A mural in Downieville Visitor Center commemorates the 2002 Sierra County Sequicentennial. Photo by queerbychoice. Sierra County is directly east of Yuba County, between Plumas County and Nevada County. It includes a larger portion of Tahoe National Forest than any other county, and also includes part of Plumas National Forest.

The total population of Sierra County was 3,240 as of the 2010 census. The 2013 county exhibit from Sierra County at the California State Fair reported that Sierra County does not contain a single traffic light.

The Yuba River middle fork forms much of the boundary between Sierra and Nevada Counties.

To find places in Sierra County related to specific recreational activities other than camping, see the Recreation page and click on the appropriate recreational activity.

Cities and Nearby Towns

The Downieville Visitor Center. Photo by queerbychoice. Places are listed in order of travel time required to reach them. The travel time shown is from the nearest town in Yuba or Sutter Counties, except when that travel time is an hour or longer, in which case the travel time shown is from Yuba City or Marysville.

  • Pike is a 15-minute drive east from Camptonville. Its population was 134 as of the 2010 census.
  • Gibsonville is a 30-minute drive northeast from North Star.
  • Goodyears Bar is a 25-minute drive northeast from Camptonville. Its population was 68 as of the 2010 census.
  • Downieville is a 30-minute drive northeast from Camptonville. It is the county seat of Sierra County and had a population of 282 as of the 2010 census.
  • Loyalton is a 1.25-hour drive northeast from Camptonville or a 2.25-hour drive northeast from Marysville or Yuba City. With a population of 769 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest city in Sierra County.

Campgrounds

Indian Valley Area

Indian Valley is a 1.5-hour drive from Yuba City or Marysville. It is in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest. Its elevation is 2,200 feet.

  • Cal-Ida Campground—21 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork
  • Carlton Flat Campground—21 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork
  • Fiddle Creek Campground—15 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Fiddle Creek, Yuba River north fork
  • Indian Valley Campground—17 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork
  • Ramshorn Campground—16 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Ramshorn Creek, Yuba River north fork
  • Rocky Rest Campground—10 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork

Sierra Buttes Area

The Sierra Buttes are a 2-hour drive from Yuba City or Marysville. They are in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest. Their peak elevation is 8,547 feet, but most of the campgrounds are at the foot of them, at around 5,500 feet.

  • Berger Campground—10 sites, vault toilets, no running water
  • Chapman Creek Campground—elevation 6,000 feet, 29 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Chapman Creek, Yuba River north fork
  • Diablo Campground—18 sites, vault toilets, no running water
  • Loganville Campground—elevation 6,000 feet, 29 sites, vault toilets, piped water, RV dump station, Yuba River north fork
  • Packsaddle Campground—elevation 6,000 feet, 15 sites, vault toilets, pumped water
  • Salmon Creek Campground—elevation 5,800 feet, 32 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Salmon Creek
  • Sardine Lake Campground—elevation 5,800 feet, 29 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Sardine Lake
  • Sierra Campground—elevation 5600 feet, 16 sites, vault toilets, no running water, Yuba River north fork
  • Snag Lake Campground—16 sites, vault toilets, no running water, Snag Lake
  • Union Flat Campground—elevation 3,400 feet, 11 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork
  • Wild Plum Campground—elevation 4400 feet, 47 sites, vault toilets, piped water, waterfalls

Lakes Basin Recreation Area

The Lakes Basin Recreation Area is a 2-hour drive from Yuba City or Marysville. It is in the Beckwourth Ranger District of Plumas National Forest. Its elevation is 6,400 feet.

Panoramic view of Goose Lake from Goose Lake Campground. Photo by queerbychoice.

Highways 49 and 89

Highway 49 intersects with Highway 89 in Sattley, a 2.25-hour drive from Yuba City or Marysville. It is in Sierra County. The elevation of Sattley is 4,950 feet, but the campgrounds around it range in elevation from 5,600 feet to 6,700 feet.

  • Bear Valley Campground—10 sites, vault toilets, piped water
  • Cold Creek Campground—13 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Cold Creek
  • Cottonwood Campground—48 sites, vault toilets, piped water
  • Lower Little Truckee Campground—15 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Truckee River
  • Upper Little Truckee Campground—26 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Truckee River
  • Yuba Pass Campground—20 sites, vault toilets, piped water, Yuba River north fork

Stampede Reservoir Area

Stampede Reservoir is a 2.25-hour drive from Yuba City or Marysville. It is in the Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest. Its elevation is 5,951 feet.

  • Davies Creek Campground—7 sites, Davies Creek, Stampede Reservoir
  • Emigrant Group Campground—2 group sites, recirculating flush toilets, piped water, Stampede Reservoir
  • Logger Campground—252 sites, recirculating flush toilets, piped water, RV waste station, Stampede Reservoir
  • Stampede Campground—Stampede Reservoir

Other Areas

  • Cannon Point Campground
  • Carvin Campground
  • Crystal Peak Campground
  • Dog Valley Campground
  • Haypress Campground
  • Lincoln Creek Campground
  • Lower Carton Campground
  • Males Station Campground
  • Middlewaters Campground
  • Pioneer Campground
  • Ross Campground
  • Shenanigan Campground
  • Union Flat Campground
  • Upper Jamison Campground
  • Webber Lake Campground—elevation 6,800 feet, 60 sites, vault toilets, no running water, Webber Lake

Other Places of Interest

The Kentucky Mine Historic Park includes this reconstruction of a gold miner's cabin. The stove shown here is an actual stove that was used by a miner at the Kentucky Mine, but it is much larger and fancier than was typical for most gold miners' cabins. Photo by queerbychoice.

  • Kentucky Mine Historic Park and Museum—Sierra City
  • Stampede Vista Picnic Area—Stampede Reservoir

Links

Sierra County, California

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