When winter snows blanket the Sierra, most campgrounds and RV parks shut down. But there are a handful of parks that stay open throughout the winter in an effort to accommodate cross-country skiers, snowshoers, downhill skiers, snowboarders and snowmobile enthusiasts.
“We put our water lines down deep enough so they don’t freeze,” said Wally Walker, manager of the 44-site Eagle Ridge RV Park in Graeagle. The park, located at the 4,600-foot level near a remote winter recreation area in the northern Sierra, provides its guests with electricity, cable TV, sewer and campsite snow removal services as well as information on nearby winter recreation activities.
“For people who want to snowmobile, cross country ski or snow shoe, this is a good place,” Walker said, adding, “Gold Lakes Road goes from here to Sierra City and they don’t plow it in the winter, so it’s just full of snow. People just take off with their snow machines and just go.”
Other northern Sierra parks that stay open through the winter include Pioneer RV Park in Quincy, which is about 10 miles from a popular snowmobile area.
In the greater Lake Tahoe and Truckee areas, campgrounds that stay open through winter include:
- Cisco Grove Campground and RV Park in Soda Springs: Located near Donner Pass, this park not only stays open through the winter, but rents snowmobiles and grooms 26 miles of snowmobile trails. The park also has a snow play area and snow tubing hill. The park currently has seven RV sites available, three with electricity and water and four with water, power and sewer connections. Additional campsites can be plowed depending on demand, said park manager Flori Yarbrough, adding that the park also offers six motel rooms.
- Coachland RV Park in Truckee: This park provides water, sewer and cable TV service as well as 30 and 50 amp electrical hookups and wireless Internet or Wi-Fi service.
- Tahoe Valley Campground in South Lake Tahoe: “We have about 40 sites that we keep open throughout the winter,” said Jamaica Keene, a front office clerk for the park. Campsite amenities include water, sewer, 30 and 50 amp electrical hookups and wireless Internet or Wi-Fi service.
Further south, Mammoth Mountain RV Park stays open through the winter, offering roughly 130 campsites for travelers with motorhomes and trailers. While water service is not available at this time of year, each campsite does have 30 amp electrical and cable TV hookups. Two campsites also have 50 amp electrical service. Other park amenities include an indoor swimming pool and spa, showers and a laundry facility.
Following is contact information for the parks referenced in this release:
- Cisco Grove Campground and RV Park, Soda Springs, (530) 426-1600 or www.ciscogrove.com
- Coachland RV Park, Truckee, (530) 587-3071.
- Eagle Ridge RV Park, Graeagle, Wally Walker, (530) 836-1559, www.eagleridgervpark.com
- Mammoth Mountain RV Park, Mammoth Lakes, (760) 934-3822, www.mammothrv.com
- Pioneer RV Park, Quincy, (530) 283-0769, www.pioneerrvpark.com
- Tahoe Valley Campground, South Lake Tahoe, (530) 541-2222.
