Meeks Bay Campground

My experience this past weekend at Meeks Bay National Forest was quite horrible. The grounds keeps overcharged me and my friends, would sneak up on us, and enter the campgrounds when we were at the beach. They took loose expensive items such as the generator, fishing poles, and demand that they be paid new charges before they returned these items. This was Illegal and disrespect full.
While we might have been loud, and messy, stealing items from our campground and sneaking up on people in the pitch dark is not the experience I would want to protray. This being done when poeple are likely to get reviewed on the internet. Expesecially when people have limited time to accually take time off and go spend money on camping, these poeple are not the only campgrounds in the area and need to get checked.

Meeks Bay Trail AND Genevieve Lake Trail
CLARIFICATION
Since the «Meeks Bay Trailhead» is NOT YET LISTED on Unilocal,I’m putting this review under «Meeks Bay Campground», where the Meeks Bay Trailhead is located close by across HWY 89.
— At this trailhead, one can park in the small lot off the street or in the area behind the fence by the trailhead sign.
1. Trail-​1: The Meeks Bay Trail (1.5mi, Easy)
— This 1.5mi beautiful trail is an EASY, flat and wide dirt path along the meadows. The path is only partially shaded; lined with small trees and brushes.
It’s an easy, pleasant hike, We saw young families with babies in strollers enjoying the walk. We also spotted older folks hiking along with walking canes! At the end of this trail is an open area lined with tree trunks and big rocks, perfect for taking a rest or having a picnic. Here one will see ANOTHER TRAILHEAD sign leading to the small charming Genevieve Lake.
Trail-​2: Genevieve Lake Trail (3.5 mi, Moderate)
This small, charming «Genevieve Lake» is located some 3.5mi uphill, via a mostly tree lined, rocky trail (with some Rock steps at some places). One would also see a couple of beautiful, quiet, wide open meadows and occasional, running streams along the way!!! This lake is located in a wooded area, some vertical 1200ft above the trailhead. It’s a perfect place to relax in over snacks and drinks, under the tall trees by the tranquil beauty of the lake!
Our Experiences that you can SKIP
In one of our quiet, slow hikes, we heard a sudden whooping boom sound from above, only a few yards from us, followed by the shadow of a diving hawk in a blur and some flying fur in the air! Then we saw the hawk flying away slowly with his prey (perhaps a squirrel) in its falcons!
Near the top by the lake, a group of friendly forest rangers were passing us by. They stopped to say hello AND asked us pleasantly to show them the stub of the Wilderness Hiking Permit, which one needs to fill out at the 1^st Trailhead. Later at the lake, we’d run into them again. They told us that they were doing routine maintenance inspection.
Along the trail, every now and then we’d hear the rapid drumming of woodpeckers in the woods. We also saw a few anglers fishing quietly in the streams, as well as in Genevieve Lake above. Heavenly!
In our return trek from the lake around 4pm, we ran into a group of Boy Scouts just starting their climb, each carrying a full load of camping gear and supplies for overnight camping by the lake, and hiking farther up beyond the lake the following day!
Oh yes, indeed, the stronger and more adventurous hikers (no, I am NEITHER) can continue on from Genevieve Lake to Phipps Pass, all the way up to the Phipps Peak (1400ft vertical from the trailhead).
Go enjoy the hike! Bring lots of water, snacks, sun screen, a hat!!! Oh, do fill out the Wilderness Hiking Permit at the first Trailhead by the highway. :-)
July 2014

We went to Meek’s bay on the weekend of August 1^st — 4^th, we cut our stay short because shortly after our arrival we came into very close contact with a bear. It’s steps from Meeks Bay in Lake Tahoe, we knew it was kinda close to the road but didn’t realize our site, #3 was completely open to the driveway into the campground.
The site hosts were very nice and helpful. We woke them up at midnight to help with the bear situation and they came out to help without issue and were not upset with us. They even checked in on us the next day while we were packing up to see how we were doing. I was very shaken up about the bear, I was walking towards the restroom when I saw it near me. I couldn’t stay there so we went to a casino. Side Note: Fish and Game is trapping him and relocating the poor guy, too many people left their food and trash out so he thinks the campground is a cool place to hang out.
I think it would be an okay place to camp if you are not scared of bears and road noise doesn’t bother you but don’t get site 3 I think its the worst in the park.

I am giving Meeks Bay campground only 2 stars because of the Camp Host. I was recently camping with my family and friends. This is our 9^th year camping here and we are a local family. The campground is not the best there is but the access to one of the nicest beaches on the lake is worth it. What is not worth it is being harassed by an unstable camp host. during our short stay he came up to me while sitting on the beach with my 3 kids and yelled at me for not being organized with my group. I am not sure what he meant and I kept asking him to please explain to me why he was yelling at me and if we were breaking any rules? He just said that we were unorganized and stormed off. The next day we began to head to the beach only to discover that our camp stove, kayak paddles, chairs, and life jackets were missing. He stole them and locked them in the camp bathrooms. we demanded he give them back or we would be calling the cops. He then relinquished our stuff but continued to harass us and told us that we would have to leave the campground and not come back even tho we had paid for another night. We asked him to please explain his behavior again and he could not give us an answer. His harassment put a damper on our weekend however I am more concerned for families that are traveling from a far for their summer vacation and have to deal with someone like him who is not an acceptable representative of our area or the folks who live in our area. I am filing a formal complaint against him.

