For our first time camping in Kings Canyon, the campsite was an excellent choice! It's located within the National Park. Very convenient for first time campers as well. The Campsite has nice bathrooms, monitored and Maintained by the campsites rangers and has water spouts/sinks. Located next to the south fork of the Kings Canyon River, fishing is permitted and permit is required (check local and state regulations). The is lots of trails and areas to go hiking as well as day use areas further up the river. In case you forget anything there is a lodge which has a well stocked market as well as snack shop to get some food. Showers and Laundry facilities are very nice for camping standards and tokens are available at the market. read more

I've been to Kings Canyon - Cedar Grove many times (10+) and it never disappoints. Great inbetween place to meet LA and SF friends! Part of me does not want to recommend - because more people will go - but it's just too good to keep to myself! Have FUN!! read more

Quote from my husband: "This is the best campsite and campground I've stay at my entire life". And I agree with him. The campground is mostly shaded with lots of trees. We booked our site, while competitive and highly sought after, early morning in advance. It was one of the larger sites that gave us access to the King's River behind us for swimming and enjoying by the water. The temperature was perfect for us during July 4th weekend. We had room to hang several hammocks, put two large tents for the four of us and still had a ton of space for kids to run around. Restrooms were pretty clean and they have fresh drinking water as well. The site is close to great hiking trails all the way to the end of the road. Only thing is that you cannot wash or pour any water on the campgrounds or site. You have to use the sink provided for all cleaning. read more

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Okay, there wasn't a whole lot of info that I needed specifically on the reviews or on the National Park websites so here is what I learned. We stayed at Sentinel Campground from 09/18-9/25/2019. . .We towed our 21' camper here and were able to tow up empty on our water holding tanks. There is a dump station with potable water at Princess campground just 20 miles or so before this campground on the way up. This allowed us to tow up the mountain empty and light and still fill up for the week that we were there. Just confirm that the campground is open during the dates you are going. if it's closed, so is the dump station. To fill up with water was free, but if you wish to dump your tanks there its a $10 fee, payable by debit or credit card. Now, onto the campsites. We chose Sentinel based on the reviews and the fact that Sheep Creek was closed when we were there. We drove through them all while we were there and were very happy with Sentinel. The sites seem larger than the others and it was very well kept. It is more set up for tent camping as the paved spot where you park is very small on most of them. There was even one section of campsites that i couldn't access with my trailer. I attempted it but had to back out of the trail as I would have ended up hitting a tree so plan ahead or at least be very cautious when pulling a camper. there are a few good trailer spots but be prepared to level the trailer both front to back and side to side. We stayed in 73 and it was very nice other than it didn't have many trees. Now, the general store is very close and convenient if you forget anything, but be prepared to pay for the convenience. surprisingly, beer is very affordable and they have some cool IPA's but I'd still bring a good stash of your own as well. what wasnt affordable was firewood. We didn't bring firewood because the national park site suggested not to. BIG MISTAKE. the store charged almost 14 dollars for literally 5 little pieces of firewood. it was pathetic. the ranger informed us we could use any fallen log or stick around the camps so we made use of that and it turned out okay but next time, we will be bringing our own firewood. This site is a bit far while towing and can be tight around some sharp corners but is worth it in my opinion. there are amazing views and the river is on the edge of the site. If you plan to do fishing, anything that runs parallel to the road you can use barbed hooks. this was also something I had trouble getting answers on. We did a ranger walk to the meadow with Lea and she was very informative and I think kids would really like the way the rangers present their information. very fun and friendly. the downside of this site and the other 3 next to it is, that if your activities include crystal caves, general Sherman or forest of giants, etc... those are all in Sequoia and are an hour and a half of mountain driving away. If you plan those, try to stay at lodgepole or somewhere closer to sequoia. Lastly, this was a first-come, first-serve campground and it worked out well. we stayed for a week and there were a constant influx and outflux of campers every day. This is nice because you can change spots mid-week if you find one you like better if you don't mind taking down camp that is. I hope this helps someone in the future! read more

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Absolutely loved this campground!! It is close to absolutely everything we wanted to see! My gf and I went for 3 days; Friday-Sunday. We got there around 10:30am on Friday morning because we read that camp space is hard to find sometimes since it is first come first serve. However, we had no problems. It is about an hour into Kings Canyon/ past the sequoia trees but absolutely worth the drive. Campsite is about: 2 min walk to South Fork River 10 min drive to Grizzly Falls 10 min drive to Roaring River Falls 15-20 min drive to the hike start point to Mist Falls (10 mile round trip hike). Paid $18 per night. Showers were a dollar for 5 minutes at the small village (drive distance 2 mins depending where you camp... or 10-15 min walk). read more

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Great campground. Beautiful location near Road's End and adjacent to Cedar Grove Village. The sites are exceptionally clean and well maintained, each with a table, firepit and bear locker. Was especially impressed with the cleanliness of the restrooms. We camped over a weekend and this time of year there were plenty of open spaces. Overall very quiet and peaceful. I would have liked to see a few more dumpsters for trash (we had quite a trek to get to the nearest one) and I would like to see them restock and maintain the restrooms on a daily basis, at least during the weekends. The women's restroom was getting dangerously low on toilet paper by Sunday afternoon. Other than that this place is perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a great campsite. read more

