Bayview Trailhead Campground

Bayview Trailhead Campground is an easy campground to miss because it is surrounded by many better-known state park camping options. Yet this campground offers an affordable first-come, first-serve option that offers direct access to a beautiful area of Desolation Wilderness above Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, so it shouldn’t be overlooked.

With 13 cozy sites located across Highway 89 from Inspiration Point, the campground sees quite a few visitors during summer, most accessing the Bayview Trailhead. The Bayview Trail leads up to fantastic views of Emerald Bay, passing by Granite Lake and into the mountains of Desolation (the trail eventually meets up with the Eagle Falls/Eagle Lake Trail). Another trail from the campground leads to Cascade Falls.

Bayview Campground houses horse corrals near the trailhead (water for horses comes from the local creek, which typically runs dry by mid July, so plan accordingly).

As is the case with most campgrounds in the area, Bayview Trailhead Campground is seasonal. The campground is typically open from late May through October.