Good-size campground with spots for RVs and tents, .5 miles from the entrance of Pinnacles National Monument. The campsites have shade and are well-spaced. The campground has more comfort than most - flushing toilets, pool and nature talks. Only 2 hours from San Francisco. read more

Pinnacles Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Paicines, California

Spent last week Mon- Wednesday at campsite 61. Had a great time ! The campground is very clean , water and bathrooms were accessible. Everyone was very friendly and considerate of others. A huge shout out to Michael, the campground supervisor. He was so visible, working the store, giving helpful information to visitors, he was a wealth of knowledge about Pinnacles and the National Park system. He is a true gem to the park system. Will for sure visit again. Hope the park system considers a trapping program for the raccoons ! read more

The campground is overall ok and impossible to beat for quick access to the Pinnacles. However, when we got there Friday afternoon they had run out of firewood and on Saturday morning they decided to clean the toilet & showers during the rush hour at 8am :-( read more

Nice campground, fantastic park! We loved the Bear Gulch Caves and the reservoir, the High Peaks hike, and the walk along Chalone Creek to the Balcony Caves. Headlamps are the way to go for cave hikes, leaving your hands free to grab hand rails, take pictures, etc. Nature Center is nice, and rangers were very friendly and helpful. Saw several condors and lots of turkey vultures on ridge above campground - binoculars are a good addition to your packing list, along with lounge chairs. :-) Beautiful skies at night, and only sounds were birds and creek. No noisy neighbors - everyone in our area was respectful of quiet hours. Our campsite #64 was clean, although a little closer to the road than I would have liked. Kids enjoyed playing in little creek right behind our site. Bathroom was decent, and not too long a walk from campsite. There is a small motion-sensor light at doorway and another inside, but of course a flashlight or headlamp is a good idea. Flush toilets, cold water sink, mirrors. Bring your own soap and towels. No outlets. Water hydrant was close to our site, and bathroom just a bit further down the road (maybe 2 min. walk). Cleanup people were conscientious about keeping TP in bathroom, and cleaning crew took care of bathroom a couple of times during our two days. No complaints here. Firewood is expensive at $12 a bundle, so bring your own if possible. We stayed in early April, and temperatures were perfect, but it was freezing/raining/snowing when we stopped by here in early March. Summer would be brutal, and good idea to bring pop-up shade structure unless you're lucky enough to get a site with plenty of trees. #64 is more in open, but has brush that screens the tent site from road. Other sites are more private - see other reviews for info. Bugs were not too bad, but bug spray helpful to keep mosquitoes from feasting. Raccoons were busy at night, so definitely put away food AND your trash bag (forgot to do this, and then had to clean up our trash in the morning!) There's a swimming pool and showers, but we didn't use either so can't rate. I looked inside one of the showers and saw it was reasonably clean, but a big drawback would be that there are only 2 men's and 2 women's showers for the ENTIRE campground. Be prepared for a long wait, and bring quarters. It is a long walk from far end of campground where we stayed to the showers, so probably better to drive there. Heard the pool was cold, so probably not heated. Visitor center check-in people were friendly and helpful, and store seemed well stocked, although we didn't need to buy anything this time. read more

Outstanding. Truly a tranquil and spiritual park. Plenty to do, from miles of hiking trails to watching condors to exploring caves. The park is located far enough from any town so that it feels as though you are in a separate world. If you're into local history, there is a trail that leads through the first homestead in the area, and beyond to other historic properties and the trail is part if the original road through the park. read more

This campground in the middle of a national park was a pleasure to stay at. Very few if any national parks have campgrounds with electric hook ups that can handle RVs and trailers. The grounds were extremely well kept. The camp hosts were very friendly and knowledgeable. I had a great time and I highly recommend this campground and national park. read more

My husband and I have been meaning to get here for ages and now that we've been I wish we had come sooner. The campground is large with plenty of sites. Each site is quite different, some will better accommodate tents vs campers or have more privacy, sun, shade etc. We loved our site and enjoyed quite a bit of wildlife from there. There were many deer, woodpeckers, thrashers, bunnies, raccoons etc. that we could see from our site. The camp store is well maintained and stocked with useful and quality items. This one of the best camp stores I've seen in a long time. We have a bathroom in our camper so I only used the campground bathrooms a couple of times but each time it was clean and had plenty of soap. We were also happy there was a dump station at the campground. The trails are so beautiful. These were the best trails I've run in quite some time. The many wildflowers made it even more enjoyable. We really enjoyed our stay and plan to be back soon. read more

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Great campground next to an incredibly scenic park. Just a quick 90 minutes from the Bay Area proper to access clear skies, park hiking trails and the complete wilderness experience. The campground is very well run and organized with generous spacing between sites and nice views from the camp sites. The new management is improving the campground with capital improvements since taking over 6 months ago. read more

