Sly Park Recreation Area (Jenkinson Lake)
Pollock Pines (El Dorado County) · near Pollock Pines · Gold Country & Central Valley
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 3500
- Campsites
- ~190 across many loops + group & equestrian
- Season
- Reservable Mar-Nov; first-come Dec-Feb
- Fee
- ~$35-45/night (varies by site type)
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Private, run by El Dorado Irrigation District (webreserv.com), up to 6 months ahead. No showers and no hookups - more rustic than the private lakes. No dogs (or diapers) in the lake (drinking-water reservoir).
What is here
- Setting
- forest
- Amenities
- ~9-mile shoreline loop trail (hike/bike/horse) · Two-ramp boat launch · Vault toilets & water faucets · Equestrian & group sites
- Best for
- Pine-shaded reservoir with an 8-mile shoreline loop trail
- Features
- Flat ~8-mile trail circles the whole lake · Pine-rimmed, close to Hwy 50 · Popular with paddlers & cyclists · Equestrian-friendly
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · rv
- Intl tip
- The flat ~8-mile shoreline loop is the highlight - bring a bike or paddle the lake. Note it's rustic (vault toilets, no showers, no hookups) and dogs aren't allowed in the drinking-water lake. Reservable Mar-Nov via the EID site.
The guide
Sly Park, on Jenkinson Lake above Pollock Pines, is a pretty pine-shaded reservoir whose hidden gem is the flat, roughly eight-…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sly Park Recreation Area (Jenkinson Lake) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.731, -120.548