You can't beat this campground for its proximity to the Big Pines Creek trail head. If there's one bit of practical hiking advice I can offer, it's to camp here for at least two days before hitting the trail if you live at a low elevation. I was not acclimated and it made my hike unexpectedly grueling. It's an absolutely beautiful hike, and I wish I was less focused on simply breathing! The entirety of the campground is surprisingly fancy as campgrounds go. Lots of manicured public spaces. But the store always seemed closed which probably had something to do with the government shutdown happening at the time. Directional signage within the campground (to specific site numbers and to the trailhead) is pretty awful and I wasted a decent amount of time trying to find my site. I got up pretty early to hit the trail (just as the sun rose), and had to use AllTrails to point me to the trailhead. In early Oct, it can get pretty cold up there so setting up camp at 4:30pm wasn't ideal. Try to get there earlier bc it cools down really fast. My specific site (26) was really private and very nice. It looked just like the pictures on Recreation dot gov. It sits beside a bubbling little stream, yet mosquitoes were never an issue. It was also the most level and tidiest tent pad I've ever had the pleasure of sleeping on. There was a major drop-off between the car pull-in and the campsite, so I had to be extra vigilant about not breaking my neck during the frequent back and forth loading and unloading. read more

Big Pine Creek Campground - Perfectly flat tent pad! - Hiking Near Me

I come here every year, usually in June or mid-August to hike the Big Pine Lakes trail. This year, the only reservation I could get was for April. We stayed over the weekend and it was absolutely freezing!!! Driving up, you could already see the mountains covered in snow and I knew right away we were in trouble! It got down to 21 degrees! I had double gloves, double layers, double everything and I still couldn't feel my fingers!!! Lol. I was so glad I brought my snow cleats because they helped a lot since the trails were covered in snow! For safety reasons, we decided to only hike up to Lake 2. The usual beautiful turquoise blue lakes were nowhere to be found and instead replaced with a half frozen lake. It was still a cool sight to see and I'm grateful I got to experience it at least once in my life because I swear, I will never stay here again in April! No way! Hahhaha. I definitely would not recommend camping here that time of year unless you have an RV or are really prepared for winter conditions. We were a big group which made the experience a lot more fun. I love this campground and there's a reason it's so hard to book. It's truly beautiful up there. If you're lucky enough to snag a reservation, definitely check it out. read more

See all

This campground is spectacular! There is plenty of room to spread out in your space, lots of shade but we come here for the fishing! The stream here has sideways provided us with lots of good sized trout! If you're really adventurous, and in good shape, the bike up to the 7 lakes and Big Pine Glacier is breath taking! But, again you need to be in good shape. It'ss challenging but Very doable if your use to hicking. We've had very memorable times here! read more

Great camping experience & would probably do it again (try out another spot) We had spot number 20 which was a pretty middle spot for everything. We were in between 2 bathrooms, a short walk away from the store & across from the lake. We were along the road, so it was easy to just pull in to our parking spot, not have to walk at all since everything was right there. We were directly across from another campsite. Each site comes with a bear box to store food, a large fire pit & a picnic table. There are two spots to pitch a tent. Plenty of room! There are vault bathrooms that surprisingly, were NOT smelly. Please be sure to close the lid & door as you leave though or there will be a swarm of flies. Every bathroom has toilet paper. Not toilet seat covers or sink though or hand sanitizer so be sure to bring your own baby wipes or hand sanitizer. Here are some basic things you should bring: -head lamps especially if you have to use the bathroom at night -water jugs (to drink & to wash dishes/hands) -lots of bug spray -jacket (even tho it was high 90s during the day, it was pretty cold at night after midnight) -baby wipes Overall, it was a great camping experience & the store sells BBQ plate every Saturday which wasn't too bad! Highly recommend read more

See all

One of my favorite ever campsites! My buddies and I actually selected the primitive camping site -- so no table, trash dumpster, fire pit or anything prepared for you. We headed straight into the wild...and LOVED it! When you head into the area on Pine Creek Road, the primitive camping sites are off a small trail to your left. The road is small, so you have to keep an eye out. There's another small trail to your right -- but that leads to a parking lot for climbers & hikers towards the mountain. Heading into the primitive camping trail, we passed a number of other campers and tents. Further on, there's a secluded spot for one (larger) car to park to your right. Then, you can head down a number of rock steps into a beautifully private area with the BEST view. (I mean, the view is beautiful from anywhere; yet this is the farthest secluded spot for photos rather than being close to the mountains.) We made our own fire pit, brought a picnic table and you know whatever else you'd need for camping. There are multiple trash dumpsters in town, so leave no trace! read more