Some of these reviews are mind blowing... complaints of Mosquitoes, lack of showers, and everything else??? Come on people its camping!!! I guess some of you expected a TV and refrigerator at your camp site as well! LOL This is a great location to camp though it is crowded and that can take away from the whole "get away" feeling but nevertheless it is still a solid place to camp. I would recommend camping here on a week day. Weekends seem to sell out quickly which in returns means more people, more noise, and overall less chances to snag the best camp sites. However that set aside, this is a great camping location! The Camp Grounds: The majority of the grounds share campsites so this can be a pain when trying to have a semi private camping experience or when there is simply 3-4 site which all have no privacy what so ever right next to each other. Trust me, you will not want these sites because it takes away from the camping experience! However have no fear, I walked the whole campsite and wrote down all the spaces that either are not visible from the road or were enclosed by large trees and other brush which actually made them private and seem a bit away from the clusters of shared camping sites (or sites which had no privacy). Here are the sites that are "private" or have large trees/bushes blocking and further privatizing your camping experience. Use these numbers when considering your site. Trust me, you will thank me later!!! 35 - I actually stayed here and this was a great location covered with trees and was nice and private. They pretty much hollowed out a huge space and is also next to the creek. 57 58 60 61 66 67 71 Staff: Overall they seemed to be very cool and knowledgeable. Overall Pros: Nice location, really close to the trails and climbing areas. Clean grounds with a knowledgeable and friendly staff! They have showers and a pool. Clean bathrooms with flushing toilets! Overall Cons: Tad bit crowded, only 8 camp sites that I would consider worth and private enough for a nice camping session. Several campsites are uncovered and not private. read more

The newest National Park in California (of course it existed as a National Monument well before) and its smaller than most of the other National Parks- with one campground, which can only be entered from the East entrance (so an extra 25-20' depending on where you're traveling from). No you can't drive there from the West entrance of the park. The check-in process is in the general store. The campground is nice enough and we got a great corner spot above the river / ravine. Spot A loop spot 11. It supports a small RV as well as tents. It's surrounded by trees and could easily house 3-5 large tents. It's 4 campsites from the bathroom and showers are found separately closer to the general store. Bathrooms are not lit (not sure whether it was out or just not lit) so bring a flashlight or miner's light. All sites have a food locker and yes there are definitely critters - is a raccoon a critter or a nuisance? Anyway we saw our buddy 3x the first night while we had the fire going and were toasting marshmallows. It was late-December and temps at night get down to the high 30s, which is cold for this not so much fat on the body me. The ground is cold, the air is cold, the tent gets wet (you get the picture)... I had a hard time sleeping (oh yeah I didn't). I suggest zipping sleeping bags together so you can keep warmer- not sure why we didn't do this. Campsites are within walking distance (less than 1 mile) to most trailheads including the Cave hike. Overall a good quiet campsite. read more

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Just returned from a wonderful stay. Spring is definitely the time to go! A beautiful drive - lots of curvy roads (our kid gets car sick, so it took a LONG time). We've camped a lot and saw a greater variety of nature here than anywhere else we've been (bats, owls, raccoons, deer, rabbits, wild turkeys, the hugest variety of wildflowers and birds I've seen at a campground!). The birds woke us in the morning, the owls and frogs sang us to sleep! Didn't see any condors :( Campstore keeps odd hours during the week: groceries, firewood ($11), national park paraphenalia, etc. Showers are here - didn't try them. And a pool - wasn't hot enough to swim. RV sites are pretty close together and exposed. Sites in the 60s-80s are more private. 83, 81, 79 don't have much shade but are right up against the hill and surrounded by beautiful grass. I heard a few weeks before we got there the grass fields were covered in poppies! Sites 70-75 have pretty good shade. The outer sites back up to the hills creating a bigger feeling to your site. More connected with nature. Site 55 might be our go-to next time - shaded, next to the creek and a big area but mostly enclosed - great for toddlers! The bat cave hike was perfect for our toddler. (1 mi= 1.5 hrs hiking :) She was thrilled to use a headlamp through the caves. There are handrails and it's doable for kids (she's 2.5). Restrooms were really clean - cleanest I've experienced when camping. We loved it. read more

I camped here last year with a big party of people at one of the group sites and I can say the heat was one of the problems camping there. Another problem that I encountered was there so many dang ants. When we arrived, it was like the surface of Mars with nothing living on it but as soon as the went dawn all kinds of ants started to come out. Red ants, fire ants, big black ants all started to appear and to make matters worse, I had pitched my tent over an ant hole which I did not know about until it was too late. There were also all kinds of flying bugs that came out after dark and some people did not like that but my biggest gripe about this place was the heat. We really couldn't do anything like hiking or cooking until the afternoon. I mean it only got enjoyable once it was dusk. Another thing about this place is that the temperature will drop after a certain time of night so be prepared to wear like a light jacket or something. The drive was nice to and from the park and we got to visit Mission San Juan Bautista as well. I would like to camp at this park again say like in the Fall, Winter or Spring but not the Summer. Another thing, no campfires! What's a campsite without a campfire? The park people were concerned about fires but there really wasn't anything to catch fire out there. At least they allowed us to use lanterns and stoves but not having a campfire really put a damper on things. read more

