Lodgepole Campground — Sequoia National Park

Great campground as base for hikes or just to chill and enjoy the river. We had no cell reception - good to be really off for a little while. Only the restrooms where a little disgusting - experienced that differently in other NPs.

It’s a stunning area of the park with the Topokah falls trail right inside the campground. The market makes for great convenience and souvenirs. Some of the sites are a bit close together and it does get very crowded. But the location and close proximity to lots of attractions nearby make it worth it. Showers were out of order on my visit.

Amazing family time

The sites are close together and some are directly across from a very busy market. The ranger said that unlike Yosemite, Sequoia is packed with daytrippers. That proved correct! The marble creek river is gorgeous and people come, park and spend the day cooling off. Spot 198 is the best for RV’s in my opinion, but it only accommodates up to 22ft. If you can fit, it’s amazing. It’s the closest spot to the river and there is no one around you. 5 mins to the big trees. Some notes. Water spigots are only available near the bathrooms. The showers are only at the main visitors center along with the market and laundry. It’s a 10 min walk or short drive. The dump station is very nice and free to use. The elevation also means it’s 10-15 degrees cooler than other campgrounds. Generator hours are thankfully enforced

Peaceful and for the most part quiet. Can get bust at times. Restrooms are flushed and they are cleaned daily. Lots to do with multiple trails to hike on right from the campground.

This is a large campground so I did have concerns with the potential lack of privacy and being too close to other parties. But I was pleasantly surprised to find my (walk to) campsite was very large and private enough, with river front access. Plenty of space to place food and other things in to the bear boxes, as I read bears frequent this campground. Bathrooms were nearby and well kept. Over all, I had a very pleasant experience at this campground.

Nice spot, easy to get on the bus to explore the park and there’s a camp store. Heads up though- showers are closed (as of July 2021). Flush toilets and drinking water.

I like lodgepole campground for the summer because elevation is high enough it does not get too warm and Hume lake is a short drive to some great trout fishing.

I have now been to  this campground 3 years in a row, and can still say it's my favorite I've ever been to. 

Great location, drive up, many trailheads right out of the campground, river runs right through it, big spots, inexpensive to reserve, the list can go on. Would give it 6/5 stars if I could

Great place by a river/creek, hiking everywhere nearby.

Stayed here for a 1 night visit June 30th. I stayed in spot 162 and it was not the best site, but still good. Close to the river and bathrooms but in the middle of the loop so you felt like you were in a fishbowl a bit. All the sites were clean and well maintained with BIG bear boxes. A couple trailheads start from the campground so it can be super convenient. Overall a fun visit and would definitely stay here again

Old growth forest; spacious, private sites with lots of understory. Our camp hosts, Jason and Michelle, were amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable ... just the best. They work hard to keep the place pristine and it shows. We will be back.

Stayed in Site 78 in the upper part of Lodgepole, which was perfect. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no one was in the site next to us. (That one, site 74, seemed really cramped. Someone had moved the picnic table to the tent pad, but there wasn't really much space to move it anywhere else. If someone had been in that site, we'd have had neighbors pretty close to us.) On the other side of this site is a hillside, so the neighbors on that side are further up. The river helps to drown out the other campground noise, but we lucked out with all good neighbors, even on the weekend.

Site 78 is NOT listed as a "walk in" site, but you do have to walk your stuff down a little hill to get to the site, which has a lovely, flat tent pad. (Only issue was on one part of the pad, Lodgepole chipmunks had made holes. We were able to put our 4-person tent so it wasn't over those holes. I'd be concerned about the chipmunks chewing through the tent if you put it over their two holes.)

Nice fire pit, with views of the river and of the bridge through the campground. We could watch people coming and going on the Tokopah Falls Trail across the river. Our picnic table was SLIGHTLY slanted, but not a big deal. Our site was just across from the bathrooms. (Bring a light for that. Bathrooms have no lights here, but there are flushing toilets and sinks.) It's uphill to the bathrooms, but not too bad. The water spigot was right by our site, too. And we were within easy walking distance of both the Tokopah Falls trailhead and the shuttle bus stop at the campground to other parts of the park. (In June of 2021, the shuttles were running regularly along routes 1 and 4, with 2 and 3 not running because of the pandemic.)

The showers were listed as "closed for the season," which also appeared to be pandemic related. This was a bit disappointing because we were hoping to shower at some point during our 4-night stay. So beware of that, if you really want a shower. The Lodgepole visitor's center was also closed because of the pandemic, but the market was open, where you could buy souvenirs, typical items in a camp market (wood, marshmallows, drinks, ice cream, etc…)

Rangers were friendly. (Look for Ranger Alex and say hello!) Put your food and scented items in bear boxes. We were told that a bear had been in the campground in the previous week. We also saw one up the Tokopah Falls trail, in the meadow upstream from the campground. There is a kitchen sink at the bathrooms. The trash and recycle bins were across from the bathrooms. There were also extra bear boxes here and there, in case your stuff doesn't fit in one box.

You're welcome to scavenge for kindling and small pieces of wood here or else just buy wood from the market. (It was about $11 per box.)

Overall, we enjoyed our stay. We loved some of the other sites along the river, as well, also in Upper Lodgepole. Lower Lodgepole was more open, with what looked to be more party types and larger groups, plus more RV's. Across the bridge was another area, which seemed to be a mix of RV's and tents, but my group agreed we'd stick with Upper Lodgepole as tenters.

Also, as noted on various websites, there's no cell phone service here. If you need to pop in to check a quick work email, there's slow wifi at the lodge about a 10 minute drive up the road. You can grab a wifi signal in the lobby there or grab a bite at their grill, but it's not fast wifi. Good enough for quick email answers though.

Had a great time 3 nights of amazing campfires

Perfectly situated near all the best trailheads. No privacy at this campground. Lots of loud families. Walking distance to the store with firewood and ice. