Dorst Creek Campground, near Three Rivers, California, is a fantastic base for exploring Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. This campground is surrounded by towering trees and offers a rustic experience with essential amenities like clean restrooms and drinking water.

Visitors rave about the beautiful setting, with many noting the wildlife that frequents the area, including deer and quails. The Muir Grove hike, which starts right from the campground, is a favorite among campers, providing a serene trek through a grove of majestic sequoias. As one happy camper put it, “I could never stop visiting here; I love it so.”

While the sites can be a bit close together, the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. Campers appreciate the fire rings and picnic tables at each site, making it easy to enjoy meals outdoors. Plus, the nearby stream adds a lovely touch to the scenery, enhancing the overall camping experience.

Dorst Creek is conveniently located for those wanting to explore the stunning landscapes of the national parks. With trails leading to breathtaking views and the chance to see wildlife up close, it’s a great spot for families and nature lovers alike. Just remember, there’s no cell service here, so it’s the perfect opportunity to unplug and soak in the beauty around you.

## Overview

 Dorst Creek Campground is located in the breathtaking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in central California's rugged Sierra Nevada range. The campground is perched at an elevation of 6,700 ft., on the banks of scenic Dorst Creek. Several meadows surround the campground and a number of small streams flow through the site. A handful of popular day-hikes begin from or near the campground, including the trail to Lost Grove, a 57-acre grove containing 15 beautiful sequoias.
## Recreation

 Dorst Creek lies in the Giant Forest region of Sequoia National Park, where forty miles of trails invite visitors to immerse themselves in the majesty of the ancient groves. Several additional popular hiking and wilderness trailheads are close by, including the Big Trees Trail and the trail to Moro Rock, a granite dome with spectacular views of the Great Western Divide and western half of the park. Tokopah Falls Trail is an easy walk along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, leading to an impressive 1,200 ft. waterfall. Fly-fishing is a popular activity on Dorst Creek and the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River.
## Natural Features

 Lodgepole pine, red fir, and shrubs forest the campground, while towering groves of giant sequoias and craggy granite peaks dot the landscape. This region is characterized by warm days and cool nights in the summer and deep snow and cold days in the winter. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (559) 565-4404. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The inspiring Giant Forest Grove, General Sherman Tree, General Grant Tree, Moro Rock and Tunnel Log are just 9-17 miles away, as well as the informative Lodgepole Visitor Center and Giant Forest Museum. Colorful Crescent Meadow offers views of vivid summer wildflowers and access to Tharp's Log, a cabin in a fallen sequoia. Tours into Crystal Cave, one of hundreds of marble caves in the park, give visitors an interesting view of rock formations, fossils, rare minerals and unique wildlife. Tickets are required. Reserve in advance on www.recreation.gov. Tickets may also be purchased same day, if available, at the Lodgepole Visitor Center. Tickets are not sold at the cave entrance. The Crystal Cave is about about a one hour drive (21 miles/34 km) from the campground. Vehicles longer than 22 feet long are prohibited on the narrow winding Crystal Cave Road.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Payment in full will be charged to your credit card upon completion of the reservation. A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Additional fees will apply for late cancellations. For individual campsites: All cancellations made between midnight on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival are considered late cancellations and will incur a $10.00 cancellation fee and will also forfeit the first nights use fee. Cancellations for a single nights reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. For group campsites: All cancellations made within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date are considered late cancellations and will incur the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. If your campsite remains vacant for 24 hours after your arrival date it will be cancelled and made available on rec.gov.You will be charged for the first night's campsite fee and a $10 cancellation fee, all other fees after that will be refunded. Recreation.gov policies apply to all reservations, cancellations, refunds and date changes. Call (559) 565-4404 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.

Dorst Creek Campground — Sequoia National Park - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

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The Best Camping Near Hartland, California

Overall our visit was great.  We did it ALL.  Saw the general, went to Crystal Cave, hiked to the top of Moro Rock.  And we did it all with 4 girls all under the age of 4.

The campground was nice, it was clean, and basically your stereotypical public campground.  It was also very close proximity to pretty much everything.  We did a lot of driving around.  It is also right between to supply stores so your; wood, ice, things you forgot, etc. is all right there.  

The only down side to really the whole park itself and not this specific campground is that it is very hilly.  So where in Yosemite you can cruise around on bikes all day, or walk between sites, that is pretty difficult for here.

Exploring the giants

We stayed here in July 2012 on our summer road trip out west. This was one of many campgrounds in Sequoia N.p. It was primitive but we were allowed to run the generator certain hours in our loop. We barely fit on the site and had to use some crazy leveling techniques to get us set up. The landscape here is beautiful with many pines and sequoias as well as granite boulders scattered everywhere. There are water stations and dump stations nearby. We were told to be very careful not to leave any food outside our RV unless it was locked in the "bear box" provided at our site. We were a little afraid to let the boys play outside unattended with those kinds of warnings. Our visit here was to visit the Giant Sequoias nearby and hike hike hike. We had to tell the boys that we were going for a walk because they had grown weary of hiking already on our 2nd month into our trip. We visited General Sherman, the famous giant Sequoia tree and also hiked 4 miles to Muir Grove.
It was very cool and shady along the way which I was thankful for. The forest was filled with many beautiful flowers but we didn't see any bears or mountain lions. The boys had a great time collecting sticks and playing swords, etc. along the way. It was an amazing hike and I was glad to get some fresh air and exercise.
Photos cannot do justice for the magnificent trees. They are unique to this area of the country and are amazing to view, touch, crawl through and climb on. 