If it wasn't for the pool and well stocked ice cream at the store, this place would not be much better than death valley for summer camping, so bring your swimsuit and extra ice cream money. But that is why the peak season is spring, when temps are cool and wildflowers are blooming. It was very easy to make an August reservation for Pinnacles, and many walkups were available when we got there. I studied google earth to try and pick a shady campsite that was walking distance to the pool. So I picked campsite #10 in loop A, because it looked like it would decent morning and afternoon shade. For the most part I was right, campsite 10 gets full sun for only maybe an hour from noon to 1pm and then partial shade the rest of the time. We put our tent under the big tree to the west so it was in shade from 1:30 for the rest of the day. Campsites 5-9 get full sun all day until almost sunset, I would avoid these. Campsite 12 and 13 get full morning sun and no shade until 6:00 or later. Campsite 11 is similar to 10 and has good shade opportunity, campsite 14 also gets full shade in the early afternoon. The paved loop at loop A is very nice for the kids to ride bikes or scooters, no thru traffic so its safe and flat. Bathrooms were surprisingly clean. Beyond loop A there are plenty of good campsites, many along the creek are completely under trees and shady, but there are also many that have full sun all day. I read another review that campsite 66 was nice, shady, and secluded, I would agree, site 66 looked like a really good spot. At the store, I did get some partially melted ice cream because the freezer door was open frequently, so make sure you dig deep for your ice cream! There were absolutely no fires allowed, which was disappointing, so we were stuck with propane cooking only. Animals: The raccoons were very aggressive, and the ranger said they can open unlocked cars, so make sure you put any scented items that don't fit in the bear locker in your locked car. The bear lockers are smaller than I expected, they will not accomodate a full size cooler. We saw lots of mule deer, ground squirrels, rabbits, raccoons of course, and we also spotted a small fox and a bobcat. There were also turkeys, quail, turkey vultures, and I like to assume the birds that are way high up are condors, but they are probably vultures too. The hike to the Balconies cave on Old Pinnacles Trail (from the east side) is long and hot, but flat, so its worth it. Bring lots of water. The cave is naturally cool when you get there, it provides a nice break to cool down and eat lunch. Then you have the campground pool to look forward to when you get back. Another review mentioned there was no view of the high peaks on this hike. So the trick is you have to keep going past the Balconies cave toward the westside parking lot. About halfway there you come to a spot where you have a nearly full view of the high peaks and machete ridge. The ranger said its even better if you go all the way to the west side parking lot. But that adds about 1.2 miles on an already hot 5 mile trek. Balconies cave was definitely fun and worth the hike, we had a 3 and 5 year old with there own headlamps and they did great climbing through the cave with a little guidance. Please note that this is not a casual stroll through the cave, there will be actual climbing, and you will need both hands free. If you don't want to hike all day to see the Balconies, it takes about 2 hours to drive around the park to the westside. From that side the hike is less than a mile. read more

I can see why some of the reviews here state that people were unhappy with their campsites - because when my husband and I pulled into Pinnacles Campground I started freaking out that we would end up in one of the first sites we drove past. There is site after site of dry, open camp spots with zero shade, nothing to separate them - not even a log! As we drove further in, tho, the sites started looking better and by the time we got to our loop, I could start breathing again! Our Spot: We had our first experience at Pinnacles this mid-June, 2011. We pulled into Site 68 and I about jumped for joy. I LOVED THIS SPOT! There was a long driveway leading back to a concrete table and fire pit, covered in the shade of a large tree. To the left there was a large open, sunny space for our family tent (an 8 person tent). The site backed up to a running stream, that was filled with vegetation (so the kids could not really play in it), but we could hear the relaxing sounds of the bubbling water. We had large trees and bushes on both sides of the long dirt driveway, which provided great privacy. There was a water spigot located directly across from our campsite - perfect for the kids to play in and the restroom was also conveniently located directly across from the site next to us. Our Loop (Sites 58-83), etc: We took a walk around our loop and decided that most sites were decent, but some were smaller and/or closer than others. Sites 70 and 71 were perfect for a couple of groups looking to camp together. Pretty sizable, a little more open than our site - which was nice because you could see the mountainous area surrounding, rock formations, and a little hilly area on 71 that kids would love to climb up and down. The downside is that there is no separation between the two sites - so if you're looking for a single site, you'll still be sharing with someone else. Another nice group area would be the 75/77 combo. They back up to a hill for the kids to climb around, pretty green with sun and shade spots. 64 was another pretty private site, decent size if your tent isn't too big - the plus size is that this site backs up to a little river that kids can play in that's not too covered by vegetation. Outside of our loop a few sites that caught our eye: 55 seemed to be a decent size (but we didn't walk in) and was pretty private as it was behind several trees and bushes. A combo of sites 55, 54 and 53 would be great for several families or friends camping together - as they seemed somewhat connected and a great area for kids to explore. A quick drive-by showed 32 to be an open, not-very-private site, but very fun for kids since it backs up to a hill that they could climb and run around. The Staff: This is why I am giving Pinnacles only 4 stars instead of 5. They are run by a park mgmt company called Royal Elk. Staff are NOT friendly. We walked in the general store to check in and were not greeted, but ignored. I had to approach a woman to ask about checking in and was gruffly told to sign the paper and pay a $5 park entry fee (not included in the camping costs). The staff act bored, apathetic and as if that's the LAST place they want to be. When I walked to the bathroom at 10:00 on our first night, I took the trash with me. I had difficulties stuffing the bag into the huge receptacle because it had not been emptied! In all seriousness - trash and recycling should be emptied prior to a booked-up weekend! I went to the restroom and found it to be TOTALLY DARK! The bathroom remained dark both nights we were there (thankfully I had my nifty (nerdy?) headlight). We had hunkered down by 10:30 that night, and were awoken around 11:00 by the trash truck coming to empty all of the garbage and recycling. REALLY? There is a 10:00 quiet-time curfew and they're not even going to follow it?! The next morning when we were ready to head out for our hike, we stopped in the general store to ask about trails and what would be our best bet with a 7 and 3.5 year old. Helpful? No. Ultimately we had a good hike, but had we been steered another route - we think the kids would have had a better time (we found this out after we got back and talked to some camp neighbors.) There is very little Ranger presence around the campsites. I think they spend all their time at the trailheads! It would be nice if they drove around more often (my husband says he saw them 3 times - I didn't see any of them!) because the kids love to wave to them - and it makes campers think twice about their behavior and actions (because, let's face it, we've all experienced the loud and/or obnoxious campers and/or drunkards that just don't know how to behave when there are others around!) We'll come back - but next time we'll be more prepared for sites, hiking and dealing with the mgmt! read more

