Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Quaking Aspen Campground

    4.3 (47 reviews)

    Quaking Aspen Campground Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Quaking Aspen Campground

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Julia T.

    Beautiful campground. Most clean bathroom I've seen at a campground. Running water available near restrooms. No cell service.

    jonathan p.

    This Labor Day weekend was insanely hot. The temps coming from Orange County was no less than 105 and up to 118 driving to the campsite. We were very worried about the temps, but miraculously, just 5-10 mins before we arrived to the campsite, the temp dropped almost 5-10 degrees! Very pleasantly surprised. We were also surprised by the amount of greenery around the campsite, despite seeing a whole lot of yellow and burned tree trunks almost all the way up the mountain. We had group site B, which is nice and spacious. We were charged $8 extra per day per car, over 4 cars. We had access to 3 bathrooms and each had running water outside of them where we could wash our dishes and ourselves (no showers). The vault toilets did have a lot of flies and bees during the day, but that was to be expected. Group site A had to walk through our site which wasn't ideal, but not a deal breaker. We visited the rock slides (Upper and Lower Coffee Camp) about 45 mins down the mountain (very, very windy road). Very crowded and limited parking, but we were able to make it work. Nice place to cool down. There was a supply store on the way where we could buy fishing supplies, food, medicine and there is a restaurant there as well, but we did not eat there. The people were nice and there is wifi there is you need it. Nobody had cell service at the camp site across most of the providers, Verizon included. Fishing at the rock slides didn't work since there were so many people. We ended up near Camp Nelson / Coy Flatt, in Belknap Creek which was nice but no fish to be seen. We couldn't find any decent fishing spots near the campground at all. The other camps didn't have any luck either.

    Campsite 8.
    Leslie M.

    Quaking Aspen is a super nice campground. It is kept really clean and is great for families. We got spot 8 which also had a yurt that comfortably slept our family at four. There is potable water near every site and plenty of pit toilets. We chose the spot due to its proximity to the Ponderosa General Store. Unfortunately, and very sad to report, the store burned down in February. We were counting on the store for some provisions. Luckily, the camp host had firewood and ice on the weekends. The campground is wooded but all of the hikes surrounding have burned down in recent years. We were here on a really hot day and we found a little swimming hole about a mile and a half down the road on the left near another camp road. It was exactly what we needed to cool off on a hot day.

    Katie B.

    A review for the anxious camper (like myself): First of all, this is a great campsite. I went June 27-29, 2022, and honestly, there was nothing to complain about. Everyone was nice, my neighbors were quiet, the place was in a beautiful area, and I got to see some Giant Sequoias just a quick drive away! I stayed at campsite #15 and it was a GREAT location. I walked around the campground my second day and noticed that a lot of the sites differ from each other, so each one is unique in its own way. But I recommend #15 for solo or 2-3 tents! Some tips: - buy your firewood before heading up. I read that people bought bundles on site, but that wasn't a thing when I went. You CAN drive a few minutes to Ponderosa and ask for firewood. The guy at the lodge charged me 10$ to grab as many logs as I wanted. (I'd say visit Ponderosa anyways because said lodge is a really cute place to buy supplies, food, drinks, etc.) - you CAN forage for wood as well - I'm not sure if it was because I was near the bathrooms, but I had some of the most persistent flies following me around during the day. So make sure you bring fly repellant or something!! - GETTING THERE: it says on Apple Maps that the road is closed a little before the campsite... that is NOT TRUE. use google maps or just follow highway 190 East from Porterville through Springville. No closed roads. - there is a lot of dirt around, so be ready to get dusty clothes & shoes (I brought baby wipes to help that). - there's a nice hiking trail beside campsite #23 - at the "Trail of 100 Giants" (which is about 13ish miles away from camp), it's 12$ cash to park and go on the trail. Definitely worth it. Anyways... overall I had a great time. Definitely a nice campground if you don't want to go all the way into the national park but still want to experience the giant sequoia trees/sequoia national forest. :) P.S.: I drove an EV car, and was able to make the trip nicely! I topped up in Porterville (that charger was okay... better ones in Bakersfield) and left with 240 miles. Got to the campsite with 120mi (uphill driving!), but on the way back down I was back up to about 190mi. I took the 190 highway through springville there, and went back down past California Hot Springs.

    Fully set up site. View from the drive way.
    R R.

