My first time visiting this National Forest. An absolutely beautiful and clean park. There's a lot to see and a lot to do. One day isn't enough when visiting the park. I visited Pinecrest lake and Rainbow Pool. The lake wasn't for me. However, there is plenty of parking. BBQ and picnic areas. Several restrooms. I saw kids swimming in the lake, and boaters enjoying the lake and scenery. Free entrance and parking. Day visit. The Rainbow Pool was it for me. I heard, the water is cold, but on this date with the temperature being 101, the water was perfect. I saw kids jumping from a high distance into a pool below. The river moves fast. I found it best to wear water shoes as the rocks in the river are slippery. Entrance and parking equals to $10 (cash). There's only 20 parking spaces in the lot. Driving up toward the exit, there are a few spaces on the side of the road. They're marked. I had to park on top of the hill where there was plenty of space. Definitely recommend Rainbow Pool. I wanted to visit Diana Pool, also but no time. read more

Stanislaus National Forest - Campgrounds Near Me - Sonora, California

See all

The forest has thousands of trees... perfect place for a park! The park is quite large and has many campgrounds, trails for hiking, and tables for picnics read more

Great place to explore/hike/fish/hunt. Be prepared and safe. Research on the fact.usda.gov sometimes needs a little more clarification. If you're going to overnight, confirm with the ranger stations on if you need a wilderness permit (free) which can not be ordered online and only available at all 4 ranger stations. What really sucks is that the ranger districts don't know much about the areas in all regions,only the area they oversee, and they will not answer your question relating to an area they are not assigned, they'll defer you to the correct station to answer your questions: Summit (all areas need a wilderness permit for overnight, but not when you're exploring during the day) I felt the lady who answered my questions from this station was kind of curt with me. She may need to get some training on customer service or choose a new line of work if she doesn't want to answer phone calls. Calaveras (some areas) call to confirm if the area you're going to overnight at may need it. Groveland (some areas) call to confirm if the area you're going to overnight at may need it. If you last minute decide to overnight, the permits can be collected at a self service area for when the stations are closed. read more

This is truly a beautiful place to come & just get your Zen back! I mean the meadows, Duck lake , Alpine lake, cherry lake need I say more. They have some of the most gorgeous hiking trails. If you like mountain biking that's a great option too. The camping here is always fun. The smell of all the trees, so refreshing. read more

Our family has been camping here at Pinecrest every year,really love this place it is nice and affordable My only complain is the overnight parking it is like a mile walk from campsites read more

Stanislaus National Forest - Campgrounds Near Me - Sonora, California

Okay, we're all adults here. Santa Claus is not real, but if he were, I'm pretty sure Stanislaus National Forest would be his secret hideaway. Or maybe that of his alter-ego, or an evil twin, or something. Come on, you didn't really think he lived at the North Pole, did you?! This National Forest is crazy secluded, like lose-cell-phone-reception-an-hour-before-you-get-there secluded. But it's so beautiful. Great views of the mountains, lots of wildlife, several trails, well-maintained and frequently patrolled. Picnicking and limited camping available, advise contacting for reservations ahead of time. Came here when visiting Bear Valley and loved the huge trees and amazing views. Definitely coming back in the spring or summer to be able to rent a kayak at Lake Alpine or Utica Reservoir. read more

Stanislaus National Forest first popped my camping cherry a few years ago and I was back again for some more nature lovin' this summer. Oh my. Things haven't changed! I have fallen in love with this park! You get to really experience nature, in all of its wonderful glory. Including pesky mosquito bites. I lost cell phone reception 1.5 hours before we arrived at our campsite so this is a wonderful place to breakaway from the modern and often technologically-dependent lives us city dwellers lead. We camped for three days and two nights at Big Meadow Campground which is no longer taking reservations (first-come, first-served). However, it's a big campground, 60+ sites. You are surrounded by huge granite rocks and magnificent trees. The campground is spacious and well shaded for the most part. Bathroom facilities include the bare minimum--just a toilet and lots of creepy-crawly creatures to keep you company as you do your business. You can do so much here and it's a great place to camp because you're surrounded by fresh water. It's refreshing to have bodies of water so you can take a dip in. This helps clean freaks like me deal with the fact that I haven't showered for 2-3 days. We went on a river hike along a fresh water stream, complete with mini waterfalls and cascades. Perfect for a hot day so bring your bathing suits! The river has many cool pockets that you can just hang out and relax in. The scenery is breathtaking but remember to be careful! The rocks are covered with algae so they get slippery. I fell twice. Rent out a kayak or boat and explore Lake Alpine and Utica Reservoir! I kayaked during the day in Utica Reservoir which has small, isolated islands that you can chill at and enjoy a nice, peaceful lunch away from everyone else. You can also swim in the lakes. The water is not too cold and it's fresh water so no burning your eyes! We also went moonlight kayaking at Lake Alpine and yes, it's as cool (and romantic) as it sounds! It was around 10pm and the lake was completely still and empty. No ripples in the water. It was quite eerie, especially with the layer of smoke from the campsites hovering over the land. We went during a full moon so it was bright and well-lit. You can go stargazing as well and I actually saw a shooting star! There is just so much you can do at Stanislaus and all of the scenery is pure undisturbed nature. It's stunning and humbling. A great way to enjoy the outdoors while indulging in some beautiful sights! read more