Steep grade on sites

This is a great campground close to a lot of Sequoia's attractions, including the General Sherman tree and some of the other large sequoias and the visitor's center. There are several great hiking trails that are very near the campground, and the sites are scenic and fairly separate. We saw a lot of deer during our stay.

Great Campground Close to Big Trees and Hiking Trails

Has everything you need. Close to Sequoia attractions. Didn't spend much time here as we were out hiking but it's a fine place to pitch your tent with the rest of the crowd. 

Dorst Creek Campground 

Dorst Creek campground was overall very nice. The bathrooms were cleaned daily and the campground offered clean running water.

The sites were a little small and we had a hard time finding a flat spot to fit our 6-person tent.

The rangers are not always at the ranger station and there is NO cell phone signal... so hopefully no one has any emergencies...

There is a shuttle station to take you to some popular places throughout the park. There is also a gas station, convenience store, restaurant, and shower facility about 5 miles from the campsite. However, I found everything to be very expensive. Showers are $4 for 10 minutes, firewood $8 for 5 logs, gas and food expensive as well. But good to have in case you need anything!

A nice, quiet getaway

If you’re in Sequoia NP and it’s your only option, take it. Less trees and shade than Lodgepole, Potwisha, or Buckeye. It’ll do, but there are better options. As you wind your way thru the Park you’d be better off heading to Kings Canyon towards Roads End if you have Dorst as your only option.

Last Opportunity

The restrooms are clean. There is a stream that runs through camp. There view is great and the is a lot of animal activity.

Lovely

We tent camped two nights here.  Our site was roomy but not very level; turned out wonderfully though as it rained one entire day and no water pooled near our tent.  Fresh/clean water was available.  Bathrooms clean.  Muir Grove is a hidden gem of a hike to a serene grove of sequoias, accessed at the end of the campground near the group sites.  Fairly easy 4 miles round trip, hiked with 6 children, youngest hiker is 6; well worth it!

This was a beautiful campground. The only thing negative I could say about this campground is that a lot of the campsites are very close to each other. But if you choose wisely, as my friend and I did, then I have no complaints. Surrounded by trees and wildlife, we were visited by deer and entertained by a family of quails as we sat around our fire. Our campsite had a fire ring with a grill, two picnic tables and a bear box. The restrooms, which had flush toilets, were clean and well maintained. There was potable water near our campsite and an additional bear box was nearby if needed. There were also trash bins, including separate waste bins for recycling glass and plastics nearby. There was no cell reception in the campground but there was a pay phone next to the ranger station where you check into camp. Though I do not know if it was in working condition so I would not rely on it. If you were planning on hiking to some of the less traveled spots in the park, this campground was nice because there were several trails that you could access from within the campground.


No complaints! 

Center point for touring sequoia and kings canyon national parks. Free shuttle to take you all over the park. Great stream running through campgrounds upper and lower sections. Great hikes from campground. Especially, Muir groves and lookouts, breathtaking views. We also hiked lost groves which was very special hiking through meadows and going across streams. Saw many deer groups. Clean campsites and especially restrooms. We got to see two female bears walking at a distance from campground. Wildlife management team came and made sure bear stayed in it's nature areas. fun to watch and learn how they track bears and keep visitors informed on how to store our items with smells inside metal bear boxes. we had a amazing family vacation in one the most beautiful places on earth. the sequoia groves had great signage and easy trails to walk.

Awesome campgrounds

This is a pretty campground. Lots of pines but no real vistas. Also no real level flat ground for tent camping. Sites are smallish &amp; close together. Running water and flush toilets. 1 medium bear box per site.
No showers. 

Beautiful but no level flat campsites.

We stayed here while visiting the 2 parks. It was very convenient for that. A very no frills park, we did not use any facilities while there. It was a decent spot to base from. There is not a lot around here for groceries or restaurants etc. it met our needs and the price was reasonable.

Sequoia / Kings Canyon

We love this campground

Been visiting Dorst for years and still find new things to love

Beautiful clean camp with helpful friendly knowledgable rangers

Awesome wildlife to see and hear

Walk to the beat hikes

Private giant sequoia trees in the muir hike at the back of the camp

I could never stop visiting here i love it so

Sleep under the trees

There is a lot of room for a campsite if you are camping with a tent or car camping. The price is reasonable. The restrooms are well maintained with super flush. Waking up next to an amazing views of the formation of rocks are a plus! Went around June, so bring lots of water, pet friendly. Potable waters are provided. 

Photos of Dorst Creek Campground — Sequoia National Park - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Real photos from real campers