I absolutely love this campground and am not sure why so many people are complaining about nature. Yes, there are Mosquitos, coyotes making noise at night, and sun on some of the sights but we are in nature. I bring bug spray, use earplugs to tune out the coyotes and those who do not like to honor quiet time. This is a great place with very nice amenities for a campground out in the middle of nowhere. Not sure how someone can complain that the building with the flushing toilets does not have a light. Bring a flashlight and enjoy the fact it is not a hole in the ground. The campground is great and should not be missed. If you are concerned about the hot summer sun look for a site with partial or full shade. It does get very hot during the summer and is a good idea to either bring something to make shade or get a site already shaded. Go and enjoy this wonderful place! read more

Date April 3rd to April 6 - Spring Break We had no trouble getting a campsite through Reserve America booking just several weeks in advance. We were tent camping. Lots of sites are jammed together but there are some that offer a lot of privacy. Being a family of 8 we were required to get two sites. One was in the jammed area and the other very tucked away. Sites 34, 35, and 37 offer some privacy as well as many of the sites in the 49 to 83 loop. We had two days of spectacular hiking seeing very few people and many varieties of wildflowers. No condors, though. Just vultures which we at first mistook for condors. This changed on Saturday. The parking lots at the trailheads were full by 9 A.M. We waited for the first shuttle bus. Went up to Bear Gulch and took a short hike, 2 miles RT, up Condor Gulch to the overlook. When we left the park at 2 P.M. there was a line of several dozen cars waiting to get into the parking lot at the visitor center. When one car left the parking lot another car was allowed in. I can't imagine what it was like going through the caves with so many people. We had them almost to ourselves on the weekdays. More on camping - there is an unheated pool that opens on April 1st. At the pool there are shower stalls in the men and women's restrooms. Two stalls in each. They require quarters to operate and about a buck fifty gets you maybe 5-7 minutes of luke warm water. We found the campground to be well maintained and the restrooms cleaned on a regular basis. On our last night there a Boy Scout Troop 93 ruined the solitude of the area. Why they were assigned to a family camping area I'll never understand. A caravan of cars and trucks rolled into the area about 9:30 P.M. well after when most everyone had retired for the night. We tried to go to sleep in our tent but the adults of the group had set up about 50 feet from our tent. At 11 P.M. when they showed no signs of turning off their bright lights and quieting down, they showed no regard for the fact that they were in an area where quiet time begins at 10 P.M., I got up, got dressed and approached these 6 to 8 men and asked them to turn in. They apologized, turned off their lights, and went to bed. The next morning, several of the adults apologized to me again. Why, though, were they assigned to a family area? The personnel responsible for maintaining order in the campground go off duty around 8 P.M. read more

We stayed here on a Friday night in April in campsite No. 69. All of the sites were booked that night. We had reserved our spot about three weeks in advance. Campsite 69 is great, at the very back of the campground. There is not much room, but it has more privacy than any of the other sites, a nice spot for a 3-4 man tent that is completely shaded and private. A bundle of wood from the campground host costs about $10 and lasted us for several hours (but bring your own kindling). I brought bug spray but never used it -- maybe the fire kept them away or maybe it was the time of year. I will write a separate review of the trails etc under the Pinnacles National Monument listing. read more

