Rancho Seco Recreation Area
County Park
Write a Review Twin Cities Road Herald, CA 95638 800-416-6992 Official WebsiteGPS: 38.332, -121.094
Overview of Rancho Seco Recreation Area
Last Price Paid: $32
Reported by ImagineWhere on 12/30/2022
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Class A)
Reported by ImagineWhere on 12/30/2022
Number of Sites 38
Reservations yes
Elevation 229 ft / 69 m
Max Length 80 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Rancho Seco Recreation Area
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 800-416-6992
camper-856982 asked on 10/5/2024
Do they have a dump station and is there a charge if you’re staying at campground
Reviews of Rancho Seco Recreation Area 12 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 12/30/2022
Confirmed by 6 Users
Last reported 12/30/2022
Confirmed by 3 Users
Last reported 12/30/2022
“Nice quiet countryside retreat”
Reviewed 12/30/2022
| Nightly rate: | $32 |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 9 |
| RV Length: | 45' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
The location is in the countryside, so it's a little further out than some - but that's why you come out here! The lake is beautiful, with trees and wildlife. The dog park is large, with grass, and on the end of the lake. Site #9 has a bit too much slope down towards the back, so we were not quite level. We air level, so a 5th wheel or... more
The location is in the countryside, so it's a little further out than some - but that's why you come out here! The lake is beautiful, with trees and wildlife. The dog park is large, with grass, and on the end of the lake. Site #9 has a bit too much slope down towards the back, so we were not quite level. We air level, so a 5th wheel or trailer can probably get level. The best sites are 1-6, but 1-10 have 50A.
Our visit was in January 2022, and we just booked January 2023, so that's our strongest feedback.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
ImagineWhere would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Idyllic and Wonderful”
Reviewed 4/5/2022
| Nightly rate: | $40 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 9 |
Overall Rating
Nearly had the place to ourselves on a weekday night in early April. Perfect weather, spacious campsites, spectacular sunset colors over the lake and sunrise over the grazing fields. Fair cellular reception for T Mobile and Verizon (2 bars each). It’s at least a 30 min drive on 2-lane roads to get here though from CA-99, so not that co... more
Nearly had the place to ourselves on a weekday night in early April. Perfect weather, spacious campsites, spectacular sunset colors over the lake and sunrise over the grazing fields. Fair cellular reception for T Mobile and Verizon (2 bars each). It’s at least a 30 min drive on 2-lane roads to get here though from CA-99, so not that convenient for just a one-night stopover, but worth it for the peace and quiet. Check in was over an intercom after hours, and be aware that there is no access at all if you arrive after 10pm!
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
GrassIsGreener would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great water/electric site”
Reviewed 10/23/2021
| Nightly rate: | $40 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 11 |
Overall Rating
Facilities are very clean, RV spots are pretty roomy, some like 11 are very large. Pretty surrounds, boating/fishing avail in lake. This place, so close to major metro areas, is the bomb. At least in the end of October. Reports say the park is a zoo during summer. Highly recommend for fall getaways.
rob c would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Hidden Gem”
Reviewed 5/11/2021
| Nightly rate: | $40 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 6 |
| RV Length: | 32' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Very nice campground. Spacious 1-8 except sites up in the teens. Bathrooms are clean. There’s many picnic day use areas and a man made cute beach. There’s kayaking and fishing too. This was our 2nd stay and I’m sure we’ll be back. Nice, quiet, quick getaway and you’ll never feel like Sac is so close too.
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AT&T 4G
Lei would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great fast getaway. Stayed an extra night.”
Reviewed 4/29/2020
| Nightly rate: | $40 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 8 |
Overall Rating
Staff were very polite. Always working. Very clean well maintained. Lake was clean clear loaded with all kinds of fish. This place is a hidden gem for a quick trip. Great kayaking. Will get very hot in the summer.
