Camp Observer1 of 7 photos
Wench Creek
Overview
Wench Creek Campground is located in a beautiful ponderosa pine forest on the east shore of Union Valley Reservoir. The campground has 2 group campsites and several single family campsites. Plenty of water activities await at this reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills.The Union Valley Bike Trail and Bassi Falls Hiking Trail are worth exploring. The Union Valley Trail runs right through Wench Creek.
Recreation
The Union Valley Bike Trail spans 4.8 miles with an easy climb of 300 feet. The trail connects campgrounds on the east side of the lake, starting from Wench Creek on to the Jones Fork Campground. Interpretive signs along the trail tell the story of the use and development of water resources in Union Valley. This trail can be used by both hikers and bikers.Anglers delight in seeking kokanee salmon, rainbow, brown, small mouth bass and mackinaw trout. The reservoir also offers opportunities for swimming, water skiing and boating. Boat ramps are located near Sunset and Yellowjacket Campgrounds.
Facilities
Firewood is available for a fee and it is possible to moor boats on the shoreline. Amenities include grills, fire rings, drinking water, picnic tables and both vault toilets. Electric hook-ups are not available.
Single family sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. One group site is tent-only, and the other is a standard site for tents, RVs, or trailers. Each group site can accommodate up to 50 people (more campground details).
Natural Features
Union Valley Reservoir sits in the Crystal Basin at an elevation of 4,900 feet. The area is part of the Eldorado National Forest.Eldorado includes the famed gold mining territory of the 1800s. Protected remnants of the days of the California Gold Rush are all around the region.
An abundance of wildlife can be found within the Sierra Nevada Range, including black bears, mule deer, bobcat, gray fox, bighorn sheep, pikas, martens and a variety of squirrels. Several species of reptiles, amphibians and birds also inhabit the area.
Nearby Attractions
The Desolation Wilderness is nearby, offering the opportunity to get away from the crowds and enjoy the serenity of nature.Charges & Cancellations
- Change Fee: A service fee may be charged at the time a modification is made depending on the changes.
- Cancellation Fee: A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refunds for a cancelled reservation.
- Cut-Off Window: The latest date and/or time that you can make an advanced reservation or a change to an existing reservation. Cut-off windows can vary by location, but are typically 4 days before your arrival date. A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (see Late Cancellation below).
- Late Cancellation: If you cancel your reservation too close to the start date, additional service fees may be withheld.
- Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).
Camp site features
Across 100 camp sites:
- Fire pit: all 100 sites
- Pets allowed: all 100 sites
- Group sites: 2 of 100 sites
- Longest rig: 35 ft
- Largest party: 50 people
Fees
* Recreation Fee: Recreation fees are the fees a visitor pays for things like overnight camping, a day-use pavilion, group facilities, a tour or a permit. Recreation fees vary by location and/or activity.
* Reservation Fee: A fee may be charged at the time a reservation is made to cover the cost of reservation services. This fee is in addition to the Recreation Fee and is non-refundable. Fees for camping, day use, group sites, cabins and lookouts: $8 if made on-line; $9 if made through the call center; $3 if made in-person.
Directions
On Highway 50, go 21 miles east of Placerville to Riverton. Turn left on
Icehouse Riverton Road. Go 19 miles north to Wench Creek turnoff, then turn
left to campground.
Stay Limit
Check in from 12 PM, check out by 12 PM.
Reviews
Ratings (96)
5 stars
36
4 stars
14
3 stars
26
2 stars
8
1 stars
12
Robert G
Loop:Wench III
Site:061
Reviewed 7 days ago
The host was horrible. The site had trash and cigarette butts all over and if it wasn’t for us campers the bathrooms would have never had toilet paper. One camper had a generator running until 1am and host did nothing. Other than the host the experience was great as normal for i have been camping in that area for 50 years. And will be back.
Morgan B
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 001
Reviewed 7 days ago
The campsite is spacious with plenty of bear boxes for a large group. Central fire pit and kitchen with separate camping pads. Private bathroom. You will have to back in a longer trailer, looks like there are 3 pads that can accommodate the max trailer length. 2 dumpsters. Near the bike trail. Walk down to the water is manageable, leads to a cove and secluded beach, boats can pull up to. 6 minute drive to showers, 15 minute drive to ice house store. AT&T worked well. The camp host was polite and accommodating. People do drive and walk through, unfortunately one arm of the gate is broken at the site entrance.