    Very quiet campground (after we left lol); Mark the camp attendant was amazing but had very little information about the area trails as he had been there only for 3 months. We asked about bears and he mentioned that was not an issue there; so we slept with our toiletries inside our test (WHICH I LOVED!!!!) Our group rented site B; a 25 person; 4 car site ($7 or an additional vehicle) I wouldn't recommend this site for 2 reasons: most of the cleared ground is in an incline; second, site A has to walk through the site to get to the bathroom and parking lot so it can get annoying to hear people walk by your tent all all hrs of the night not to mention the brightness from their flashlights. Site A is too far from the bathrooms and you'll get the sticky eye for walking through site B. Best group site in my opinio is C-- semi-secluded with tons of sitting area and pretty close to the bathroom. Yes, it's a 50 person site but at the very least you'll have plenty of space for your group of 25 or more. My selling point was seeing the wood benches carved out of pine trees around the fire pit. I'm giving this campground 5*s based on our experience and activities around here-- oh, and lack of bears lol the only animal you have to worry about are the mosquitoes on late evenings. There's an easy hike that starts behind campsite #23 that goes all the way to Quaker Meadow. I would recommend Freeman CreeksTrail (a 2-3 min drive from here). It's beautiful, it has shade, lots of trees, bridges and in some parts it runs parallel to a creek. Also, there's Dome Rock-- the views from here are breathtaking and more so during the night. I would suggest you go around 7 p.m. or around sunset for a beautiful view of the whole valley below and for you to scout a sitting area to go back and stargaze around 10 p.m. This was legit the highlight for me. This spot is a 10 min drive from the campsite. The dirt road could be rough so use caution if you're driving a small vehicle.

    Campsite 7 . Campsite 8 in view
    Emily S.

    My boyfriend and I stayed at campsite 7 which was pretty nice. We had some trouble setting up our tent since the ground was on a bit of an incline but overall the space worked out. Campsite 8 is very close, almost adjacent while campsite 6 was very secluded. Since no one was reserved next to us until the last day it was pretty great but just know number 8 is super close to 7. The quaking aspen campground as a whole was very beautiful and quiet , not crowded before forth of July. There is a path next to the meadow going two ways to hike near campsite 24(i don't know exact number) with two paths, one going to a hiking trail into the forest and the other next to a creek with a tiny waterfall which i recommend exploring. If you drive past the campsite a few miles on the main road you will find Ponderosa which has a general store and bed and breakfast. A few minutes past that there is a really cool view you should check out called dome mountain or something. If you turn left onto a dirt path you will find an amazing view of the whole forest on top of a giant smooth rock peak. It was the highlight of our trip.

    Beautiful sky
    Jeny M.

    Wow first time here and it was awesome The camp host was very helpful and nice We will definitely go back again

    Anthony S.

    This place was awesome my whole family loved it ... the drive up a lil sad due to all the trees that were burned ! But when we got to quaking camp grounds nothing but tall green trees ... this place is amazing!!!!

    it was suppose to be 42 degrees
    James S.

    Stayed here over Memorial weekend '12. Place is beautiful with fairly large sites. We ended up leaving a day earlier than anticipated because it was so freakishly cold. Nearby Porterville was 70 degrees, and Quaking was 32 degrees when we arrived just 1hr later. Immediately after we arrived, it started snowing. I give this place 4 stars because it is a very nice site, however, heed my warnings below. Warnings: Elevation is 7000ft. Expect colder temperatures than any nearby cities or campsites. Take Camp Nelson's temp and minus an additional 10 degrees. Altitude may be a factor as well. Weather.com is wrong! At least it was for us. It was about 15 degrees off. The drive from Porterville is extremely windy and there is no shoulder. I'm certain many have met their makers on this road. Be rested before you try this 24 mile stretch of windy road. Port-a-potties stink badly. Not sure if we got their between changings, but I was amazed how bad it stunk. It was so cold that I expected the sh*t to freeze and not stink, but no such luck. There is fallen trees everywhere, but you may want to bring some of your own wood. Porterville Home Depot and Lowes did not readily stock firewood. This local guy made me feel real stupid when I asked him where to buy wood. "the forest is full of fallen trees...". However, most are small to medium size branches with bark. Unless you want to shuck all of the bark off, the wood creates a lot of smoke.

    Happy camper

    See all

    Photo of Tom G.
    0
    10
    1

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Matt M.
    156
    299
    0

    14 years ago

    Really nice place to camp. The rangers are a bit derpy though.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Vicky M.
    117
    13
    0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Quaking Aspen Campground

    How far is this campsite from we're the water slides are?

    Assume you mean the granite slide. About an hour + hike in time

    Are there showers?

    None.

    Is there any good fishing spots near this campsite?

    Not near the campsite you'd have to go somewhere else.

