LOON LAKE CHALET
Eldorado National Forest, CAThe Loon Lake Chalet offers something rare in the Sierra: a heated building you can drive to year-round at 6,500 feet, sleeping 20 people in a granite bowl next to a sprawling alpine lake. It's rustic lodging masquerading as a chalet — think ski patrol warming hut with a kitchen, not mountain resort.
Campground Details
- 💵Fee per Night
- $100
- 📋Reservations
- Reservation Required
- 🏔️Elevation
- 6,500 ft
- 📍GPS
- 38.98000, -120.32000
- 🐾Pets Allowed
- No
- 📞Phone
- 530-644-2324
- 🗺️Address
- CA
Amenities
The Chalet
This three-story building sits on Loon Lake's western shore, built by Sacramento Municipal Utility District in 1989 as a day-use winter facility before public demand turned it into overnight lodging. The sleeping arrangement is communal: 12 twin mattress pads on the third-floor loft that you arrange yourself and stack when you leave. The second floor serves as the common area with electric heat, gas fireplace, basic kitchen, and queen futon. A large deck extends off the second floor with stairs down to parking.
Don't expect hotel amenities. The vault toilets are attached but accessed from outside, and there are no showers. You're bringing sleeping bags, plates, utensils, and most cooking gear — though a range top, microwave, small fridge, and basic pots are provided.
What to Know
At $100 per night, this is group lodging — the chalet accommodates up to 20 people, making it cost-effective for large parties but expensive for solo travelers or couples. Electricity and hot water are available, rare luxuries for backcountry-accessible Sierra lodging. Garbage service runs in summer only.
Winter access requires chains and some commitment. The nearest store sits an hour away at Ice House Reservoir in summer, stretching to two hours in Pollock Pines during winter months.
The Setting
Loon Lake spans 76,200 acres in a granite bowl surrounded by sub-alpine red fir and lodgepole pine. Views stretch to the Crystal Range peaks. Summer brings access to Desolation Wilderness hiking, the 22-mile Rubicon 4WD Trail, and fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Winter transforms the area into the Loon Lake Winter Recreation Area with miles of non-groomed backcountry ski trails radiating from the chalet.