Pinecrest Campground

Stayed two nights. Had a large campsite with plenty of room and fairly secluded. Close to the restrooms, never did find showers. Enjoyed the proximity to the lake and had a great hike around it. Would return and stay a day or two longer.

We played paddle board in the lake, watched the new Minion movie at the amphitheater, stayed in our RV.

Clean campsites very close to Pinecrest Lake, the coffee shop, store, restaurant. Saturday nights they play outdoor movies at the Amphitheater. Flush toilets available. Taking away 1 star because there are no bear boxes.

Had just an amazing time out in Pinecrest. I have been here a couple times before but this was the first time with a travel trailer. On their website it did state there was water hookups unfortunately there was not. Me and the girlfriend rented a boat for half the price as the early bird special and caught a bunch of trout. We used a size ten Tribble hook with about a foot leader and pinch weights with rainbow powerbait for those that want to catch fish for lunch.

Pinecrest was an amazing place at the edge of the Stanislaus national forest. The community is great, the campground and bathrooms were very well maintained. It was a 10min walk to the lake. If you’re into fishing, there are trout in the area with some nice fishing spots labeled on the paper map. Even boat rentals to get into the open water. The hike around the lake was beautiful too, roughly 2-3 hr hike with some great views. Amazing place to camp.

I love the access to the beach, the hikes, the coffee shop for mornings when you don’t want to get a fire started.

Can be a lot of RV generator noise, even (especially?) in early October.

I am a tent camper so bear that in mind. Do not get me wrong, pinecrest lake is beautiful.  And if you take the trail to the backside of the lake you get access to great granite back country.

But this campground is big. BIG. and crowded.  And then so many people come in for day use that it is a mob.  The layout is open not private.  Lots of tall trees but no understory.

I did camp here when it was only partially open at the end of the season - October and I pretty much had the place to myself as the "season" was over. While cold I could enjoy the lake without the movies nights, boats and crowds on the beach.

The campground has everything - table, fire pit, storage locker and bathrooms.

We’ve been coming here since I was a kid and it has hardly changed. The lake is loved to death but still a fun time for all. Hiking, mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, outdoor movie theater - something for everyone.

I have camped at pinecrest about 5 times and every experience I’ve had is amazing. Pinecrest is a fun campground for the family, sometimes I enjoy my quiet camping where there aren’t a whole lot of amenities around then other times you want to be able to bring the kids around. Pinecrest has an amphitheater that has the mountains and lake in the back, they play movies that are currently in theaters and sell snacks too! Beautiful surroundings, fun for riding bikes around they have a snack shop right by the lake for ice cream and such. The camp store is also right nearby everything is walking distance. You pitch your tent and you start exploring. I love pinecrest! I have even camped here when it snowed (emptiest I’ve ever seen pinecrest).

This campground is always amazing but there is no hookups which we always prefer. The lake is beautiful though and the kids really love the Amphitheatre where they play pretty good family friendly movies.

Great camping, fishing , Hiking. Friendly people all around.

Awesome camp ground! Might be biased, because I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, but it’s a great camp ground and atmosphere. Clean and well managed. Gave it four out of five only because it can get very crowded during the summer season.

loads of fun, would rate a 5 but super crowded.

Lake pinecrest is beautiful. The campground is in the wooded area. The lake is awesome for swimming, boating and fishing. In the summer, the chellet and little lake front stores offer a chance to pick up anything forgotten. We rented a pontoon boat and explored. There are so many hiking trails. Our favorite was Cleo's Bath. It's between 4 and 5 miles long, with a bit of rock climbing, but at the top there are georgous pools and a natural waterslide formed by the snow melt on the mountain. The water at the top is very cold, but crystal clear. The views are stunning. Some nights, they even play family movies at the little theater/gathering place. Excellent family campground.

This campground is located at 5000 ft elevation in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is about 2 1/2 housa from the San Francisco bay area. The campsites are a very short walk from the lake. the sites are spacious, well spaced and shady. Amenities are quite good with flush toilets, showers, a general store and more. There is a beautiful trail around the lake. It is very picturesque with the lake being surrounded by granite mountains.Reservations can be had through the USFS and if the main campground is filled there is a first come first served overflow about a half mile by trail or road to the lake.Tthe lake has swimming fishing and pleasure boating with rentals available. It is located along highway 108 east of Sonora Ca.

This is a nice campground on Pinecrest Lake near Sonora Pass in Stanislaus National Forest. There is a great hike around the lake close by, as well as swimming in the lake a marina and a convenience store. This campground is open seasonally during spring, summer and fall due to the snow in winter. It is located in gold country, so there are some great little western towns in the area.

Don't let the fact that this campsite has over 300 sites fool you - it books fast! We managed to secure one of the last spots one weekend. The sites are great because they are quite big. The terrain varies where you stay and if you are in D or E loop you are closer to the lake. Even though they are large, the tree coverage is bear on some of them so there isn't much privacy.

The other thing that varies is the shade coverage. Our site (we were in the D block closer to the lake) had minimal tree coverage so it was sunny and light at times in the tent. It didn't last long so it wasn't any problem. The bathrooms are mediocre - there was no lights in them at night so you need a headlamp. I didnt see showers in the one near us but am guessing there are some. You will have to look.

The lake is amazing and gets a lot of day trippers. You can walk around the lake, fish, rent kayaks or boats, paddleboards etc. There is also an ampitheatre and they had movies at night - families "reserve" their seating early by puttig blankets on the seats. There is a little 5 and dime store in walking distance as well.