Melissa G
Loop:Wench II
Site:058
Reviewed 8 days ago
Great spot to camp, not far from the water. Loved it
Pavlo Zhanna M
Loop:Wench III
Site:083
Reviewed a month ago
The only major downside was that some families camping next to us played very loud music all day long. We came to enjoy the peace and nature, not to listen to someone else’s music for hours. We politely asked them several times to lower the volume, especially while our kids were napping, but unfortunately they didn’t seem to care. It definitely took away from an otherwise amazing experience.
If you’re looking for information about the campground itself, it’s excellent. Clean, beautiful, peaceful (when neighbors are respectful), and one of the best campsites we’ve stayed at. We’d absolutely come back.
Pavlo Zhanna M
Loop:Wench III
Site:082
Reviewed a month ago
We had a wonderful stay! The campsite was very clean, spacious, and only about 100 feet from the water. The water was clean, the campsite itself was well maintained, and the restrooms and water faucet were conveniently close by. There were no mosquitoes during our stay, which was a huge plus. Cell service and internet worked well when needed. The only major downside was that some families camping next to us played very loud music all day long. We came to enjoy the peace and nature, not to listen to someone else’s music for hours. We politely asked them several times to lower the volume, especially while our kids were napping, but unfortunately they didn’t seem to care. It definitely took away from an otherwise amazing experience.
If you’re looking for information about the campground itself, it’s excellent. Clean, beautiful, peaceful (when neighbors are respectful), and one of the best campsites we’ve stayed at. We’d absolutely come back.
Nataliya D
Loop:Wench II
Site:047
Reviewed a month ago
perfect camp sites, beautiful lake, very nice host
Michael D
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 001
Reviewed a month ago
We enjoyed our stay, the restrooms are very dark and the toilets are really loose and need to be tightened as they felt as though you could fall over. This was in the men's side.
There is a large tree on the way out that poses a problem for longer rigs. The loop is very tight. I had to back out to the road with our 31 foot class C.
Overall nice experience.
Carl R
Loop:Wench I
Site:017
Reviewed a month ago
We went for the weekend and want to come back for a longer stay. There is too much to see and do. Campsite was very clean and hosts were very friendly and helpful. Our car battery died and the jump starter died. It would be nice if the host had a jump box but understand why they would not.
Stephanie P
Loop:Wench II
Site:031
Reviewed a month ago
The host was fantastic, the site’s spacious. The pit toilets are in really bad shape however. Pick the loop that has better toilets.
Jodi B
Loop:Wench III
Site:093
Reviewed a month ago
The campground site are nice in size and spaced nicely. The bathrooms are old, in disrepair and full of flies to the point of being difficult to use. The host works hard and is very nice. He had multiple urgent situations occur and he did a good job of handling them. The bathrooms just need to be repaired or replaced to make this a great experience. Oh and some of the campers should drink way less.
Patrick S
Loop:Wench III
Site:095
Reviewed 2 months ago
Beautiful spot in the woods. The lake is very pretty. One downside is that you can’t get to it from loop 3 without going through someone else’s camp, but people are usually fine with it. Bassi falls trail nearby is great. Pretty easy to find kindling on the ground, but not as much big firewood around, so be sure to bring some.
hector l
Loop:Wench III
Site:100
Reviewed 2 months ago
Site 100 is a great spot! Large enough for multiple tents and lots of shade, bathrooms aren’t too far away and trash cans aren’t too far. Vaulted bathrooms could use some love but overall not too bad!
Christina G
Loop:Wench II
Site:047
Reviewed 2 months ago
Great sized spot and close to trail for water access. Close to vault toilets but far enough to where the smell didn’t linger. Restroom near us was kept clean and stocked.
Lee V
Loop:Wench II
Site:036
Reviewed 2 months ago
The site was very spacious, and the host was very friendly and welcoming-we had a good time.
Becky J
Loop:Wench I
Site:016
Reviewed 7 months ago
We love this place. We have been coming every year for 28 years. However, they have portable potties now because the bathrooms are not working and the reservation system is really hard to schedule a good spot.
Cari B
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 001
Reviewed a year ago
Every one loved our new place (as Loon Lake was not open). However, staff did not know we could do first come, first serve when I gave them the check for Tues - Thurs nites. No one told the portable bathroom people that all 4 rooms should remain while we were there and they left us two on a step up trailer. We were all pleasantly surprised that the portables were so clean and had little odor. We really liked the arrangement of the kitchen area and the circular RV placement with tents anywhere. Thank you!
