Yellowjacket

Yellowjacket Campground provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun on Union Valley Reservoir. The water plays host to an array of activities like water skiing and fishing, and the surrounding cedar and ponderosa pine forest is a lovely setting for hiking and biking. Sites are equipped with picnic tables, grills and campfire rings. The campground offers a dump station, drinking water and vault toilets, and a host is on-site. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Union Valley Bike Trail spans 4.8 miles with an easy climb of 300 feet, connecting campgrounds on the east side of the lake from Jones Fork Campground to Wench Creek, and is open to hikers and bikers. The Bassi Falls Hiking Trail is also worth exploring. Anglers seek rainbow, brown and mackinaw trout or kokanee salmon, and the reservoir also offers swimming, water skiing and boating. A boat ramp and boat trailer parking are provided at this campground. Union Valley Reservoir sits in the Crystal Basin within the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an elevation of 4,900 feet. The area is part of the Eldorado National Forest, which includes the famed gold mining territory of the 1800s, and protected remnants of the days of the California Gold Rush are all around the region. The climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Black bears, mule deer, bobcat, gray fox, bighorn sheep, pikas, martens and a variety of squirrels live within the range, along with several species of reptiles, amphibians and birds. The Desolation Wilderness is nearby, offering the opportunity to get away from the crowds and enjoy the serenity of nature.