Salmon Creek
- May 22
- season
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Is Salmon Creek open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Tahoe National Forest.
Camping and Campfire Restrictions-Truckee and Sierraville Districts
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-25-05 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- At 5,800 ft
- Yuba River Ranger DistrictTahoe National Forest
Salmon Creek is a Forest Service campground in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California. It sits among a cluster of recreation sites, with Sardine campground just 0.4 miles away and Diablo campground about 1.5 miles off. The site has vault toilets, and a fee is charged for stays. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Bowman Dam weather station, which sits a few hundred feet lower than the campground, show July highs around 82°F with lows near 54°F, while winter highs stay in the mid-40s. Several other outings lie close by. The Sand Pond Interpretive hike is 0.6 miles away, and the Sardine Lake Overlook hike is 1.4 miles off. Climbers can head to Free For All Valley, about 2.3 miles away, and paddlers can reach the North Yuba River, roughly 4.1 miles from the campground.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit Salmon Creek
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
46° / 29°
Feb
47° / 28°
Mar
49° / 30°
Apr
55° / 33°
May
64° / 40°
Jun
73° / 47°
Jul
82° / 54°
Aug
81° / 54°
Sep
77° / 51°
Oct
66° / 42°
Nov
54° / 34°
Dec
45° / 29°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bowman Dam, CA, 11.9 mi away at 5,385 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more campsites worth the drive
Photo: Ken Lund — CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Sardine Lake Campground
Next door
Sardine Lake Campground is a campground in California at about 5,731 feet. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
BED
Berger
~3 min drive
BED
Lakes Basin
~7 min drive
BED
Sardine
Next door
BED
Diablo
~3 min drive
Creek-side campground in Sierra Buttes area with mountain access and lake proximity.
BED
Berger Creek Cg
~3 min drive
BED
Deer Lake
~4 min drive
Deer Lake is a campground in California with 30 sites.
BED
Pierce Meadow
~4 min drive
Pierce Meadow is a campground in California with 30 sites.
BED
Tamarack Lakes
~4 min drive
Tamarack Lakes is a campground in California with 20 sites.
BED
Salmon Lakes
~4 min drive
Salmon Creek
Book on Recreation.gov
