With Lake Tahoe Camping With Privacy: Your Guide To The Most Private Campsites Near Tahoe, Truckee, Sly Park, Union Valley Reservoir, And Beyond, the Wilke’s have added to their collection of information about private campsites in the Sierra. I found their other book, “Eastern Sierra and Death Valley Camping with Privacy,” to be very helpful when planning backpacking trips for the Sierra Club or personal trips. Compared to the peace of the backcountry, I am often dismayed by the lack of privacy in campgrounds so for me, this is the most valuable resource I have found to selecting a good site for the night before a backpacking trip. The descriptions of each site are rich in detail about what you’ll see from the site, whether it’s a road, grove of trees or river view. Privacy ratings are provided for the campsite as well as the driveway and the approximate length of the driveway is provided (very helpful for RVers). It’s also helpful that they give a realistic description of how many tents will fit and whether it’s better for tents or motorized vehicles.

There are a lot of campgrounds around Lake Tahoe and the thickness of the book reflects that at a hefty 650 pages. There’s a handy index of campgrounds in the back while the table of contents lists the geographic area and a list of campgrounds in each. At the beginning of each section, an overall description of the campground is provided with such information as whether reservations are taken, contact details, presence of bear boxes and flush toilets, whether dogs are allowed, number of campsites and whether cell service is available. For me, the elevation information is critically important as I am susceptible to altitude sickness above 10,000 feet if I don’t acclimate properly. I plan my first night’s elevation carefully to maximize acclimatization. Nearby restaurants, grocery stores and attractions are listed. There are no maps but when I’m planning a trip, I find it convenient to have the book in front of me while I research the campground online so I can find maps and search for availability. I was so pleased to receive a review copy and look forward to trip planning with this by my side. This is a valuable resource for anyone who spends time camping around Lake Tahoe.

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