Sentinel Campground - Site #49 Sentinel Campground - Campgrounds Near Me

Overall the campground was nice. It was first come first serve when we went, August 18, 2017 you need to start making reservations. I think that is for the better. We ended up taking two sites (#72 & #74) because the sites were very close together. There were trees for some shade but not a lot in late afternoon. These two sites were located between 2 restrooms and very close to a water faucet. Walking distance to the river, visitors center and "village". The village consist of a lodge, snack bar and market in one building. The were showers and laundry facilities I the village but did not check those out. Noise level- very little considering how close the sites are. Downfall - the highway to get to the camp is narrow with a massive ravine with sharp curves. For someone with a fear of heights be cautious. read more

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I did a lot of research on this general area of Kings Canyon before choosing this campground. I was very pleased with how everything turned out! We were there August 3-6. My main goal was to be extremely close to a few particular scenic locations (even though ALL of Kings Canyon is beautiful). And by extremely close, I mean that the TRAILHEADS for these particular places are close, not the ACTUAL scenic sites. You pretty much have to hike to these places. ;) Scenic locations that are a 5-minute drive from Sentinel (that I visited): - Roaring River Falls (HARDLY a 2-minute, slightly uphill walk on a paved path) - Zumwalt Meadow (4 miles round trip) - Mist Falls (9-10 miles round trip) Back to the campground! There are no reservations. It's first come, first serve. You enter the campground, and drive around until you see one you really like, then back your car in and park to claim it. Then you head over to where the entrance is, grab a yellow envelope, fill out your personal and payment info (hopefully you have a pen in your car), slip your cash/check (or just leave credit card details on the envelope) inside the envelope, and slip the envelope inside the little box back at the entrance. You also tear off the detachable portion that has your # of nights staying, payment amount, and license plate #, and clip that to the wooden post at your campsite. Then it's yours! If you're not sure how long you're going to stay, I would suggest doing it night-by-night and just fill out a new slip every day. We knew we were staying three nights, so we just filled out that info and paid $54 in cash ($18/night for 3 nights). Our campsite was #7, along a small meadow. I definitely recommend this site as it is huge! The only thing is that a tree seemed to have fallen right in the middle of it, but you just walk around it. We only had one tent, and it easily could have fit two more. The bear box gets medium shade I'd say, and the overall campsite is probably 80-90% shade. It was cloudy/overcast for 2 of the 3 days we were there, so maybe my shade factor is an overestimate. This campground is right along the South Fork of the Kings River. We went down there at 7 pm one night and I got some beautiful photos. You can step into the water if you want, just be advised that it's at your own risk. Prepare to take a little stroll over to the bathrooms, which are relatively clean, flush toilets. Two stalls in the women's restroom (I believe two stalls and one urinal in the men's). There's a wash sink on the outside of the restrooms for dishes. The overall campground seemed relatively quiet, no one was getting too loud or crazy where we were. Pretty much within the campground is a ranger station for info on the area. Also a 5 or 10 minute walk away is Cedar Grove (we just drove over, hehe) where there's a store for all your camping needs and also showers (highly recommended if you take the Mist Falls hike ;D). Definitely recommend this campground if you're willing to take a decent drive to get there with lots of downhill driving that CAN be a little harsh on your brakes, and if you want to be super close to some amazing scenery and hikes. read more

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This was a great campground. It feels spacious, clean bathrooms, very close to the river. The ranger station is right there too, so you can make frequent visits to get any information you need. There are evening programs in the nearby amphitheater. great for kids; we had like 25 kids in our group, so...! The Don Cecil hiking trail is also nearby, walking distance. And there's many more of course, within 5 minutes of driving. At the end of the road there's a nice pool area where you can jump off a rock to the river too. I don't remember what it's called. read more

We just returned from a 3 night stay. Though it is late June and the campground was labeled "full", there were more vacant sites than filled ones. We didn't mind the extra privacy. Showers at Cedar Grove were closed and it didn't appear they would open anytime soon. The Cedar Grove "Village" is nothing more than a lodge with some tables down near the river and a small market for essentials. Sentinel campground itself was nice enough and quiet. We had site 74 which is huge, but on a moderate slope. I think the best ones are sites 13-18 which backs up to the river. Nonetheless, we had a great time and enjoyed the river which was rushing white water this year. However, we won't return here and prefer Lodgepole where there are more amenities and hikes we enjoy. read more

If you're looking to get away without a signal this is a perfect place! Sentinel was beautiful even if it took a while to get there. We drove an RV so the road made it a long trip, but well worth it. It was somewhat difficult to park the RV but doable. Bathrooms were nearby but not too close. Everyone there was having such a wonderful time, it was easy to enjoy! Plus it was fun to be on that side of the park to explore in the morning! read more

Beautiful campground with flushing toilets and a nearby showers and general store. The river runs right by and everything was pretty clean and well maintained. Unfortunately for us the showers had been closed the week before due to water shortage so we had to travel a bit for a shower. Additionally its worth note that this camp site is not near any of the common sequoia park attractions and requires about two hours of drive time to get there. read more