We recently returned from this campground after spending three nights there. It is a beautiful part of the lake and the beach is great. The campground was not crowded even though most of the sites were being used. We were there during the week so we didn’t experience the weekend partiers (whew!!) The restrooms are newer and have flush toilets and running water in the sinks. There are no hookups and water spigots are few and far between. But, we did walk next door to the Meek’s Bay Resort to take showers (check that place out if you have to have hook ups). We were fairly close to the highway but it wasn’t a problem. Most of the traffic is in the morning and late afternoon.
Here is the drawback; this campground is just not set up for travel trailers or larger RVs (our trailer is 20 ft). The roads thru the campground are very narrow and hard to maneuver (lots of close-​in trees). Once we were able to get our trailer backed in to our space, there was no room to park our truck. What!!! We had to use the beach parking lot which closes at 7:00 PM. No getting your vehicle in there after that time.
We had to park on the main highway and walk in one evening. All in all, we enjoyed it but probably won’t camp there again.
PS — We were glad dogs are not allowed on the beach. Do dog owners really wonder why?! Dogs poop and pee on the beach and run wild. Not everyone likes dogs and some people are actually afraid of them. I like dogs but not on the beach. The «no dog» rule is great!

This is not camping. It reminds me of a combination of sleeping in my parents’ backyard in NJ where they take down every tree that grows and a Phish festival in a sandy parking lot where you can hear exactly what song your neighbor is playing… AND they stay up all night tripping and talking loudly with 400 of their infants and barking puppies in accompaniment. The only benefit of camping here versus the free black wood canyon spots is that there are better toilets and you can have a fire.
I am sure the beach is nice, but I would totally camp anywhere else and drive to the beach.

We went during the week in July and found this to be a nice spot. It was confusing because Meeks Bay Resort is to the north and the first campground you come upon (if headed south), and the two campgrounds are next to each other.
I didn’t find there to be an overcrowding issue, we could have easily fit two more tents on our site. It does boarder the road, which isn’t bad if you get a site further in. I would have felt uncomfortable with a site by the road, worrying what would happen if a car left the road. The bathrooms were well kept up, but did lack soap or a dryer or paper towels (there are no soap dispensers, so make sure to bring a bottle). The hosts were pleasant and no one was loud after hours.
The beach is nice, but does not allow dogs. This is a bummer for us because we bring our dog camping and had to go to Kiva Beach 20 minutes away. It would have been nice to be able just to hang out in one spot.
I would recommend this spot and will go back.

Was pretty skeptical about the campground from reading reviews, but every other campground near the lake was booked. So made a reservation for 2 sites here hoping it wouldn’t be that bad.
The campsites are really too close to each other, but we were a large group (18) so we didn’t mind. If you’re looking for privacy, I suggest looking elsewhere. The hosts were very friendly and accomodating. They allowed us to fit 3 vehicles into 2 park spots, as long as we weren’t blocking the road. They also allow you to park extra vehicles for a fee in the beach parking lot which is not far from the sites. The campground is literally next to Hwy 89– so, yes, beware of traffic noise and the occasional partiers driving by honking, hooting’, and hollerin’. It is quiet time after 10pm and the hosts will regulate if someone does complain.
The great thing about the campground is the close access to the beach/​lake. It is only about a 2 – 3 minute walk, depending on which campsite you’re walking from. The Meeks Bay trailhead is also across the street and about 25 yards down the road.
The showers are at the resort and is quicker to get to if you just cross the boat dock/​marina from the campground. I had gone to shower at 7am and brought many quarters with me. Unfortunately, they only take tokens which can be purchased at the resort’s general store which opens at 8am. Each token is $ 2 for 4 minutes.
In general, it’s a beautiful campground for families/​large groups. The sites are sandy and pretty flat. Our sites 22 & 23 weren’t too shaded but was big enough to fit 4 tents. If you’re looking to camp where you could have some peace and serenity, I’d look into other campgrounds.

Nice campground, but the spots are literally on top of each other and very close to the road. The showers are at the resort so its quite a walk. But overall had a great time.

In theory, this campground is great.
It’s steps from the quiet Meeks Bay in Lake Tahoe…
The sites are wooded and flat making for easy tent setup…
Big bear boxes are provided, which come in handy when a big brown bear wanders onto your site… and that happens frequently…
Large fire rings and BBQ charcoal grills…
And the site hosts could not be friendlier.
So why do I say «in theory»?
It’s literally 15 feet off of highway 89 and next to a fire station — that’s why!!!
Beware campers, the map of this place is deceptive — you *think* you’re a good ways off the road, but oh no, you’re practically on it. All the good things about this campground cannot eliminate the fact that I felt like I was camping out in Grandma’s backyard… for $ 23/​night. Oh, and with other crazy inconsiderate people 20ft away. No fun.
I suppose if I were in a pinch and REALLY did not want to sleep in my car, I might come here again… but there are plenty of other scenic areas, further off the road, minus the annoying people, where I could park the car.