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Verizon 4G
Ctdekk Travels would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful area with a lake, away from it all”
Reviewed 4/19/2020
| Nightly rate: | $30 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | D |
| RV Length: | 31' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
I was very happy to find a campground that was open during the lockdown. I was surprised at how beautiful and clean it was. It was a long way from the freeway so be prepared for that. The staff was great on the phone and when I arrived. I was put in the dry camping overflow area and was provided my own garbage can. There were eucalyptu... more
I was very happy to find a campground that was open during the lockdown. I was surprised at how beautiful and clean it was. It was a long way from the freeway so be prepared for that. The staff was great on the phone and when I arrived. I was put in the dry camping overflow area and was provided my own garbage can. There were eucalyptus trees and others for shade but I had plenty of sun for my solar panel.
Only electric or man-powered boats are allowed on the lake so there is no oil scum on the surface. There is good fishing here.
There is a dog park area with a side for small dogs and one for large dogs, both with access to the water and plenty of trees. My old dog became a puppy for awhile after her off-leash dip in the water and roll in the grass.
There is a nice dirt hiking trail (no dogs allowed there due to livestock.) It is a ways from the campground. This is a large park so there are plenty of places to walk dogs even without the trail.
I always had at least two Verizon bars, sometimes three.
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Verizon 4G
RVPat would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Hidden gem”
Reviewed 2/11/2020
| Nightly rate: | $25 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 8 |
| RV Length: | 38' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
This place is wonderful! Clean, quiet, huge spaces, friendly staff, beautiful park. The only downside is that it's way out in the middle of nowhere. If you want quiet solitude though, you can not go wrong. We will definitely be back next time we are in Sacramento. In fact this might be the best camping spot anywhere near Sacramento.
docaedo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Clean, quiet, excellent staff. Even fun during non-peak season”
Reviewed 11/22/2019
| Nightly rate: | $24 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 10 |
Overall Rating
Great location just 40 minutes south of Sacramento. Campground staff are extremely friendly, fun, helpful, and routinely go by checking garbage cans at each site for emptying and during the evening, make rounds asking campers if firewood is needed (firewood is $6/bundle). We stayed here for two nights just after mid-Nov. When maki... more
Great location just 40 minutes south of Sacramento. Campground staff are extremely friendly, fun, helpful, and routinely go by checking garbage cans at each site for emptying and during the evening, make rounds asking campers if firewood is needed (firewood is $6/bundle).
We stayed here for two nights just after mid-Nov. When making the reservation online, the majority of RV/trailer sites showed as booked when making the reservation. However, upon arrival and during our stay, most sites were empty, except for roughly 7 very experienced, elder full-timers who were temporarily visiting as well. The majority of campers during our stay had dogs, and like us, completely adhered to the campground's pet rules, which was nice.
The entire campground is very well maintained. Water, 30A/50A electrical, fire ring, grill, picnic table, and garbage can are available at each RV/trailer site. All tent sites have a water spigot, fire ring, garbage can, and picnic table. The dump station is clean with easily accessible entry and exit (free with stay). The dog park is also well maintained and clean, and the entirety of the campground has doggy-do bag stations throughout so that you can clean up after your pooch and properly dispose of the waste. The restrooms are clean, and in fact, smelled pretty darned decent. Upon our arrival the lake was just stocked with fish for those interested in the activity. The lake and beach are also very well maintained.
Many amenities such as groceries, food, fuel and what-not are about a 15 minute drive from the park near residential areas if additional supplies are needed.
TIP: Site 10 is a back-in, but is also accessible via pull-through if you drive immediately past the site, turn left at the corner/mini-intersection, and turn left between a couple of small trees into the relatively open field directly behind the site and between the restrooms. A number of the RV/trailer back-in sites are situated in this manner. This site was on gravel and pretty level. Most RV/trailer sites are on gravel and appeared to be pretty level.
NOTE: Cows roam freely on private, fenced property adjacent to the RV/trailer park. They tend to roam along the fence at night when its pitch black. The sound of leaves rustling may startle you if you're outside because you can't see anything at night absent a flashlight, headlights or other source of lighting. Quick story: While sitting at the fire ring with a warm fire going and relaxing, our pooch suddenly stood quietly and was very alert. Suddenly, I heard leaves rustling, but could not see a darned thing. It was a little unnerving because the park was peacefully, yet, eerily quite. Being startled by our dog quietly standing like a statue and hearing leave moving as though something was headed in our direction, I went inside the Airstream, grabbed a flashlight, and upon viewing where the sound was emanating, viewed 7 all-black cows just strolling along the fence line across the roadway from our site, going on about their business.
