Collins Lake opens at sunrise all year for lakefront RV hookup & tent camping, fishing, boating, picnics or just enjoying the beach. We're famous for our big bass, trophy trout and monstrous ice cream cones! We have a 1600 acre lake and recreation area with 12 miles of shoreline, nestled in the beautiful California gold country foothills just over an hour North East of Sacramento between Marysville and Grass Valley. Our facilities include RV hookups, boat launch, marina and boat rentals, a big sand swimming beach, children's playground, beach volleyball, shady picnic area, general store, laundry and hot showers. More than 50,000 trout are planted every spring, which means Collins Lake has the largest private planting program North of Sacramento. Thousands of these trout are trophy sized, planted at 3 to 8 pounds and growing even larger. We've built habitat areas for bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish them to keep them plentiful and to keep Collins Lake among the best fishing lakes in the Northstate. Our friendly and professional staff will be happy to assist you with camping reservations, current fishing information and any questions you may have.
We stayed for the weekend in March for a practice run with our new 35' motorhome. We picked Collins mainly because it was within a couple of hours of home and had hook ups. We had a pleasant visit but there is certainly room for improvement on the management of the facility. Pros: -hook ups -clean restrooms -expresso coffee in store -excellent ice cream in store Cons -Their online camping map needs to be improved. They should have a summary for example, of the site numbers that can accommodate various forms of camping. Since I was in a 35' MH, I had to click on each and every camp site to determine if it would work for my rig. I ended up just showing up, and even the lady handling the registration had challenges figuring out where we could camp. -They nickle and dime you where ever they can. For example, our son was bringing our vehicle. But since it was not being pulled by my MH, he had to pay $20 per night for the "extra" vehicle. If I pulled it, it would have been included. Same car, same space.
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Date of stay: March 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had 6 days at this amazing RV park right on the water. The lake was like glass most of the time making kayaking or paddle boarding a breeze. The trails are great for hiking or dirt biking. Once a day we would ride up to the store for cellphone & internet service. Great for serving the net or checking e-mail while eating their delicious very generous scoop of icecream. The only problem we had was that Fishing Trout was very competitive with lines getting caught up in eachother causing some unfriendly encounters and some of the dogowners allowing their pets do their business right there and not picking it up. (Pet peeve of mine). Overall it was an awesome getaway.
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Date of stay: April 2018Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was my first time to Collins Lake. Mainly went for the fishing. We have a 32 ft. RV. It was around $40/night for the RV. The site had water and electricity but no sewer hook-up. However, they did have a dump site and on Sunday, they have a "honey truck" that will come to your campsite for $20. This all seemed expensive to me. They also charged $9/day to have your boat in the water.
Also, while the bathrooms were clean they charged $1/minute for the showers.
On the plus side, the site was pretty level and was "next" to the lake. Or it would have been if we were not having a drought right now. However, we could see our fishing spot from our camp site.
Check-in was simple and quick. The staff was friendly and seemed to know what was going on in the area. The store was stocked with groceries and fishing supplies. The store also had a coffee bar and sold huge scoops of delicious ice cream. I am told that in the summer time the line for the ice cream is huge also.
There is no cell phone service and limited wifi around the office area.
The fishing was good. Our group caught around 7 trout per day and we were there three and a half days. I caught a 9.5lb trout and my dad caught a 5.5 lb trout. These were the big ones. An employee in the office said a 13lb trout was checked in last week.
The sites are close together. Most of the campers were considerate but there is always that ONE group. This time the group decided that loud country music was necessary around 6am Easter morning.
One other thing is that this private campgrounds is very big with camp site numbers that go into the 500s. I would not want to be there when that happens.
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Date of stay: April 2015
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just got back from our first visit to Collin’s Lake, and will definitely go back! We were there for 3 nights, Monday-Thursday, so it obviously wasn’t too busy. Our cabin, The Sutter, was removed from campsites and had only the Yuba cabin about 40 yards away. It was very quiet and felt secluded. The road was directly above us but there was minimal noise.
The cabin itself was perfect for our family of 5 (3 LARGE boys, 6’2” dad, and 5’6” mom). The A/C was a blessing, and the cable/direct tv was a bonus.
The beds were comfy, although every time I rolled over on the Queen master, the squeak would wake my husband.😊
The kitchen was well stocked with paper towels, liquid detergent, a sponge, an excellent knife set, pots and pans, a cookie sheet, cutting board, veggie steamer. It also had utensils, tall glasses, and Corelle plates, bowls, and mugs. The microwave worked great. (I think there was also a coffee maker, but I don’t drink coffee so I don’t remember.)😊
The bathroom was a little snug, and the shower head was at my husband’s nose, but he managed.😊
There is a broom and swiffer for the Pergo floors, and a multitude of outlets to charge whatever you’d like (although service was VERY spotty for our ATT phones).
We brought a 4’ camping table and used it inside the cabin, although they provide one as well. Bring an additional blanket/sheet to throw over the couch, as it’s covered in a plastic/vinyl. I also wish I had brought a small folding step stool. Cabinet space is limited, but the ones over the stove are high.
The outside area was great! Plenty of firewood (although we brought some with us just in case), and the patio area was a fun place to have breakfast.
