Painted Rocks Campground

We visited Yuba State Park based on the CurrentlyWandering review of the North and West Beach dry camping spots, but unfortunately those don't open for a few more weeks (around April 1 they say) so we drove the long dirt road over to Painted Rocks Campground on the other side of the lake. Our first thought upon arriving was, "It looks like a parking lot." But then on closer inspection we realized that there were two loops: in the loop closest to the lake there were about 6 campers (out of about 20 sites) and in the second loop there were ZERO campers (again, about 20 sites), so we decided that secluded, quiet loop had our name on it! Yes, it's not a super scenic campground, but it is nicely designed and we liked our little Loop of Quiet.

The entire campground is nicely paved, as are all the sites. The sites are generally very long back-ins or long pull throughs - I think any size vehicle could be accommodated here. All but 3 sites have electricity and water (no sewer hookups anywhere but there is a dump station near the entrance). Each site also has a covered picnic table, an extra table (perfect for grilling), and a tent pad. Because of the way the sites are staggered, even if someone had been next to us we could have avoided feeling like we were squished together - always a plus.

There are plenty of hiking options around the campground - a few are actual trails, but mostly we just trekked out across the open land. There is easy hiking access down to the lake beach, as well as a boat launch.

We found the area to be very quiet with only the sound of birds to keep us company and every once in a while the sound of a far-off camper from the other loop. We would stay here again if we were in the area, although in general our first choice would always be for a boondocking-type spot in the North and West Beach area.

Our Verizon phone service was very sketchy, alternating between 1x, 1 bar of 3G and 1 bar of LTE. If you had a booster I'm sure it'd be just fine.

We were surprised at how nice this little campground was. Audrey’s review from 2016 is spot on- but the trees are bigger now and the Verizon Cell was strong (LTE). The spots are spaced out nicely and the host was friendly- we would definitely stay here again.

Really like this place. There is only one other camper here, so very quiet and calm. Beautiful view of water with lots of birds.

Only negative is the extra $12/night for a second vehicle.

Stayed for a week in early/mid September. Other than the technically off-duty host and the occasional overnighter, we've had the place to ourselves. We felt completely safe here. It's a very quiet and peaceful location. It gets fairly windy every day, starting from the east and swinging around west. The lake is nothing but some meandering streams and there are cows grazing in the lakebed, but it offers a unique beauty. It's super dark at night and the Milky Way is already visible in twilight. Groceries are available about 15 minutes to the south and 20 minutes to the north. Sites have 30/50 and water but only the host site has sewer. Dump station is functional and convenient. Sites 7, 8 and 9 are doubles that cost twice as much, which is not readily apparent until you open the envelope box to pay. I would say 12 (pull-thru) has one of the best views.

Tent camping is $25 a night. Pull-in hook up sites are $30 a night. It’s a nice spot with not too many campers during the week days. The tent sites have a nice view of the lake. Each tent site has a small gazebo with picnic table and a separate cooking table with concrete flooring around it. The tent site area is small gravel. There were a few mosquitos but no too many.

No one here on a weekday, a bit off the beaten path. Nice campsites, open with few trees.

Had water and electric hookups.

The most bizarre thing was a “tire ripper” guard if you go the wrong way around the (unstaffed) guard station. Crazy and irresponsible for a poorly lit, rural location. See photo

This is the second time we've been here and both times have been pre-peak-season (before memorial day). The campground is not run down but it's not new my any means. I like that the sites are not right next to each other and there is plenty of room to stretch your legs. One thing that gives this campground an edge over other campgrounds is that most of the sites are very long. If you bring a toy-hauler or an extra vehicle, most spots have a ton of space for it.

There is a free dump station on-site which is very nice and I think all sites are 50/30/20 AMP hookups. Water was turned off during our second stay due to a water pump issue so that may have led to why the pit toilets were not as clean as they could be.

Overall this is a spot that I'd come back to so I could play in the water or ride around on ATV's. We don't mind the sound of ATV/UTV/Motorcycles so it didn't bother us. It did get VERY windy while we were there. Some campers next to us ended up tossing their tent in the trash because the wind destroyed it.

Here is a 360 video of the whole campground (google street view style) where I go over many points of the campground including a speedtest:
https://youtu.be/qrJ8R9OnhnQ

This place is decent for boaters but terrible for dogs! There are cockleburs everywhere (especially close to the water) and the campground and campsites are filled with foxtails and buttercup burs.

Conveniently close to the Salt Lake area, but we won't be back.

The reservation system is a little strange but there are some sites available without reservations before Thursday. Water and electric provided, dump site easy to access, nice and accommodating hosts. Each site has a covered metal picnic table on a cement slab. Very little shade, some sites have a view of the 'lake' [very low water level]. Did not use the rest rooms. The campground was mostly empty Mon through Wed but by Thurs night it was full, mostly reserved. And became a little noisier as a result but it's a park where your'e not jammed in tightly but sites are staggered and on several levels so you have a roomy feel.

Campsites are nice. Ours was a long pull through with electric and water. There was a nice gazebo over the picnic table. Site was not level but we were able to get level easily enough. Sites have a nice view of the lake, but they're not on the lake. It's a walk to get down there, and a little steep. We managed to find some trails to hike on, but it was very windy when we were there. Water is very low, unfortunately. Never saw the campground host, and although we arrived a little after 3pm the guard station was empty with our ticket taped on the guard station window for us to grab. With so many beautiful campgrounds around, I probably won't camp here again.