We spent this past labor day weekend at Pinnacles State Park. Although it was a holiday weekend, we were able to get a reservation here about 4 - 5 weeks prior (no where else, atleast as desireable, within a 2 hour radius of San Francisco had availability). We had to pick between the 4 sites left, and I went with number 52. Based upon previous reviews, I was very nervous about that site. However, it ended up being just fine! It was right next to 51. 51 had no shade, and 52 was almost all shade. Considering it was in the high 90's, we definetly lucked out! It is a pretty small site, and like others mentioned, is along the road (but most of them are!), however we didn't feel "exposed" at all and really appreciated the trees around us that created such beautiful shade and a bit of privacy. With our cars and a canopy and tarp, we were able to create a nice private spot and really enjoyed our camp site (It only fit 1 large tent, but that is all that we had!). A lot of the lower numbered ones we saw had absolutely no shade and were on the road without any trees/brush as barriers. THAT would have been brutal! I don't have much complaints about the campsite itself. There were a lot of flies that would come and go. They were annoying, but harmless. I didn't see any spiders, bees, or misquitos, and would take the annoying little flies over anything that bites! Other wildlife that we came across included: deers, little rabbits, turkeys, turkey vultures, condors, lizards, etc. We did come during fire season thus no campfires allowed (or smoking on the trails, which I appreciate since I don't think people should be allowed to smoke on trails anyway!). We knew in advance that this was the case (it sounds like this is the case for the summer season up until October). We brought a stove which worked fine. We didn't end up needing the camp fire for anything, and it was so hot during the day and pretty perfect temperature at night that again, it was not needed. They said that you could use butane or propane or anything with an on/off button. The bathrooms could have been cleaner, and didn't have soap (atleast the ones near the campsites), but I mean we are camping, and atleast theres a tiolet! The woman that manages that camp sites is EXTREMELY friendly. She is probably the nicest ranger I have come across, and very helpful. The other rangers were awesome, as well. They have a free shuttle that takes you up to the Bear Gulch Nature Center. Take advantage of this as the parking lot up by the trails can fill up. We went up to the nature center, took a 6 - 7 mile hike (which was recommended by the ranger at the nature center, so I'd recommend going in and asking about the trails) and it was BEAUTIFUL. The trails are well maintained and the scenery is just amazing. The caves were really really cool, too. Bring LOTS of water, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen! At the campsite there is a pool, but we didn't use it. It got really packed in the middle of the day. Didn't use the shower, either (although I walked all the way over to wait in line and then realized that it requires quarters to work!). Also something to note, I don't know if it was because it was a holiday weekend, but there were many ranger talks going on. We wen't to one on the campground that was on Condors. It was really interesting! But... lots of rude families. People would come late with their kids when there was no seating left and would stand in the back, didn't realize that there were about 100 other people trying to listening, and would continue to have a conversation with their children so that we couldn't hear the speaker. Many kids were talking during the presentation, and we were forced to leave early because it was just unbearable. I know that stuff like that is bound to happen, but was seriously shocked by the parent's lack of discipline and the fact that they were speaking over the ranger, too! (they were all tourists and spoke other languages). Kids were also loud at night and early morning, but I feel like you get that at any campsite and its definietly not unique to Pinnacles (unfortunetly). It was pretty populated and loud. Would stay here, but would book further in advance to gaurantee either the same site if we were a small group or other shaded more private sites! read more

Hey, we were there over the weekend @site # 129 which is Group site and it was HORRIBLE, NO SHADE, NO TREE.. we are group of 7 families with small kids , during 98'C Temperature with out SHADE , you cant imagine.. we were littlerly begging for shade with Forest rangers , they said "you should have get site which has SHADE and cant stay any of the neighbor sites", So we left with option to leave immediately to move to different camp site near by and swimming pool was all time full. read more

I've been on a 20 day camping trip to many different places and this stop was my least favorite. I would recommend coming to this campsite in months other than summer months because it is too hot to do anything. There and not many trees to provide shade which makes the mornings and days toasty (I would suggest many pop up tents). Bathrooms were a little bit of a walk away. The ground is just dirt with painted white lines separating each site. There isn't much privacy either. And because it was so hot and dry we couldn't start a fire which was a bummer because that's the best part about camping. The campsite did offer a variety of trails but none were dog friendly so I didn't go on any hikes. I did see a family of deer while I was walking through the campsite, which was really cool! Lots of wildlife roamed the campsite. Overall, the campsite was decent and I would like to give it another chance when it is not so hot outside! read more

If there was a negative rating, I would have def gone for that, yes I mean it we got #129 and please don't take that site... It has no shade and when it's super hot weather please don't prefer this camp ground. Restroom are pathetic and no fun other than you are left out in a dessert :( ... If you have kids have a second thought staying here .. Over all my rating is -ve read more

