Caples Lake Campground

About

Caples Lake Campground is a scenic high-elevation campground located at 7,800 feet in the Sierra Nevada along the Highway 88 corridor, 59 miles east of Jackson. The campground occupies a forested setting near the shores of Caples Lake within the Eldorado National Forest's Amador Ranger District. With 34 campsites, the campground offers options for both tent campers and those with trailers or RVs, though sites vary in accessibility and configuration. The campground provides essential amenities including potable drinking water from faucets (tested monthly during the operating season), vault toilets, and garbage disposal. Each campsite is equipped with a picnic table, fire ring with grill, and a bear box for mandatory food storage. No hookups, showers, or dump stations are available. Campfires must use only dead and downed wood collected from the area, and fires should be extinguished with water rather than soil. Caples Lake offers excellent fishing and non-motorized boating opportunities with a 5 mph speed limit. Hikers can access trails into the Mokelumne Wilderness, though overnight wilderness use requires a permit available at the Carson Pass Information Station during summer or the Amador Ranger Station year-round. Caples Lake Resort, located nearby, provides additional services including a restaurant, general store, boat rentals, and cabin accommodations.

Directions

Located 59 miles east of Jackson on Highway 88 in Alpine County, California.