First off, I want to say that my 5-star rating only applies if you are visiting between mid-October and mid-April. During the rest of the year (April 15 to October 15), it's too hot to really enjoy camping either here, or at the Corp of Engineer's other campground at H.V. Eastman Lake a few miles to the northwest (Codorniz Recreation Area). The ideal months are probably November and March, especially if you are tent camping: not too hot in the daytime, not too cold at night. In December, January, and February, it's going to be really cold at night, the nights are really long (14 to15 hours), and those months have the greatest chance that it will be raining. If you are tent camping, I recommend that, if possible, you make a reconnaissance day trip in advance, and visit both the Hidden View and Codorniz campgrounds, to inspect the campsites for yourself. When tent camping, you really need the site, or at least the tent pad, to be as flat and level as possible. Both Codorniz and Hidden View are located in rolling hills and not all of the sites offer as much "flatness" as you might want, and it's almost impossible to really tell for sure what these sites are like from the photos on the Recreation.Gov website. Codorniz is not quite as hilly as Hidden View, and has more trees, but that said, the trees in both campgrounds are Valley oak (Quercus lobata), and these aren't really the best shade trees, having very small leaves. They are bare in the winter months and don't even start to develop leaves until late April, so in the winter and early spring, the trees all look dead and there's no shade at all. There are boat ramps and day-use/picnic areas at both Hensley and HV Eastman Lakes, but the lakea are relatively small, compared to Folsom Lake or Lake Oroville, and in the winter and early Spring months the water level is typically so low that the ramps might not even be open. Something to consider is that Hidden View campground is only 75 miles from Yosemite Valley: if you would like to camp somewhere with electric and water hookups that's reasonably priced, and make a day trip to Yosemite, Hidden View is a good choice. read more