Wild Plum Campground
Sierra City, California · on Haypress Creek · Tahoe National Forest
Verified · 4 independent sources · top-verified
- WATER
- creek
- FALLS
- Waterfall on site
- ACCESS
- Local spot, unofficial
- FEE
- $24/night
- SEASON
- May
About Wild Plum Campground
Wild Plum Campground is a 47-site USFS campground in Tahoe National Forest, located about a mile east of Sierra City directly on Haypress Creek, a tributary of the North Yuba River. The creek runs through and below the campground, and multiple accounts describe swimming holes along it, including a roughly 4-foot-deep pool a short walk downstream of the campsites.
The campground sits in a mixed pine and cedar forest along Haypress Creek at about 4,400 feet elevation, with several sites directly on the creek bank and views toward the Sierra Buttes. The area carries historic gold-dredging artifacts from earlier mining activity, and the Wild Plum Loop Trail (about 2.5-3 miles) leaves from the campground, passing a waterfall and connecting to the Pacific Crest Trail.
Swimming at Wild Plum Campground
Swimming is informal, in Haypress Creek itself rather than at a single named designated hole. First-hand accounts describe a pool where the creek widens to about 4 feet deep, roughly a 10-minute walk south of the last campsite along the creek trail, as well as other smaller swimming spots within walking distance of camp. The water is consistently described as very cold, even in mid-summer, and the creek runs high and fast with early-summer snowmelt (June-July) before mellowing and warming somewhat by September-October. This suits waders and cold-water dippers more than long recreational swims; campers also mention dogs swimming in it.
How to get to this swimming hole
From Sierra City, drive northeast about half a mile on Highway 49, then turn onto Wild Plum Road and continue roughly 1.5 miles to the campground; the swimming pool described by campers is reached by walking south along the creek from the campground's last site.
Parking: Parking is at individual campsites within the campground's paved and gravel loops; one reviewer noted the loop roads are narrow and sites can be tight to back into, but no separate day-use swimming-hole parking area is documented.
The hike in
- To the water
- Roughly 0.3-0.5 mile one-way (about a 10-minute walk) from the last campsite to the described ~4-foot-deep pool
- Time on foot
- About 10 minutes one-way on foot
Difficulty: Easy - flat creekside walking - but unmarked and informal, with no official trail signage or maintenance.
Trailhead: No official trailhead or signage; visitors start from the last (uppermost) campsite in the campground loop and follow an informal, unnamed path south along the Haypress Creek bank.
This creekside walk is separate from the official, signed 2.5-mile Wild Plum Loop Trail that leaves from the campground, passes a waterfall, and connects to the PCT/Haypress Trail - that loop is a hiking/scenery route, not the way to the swim pool. Some campers also report smaller swimming spots reachable directly from creekside campsites with no walk at all.
A trip-report source describes this pool as something 'locals know' that 'most camp guests never find,' implying it isn't obvious or marked from the campground.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Entry is informal (wading/stepping into a creek pool, not a designed beach), the water is consistently described as very cold even in July, and the creek runs fast and high with early-summer snowmelt (one reviewer called it 'a raging river' in early season) before mellowing by September-October. No lifeguards or designated swim area. Suitable for supervised kids, especially later in the season when flow drops, but not a lounge-and-splash spot for very young children during peak runoff.
Parking
Paid, $24/night single-site camping fee (plus $5/night for an additional vehicle); no separate day-use or swim-spot parking fee is documented
Parking is at individual campsite pull-ins/spurs within the campground loops - paved in the two smaller lower loops, gravel in the larger upper loop. No dedicated day-use lot for the swimming hole is described; access is effectively tied to having a campsite.
Restrooms
Yes
Vault toilets within the campground (per USFS and Recreation.gov listings); no separate restroom facility at the informal swim spot itself, which is a short walk from the campsites.
Hours
Campground season is May 20 - October 15; check-in 2:00 p.m., checkout 12:00 p.m., quiet hours 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m.
On the water
Restrictions: Haypress Creek at Wild Plum is a small mountain creek; no source describes it as navigable, and none mention kayaking, tubing, or paddleboarding here.
Boating is available 7 miles north at Sardine Lakes (a different water body) via Sardine Lake Resort, which rents rowboats with or without an electric trolling motor - implying no gas motors/no-wake use on that lake. This is not on Haypress Creek itself.
Rentals nearby
Rowboat rentals, available with or without an electric trolling motor, for use on Sardine Lake
990 Sardine Lake Rd, Sierra City, CA - about 7 miles north of Wild Plum Campground (Recreation.gov also references Sardine Lakes as the area's formal swimming/boating destination) · Main lodge open daily 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., seasonally from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October
What regulars say
Visitor reports describe the creek running as 'a raging river' in early summer from rain and snowmelt; swimming holes as 'bracingly cold,' with campers noting 'freezing cold' water even in July; a relatively peaceful, uncrowded site experience ('close to neighbors but not too close'); narrow loop roads that take patience to back into; and the campground being generally kid-friendly with kid-friendly hikes nearby.
Backstory
The campground area contains historical artifacts from earlier gold dredging activity along Haypress Creek and the North Yuba corridor.
Wild Plum Campground: FAQ
Does Wild Plum Campground charge a fee?
Wild Plum is a fee campground: $24/night for a single site plus $5/night for an additional vehicle, with a $20 no-show fee; Senior/Access Pass holders get 50% off single sites. No separate swimming fee is mentioned, and there is no indication a fee is required to access the creek if not camping.
Is Wild Plum Campground kid friendly?
Entry is informal (wading/stepping into a creek pool, not a designed beach), the water is consistently described as very cold even in July, and the creek runs fast and high with early-summer snowmelt (one reviewer called it 'a raging river' in early season) before mellowing by September-October. No lifeguards or designated swim area. Suitable for supervised kids, especially later in the season when flow drops, but not a lounge-and-splash spot for very young children during peak runoff.
How hard is the hike to Wild Plum Campground?
A hike is required, about Roughly 0.3-0.5 mile one-way (about a 10-minute walk) from the last campsite to the described ~4-foot-deep pool to the water (about 10 minutes one-way on foot). Wear real shoes, since approaches to natural swim spots are often rocky or rooty.
Where do I park for Wild Plum Campground?
Parking is at individual campsite pull-ins/spurs within the campground loops - paved in the two smaller lower loops, gravel in the larger upper loop. No dedicated day-use lot for the swimming hole is described; access is effectively tied to having a campsite.
When is the best time to visit Wild Plum Campground?
Late May through mid-October, matching the campground's operating season (May 20-Oct 15); creek flow is highest and coldest from snowmelt in June-July, while September-October brings lower, somewhat warmer water and fewer crowds.
What are the rules at Wild Plum Campground?
USFS rules apply: camping is restricted to designated sites, food must be stored in provided bear boxes due to active bear presence, firewood may not be transported across state lines, and fire restrictions can be imposed seasonally.
What water body is Wild Plum Campground on?
Wild Plum Campground is on Haypress Creek, a natural creek verified in USGS hydrography data.
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