a time. We always stay at the same group campsite in campground two and have to make our reservations 18 months in advance. This is an Excellent place to bring a family! We have raised generations of campers here and have been able to let our kids walk back and forth up the hill to the store without worrying anything would happen to them. This place is absolutely beautiful! Campsites are kept really clean, trash is picked up on a regular basis, they have Flushing toilets and hot showers you can buy with quarters. I have seen some negative posts here about noise. They have a 10 o’clock «Quiet Time». Personally I believe that to be too early, you are camping and blowing off steam and supposed to be having fun. No one has to get up the next morning and go to work so I am a big fan of letting people do what they want. If however it gets late into the night and people are still making noise, they will be reprimanded, I know from personal experience… Though I do not find people singing and having a good time blowing off steam from real life an annoyance, most will respect the rangers and keep it down or they will be asked to leave the next day.
They have a general store which will have some of the things that you may have forgotten. They have a bait shop down at the boat ramp and are always a good source of information on where the hot spots are for fishing at any given time. They do not allow personal watercraft which for people like us who ski and wake board is a nice thing. The Sheriff boat is out there often, especially during peak season which is nice so they can deal with the unruly or uneducated boater.
All in all this is hands down the best place we have ever found for camping and boating. It is at high enough elevation so that the hot summer days usually do not get too hot but the cool nights never get too cold. Most afternoons a breeze kicks up off the lake to cool you off and the lake is always there to take a dip in when it gets really warm. If you love camping and don’t mind others being around you, this is the place to go!!!
***Update*** As of 2014 they only accept reservations during the current year. Will have to wait until Jan 1 to make reservations for the 2015 calendar year.

Check In — Reservation Lost:
Planning our stay on a Saturday night in April, we made a reservation for a tent site weeks in advance. We arrived at 5pm with confirmation in hand to find no staff on site, and our reserved site was occupied by someone who had also paid for that spot. We grabbed the last remaining site in the whole camp, only to have another couple show up an hour later saying they had paid for that site. Basically, it seems super disorganized.
Atmosphere — A little loud:
If you are looking for a quiet, serene, camping experience this in not the place for you — the sites are close together and there was some lively groups playing music at night.
Showers — were locked the whole time we were there, so no access.
For being in «bear country», I was surprised they dont have bear-​proof trash bins — they literally have those old-​school metal cans. Supposedly someone was going to come by and empty the trash (right next to our site) at 9pm, but that never happened so we basically felt like we were sleeping next to bear bait.
All in all, definitely not worth the $ 32.50 (including reservation fees) we paid for a tent site!

My husband and I stumbled upon Scotts Flat Lake when we were trying to get away on a impulsive, last-​minute, one night camping trip away from SF. We got a tent site right on the water, and it was absolutely gorgeous waking up to a quiet lake right in front of us!
Pros:
–Super close to the lake.
–Gets pitch black at night (no lights) so you can really see the stars.
–Dogs are allowed in the campground.
–Camp general store and a playground for the kiddos.
–Bathrooms and showers throughout the grounds!
–People came through to empty the trash cans every few hours, which was nice considering all the bear warnings posted! (Side note: I heard weird noises during the night, and our car had new scratches in the morning on the back– 4 all in a straight line, like something had leaned on it and then dragged a paw on the way back down to the ground. I can’t say it was a bear, but it was something. We definitely got those scratches during our stay here!)
Cons:
–Campsites are right on top of each other. You can seriously hear the whole campground snoring and farting at night.
–Dogs are allowed in the campground, but are not allowed on the beach or in the water.
–See above about the scratches on our car!
–People walked right through our campsite to get to the beach. Not much privacy if you’re in one of the tent spots on the water. Didn’t bother us much, but might bug you.
MAJOR CON:
–Guys getting wasted in the middle of the night, screaming and imitating coyotes, blasting music from their boats. I see this in reviews even back in 2010, so apparently it’s the norm for this place? Lame.
With all that said, we’ll still definitely be back. It was easy to get a spot without any reservation, and the tent spots right on the water are nice, despite being right on top of each other.

My family and I spent a week here and enjoyed the atmosphere (most of the time!). We snagged a beautiful, shady camp spot and loved having the uninterrupted lake view!
The showers were hot, the bathrooms were cleaned often and I loved how the staff came around multiple times a day to empty garbage cans! (they were so quiet doing it, too!)
A few downsides:
— With a lake view spot, we had a constant flow of traffic around and THROUGH our campsite from people in higher up areas trekking to the beach. So, if you like privacy, the sites on the water might not be for you.
— While they have a 10 person maximum per campsite, they do not enforce this at all. So, we had a group of people across the road from us with over 20 people in their site. Luckily, they were pretty good at keeping the noise level down, but it added to the crowded feel of the area.
We look forward to heading back there again next summer!

Quiet and Beautiful Lake’s in a woodsy paradise …
The Large Upper Lake is a relaxing spot. It has a fun little campground located right on the warm-​watered lake. If going to Upper-Scott’s, I prefer going at it from the Cascade Shores side. This lake can get pretty busy with boats, but overall it is set in such a brilliantly-​beautiful Forested back-​drop — it is hard not to enjoy. For the campers there is a small general store.
I however prefer the Cooler-​Water of Lower Scott’s Flat Lake. This lake does not allow motorized boats, so the water stays smooth as glass. This is the ideal lake to Paddle Board on — you can pretty much have the Lake to yourself to just cruise around and explore. This Lake is also known for some good fishing.

Gate 2 campsite 208 ~ I’m going to give 3 stars due to the lack of knowledge staff had regarding the surrounding area and direction locating the dam access as well as the fact that they dont really enforce their rules with the noise curfew. Our neighbors… and by that i mean 6 campsites away played their music at an intolerable level until 4 a.m. walking through other campers sites and threatening other campers.
When Fishing from the Marina, we only caught bluegills about 2 – 3 inches. We also tried fishing from the dam through the 1^st gate access. NO LUCK. The Lake is very busy with boaters on saturdays.
There are bear sightings but no food lockers and all they use are regular trash cans that dont lock up.
It’s a shame because it is a beautiful area and the site itself was quick access to the lake, spacous and clean.
I suggest if you have any questions to ask the eguy in the store. He is the only one able to supply me with information. For better fishing head to Cascade Shores boat launch