    Are there places to swim?

    no

    View All 7 Questions

    Review Highlights - Quaking Aspen Campground

    Tim the camp host was the hero of the day after a two separate incidents that we were stupidly unprepared for.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Campgrounds 333 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Belknap Campground

    Belknap Campground

    4.8
    (12 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    We loved this campsite! The sites are well-spaced, the campground is clean, and quiet (We reserved…read more#9 & #10). The creek that flows through the campground is ice-cold, and makes for a beautiful hike (My husband even caught a small trout)! The bathrooms were kept relatively clean for pit toilets, and clean water is provided from a spigot (to rinse dirty dishes, or kids!). There is a super convenient little general store in Camp Nelson, which is the closest town. Just a beautiful place, with Sequoias sprinkled throughout! You will wake up every morning, glad you're there. The camp host (I believe his name is Dan), was super chill and very helpful when we asked about local sights, and hikes. The only con right now is the fire restriction in effect for the whole area, so that means NO campfires (I got a Campfire Permit beforehand, which is required, but was not inspected). It's a very shady campground during the day, and it gets pretty chilly at night, not to mention very dark. Just make sure you have a propane stove/grill/firepit, and some lanterns/headlamps/flashlights you'll be good to go! *Trail of 100 Giants is a must see, though it's a 22 mile winding drive from the campground*

    Great campground host who takes time to inform you about everything around the camp. A nice flowing…read morestream helps lull you to sleep each night. And a few trout to catch too. Very clean and well kept campground.

    Photos
    Belknap Campground.
    Belknap Campground.
    Side view of the campsite.
    Side view of the campsite.
    Front view of our campsite.

    See all

    Front view of our campsite.
    River Ridge Ranch

    River Ridge Ranch

    4.1
    (15 reviews)
    14.6 mi

    We had our wedding here last October and this place is seriously amazing - if you're looking to…read morehave an outdoor wedding this is the place you want to go to. Just look at the photos! Even in the fall it was pretty..and we have also been here in the spring when it's greener and the flowers are in bloom, so perfect! There is a river running through the property (duh, that's probably where it gets the name), and there's multiple places on-site to have the ceremony. I want to get married all over again, just to have another big evet here, it was seriously so perfect. One of my favorite parts was the amazing rustic gazebo where you'd have your reception/dance area. They have cool lanterns and white lights strung, lighting and a sound system already hooked up for you. We barely had to do any decorating (just the tables). The tables and chairs for everything also came with the rental of the facility. Speaking of, it was a really good deal, especially because you are able to be there Friday through Sunday. We were able to be there for a few hours on Friday for rehearsal, and a bit of setup, then all day Saturday, and we were also there for hours on Sunday morning cleaning up and we explored the property a bit after that as well. If you cross the river, there are pastured with animals (horses, chickens, etc.). We used an iPod/mp3 player for our of our wedding music, and it was extremely convenient to do that here. Where you would have your ceremony, they have speakers set up so all you have to do is plug it in and have someone controlling it. Same thing with the reception area. Some other random things worth noting: they have a brand new bridal cabin where you can get ready, they have bathrooms, beer & wine only (you have to pay for their bartender, too), they have a HUGE fire pit (smores were a huge hit at our wedding, with everyone!), they have a kitchen & bar area, tons of different places on site to take photos, lots of parking, the owner had tons of things available for us to use as decor (lots of vases, bottles, easels, tables, baskets, etc.). Gary (the owner) was extremely helpful with all of our questions and concerns, he can also marry you - which is a plus if you're looking for someone to do that. They offer food options if you want to go for that, but we went with a caterer out of Porterville (Cherry Tree Catering, so good!). You can also rent all of your linens through them, which was also convenient. Us and ALL of our guests were SO impressed with this place (they still talk about how cool it was) I will definitely suggest this place to ANYONE having a wedding.

    River Ridge Ranch is an amazing venue for a DIY wedding, but they're also flexible if you'd like…read morethem to take care of certain things (eg. tableware, servers). Gary and his crew are amazing, helpful, and accommodating throughout the planning process. There's a bar area, a reception area with a covered pavilion/gazebo (heat lamps and curtain enclosures are available in cooler weather) a fire pit for s'mores and a huge barn area with its own seating that's set off from the main entrance, perfect for the ceremony. There were a lot of supplies available to borrow for the set up and big day, so don't be afraid to ask Gary for specific things before you go out and buy them yourself. We loved that he provided all chairs and tables, and even some decorations: lanterns, vases, a card box, etc. We got married October 19th and the weather was perfect! Our guests could not stop talking about what an amazing and beautiful venue we had chosen. No one was in a rush to leave! There are some trails for exploring, a river nearby, and so many nooks with seating for people to spend time relaxing outdoors. We love that the owners host outdoor educational programs as well as community concerts/gatherings. We definitely felt good about supporting this business in our community, our wedding was perfect!

    Photos
    Taken near the ceremony site. Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com
    Taken near the ceremony site. Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com
    There are great places for photos! Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com
    There are great places for photos! Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com
    Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com

    See all

    Photos by http://davidkarnowski.com

    Quaking Aspen Campground - campgrounds - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...