Tuttletown Recreation Area, Sonora CA

Such a great area to swim and hike around with the dogs. Unfortunately, the water has gone down this year and it was closed recently to prevent fires.

No waterfront spots, the pictures for reservations are deceptive! All campsites are high on steep rocky hills.

We sound like any big government agencies at The Tunnel Town recreation area managed by the Bureau of Reclamation the local management and the local security we're just a little bit on the roadside or more in a little bit on the roadside handicap accessibility is near non-existent they didn't want to hear what we had to say and we had to take it to higher levels it was an ongoing 6-month battle which really didn't result in much except for making them become compliant that they should have been in the first place and it's still not really compliant difficult camping way up on the hill away from the lake water levels dropping but I think they could do better to find better people in the management position thank you here's a follow-up a couple years later I get harassed every time I go down to the lake by a government agency and there is zero handicap ability and I'm tired of it

It’s beautiful this time of year. The lake is, of course, quite low. But there are still plenty of trails to hike. And it has been super quiet every time I’ve been out there this year.

Site 115 not many sites with flat spots for tents but super chill place bathrooms are decent

Great area! I stayed in campsite 31. It was nice and close to the bathroom
Everything is well organized and set up.
The boat area is very nice.
The view is amazing! I woke up to deer grazing next door. Wonderful place!

Bathroom building is currently closed. There is a Porta potty down where you'd park for the lowest boat ramp.

Great place to camp when it gets socked in with fog in the valley. Currently really low water level and very limited access for swimming unless you have a boat.

The place is fine. The bad thing is there are many leeches in the water and personally one can not get into swimming because there are many little ones And they stick to you

Good camp site. Shower room and toilets are easily accessible. It was really hot during day. Best if you can find shaded site. There are also water taps.

This camping location was super last minute for us. Our first location was further north and got canceled due to the fires. We came here not knowing what to expect.

SITES
We had about 20 people and booked 3 sites online. We booked sites 147,148,149. However, these sites are really hilly. It was difficult to find a place for 3 tents. We asked the ranger, a super cool guy, if we could switch sites. He checked in and allowed us to do so. We switched 147 to 146 because it had a great spot for a tent. (See images)

BATHROOMS
The biggest reason I gave the stars is because of the bathrooms. The bathrooms are with stalls, flush, have sinks, lights, and are even cleaned everyday! There are several bathrooms located around the campground. You do not have to worry about the restrooms. (See image)
Every campsite has spots dedicated to park next to it. The fire puts are a little close to the table, and the tables are bolted, meaning you cannot move them.

WATER ACCESS
This is the biggest reason why I had to take off stars. The water acces was terrible. If you want to swim, you have to take everyone in the car and drive about 5 minutes to the water. I tried to walk to the water, and it took me about 15 minute. However, the walk does get steep sometimes. It is about a 100 foot altitude difference between the campsites and water. The water was super low when we went. We went to the boat ramp and swam there. (See Images)

OTHER NOTES
There is a water hose spout located next to the sites. I recommend bringing a hose to attach it to. This was really nice because you can use this water to wash whatever you need because it is right by the site.
Make sure to bring flashlights/lanterns, tarps sor the tents, and sprays for ants. We went at the end of August and did not see mosquitoes.

Should have spent more time figuring out which campsites have any kind of shade. Reservoir was depressingly low. The camp itself was very well maintained if more arid than I was really prepared for.

Beautiful area, noisy annoying boaters. Contact the rangers with any issues you have, they are understaffed and overworked but will try and deal with problem guests. The nature and bird watching was amazing!

I did not like it, it does not have trees in the spaces they assign, the bathrooms were not open and the portable toilets were dirty and already very full and they smelled very bad.

We had a good time in this campground. We went in the middle of a heat wave, so it got pretty hot and there were a lot of ants everywhere. But the view and location was great. We had a walk up site (#131) but the car was very close to the campsite. The bathrooms were not functioning when we were there, but they provided a clean portapotty for us.