See all

Can't express how much awesome this camping was!!! Peaceful, not too hot, not too cold, and chilly enough for a fire at night. Quiet, and no jackasses blaring music or "WOO"-ing into the night. read more

Stanislaus National Forest - Love! - Campgrounds Near Me - Sonora, California

See all

Way up in the meadow up in Kennedy Meadows is the head water of the majestic Stanislaus River. This is where our pet dog showed us how strong a swimmer she is and how she swam up current read more

Warning to all: Families, large camping groups, persons with disabilities, or OHV riders: Essentially all group camp spots have been closed without public notice, in the 3N01 road area. Someone in the forest service who does not realize the amount of public use has cordoned off all large camp spots. Camping is now limited to road side/Trail side parking, in line. No more wagon circles.Hull creek camp is not an option, gate is locked. They have made it almost impossible for RV/Trailer camping in this area, in small or large groups - if you are planning on traveling with more than one rig, be sure to get there VERY early, or you will be out of luck. In the summer, you and your camp with be dusted by the OHV riders, as the camp is now literally on the trail. What was once able to accommodate at least 6 large groups at a time is now struggling to handle 1-2. The forest and scenery/riding trails are still beautiful and worth the drive, just beware if you are planning to camp overnight or for the weekend. read more

See all

I am not what you would call an outdoorsy type but as we were in Bear Valley for a long weekend felt we should do something to break a sweat at least one day! A retired lady at Bear Valley recommended the Woodchuck Basin Trail which is part of Mokelumne Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest, the parking lot is about 2 miles past Lake Alpine. We hiked up to the ridge, took awhile (slow going in sneakers as it was kind of rocky). If you are in shape you could do the RT in two hours, took us three, maybe longer but we were in no hurry. A nice little outing, stop at Lake Alpine resort for a cool one afterwards. read more

Stanislaus National Forest - Campgrounds Near Me - Sonora, California

See all

This campground is stunning; large sites, plenty of room between sites, adequate bathrooms, close to the lake and kid friendly. The problem is the management. Checking in was not with your usually friendly Park Service employee but with a truculent Dodge Ridge (the private sector management company running the site ) worker who complained about being overworked and lacking sufficient assistance. The problems quickly became apparent. we were there on the 10 days surrounding Fathers Day....a busy time for which some planning would be in order. At no time were all the bathrooms in the loop working, at almost no morning was there toilet paper in the bathrooms, this was replicated later in the day especially in the women's bathroom where one stall was constantly out of order, the trash cans around the campground were constantly full to overflowing as were those around the lake. I witnessed an employee putting one roll of TP in a three roll holder. There were plenty of employees to monitor campsite numbers and make sure limits were not exceeded, but apparently none to provide basic cleanup and routine restroom maintenance. Sites were never cleaned before the next group arrived....at one of our sites the fire from the previous occupant was still smoldering and at another the coals had been spread across a tree stump. We found abandoned medications. The inefficiency extended to conflicting information concerning how many cars/tents/Rvs/persons could be at a site. One site says1 vehicle and three tents, another says 2 vehicles and 6 persons and a third says one RV. Given the size of the sites a limit of 6 persons per site is probably low. The ethos of the campground seems to be oriented towards acceptable efficiency and not quality service. Employees were poorly trained, not particularly friendly, and lacking in the people skills usually associated with National Parks. At the big prestigious parks such as Yosemite, Zion, the Grand Canyon, the visitors are often from foreign countries and the treatment is first class in its service orientation. This Park serving people from the surrounding areas....cars were from Modesto, Stockton, Tulare, odd outliers from Oakland and one refugee from Laguna does not approach the service level of those parks designed to attract foreign tourists. Its a shame that an otherwise lovely environment is spoiled by second class profit oriented service. Its just not good enough for government work. read more

We absolutely love this forest. It's large enough to get lost in for days and escape cell phone coverage, traffic, and all the annoying parts of modern life. We go primitive camping here for up to a week at a time and leave everything behind. All the park rangers we've come into contact with have been awesome. We tent camp at around 10k feet which is really cool. Plenty of great views and hiking here. With no lights from communities to bother you at night the view of the night sky is breathtaking. Look forward to our next adventure here. read more