We would definitely stay here again to enjoy this well-maintained campground, peaceful environment, and heck, also for the excellent staff..
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Verizon 4G
Mike B would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great off season camping”
Reviewed 2/6/2019
| Nightly rate: | $48 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | RV 1 |
| RV Length: | 35' (Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
We stayed there starting 1/31/2019 for 4 nights, it rained the entire time but it was so relaxing, there were only a few other campers in the park. The park was clean and well kept, the power did go out for a short time during a big down pour, they also just started updating the electrical so by summer it should be all new.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
Xploringlife.com would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice local site...”
Reviewed 6/18/2018
| Nightly rate: | $28 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Update: Still an overall great place to visit, but what has changed since my previous review was the staffing change. The new staff came in late 2022 and really made a difference. This is both for the daily activities or day use and camping. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. They engage with the visitors in a social wa... more
Update: Still an overall great place to visit, but what has changed since my previous review was the staffing change. The new staff came in late 2022 and really made a difference. This is both for the daily activities or day use and camping. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. They engage with the visitors in a social way, rather than just enforcing rules. It's a nice change from the last staff. In the busy Summer months they added new security. It's my opinion they really didn't need this new security, but after noticing visitors linger beyond the closing time and exceeding speed limits on the main entrance road, I see the value. As for camping, it's nice to know they're around, but camping is still pleasant and quiet during quiet hours. It's nice to know they're around for peace of mind.
In the past few years, I have appreciated this recreational area more. I have taken advantage of getting out in the water more with my kayak, walked the trails, and enjoyed viewing the wildlife, specifically bird watching. In order to sustain sport fishing they are enforcing new catch and release rules for bass. Understanding the decline of trophy size bass in the pass, this again shows how the new staff is really making sure this resource is sustainable.
RV sites are always clean and orderly when I arrive. You always have a table and a fire pit and a garbage can at or near your site. The main RV pull-through sites are level, but the back-in RV sites will require some leveling and lack shade. The shade will be a big issue in the Summer months as the 2024 season had consistently 100º+ weather throughout. Since this park is owned by the local power municipality, power is very clean and the pedestal is well maintained. My power monitor has never shown any issues with any voltage anomalies or grounding issues, which I see a lot of on private campgrounds.
Overall, still a wonderful place to visit. Due to these changes I have updated my review to 5-stars.
Previous Review:
Located in the rural outskirts of the Sacramento metropolitan area, this is a nice area that offers a nice lake to go fishing. If you need to do a pitstop or want to take advantage of the fishing derby (twice a year), this a nice place to camp. Unfortunately, most of the sites are very close together unless you get one of the handful of outlining RV sites. Because of this, it tends to be noisy throughout the day. If you're willing to deal with this, this location should not be an issue for you.
Personally, I fish this area quite a bit and doing an overnighter to serve this purpose was more out of convenience rather than choice. There are many other places I would prefer to go as a local.
If you're passing through or getting away from the urbanized environments, this could be a good option for you. It's decent enough for a couple of nights with hook-ups (power and water with a dump station available). There is tent camping as well right next to the water, but they're very close to each other. This can be very crowded during the Summer months. Be warned of this.
Note: When making online reservations, there's an $8 fee on top of the $20/night fee. This is reflected in the price paid.
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AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 5G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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1 review not included in the overall rating
The reviews below are not up to Campendium's standards for quality and reliability and therefore are not counted toward the overall star rating. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
“ Very Bad Costumer Service ”
Reviewed 3/8/2022
Overall Rating
Used to be grate. No one bothers you. Now new people running it. Very Bad Service always looking for confrontation. Find any site but this one.
AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
264 reviews
noted 10/10/2024
RESERVATIONS: https://www.smud.org/In-Our-Community/Visit-our-Recreational-Areas/Rancho-Seco
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- dry camping
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- boat ramp
- fishing
- horseshoes
- picnic area
- recreation trail
- swimming beach
- water access
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- firewood
- general store
- group sites
- laundry
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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