Just got back from a weekend of camping at this campground. I will just list the pros and cons of this place. Cons. -campground and lots of red and black ants -some sites are full open all day long the ones I had was 27.28.29 was no shade. -staff was driving around towing a blower clearing the roads of dust but blowing it into our site. -raccoons roam the campgrounds getting real close to humans to grab any food you leave around. my kids started to freak out. -2 mens and 2 womans shower in the front where you check in for the whole campground -showers were cold water. .50 for 3 min -pool was small and not the cleanest -drivers drive well over the 10 mph speed limit. even tho there are kids around (not the campgrounds fault) -bathroom flooded the last day we were there and the closed it. -some campers setup camp even tho it not under their name -park ranger grove around only 1 time the whole day -bathrooms had no lights and soap. Pros. -staff was very friendly and helpful -campsite 32 had shade almost all day. -staff cleans bathrooms 2-3 times a day (when working) -campsite was pretty quiet after quiet time (10pm-6pm) -hikes are very nice many different trails to choose from this will probably my families only trip here. But would return to hike the trails. read more

I came for the second time to Pinnacles last weekend (the first time was on July 2020). The trails and the scenery are great to watch at any time of day, even at night! The support from the staff members was incredible. At our arrival, an angel named Ron, came to our rescue to help us to settle our trailer properly. He was very knowledgeable and without his help we wouldn't make it. Later on, another member of the staff named Rosa was very helpful giving us advice about the trails and all the places to visit. At the store, Olga helped us with a smile and was very courteous. In this campground the bathrooms were very clean and I really love that. There is also a pool and showers. However, the showers are not working very well. I recommend the manager of the campground to take note on that to make this place perfect. When we left, Ron, Rosa and Olga helped us again to set the trailer properly. It was a great experience for us. We really recommend this place, even if we are in the middle of a severe drought. We are invited to come back soon and see hope to see Rosa, Olga and Ron again. read more

This was my first time at Pinnacles National Park! What a beautiful place to hike and watch the stars. I'm not much of a camper but my friend is. Unfortunately we were unable to put up our camper and Ron came to our rescue. We are so very thankful for his humility and continued help throughout our time there! I have no words to express my sincere gratitude for his time and kindness. Honestly I don't know how we would have managed without him. Thank you Ron for all your help during our stay. We felt safe and welcomed and are planning to return. I would also like to recognize Rosa, a wonderful asset to her team. She was not only sweet and helpful but very knowledgeable, even though she was young she was very much on top of things and was able to guide us and direct us where we needed to go for info on hike trails, best spots to book, even the small details like pool hours. It was the details of the staff that made this place memorable. The environment was tidy and clean, bathrooms were amazingly clean. The gift shot and store had a variety of supplies and resources available. I highly recommend this place as a must see National Park! read more

My boyfriend and I booked a last minute trip at site 72 in early August. Location: Our site didn't have much shade, but it was close to the water spigot and bathrooms. We couldn't hear the highway and noise levels were very pretty low. There were several nice tucked away sites that seemed like little sanctuaries. The site has a picnic table and a medium sized bear box, though you're allowed to leave food inside your car if locked. The bathrooms were clean and looked well attended. The main con is that there are only two (albeit clean) showers per gender for the entire campground. Night skies are CRAZY amazing here. Staff: Everyone we interacted with was incredibly friendly and helpful. The park: the park has a wide variety of trails with different levels of difficulty and sites. We really enjoyed the Old Pinnacles Trail to the Balconies Caves and the Bear Gulch Caves and reservoir. Bring a lot of water! The recommended amount is 1 Liter/1 hour/1 person. Overall, a very pleasant experience despite the crazy heat. Again, main con is the lack of showers. read more

While there are some decent tent campsites, the "RV loop" is crap - the sites are too close together and many of them don't have any shade at all. We walked by the group sites and for the most part they look like parking lots, again with little shade. And as other reviewers have noted, it gets very busy on the weekends and it does get loud. The management of the place could be better. Some of the sites were still flooded from recent rains but had "reserved" tags even though there were open sites in better shape. The bathrooms were clean but several of the garbage bins scattered through out the campground were overflowing on Saturday. And we had a woman come by our site at about 7:30 pm on Sunday to let us know that there was road work scheduled for the next morning so we would be unable to move our cars between 8 am - 5 pm. Not a huge problem but the last minute notice was really annoying. All that said, the hiking in the area is awesome and the campground is convenient for getting out onto the trails. And even though the campground was crowded; the hiking trails were not. read more

