North Grove Campground — Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Pros - you are in the middle of the Sequoias, near hiking, kayaking, etc. Beautiful river nearby; pretty easy in and out for small-ish RVs. Hard to beat the location.

Cons - some road noise from Hwy 4, trucks going by were sometimes pretty noticible; some toilets and showers were pretty nice, some pretty beat up. Inconsistent pricing on the showers.

Overall impression - beautiful location, good for trailers, if you can get a flat spot a little farther away from the highway it would be better.

Great view, great facility and coin-based shower, great trails, great water access, very clean sites.

The sites are a little close to each other but we were ok as a family with small kids. Other reviews complained about yellow jackets but we didn't see them.

This is a super magical park! Giant trees, great visitor center and junior ranger program, and swimming in the Stanislaus river (cold but refreshing!!)

My daughter and I were on a road trip from Long Beach, CA to Long Beach, WA this April and visited with friends in nearby Murphys. They recommended Big Trees State Park, so we swung by to see if we could nab a spot to camp; sadly, the campground was still closed for maintenance—tree clearing, parking lot paving, etc. 

We were able to take the walking tour of the North Grove and snuck a peek at the campground. The entire park is beautiful and well-maintained. We met an off-duty ranger while on the trail; she was giving her elderly father a personal tour. Despite, she spent some time sharing with my daughter points of interest and interesting facts/history. The on-duty rangers were equally as helpful and friendly.

We will be back to camp as the spots were really well-spaced and level; the campground had clean, modern facilities and great access to the trails. Absolutely gorgeous.

I would rate this much higher but there were 2 things I really didn't like. 1 -the ground had soft powdered dirt. 2- the bees were so bad eating or drinking anything was difficult Outside of those two it would have been perfect. The site was really big and fairly level, close to the bath/showers/trash and extra parking. It is a few miles to a beautiful cascading river and then a few more tothe lake. The campgrounds in general are very well maintained and clean. Verizon works well at the check in but not in the campgrounds themselves.

Beautiful site, hiking trails close by, well maintained grounds. Bear came through our camp one night hit the Bear box and walked off. Rangers were friendly and very informative about the area. Can’t wait to go back.

My brother and I hit the north grove campground for the first time this past weekend. My expectations weren’t high but this place was great.

The campground we chose was kind of close to the road which would have been the only real negative. The campground map makes it seem like the road was further away from the sites but I woke up a couple of times from road noise.

Our campsite had a fire ring, bbq, picnic table and bear box and still had a large flat spot for my huge tent as well as parking for my car.

The weather was great, no bugs to be found and plenty to do. I already want to go back next year but choose a site further from the road.

There are 4 cabins that can be rented from the Park Service however, they are not actually in the park. They are across the highway and up in the hills. We drove to the park but it's only short distance.

The cabins are great but expensive, $170 per night, so I deducted a star. They are rustic. No TV, no air conditioning (just ceiling fans), no bedding or towels. You bring your own.

I think this is my favorite California State Park. It is situated in the Calaveras Big Trees Giant Sequoia Grove.

The campsites are spacious with lots of room between you and other campers, hot showers, great Visitors Center, campfire programs, puppet shows, self guided hikes, Stanislaus River, Beaver Creek, lots of wildlife, astronomy programs (we even got to see the International Space Station go overhead) and so much more.

We saw a yearling doe with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a deer, a fledgling osprey with a little hick-up in his first flight, lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters, birds of all different colors. Just delightful.

Big Trees is close to explore the many little charming Gold Country Towns in the area and if you want to go out to dinner every kind of cuisine you can imagine.

You will have an awesome time at Calaveras Big Trees.

We love camping but we had never camped with our kids. We decided to go to Calaveras Big Trees and camp with our two kids plus our friends kids which in total equaled seven. We thought we were crazy to go into the woods with a ton of kids. It was actually really fun and we enjoyed every little bit of it.

The first day was fun and the kids ran around all over the place. We did learn that they can't jump off the walking bridge because there is a small marsh and they were soaked up to their ankles. But it was a great learning experience for them. Explore but we a little cautious.

That first night was also very cold and we discovered we didn't bring enough warm blankets. We did have to go to town and buy an extra warm blanket. After the trip we made sure to buy some extra warm sleeping bags too. We made sure to rent two big spots so we can have enough room for everyone. The kids played volleyball at one site and we sat nearby so we can play games. It was nice to have the kids right next door but far enough so they can explore. They even built their own tee pee out of logs and covered it in pine cones. It made me think of Lord of the Flies as they worked together and sometimes fought. They settled everything and worked it out in the end.

Overall it was a great trip and we all enjoyed our walk through the Calaveras Big Trees. It was so fun and exciting. Our kids loved adventuring on their own with a bit of supervision here and there from one or more of the parents. Overall it was an amazing trip. We had a lot of fun.

If you are visiting Calaveras Big Trees State Park, then you need to stay at this campground!! The sites are large and spacious- we had a 34 foot RV and there was still plenty of space. It’s perfect for groups with kids. There is so much to learn and explore here!!

Calaveras is, hands down, my favorite park in CA. It’s beauty and trees are unmatched anywhere in California. It is perfect for hiking, exploring, and nearby fishing. If you do any park besides the more well known ones in CA, do not pass this one up!

so peaceful. great for the warmer months as the trees and creek keep you cool. many beautiful trails to keep you busy and so much history.

The experience of seeing the redwoods will live in my heart forever. I drove across the country to see them, & I'd do it again in a second. This campground lets you sleep beneath these giants, breath their air, & be near them if only for the day. Beautiful camground, very well maintained, great facilities.

I want to start off this review with one big caveat and that was we literally had the campground to ourselves, with the one exception of the hosts. Because of this I don’t feel like I can say our stay at this campground was representative of what it is normally like, but here’s my review nonetheless.

The campground was beautiful with a wide-open meadow in the middle and lovely late fall trees showing their colors during our November camping trip.

All the sites are located pretty tightly around one road and there are a few large group camps. However, like I said the place was stone quiet when we were there.

The is a nice trail around the campground and a short nature walk from the Visitor’s Center, but other than that not a lot of great hiking right from the campground.

One nearby hike leaves from the Beaver Creek Campground and is just a short drive from the park. We took the South Grove Trail which is approximately 5-miles out and back with about 1,500 feet of elevation gain.

We also did the Lava Bluffs Trail which is a short 2.54 miles round trip with a little under 800 feet of elevation gain.

Overall it’s a beautiful campground and a nice area of the state. Worth a visit for sure.

The energy from these trees is electric. The enormity and smell of the forest is enchanting. Highly recommend morning hikes because the freash smell of a dewy morning and the sun piercing through the trees is magical.

Beautiful State Park, well maintained. Will definitely return

Loved visiting this state park. Safe campground, bear boxes, and beauty!

This was my first trip to Calaveras Big Trees and these magnificent trees did not disappoint. Not only are the trees spectacular to look at but the campgrounds are one of my top favorites. There is plenty to do and trails to hike in this area, easy enough for families with children and rugged trail options for the more experienced hikers. The campsites are clean and spacious with large trees surrounding everywhere and the bathrooms at the campsites were well kept (which is a huge plus!). Definitely on my to-do list to come back and explore more.

Beautiful place. We see many campers even in the winter. You need to make reservations. Enjoy these majestic trees!