John M
Loop:Wench I
Site:017
Reviewed a year ago
People were playing guitars and singing until 2 am. Camp host never came by to ask them to stop. The guitar playing and singing began at 10 pm. We were in site #17, and the group playing the music was right next to us. Also, the website showed that this campground had flush toilets. The toilets were boarded up, and porta potties were placed next to the former restrooms. The porta potties were absolutely disgusting, overflowing with filth and no toilet paper. This campground is disgusting, and we will never stay here again. We left after one night, and sought refuge at Yellowjacket campground which was 100 percent better. Update your website regarding campground status, and ask camp hosts to enforce the rules, ie, quiet time 10 pm. Thank you.
Lisa R
Loop:Wench I
Site:016
Reviewed a year ago
Camp site was clean with easy access to the lake via a path. Sites were pretty spacious and not too close together. The bathrooms were closed and boarded up, so there were just regular old port-o-potties.
Marcy c
Loop:Wench III
Site:100
Reviewed a year ago
The grandkids had a great time, climbing on logs, swimming, hunting for rocks to paint and skip on the water. We saw several people catching fish. The bike trail is great for walking.
Andrew F
Loop:Wench III
Site:063
Reviewed a year ago
I’m not a campground camper for the very reason I’m only giving 3 stars, loud neighbors. The campground was clean, sites well spaced, and the host was nice.
Valentyna K
Loop:Wench III
Site:070
Reviewed 2 years ago
wonderful camp, beautiful nature, clean beach. but unfortunately very bad toilet, there is just a hole in the ground and it stinks throughout the camp. maybe it would be better to install bio toilets.
Sandie P
Loop:Wench III
Site:085
Reviewed 2 years ago
Be prepared for overflowing trash, and vault toilets that need to be emptied.
Michael X
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 002
Reviewed 2 years ago
Camp host lady with short hair was a little B and racist, kicked us out in the middle of the night without any warning. Don't camp here if you are not white!!!
Daniel S
Loop:Wench III
Site:070
Reviewed 2 years ago
Aggressive bears coming through the campsite during daytime hours when kids are out and about. Too many yellow jackets and the toilets were absolutely terrible. The fire pits were not emptied, they emptied them two days later. We were delayed a day, could not contact anyone to make adjustments. We had to leave on Saturday due to family emergency grandchild born early and still had to pay through Monday on both of our site 68 & 70.
Becky J
Loop:Wench II
Site:043
Reviewed 2 years ago
this was one of our favorite years at Wench Creek. The past two years there has been no control on the amount of people or noise level in the campgrounds. This year the hosts were proactive and very good. They kept things in order, helped campers, kept the bathrooms clean etx. It is our families favorite place to be and have been coming for 26 years. We just wish we could have flush toilets in the campground which would make it perfect.
Robert R
Loop:Wench III
Site:070
Reviewed 2 years ago
It was a great trip. Nice and clean camp site and shoreline. Only complaint would be the bathrooms/toilets, ran out of toilet paper and was terrible with flies. Maybe fly paper or something to help with the high volume that were trapped in the bathrooms while trying to use them. But it’s camping so I wasn’t expecting much different. Again great trip and beautiful views.
Miguel R
Loop:Wench II
Site:040
Reviewed 2 years ago
The sites are poorly managed. Rules aren’t enforced and people treat the campground like a frat house.
Dhirendra R
Loop:Wench II
Site:040
Reviewed 2 years ago
The good part is this is next to the lake, big camp ground and lots of shade, good biking trails within the camping area. water tap is just in front of the site. But the vault toilets are really bad, it stinks and not in usable condition, flies around it. Garbage we had to bring home back, the bin was full not cleaned up in a regular basis during the peak time I guess. Network coverage was good for my network provider.
Martha D
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 001
Reviewed 2 years ago
We arrived at our campsite, and were told the restrooms were shut down.
We were told we could use the restrooms at the group site next to ours, because that camp site was not reserved.
We ended up going for two of our four nights without toilets or sinks.
The group site next to ours, that we were told we could use, was uphill, walking around or over large fallen trees. For the most part, we drove to the group site to use that restroom. Not very satisfactory.
We had 25 campers, age range 2 years to 75 years, some with limited mobility.
We really did not get much help from the camp host.
But Megan at Royal Elk concessions was the BEST.
Thankfully I had that number in my phone, and she told me, she had not heard we didn't have working restrooms.
She made a few calls, and we had porta-potties delivered the next morning.
The porta-potties, were very clean, but we still did not have any "washing station". We had made our own.
We did get a discount, after we got home, and I called Recreation.gov and told them our story.
We have camped at this group site since 1997.
We have never had an issue like this in the past.
We trust the future will be back to our usual with all in working order.
Melanie F
Loop:Wench III
Site:079
Reviewed 2 years ago
Clean and spacious campsites, easy access to the water.
Chris B
Loop:Wench III
Site:082
Reviewed 2 years ago
The bathrooms are disgusting and the hosts are never around.
Heather C
Loop:Wench III
Site:084
Reviewed 2 years ago
It was okay, however while the site had a wonderful view of the lake through the trees it is adjacent to both the vault toilet(which people kept leaving the door open so all the flies would get in) as well as right next to the garbage bins... We had a nice overnight stay and enjoyed ourselves, I will just pay better attention to where the toilet and garbage are before I book next time. =)
Douglas C
Loop:Wenc
Site:Group 002
Reviewed 3 years ago
This is a beautiful, large, and private site, we really looked forward to coming here with our group of 50. Overall, it was a great camp and we had a lovely time, but had a few big issues:
1. Water: the water for the entire campground was supplied by a gas powered pump, once the pump turned off around 7pm, there was no water for the site and the flush toilets stopped working, this is a big problem with 50 people using the bathrooms, they were clogged every night. We had to plunge them every morning when the water came back, no maintenance or host ever came even though they ensured us they'd be checking in daily. We ended up filling every container we had with water so we could dump them into the toilets every couple of uses, but they still plugged.
2. Trash: The site has a dedicated dumpster that was nearly filled when we arrived and wasn't emptied over our 5 day stay. We had to throw bags into our cars and drive around the campgrounds looking for dumpster space.
Hopefully they get the water situation fixed, if not, you'll need to fill containers for drinking and flushing before the water cuts off each night.
April M
Loop:Wench I
Site:017
Reviewed 3 years ago
We love this location! Great, large camping spots, flush toilets, and easy access to the Lake. It's a short drive to the Bassey Falls Trailhead, which is a favorite of ours as well.
Jacob S
Loop:Wench II
Site:043
Reviewed 3 years ago
Very big campsites, a pair at the bottom of the loop. Lake looked great. Beautiful views. Paved bike trailhead is here at Wench Creek, goes all the way down to Jones Fork. Had a great time, we come to Union Valley every year.
Zachary A
Loop:Wench I
Site:016
Reviewed 3 years ago
Good shade coverage for campsites. Nice reservoir to spend time at. Site 14 and 16 are a good pick, very big we fit all 12 people in 6 tents very easily with extra room to throw around a football and everything.
I reccommend the Bassi falls hike. The reason for the 4 star is that there is nothing else do do around except Bassi Falls hike. Make sure you bring stuff to do at camp.
Jodi H
Loop:Wench III
Site:084
Reviewed 3 years ago
Antonia and Adrian were awesome!!! Best camp host ever. Our group enjoyed them so much and they kept the bathroom clean and picked up. They were super respectful and helpful.
We have been coming here for 30+ years since I was a little kid and the bathrooms have always been smelly. So many people complained about that being the camp host problem but it is a pit toilet that is what they are like. The mess is usually due to people being disrespectful, drunk and not wanting to pick up after themselves. This year we brought Mrs Meyers room refresher spray and it helped so much.
We love these camp sites and always enjoy ourselves. This year was extra special with these camp hosts. They made us feel like family and friends.
Sandie P
Loop:Wench III
Site:086
Reviewed 3 years ago
Dead flies and spiders in every restroom. Not very sanitary
Sandie P
Loop:Wench III
Site:085
Reviewed 3 years ago
Bring your own TP, fly spray, and sanitizer, the camp host doesn’t take care of the restrooms properly
Sandie P
Loop:Wench III
Site:083
Reviewed 3 years ago
Restrooms are awful. Other campgrounds have much cleaner vault toilets.
Sandie P
Loop:Wench III
Site:082
Reviewed 3 years ago
Last year the pit toilets had rocks in them so they weren’t serviced. They were overflowing. This year The camp host did not keep the restrooms clean. There were spiderwebs all over the ceiling full of dead flies. The fly trap was not effective (camp host kept putting a rock to hold door open) did not sweep or mop floors. There is feces on the wall from last year. Camp host Placed toilet paper on top of the holder not in the holder. It kept falling on the floor. There was a sign on the outside of the doors that said if host found T P on the floor, they would not replenish it.
Popularity
Very quiet · 10%
Busiest in July, when about 10% of sites are booked. Based on 9 years of reservations.
