Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is a national forest in California and Nevada. Dispersed camping is not allowed.
Current notices posted by the managing agency. Checked Sept. 30, 2026.
- Closure: Meyers Landfill Area Closure For public safety, Meyers Landfill and the surrounding area are closed to the public. Since April 9, 2025.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit on the managing agency's own page.
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit map
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
2 fire restriction orders are recorded for this unit as of Sept. 30, 2026. Each links the signed order.
- Campfire Restrictions Effective June 28, 2024. Fire Information Line: 530-543-2816 (24-hour recorded message)National Forest lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin are under year-round campfire restrictions. Campfires (wood, charcoal or any other solid fuels) are only permitted within permanently installed iron rings in campgrounds listed in Exhibit A…
- BLM Nevada Prevention Order: BLM statewide restrictions Effective May 1, 2026. Applies to all BLM and Forest Service land in Nevada. Prohibited: Possessing, discharging, using or allowing the use of fireworks, pyrotechnic or incendiary devices; possessing, discharging, igniting or causing to burn; explosives or explosive material, including binary explosive targets; discharging a firearm using tracer, incendiary, or steel-component ammunition. [Use of tracer or incendiary ammunition is always prohibited on public lands]; operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
Nevada Fire Info, BLM Nevada's interagency fire site, keeps the Nevada fire restrictions map and signed orders for every fire zone, and a Nevada fire map of active fires.
Common questions
- No, dispersed camping is not allowed on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
- The Forest Service lists 8 campgrounds and camping areas on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
- Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has 1 district offices: Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe (530-543-2674).
Camping on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
No dispersed camping (Forest Order 19-24-05 , in effect until 2027-12-01)
The Forest Service lists 8 campgrounds and camping areas on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
2 campgrounds inside the forest boundary have their own page on campgroundsdb.com, with site counts and reservations:
Fire restrictions change by district and season: check the current alerts and restrictions before you go.
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit maps
- Interactive forest map from the Forest Service
- Motor Vehicle Use Maps: which roads are open to which vehicles, and so where you can legally drive to a dispersed site
- Forest visitor map
Ranger district offices
| Forest Supervisor's Office | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 530-543-2600 | Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays |
| Taylor Creek Visitor Center (visitor center) | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 530-543-2674 | Buildings typically open Memorial Day weekend through the end of October |
Fishing and water
Fishing inside the boundary: Lake Tahoe – Zephyr Cove fishing , with stocking records and species on fishypedia.com.
- Lake Tahoe – Cave Rock fishing (0.1 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
- Spooner Lake fishing (0.4 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
- Marlette Lake fishing (0.4 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
- Lake Tahoe – Sand Harbor fishing (0.8 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.
Also inside the boundary: Nevada Beach (swimholesmap.com) .
- Cave Rock (right at the boundary): its swimming spot page on swimholesmap.com.
- Sand Harbor (0.9 miles outside the boundary): its swimming spot page on swimholesmap.com.
Public lands next to Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
- State parkLake Tahoe Basin Management Unit borders Cave Rock - Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park.
- National forestLake Tahoe Basin Management Unit borders Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
- Wilderness areaLake Tahoe Basin Management Unit borders Mt. Rose Wilderness.
- State parkLake Tahoe Basin Management Unit borders Van Sickle - Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park.
- State parkMormon Station State Historic Park is 2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Photos
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/alerts/camping-overnight-stay-restriction (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/recreation/camping-cabins (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/offices (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/data-tools/interactive-maps (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/maps-guides (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/alerts (accessed 2026-09-28)
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/laketahoebasin/about-area/who-we-are-and-what-we-do (accessed 2026-09-28)