GRANITE FLAT USFS, TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA

Our Opinion: Recommend, but beware the road noise. Tall trees, river, close to Truckee and recreational opportunities.

Date of Stay: May 7th and 8th, just before it opened for the season on May 15th.

Weather During Stay: Blue skies, sunny, low 60’s. Lows at night were below freezing.

Sites: 65 no-hookup sites (about a dozen are tents-only) - no water, no electric, no sewer and NO DUMP. Separate small loop for tent campers. Vault toilets. One water spigot for each loop. Sites vary in size, many are long enough for a 40’ rig. Sites are fairly level; each site has a picnic table. Tall pines may interfere with roof-mounted satellites in many of the sites. Roads and spurs are paved. Photo shows site 9, in the "always open" loop.

Rate: $18/night, half price with Golden Age pass. We paid ZERO because the season had not yet begun (one loop is open all year, water is turned off).

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband. Didn‘t check TV antenna and didn‘t turn on the TV satellite. Local NPR on 88.1.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a wooded, flat campground about a mile south of Truckee (heading to Tahoe City) at 5,900 feet, in a canyon between the Truckee River and Hwy 89. Views are of tall pines, the Truckee River, and mountains on both sides of the canyon.

Lighting/Noise: Totally dark at night. Lots of road noise from Hwy 89. I don’t know how the tent campers stand it. Double-pane windows cut the noise to a reasonable level at night. Traffic dies around 10 pm; the commute started by 6:30. Quite noisy sitting outside.

Favorite Sites: We would choose a back in near the river; orientation would depend on the season. Most are level. The "pull-throughs" here are actually "pull-outs", a wide spot in the road where you pull over to one side. This would put our slides WAY too close to passing traffic, so we would avoid these sites.

Hiking/Walking: Walk the loops of the campground, or a short trail on the edge of the river. Otherwise, drive to one of many trailheads in the area.

Comments: A pretty campground on the banks of the Truckee River. Proximity to Hwy 89 means lots of road noise; this is not a secluded campground that invites lazy days outdoors. A short drive to Truckee, with restaurants and restaurants.