Destination: Silver Lake East – El Dorado Campground

We are so very lucky in this business that we not only get to take our own Airstream trip once a year, but we also learn about some of the best campground and RV parks from our awesome customers.  And well, we learned of Silver Lake East-Eldorado Campground from a repeat customer who repeatedly comes to this particular campground (and so we knew it must be special).  And it did not disappoint!

Silver Lake campground is a little over 3 hours away from our San Jose garage and is located near Kirkwood in South Lake Tahoe.  The roads getting there are all fairly wide and easy (if you take the CA-88) and isn’t hair-raising like most other mountain roads.

Because this is a campground there are no hook-ups and you are dry-camping.  The campground itself is very well maintained and each campsite comes with a picnic bench, fire ring, and bear bin.  And the campsite hosts were very welcoming and helpful.  The little roads within the campground are quite narrow so we recommend taking the 20′ Flying Cloud or smaller since these are the narrow-bodied Airstreams.  If you are experienced in towing and are extra careful, then you might be able to take one of the larger Airstreams.  If you do choose to take a larger Airstream we recommend taking site number 20 (and reverse into the spot without doing a full loop around the campground) or site number 29.  Like at almost all campgrounds in California, you’re going to want to reserve your campsites way ahead of time unless you’re doing a road trip in the fall or spring.  Also this campground closes after the first week of October.

What makes this campground so amazing is that it is a short hike (about 5 minutes) to Silver Lake, which is a beautiful mountain lake fed by snow melt.  Just carry a cooler and our camping chairs to the lake and have a lakeside picnic.

If you’re looking for a more active vacation, there are some of hikes around the area (or drive out a bit and there are many more hikes available as well).  If you have a fishing permit, you can spend sometime fishing at the lake.  Or go to the Kit Carson lodge (which is within walking distance if you head to the lake first and then follow the shore to the lodge’s boat house) to rent kayaks or canoes.  The Kit Carson lodge also has a restaurant and a small market for last minute supplies.

There is also little to no cell signal at the campground so if you need your internet fix, there is wifi available at the Kit Carson Lodge (pictured below).

Brian and I enjoyed our time at this campsite immensely and look forward to coming back.  If you’re looking for a lake-side retreat with your Airstream then we can’t recommend this campground enough.  We think it’s one of the best ones around the Lake Tahoe area!

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