I've been camping in Sentinel for the past 50 years and this past year summer 2017 was the most disappointing year. We've always loved and appreciated the cleanliness, peacefulness that comes with the well monitored and maintained camp group. However, this past year there didn't seem to be anyone monitoring the sites at all, there we WAY more then 6 people per site, I counted 12 in one site and trash was left out. Please do not let this campground turn into a "river" like campgound. Please rangers and staff keep kings canyon, Cedar grove beautiful. read more

Absolutely amazing campground. Best camping trip of my life. Kind of out of the way but worth it 100 percent. Ranger on site 24 hours. Payphone. Bathrooms. Across the street is a little lodge with coffee and food. read more

We drove in early and was able to get a good spot tucked away (#7) with lots of room! It was a big spot and very peaceful. Great location to explore upper canyon but a bit of a drive to get into Sequoia. read more

I planned this camping trip somewhat last minute, but it was one of the most incredible times. Sentinel has really spaced out campsite so you are almost never too close to any other site. Weather was beautiful (i went in late august) and there are tons of hiking trails. This site is close to the general store, which also has showers you can use. There were bathrooms throughout the campsite, and rangers patrolled almost every night. It's a little far into the park, but totally worth it. Absolutely beautiful. read more

From all the positive reviews about this campground, I was expecting so much more than I got. I will try to be informative and not opinionated in this review. We chose this campground because it sounded from descriptions and reviews like a quiet, family-oriented place with spacious sites in a beautiful setting. We decided to stay for four nights (first week in August 2018) because there were showers nearby, and we wanted plenty of time to explore. Upon arriving after a long drive, we discovered that many of the trees in the south side of the campground had been cut down (dead trees due to the drought and bark beetles). Our site had less privacy because of that. I walked the campground later and realized that many other sites had more privacy. However, the 'meadow' that is advertised was not much more than a little open area of grasses. Maybe it's because I've hiked and camped in truly beautiful places such as Mineral King (Sequoia NP), Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, Grand Tetons, and Grand Canyon, but the scenery here was just pleasant; definitely not amazing. We found out the first day that the showers had just closed due to water shortages, so that's something to keep in mind if you're camping late in the summer. We decided the river would keep us clean enough. The hike to Mist Falls was very nice, and we continued to the top of the switchbacks after the falls (another mile) to get a better view of the canyon. Very pretty! We also enjoyed a ranger talk through Kumalt Meadows - again, very pretty. But not amazing. To get amazing, I think you have to backpack into the high country, and we met several people who doing that. On the third night, a group moved in near us, taking three adjacent campgrounds. At 9:30 pm, they started playing drinking games, becoming incredibly loud and extremely inappropriate, with absolutely no consideration for the other campers. By 11pm, with sleep not even a remote possibility, my husband and a fellow camper went looking for a ranger. There was no ranger on site, but you could call a number from a pay phone for 50 cents, which we were lucky enough to have. It took 30 minutes for a ranger to arrive, and he parked his vehicle around the corner from the campsite for about 15 minutes. Not sure why it took 15 minutes to decide to approach them, but at midnight, he finally took action. They were belligerent enough that he actually gave them a citation, which they definitely deserved. Of course, that wound them up even more. So, we got to listen to them carrying on for another hour before they finally fell into a drunken stupor. The next morning, we got to listen to them recounting proudly all the activities of the evening before and saying they looked forward to seeing the ranger that night too. We packed up and left a day early, because we really didn't want to go through that whole scenario again. I'm sure this is a rare case, but just beware that if you need a ranger after hours at Sentinel Campground, you'll need 50 cents and may be waiting awhile! Overall, this was not the camping experience I was expecting, and I do not plan to return. read more

Spent the weekend with the family at this campground. Convenient and clean bathrooms, drinking bottle refill stations and nice wash basin for dishes and washing up/ brushing teeth. Park Rangers on site, are AWESOME and so helpful. Visitors Center on premises, notification board at entrance of activities as well as a board to post messages to friends and family who show up late. General store about 150 yards from entrance of the park. Showers at $1.00 for 5 minutes next to General Store and a snack shop that sells great cooked food at a reasonable price. Hiking trails adjacent the park and additional trail further down the road at Roads End. Mist Falls and other trails are well traveled, can't get lost. Scenery is breathless on the trails with rapids and water falls as well as vistas of the forests. River trail is awesome and some sunbathing as well as wading in the water is available. Highly recommend this camp site! read more

Fantastic camp site. Stayed 8/5/15 to 8/8/15. First come first serve. If you arrive before Friday there are lots of good sites available. Our site (#23) was a short walk to river. Visitor center on site; evening ranger programs; walking distance to cedar grove village (store with supplies, snack bar, showers, etc). Tons of great hiking spots. Bathrooms are about what you would expect...eh. About 45 minutes from grant grove. read more

Had a great experience with the environment and friendliness of the rangers here. Camp ground is kept clean and you feel safe. Will be visiting this location again. read more