I went camping with the gf a few week ago and it was nice that they didn't require a 2-night minimum stay. - The camp sites totally vary in terms of size and privacy. I am thankful I read Chris' review about #49 and that I also managed to reserve it. Our campsite was well secluded unlike other campsites that were practically 15 feet apart with no cover in between. The map that they have online when you make reservations is not drawn to scale at all. And the creek in the map is not much of a creek and is full of shrubs, rocks, and mucky water. - There are tons of animals that come out at night. It was kind of creepy listening to all these critters shrieking and scampering around the tent and campsite. The feral pigs sound really weird too. Ironically this only kept me up at night, and not my gf. - Most camp sites have a fire ring and pit. Some of them have a grill built into it (mine did) so that was extra handy. - Buy your FIREWOOD at Safeway in Hollister or at the convenience store/post office a little past Hollister. The check-in station was out of firewood when I went and Hollister is a good 25-30 miles away. This mistake cost me 1 hour of my time. - Showers are okay (maybe a bit cold) but annoying because of the time delay between showers so it gets busy during peak times. - Bring flashlights! There are several caves in the park and they allow night hikes as long as you have a flashlight. read more

we camped in group spot #124, which has plenty of shade in the morning and a nice tree right over the fire ring for shade all day. the site has very good privacy and you cannot hear cars going by on the road. You cannot park right next to your site, but must walk down stairs. Bathrooms are close by, but they are not very clean and there are not enough stalls for the number of people in all the nearby group sites. read more

We just returned from a stay at Pinnacles and this time reserved a tent cabin (new to the park in the last year). The cabin was large, airy, had 4 windows and a door that locks with a slide-down on top for a screen. There are 2 electrical outlets, a floor fan, a small (not very effective) space heater and 2 adirondack chairs. Here's the problem with the tent cabins (besides the $125 a night charge): every one of them is in full sun. Believe me, you don't want this at Pinnacles. It was blazing hot in the day and a shady camping spot would have been much better. One of the staff told me that they put up the tent cabins in the sites they are at because no one would reserve those spots to camp due to no shade. Duh! The other problem with the tent cabin was the plastic mattress cover. We were in heavy duty down sleeping bags (it was really cold at night) and any surface against the mattress felt cold. Fortunately for me I had brought a yoga mat. On the second night I put it between me and the mattress and was most comfortable. My friend didn't have anything like that to insulate with and was cold again. All that being said, the park is lovely, the pool heavenly on the hot days, and we enjoyed the hikes and scenery. read more

My friends and I camped in one of the group sites a few days ago. I think this place was a bit of a disappointment. There was zero shade and it gets really hot during the day, luckily we brought canopies to keep us covered. And at night the temperature drops to around 40-50s F but we weren't allowed to use fire pits for bonfires, even though there weren't any trees OR grass near the fire pit. One star was for the bathroom, staff kept it relatively clean and there's always toilet paper in stalls. The other star was for the magnificent sky view at night. Also be careful with how you store your food, raccons will get them if you leave any food out at night. Tip: go for a hike during the day, this will make your time in Pinnacle worth it. Campsite sucks but the park is absolutely gorgeous. read more

We had high hopes for this campground. Based on reviews and photos found on Facebook of each spot, we reserved # 15 for one night. We were so disappointed when we arrived. It was an old, old campground that appeared to not be in good repair. It smelled like the restrooms, which also had ants all over them. It was pretty empty, and I guess for good reason. There were ant hills everywhere in the spots, the ground was covered with ants. We couldn't put our tent down to set it up without being covered with ants. The spot was dry dead grass and dirt, very bumpy and not at all shaded as it said in the directory. Partial shade means no shade here. We walked around to find a different spot, but none with shade available, and ants galore everywhere. We left and went home, and wont ever return to this campground. read more

We were there in late June during a heat wave over 104 temperatures!!! Lucky us we had #128 spot under a beautiful big oak tree, 2 was nights enough. Pool was too crowded, dog was not allowed on trails and other than the pool or under the tree every other place was too hot. Also, too many rangers overly vigilant. Anyway, the hike in the National Park, East entrance was spectacular!!! The caves, the views, rocks, made the trip significant but we had to take turns because the mini dog we have was not permitted on trails. read more

We have two boys (6&12) and are fairly new to RV'ing. As far as standards for campgrounds, we aren't picky and were looking for a cool spot to park the RV for a couple of nights and hike with the boys. We reserved Space 94 since it was right next to water faucet (on the map) to fill our tanks. We arrived at dusk and found our site. The chalk lines are hard to see and only after we were parking at the wrong angle did our neighbor come tell us. We got parked, settled and ready to fill up with water we realized the water faucet (that we so strategically parked next to) was not a threaded pipe. We had to hook up the 5th wheel and haul it 300 feet up the road in the dark to hook up a hose. Once we got settled, we found the place to be a rather charming with lots of kids biking, playing, campfires, etc. It seems to attract a mixed crowd which is always important for us. Some tents, some RV's, seems to attract groups, old and young. The RV loop is not paved and neither are the spaces. The fire pits look new and were actually so good that we didn't use our own. The camp store has essentials and surprisingly had reasonably priced snacks, treats, and sundries. We went back a couple of times after hikes. The ranger station was really helpful and offered great directions, suggestions and a Jr. Ranger book for my 6 year old to complete for a Jr. Ranger patch. A ranger came around Saturday night inviting us to the amphitheater for a California Condor presentation. We passed since we had a fire going. Pool looks inviting yet simple and we have reservations to come back. Overall, it this is a very convenient place to stay while hiking the volcano and caves. read more

