Watson Lake

We backpacked in at dusk after a 14-mile day of elevation gain. Although the restrooms were not listed on the map we had, they were a welcome sight upon entering. There are plenty of camp spots, each with a bear vault and fire pit. The terrain is nice for tents and spaced well, so there's minimal disruption by foot traffic. There is access to motor vehicles, so there were motorcycles and ATVs coming and going.

Awesome little lake out in the National Forest near Tahoe! You can camp there, although it is also a great place to hike to, mountain bike, or off road out to go and check it out. I wouldn’t swim, but definitely go hike around the sweet trail that goes around the entirety of Watson Lake. Fun spot for sure.

Nice lake with a handful of campsites offering bear lockers and fire rings. No toilets or running water, so bring your own water or plan to filter water from the lake. The lake water can get nasty depending on how late in the season it is. The road is accessible by car and I saw an RV parked to the side, as well.

Great place for quiet and a dip. Can be accessed during summer with car (no 4wd required) but stay on 73 - Google Maps Navigation will try to take you up 50 which you can do with a moderate 4x4 but definitely not a car or SUV even with 4x4.

VERY remote campsite with about 4 designated camp spots. You are not permitted to camp on "non-designated campsites". You have to drive down a one lane forest road for about 20 minutes before it dead ends into the lake/campground. It's more of a pond then a lake. Tahoe Rim Trail passes directly through this campground and is about a 12 mile hike to Tahoe city. It is first come, first serve free camping. There are bear resistant food storage bins but no bear resistant trash cans. You must pack out your trash. Overall incredibly scenic campground and you can't beat free!