Big Pine Creek Campground - Hiking Near Me

I love this campground. This is the backyard of the Big Pine Lakes. The environment is so awesome. Breathing that fresh morning air and smelling that bacon cooking. The campsite is about 7400 feet in elevation. I was here in July 2019 and the temperature at the base was close to 100 degrees. After driving about 10 minutes up, I started to see a dramatic drop in temperature. By the time I got up to the campground, I think it was about in the mid to low 70's. This was probably around 5pm. The campground doesn't have any electricity, showers or flush toilets. It's very primitive. However, there are cabins and a general store to the right side when you cross over the bridge to the campground. The general store has paid WiFi and a shower that charges $8 for 5 minutes. Don't quote me on that, but I remember it was a ridiculous amount. Their are vaulted toilets and since we are up in the mountain, it's a comfortable temperature if you need to do your business in there. It gets cleaned every morning, but don't know how often they pump out the waste. There is a nice river within minutes to your site. Just be aware that the water is coming from the glaciers up top, so it's freezing cold even in July. I was only able to walk in the water for 10 seconds at the most. This would be a great place to fill up your portable shower and let it warm up while you go on to your hike to the lakes. Just remember that there are only 30 sites in total so they go quick. One other great thing about this site is it's at the entrance to the Big Pine Lakes. Since you have a site here, you don't have to worry about parking to go on your hike as parking fills up pretty fast if you don't get there early. read more

This was my first backpacking camping trip! It was a super hard trek for a first-timer, but I fell in love! The challenge of carrying 30lbs of gear while trying to make it to 10,000 ft is so rewarding. You get to the top, for us that was between the 1st and 2nd lake. It had plenty of trees and for shade and hanging hammocks. Being between both lakes was perfect. All you had to do was take a short hike to either one. Lake 2 is gorgeous with a first-row seat to Temple Crag! The views on the way up are SPECTACULAR! Be sure to get your permit! https://www.recreation.gov/camping/big-pine-creek-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70617 read more

See all

Big Pine Creek Campground is at the end of Big Pine Canyon Road, the last campground before the road runs out. If you go in July and are not familiar with the area, the 115-degree heat on your drive in will cast doubts on whether you will survive your camping trip. The sun will burn you through your car windows. You will consider whether the road is really leading you to Venus. The road to the campground is a lengthy, steep incline, soothing any visions of heat stroke. This extreme rise in altitude makes it at least 12 degrees cooler upon arrival. HALLELUJAH! Big Pine Creek Campground is very well maintained. There are 30 sites for $23.00 a night (at least through Reserve America). My boyfriend and I stayed at site 18, which was down a somewhat private road, set back from the rest of the campsites. We rarely saw our neighbors the entire time. The gushing brook was only a few steps away and the soundtrack to our experience. Mountains surround the campground, which can feel a bit claustrophobic, but only if you're uptight. I was. On the final day, after our hike had yielded crystal glacier water and intense waterfalls, and after I'd witnessed a meteor as I stood outside the bathrooms, it dawned on me that Big Pine was incredible. This campground provides a great getaway to unwind from city life and personal stressors. This is one of the few campgrounds I truly plan on revisiting. read more