If you want to get away from phones and internet, this is the place for you! There is no signal at the campground at all. I had a great time a couple of summers ago, the little store was convenient, showering at night in the coin op showers was hilarious, the wildlife was friendly and entertaining (funniest raccoon parade ever) and exploring the caves and boulders was amazing. I'm looking forward to going back. read more

We recently stayed in our trailer for a weekend and was very pleased. The sites are large and everyone seemed respectful. The only thing I didn't like was not having water and sewage hook ups. Otherwise this place was great. read more

We camped here last Saturday night. The campsites were of decent size, and there was quite some space. We were in 35 & 37. We got 3 tents into one site, and one into the other. Parking was also sufficient, and the tents were off the road. So why the 2 stars? This place was teeming with mosquitoes! There were lots of bugs too, but we can live with harmless bugs. The mosquitoes were rampant. This is because the "stream" has totally dried up and is just a swamp ground for multiplying bugs. Also, the restroom had no lights. I'm sure they can have some really dim Not sure about the showers since we didn't wait to use them, we just packed up and left. The sun gets very hot if you are not in the shade. If you are in the shade, the mosquitoes don't quit. Yes we could have used bug repellents, but we were camping with a 10-month old and our pediatrician told us not to put any near him. read more

The tent sites are huge, good for 2 cars and 3 or 4 tents, restroom facilites are clean, but ONLY 1 shower room for the entire campground?!?! Also, there is a 4-minute delay between showers, and each shower is 6 minutes... this is just ridiculous and it causes long lines, especially during a hot day. read more

Just got back from camping at pinnacles campgrounds. We were a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews and since we were late in getting a reservation, but happy to say we had a great time!!! First of all, as others have stated, the camp sites vary tremendously! Some have no shade and are right next to each other. Luckily we got #49, which was completely secluded. It's one of the best ones. We then went on the bear gulch trail up to the caves and reservoir. Beautiful country and the caves were perfect for our 10 year old girl. It was hot so when we got back, the swimming pool was a welcome feature!! Even though it was a holiday weekend, the noise level was good and it actually got quiet at 10pm. So all in all a nice trip. Couple interesting notes, most of the rules are not enforced, like no dogs on trails, no dos in swimming pool, and no achohol! read more

Pinnacles Campground was well maintained by genuinely helpful staff. COVID 19 precautions were in place during our stay so masks were required and a max of 2 people at the store and restrooms/showers. The pool is closed due to social distancing measures. The store has WiFi (for a fee for the entire visit), basic supplies, ice, cold drinks and ice cream! Showers were hot and very clean. Loop C is the best for tent camping as it has the most shade, greenery and privacy. Recommended sites are Loop C 59-62 (61 is very shaded, private and large) and 66-71. The other Loops are very open and offer little privacy or shade. Potable water readily available throughout the camp. It is HOT in the summer, already 105 deg in early June so beware! The road to the trail head is closed to cars as a COVID precaution to prevent overcrowding so it is a 2.5 mile walk or bike to the trail head for the start of most hikes. read more

Alright, here we go...... about 10 friends decided to take a little weekend getaway this past weekend for my girlfriends birthday. I will start by saying that we were warned not to camp here, but this was the only campground near us that was not booked for this weekend. We had already researched everything there was to find out about the bugs, temperatures, and activities about the campground. Please note that there are 200 different bee/ wasp/ yellow jacket species there. We arrived at the campground about 6:30pm to find another RV parked and set up in one of the two sites we reserved. So we drove back to the little store/ check in hut. We flagged down the girls that were inside and told them that someone had taken our reserved spot and drove back to the RV sites. Another couple came over and said that the spot they had reserved didn't even exist in real life. Then the couple that was in our spot told us the same thing. We took the one spot that we had reserved and the next one over since there is two large shade trees on the lot. After all of the hassle, the very large shade trees were the best thing that happened to us. The little store is cute, they have sweatshirts, t shirts, pancake mix, beer & ice, so it is helpful. BUT if you want to buy beer you might have to wait. There are two young ladies running the place. One who is old enough to sell the beer, but can't speak English or run the cash register. The other young lady can't sell the beer to you, but is more than willing to give attitude or discourage you from waiting. We were told that we could wait, but it might be a few hours before she comes back, IF she comes back at all instead of going home early. The store promptly closes at 6pm if they don't go home early. Out last night they closed up the store at 4:30pm and went home. There is NOT any cell phone service available here. There is a pay phone where you can make collect calls outside of the store. AND once the park ranger leaves around 9:30 - 10pm, there is not anyone to help you out if for some reason you need it. It seems that they have installed lights in the bathrooms next to the pool, since other reviews complained about that. The weather was not too bad. It was in the mid 90's during the day and down in the 50's at night. The bees bothered some of us more than others. The last day they were a bit out of control. The bees swarmed our BBQ pits. We had a great weekend, but I just wanted to put out some useful information about the campground. We might not have roughed it like staying in a tent, but I hope someone finds it useful. read more