I hope this review helps.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very friendly and professional staff. Nice sites. Mike who drives the security truck was a tremendous help to me in regards to my trailer which I needed some help with. Also Jennifer in reservations was very helpful in helping pick my reservation dates. Overall great staff. Stayed may 16-19. 2022
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I resverd picnic area 2 for my daughters 7th birthday party. No one put the banner up which was included, we where swarmed by bees all days even a few guests got stung. The girl I gave my ICE CREAM CAKW to put it in the fridge and ruined it. The lady that was helping me tried her best given the situation. I was offered a refund for my cake and ice cream coupons for all the kids to come up and get some. They said they would sing her happy birthday when we came up and no one did I had to take her to the hospital due to an abscess after the party and she laid in the hospital bed crying to me that they didn't sing happy birthday and she didn't even get to blow out any candles. The worse part is they all said "she won't remember". You do not know my daughter and especially after going to the hospital after her birthday party she is going to remember this one. No one even knew who had put the cake in the fridge.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We decided to take our four boys camping for the weekend and we were excited about visiting Collin's Lake for the first time. We had read other rebiews about loud campers but didn't think it would be a big issue. It was! Our neighbors (a large group) shined a bright light into our tent, yelled and played loud music until past 3:00 AM. When they were asked to be quiet, they laughed. It took until 2:00 AM for any park employee to come out. After he left they used racial slurs, cursed and said they were going to get their money's worth. He came again after 3:00 AM. They laughed about him getting overtime. Nothing was done. We complained the next day and were offered a new site. We declined and left. We talked to a dad at the playground who had a similar issue on the other side of camp. Apparently it seems to be a known thing that you can be loud, rude and inconsiderate and nothing happens. This creates bigger issues. Also dogs on the beach in the swim area when the sign clearly said no pets. Three employees walked by and didn't enforce. Once again, people will do whatever if rules aren't enforced. Will never go again and will tell everyone not to go. But don't worry the people that are rude will keep coming back and bring lots of friends.
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Date of stay: June 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were there this weekend with our two young grandchildren. We booked months in advance. We told them we had a small travel trailer and gave them all of the specifics they asked. When we got there, our campsite was for a motor home. The utilities and trailer entrance were on the opposite side of where they should have been. Entering and exiting the trailer was treacherous - seriously. Before we discovered this, we had a horrible time getting into the site. An employee nearby paid no attention to our struggles. When we finally engaged him, he had nothing to offer. The park was very full and they allow large groups on each campsite. The place was super crowded with extra vehicles and lines for the restrooms were always very long (no sewer hookups). the bathrooms were clean and the lake itself was very nice. Be sure to bring water shoes - very rocky bottom. Two additional times, as a pedestrian, I had to stop and make way for an employee in a vehicle. He was completely stopped but had to pull in front of me - two different times. On our way out, we passed this guy again. He barely made way for us to pass (going uphill, pulling a trailer) and the grumpy look on his face said it all.
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Date of stay: August 2017Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked a spot for Thanksgiving,due to the weekend storms coming in we decided not to go and have to pack up in the rain and tow home in the rain,We reserved two nights and they took a $60 deposit, I waited until Monday to see if the forecast would change and it didnt,When I called to cancel I was informed they would be keeping the whole $60 becuse I didnt call the Friday before,If I did call Friday it would have been $30......What a ripoff.....Do not book a spot if you think there is any chance you may have to cancel due to weather or for any other reason.....their cancelation policy is a BIG RIPOFF !!!!!!! I will never go back to this lake and I will tell all my friends......they will lose more money than they will make off my deposit.....Beware of their reservation/cancelation policy !!!!!!!! Plus the fishing sucks,I would rather go to Lake Pardee where they have way more fish and native species instead of truck trout and if you cancel at Pardee they only charge you $10 with only a 72 hr notice !!!!! Collins Lake SUCKS!!!!!!!!!
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Date of stay: November 2014
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So to begin I’ll start with the single pro... they have really good ice cream for almost nothing in the store. Other than that I didn’t like anything about the place. They pack you in like sardines. There is no privacy or room to move about. The boaters were extremely disrespectful towards other campers and would play exceptionally vulgar/obscene music close to shore with no other purpose than to bother people on the shore. The hosts, who basically run the lake would do nothing to stop it, regardless of numerous complaints. When it was stopped it was over the threat of violence from other guests, who spilled into our small camp area, further running the experience. This place is simply not worth the time or money to visit. There are so many other good camping places.
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Date of stay: June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you have dates that you are looking at coming out we can look to see which sites are available for your group. There are multiple options depending on how big your group is, if you are looking for sites with hookups or not, and the size of the rigs. When you get a chance give us a call at (800)286-0576 and we can go over your options to see what would work best for your group.
I'm sorry - have not camped there, actually. My comments were based on driving up there and looking over the area from the store where we made some purchases. Not the time of year for camping. I don't know if there are BBQs at the camp sites or not.
Yes there are two bathroom and shower buildings in the park. One is near the registration office/general store and the other is located near the main beach. Both facilities have power. There are additional portable toilets throughout the park.
There are more places to choose from in the Browns Valley area.
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaBrowns Valley
NUMBER OF ROOMS
230
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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