Established Camping
South Fork Campground
About
National Forest
Stanislaus National Forest
South Fork Campground South Fork Campground Sign South Fork Campground Restroom South Fork Campground is on a low elevation site near the confluence of the South Fork Tuolumne River and the Tuolumne Wild & Scenic River approximately one mile from Lumsden Campground and Lumsden Bridge Campground, within the Tuolumne-Lumsden Recreation Area. Each site has a picnic table and a campfire pit with a grill. A vault toilet is available in the campground. Untreated water available from river, if running. Treating water before drinking is recommended. | snag tree | CAUTION - BURNED AREA Please use caution while in the Rim Fire Burned Area. Potential hazards include loose and falling rocks, flash floods, and debris flows. Trees may have been weakened from fire damage and ongoing drought and may fall at any time. Stay on designated roads and trails and within opened areas. Be alert for falling objects and do not linger around large trees. Avoid the area during high winds or heavy rain. |
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
TravelerRisky but Rewarding
Take a left onto Feretti off 120 and after 2 miles take a right onto Lumsden rd. Do not attempt to enter this road if your vehicle has less than 6-8in of clearance or is in any way unreliable. Lumsden rd takes you all the way down the valley on a long, rocky dirt path for about 20-30 minutes where you will get spit out right next to the raft launch and Lumsden campground. Keep driving past Lumsden campground over the concrete bridge and you’ll reach South Fork Campground.
DO NOT TAKE THE FIRE ROAD OFF 120 IT IS CLOSED AND HAS NO PULLOFFS
The campground itself is somewhat barren, not many trees but being close to the river is nice. The toilets are clean and the fire pits are well maintained, each site also has bear boxes. We went during the weekday before rafting season and before they are charging per night, so we had no neighbors until we were packing out on the last day (Sat). Overall a great experience while having the valley to ourselves for a couple nights, not sure how great it would be if crowded.
- (4) View All
TravelerSecluded!
We drove into the campground on a Friday night and were surprised to see that the 5.5mi dirt road was on the side of the mountain and had a lot of ruts. We were driving a Prius Prime with low ground clearance, so it took us nearly an hour to get down to the campground from Hwy 120. Others driving a truck and a Chevy Suburban passed us pretty quickly during turnouts.
Though 4WD or higher ground clearance is not required, I would recommend it! Otherwise, be prepared for a slow drive down to the campground.
Campsites are free, and the facilities are pretty bare bones (you have a picnic table, a fire pit, and a bear box at each site plus a single toilet at the campground entrance), but we got excellent views of the stars and were the only group at the campground. I definitely recommend this campground if you're looking to get away from everything and everyone.
Other than the unexpectedly difficult drive down (for a sedan/Prius), we all enjoyed this campground. We will be returning in a more appropriate vehicle in the future.
- (5) View All
ScoutCool spot
Chill spot Has a “tent only” area with about 6 spots and a lot of other spots for small trailers and tents
Location
South Fork Campground is located in California
Directions
From Groveland travel approximately 7.5 miles east to Ferretti Road. Turn left (north) onto Ferretti Road. Travel 1 mile and turn right (east) onto Lumsden Road/Forest Route 1N10 off of Ferretti Road. Travel approximately 5.5 miles to the campground which is located on the right (south) side of the road. RVs and trailers are not recommended on Lumsden Road/Forest Route 1N10. Lumsden Road from Lumsden Bridge to Forest Route 1N10 is closed December 15 to April 15 according to the Motorized Travel Management Plan. Lumsden Road is subject to closure during inclement weather.
Coordinates
37.83970656 N
120.04576582 W