See all

Not only is it under a mile away from the North Fork trail head that takes you to the alluring, awe-inspiring Big Pine Lakes, but the campground is just so serene and pretty! Deer are everywhere and I feel as if it is their safe little haven away from the elusive, human-shy predators. Doe and bucks frolic in the meadows, so unafraid and free-spirited. The soft, but ever so constant pitter-patter of the creek nearby emanates throughout the campground and is the perfect lullaby for coaxing you into a deep slumber all while under the vast, star-filled, and twinkling blanket of the endless summer night sky. They had a little less than other campgrounds I've stayed at for the price (booked online at $24/ night, $10 transaction fee per site) plus sites are definitely on the smaller side, but I couldn't recommend it more with it's perfect natural scenery that is guaranteed to offer you a retreat from city life. Camp hosts were also super friendly and welcoming. As a guide: -Sites 4 and 5 are smack dab right next to each other and are basically connected. Individually, they are both rather large. Annoying if you don't know your neighbor, but perfect if you have a big group and want to secure two sites right next to each other. Also borders a meadow that deer love to hang out and prance around in. -Sites 7 and 8 (our sites) were pretty small, but Site 9 next door was huge and even had this fortress/ castle looking thing. -Fire pits and large bear boxes available at all sites. -Firewood sold at the Glacier Lodge (less than 1 mile away up the lane), OR look for an enclosed fenced off area with firewood inside. Drop your money inside the box and grab the wood bales just outside. This is based on an honor system so don't abuse it! -Vaulted bathrooms = no sinks, but they have hand sanitizer just outside. We didn't realize it until the end, but there are two bathroom buildings throughout the grounds, each with two stalls. -No potable water! This was a little annoying since they had the spouts scattered throughout, but we realized with disappointment that no water came out. Make sure to bring enough bottled water! -Plenty of extra parking spots available around the grounds. -Dogs allowed in campground and on surrounding hiking trails (since not a national area) -Showers available at the Glacier Lodge ($5 for 5 minutes), but I'm a little confused about the system. One woman told us they are available so long as they are there (didn't give us a definite time) and another man told us to come in before the reserved time slot occurs (from 5-7pm). But, when we went back shortly after learning this a different man said that the water tank wouldn't be able to accommodate our showers, so they were cutting them off so that the people who reserved would have enough water (??). Some of us ended up going into town (20 minutes drive) to shower at the Hi Country Market & Hardware Chevron (just off W Crocker Ave). It was $3.50 for 10 minutes, so not bad! It's either that, or bring a lot of baby wipes. It is a long day on the dusty trail if you go to Big Pine Lakes (10+ miles), so a shower would feel so nice! -Beer (at a pretty high markup), ice, and smoked BBQ available at the Glacier Lodge. -Trout pond just in front of the lodge and apparently the creek is perfect for fishing too. read more

I was here for a Memorial Day weekend camping trip. The campground is at the end of Glacier Lodge Rd, next to Glacier Lodge. I've been on many camping trips but it was my first time at Big Pine Creek. This campground is beautiful. There are lots of pine trees and aspens, the creek running alongside the campground is clean, the campsites are clean, and the bathrooms are clean. There is good spacing and seperation between campsites. There are several trails from the campground--some easy, some tougher, but all beautiful. I didn't have a chance to do any fishing, but I saw plenty of people with freshly caught trout walking from the creek to their campsites. Once word of caution though for people bringing trailers. I have a 28' travel trailer and a Suburban. There is a very narrow spot n the road caused by two trees by campsites 6, 7 & 8. I barely made it through that spot. Ii was too far into the camground to back up, so with a lot of time and jockeying the trailer back and forth, I was able to make it through with about 1/2" to spare (literally). If you have a longer trailer/vehicle setup, I recommend that you stick to the sites reachable from making a left at the center roadway. If necessary, you can then back-up to sites 22 & 23 pretty easily. If you decide not to take that advice, then please do yourself a favor and park your rig at the entrance to the campsite and walk your way to your campsite to survey the amount of space you have for your rig to get through--an extra 10 minutes just might save some repair bills. One last thing, this campground and Glacier Lodge are right next to each other. Glacier Lodge offers showers for $4.00 per five minutes. Just note that there is only one shower, so don't be surprised if there is a line. Oh, and I believe the shower is available only until 4:00pm (but I'm not positive about that). read more

See all

This campground was great. The location was fantastic, the weather turned out very cooperative, and the amount of bugs was minimal all things considered. The creek was raging when we went so there was a constant background of water flowing. Not too loud, just nice background. The campsites each have a level tent platform so pitching a tent was easy and it was very comfortable to sleep on level ground. The fire rings seemed almost brand new and allowed us to build nice fires and cooking fires. The picnic tables and bear bins were perfect sized and having two parking spaces for each of our sites made it perfect for our group. The site does not have running water. We knew this going in and went over to the next campground to fetch water when needed. Glacier Lodge was not open when we went. The location is great if you want to go fishing or hiking, and it's definitely close enough to the trail head to go up to see their multiple Alpine Lakes. And very important, the camp host was such a nice guy. And he's got his system down where the firewood is set out front on his campsite and you just drop off the money in the slot and take it as you need it. Very laid-back, definitely not a camp Nazi, though everyone at the campsite was so nice! We stayed almost a week and saw people come and go and everyone was very courteous. It's quite a drive to get up the hill to this campsite, but well worth it read more

Big Pine Creek Campground - Our campsite - Hiking Near Me

This is such a nice campground. Close to the John Muir Wilderness are right from the campground. Had some nice campsites right on Big Pine Creek, and so soothing at night to listen to as you fall asleep. The camp hosts are great and very accommodating. If you forget ice, the cabin office has 10 lb. bags of ice you can buy. Campground has a fishing pond which is well stocked, and great for the kids. We will definitely be back! read more

Beautiful scenery, feels otherworldly. Road is curvy and narrow.