McCabe Flat Campground

This campground is one of the best I've been to. The restrooms are cleaned 2 times a day. There is trash cans for each of the 3 campsites that go with this one. there a great little swimming hole just up the path. I was in spot 29. it had its own little path down to the river, and it was mostly away from everyone else. right next to restroom. I wouldn't be brave enough to take a full-size trailer over the bridge.

I arrived on a Thursday morning around 10:30 and I was lucky to snag a prime spot (#25) at the Railroad Flat campground (the last and I think best of the 3 campgrounds). There are few actual car camping spots (I sleep in my car) so plan accordingly. By Saturday morning all sites were full. Bring plenty of water and at Railroad Flat the bathroom is a bit of a hike but was clean and only ran out of TP once. The closest store is about 10-15 miles from the bridge in Midpines so come prepared. The dirt road was fine and only had a few large-ish potholes. The neighbors were friendly and many were there as a place to stay while day tripping to Yosemite (it was about 20 miles away) but this place is great all on its own! The water was cold, high and fast but I managed to catch a 12” rainbow almost right away, just feet from the campsite. Later on hooked another one but lost it. On Friday my reel broke so my fishing weekend was over but what a thrill! There is plenty of hiking and several swimming holes nearby for when it gets hot. I’ll definitely be coming back!

This place was a great stay while visiting Yosemite. No reservations in advance, an hour outside the park, and only $10 a night. There are two pit toilets that are well kept and something like 10-15 sites. Definitely come early to snag a spot, and even earlier if you want a good one. There are more campsites further down the road if the first campground is full, but we didn’t check them out. The first campground is no RVs and I assume the other ones are the same. All walk-in tent sites, but the furthest you’ll need to walk is probably 30 feet. The sites are very close together so get ready to be nice to your neighbors. There is a river right next to the campground which is very pretty and very cold. As of us being here, it’s roaring and unsafe to do anything in, but apparently when it calms down (I think later in summer/fall) it’s good for tubing and other river sports. The campground hosts were very nice and introduced themselves right away. There were also plenty of felled & chopped up trees around to use for firewood, as well as bear containers at each site and a picnic table. ANTS WILL GET IN THERE. We had ants all over our dishes in the morning, but not our stuff in tubs, so make sure your things are ant proof. All food goes into the containers, don’t leave anything smelly in your car incase a bear tries to break in. Also, the squirrels are a little too friendly, clearly they rely on the humans in the area for food, so try not to drop food on the ground & don’t feed them. They’ll walk right up to you already. And watch out for food laying around/ keeping the bear containers open/ leaving coolers and things open because they will get in there and try to eat your stuff.

The sites were well maintained. We went early in the season (April) so the dust was not bad. I think later in the spring/summer you might find yourself faced with dust and foxtails. Lots of weeds in surrounding areas. 

Water was high, but looks like it would be great fishing. 

There are many site styles available- private riverside drive up, community river cul-de-sac walk-ins, and three drive in sites tucked up the hill away from everything. 

Porta-pottys and vault toilets available- no water. 

Lots a options here.

Great beach by the river- tag the shade early in the day to beat the heat.

We stayed at the second of the three sites here, and while it was nice, it was pretty small and the camp sites were all on top of each other, which made it very crowded when Friday rolled around. There wasn't much to see beyond the river itself, and it was a bit cold for any playing in it when we were there (March 2022)

But mid week it was quiet enough and good to just chill for a bit.

Beautiful spot on the river! Pretty bumpy drive in but not bad if you take it slow.

Beautiful campground. I’ve been camping here for a few years now while rafting the Merced river. On this particular trip the weather was over 100 degrees but we had the river right next to us to cool dow. The campsite and the bathrooms were really clean. It was nice to occasionally see the ranger walk the camp sites picking up trash.

There are no hookups or water supply offered. However, for those that are self-sufficient, this is a really nice place. It gets busy, so go early. Also, there is a narrow bridge(see pictures) before the campgrounds that limits vehicle size. It is not advisable for trailers over 18 feet in length. We had a great stay. The campgrounds were very clean, and pit toilets were available. Fire rings are available at most sites, but check the BLM website for restrictions. We will definitely go here again!

I visited in November, on the first days of rain after a long dry season. I arrived after dark and was unfamiliar with the layout, so I stayed at a pull-out near the McCabe Flat campground. The next morning I checked out Willow Placer campground and continued to the end of the road to claim the last spot at Railroad Flat campground.

All three camps are along the river. There are no reservations. The first two are mostly walk-in tent sites. They are all clean and well maintained. There was a helpful ranger on patrol through the weekend.

I came with my 16’ Airstream in tow, and it fit perfectly. I would not recommend anything larger. It was late in the season, so there were only a few campers at each location. The narrow road winds along the steep canyon wall with occasional pull-outs to allow oncoming cars to pass. I was glad not to meet any vehicles on my way.

The scenery was stunning! It rained on-and-off with sunshine in between, so I rode my bike along and went fishing (didn't catch anything) while the sky was blue, then hid under a blanket with a cup of tea and watched the stormy skies. I had initially planned to go to Yosemite but was content to stay here.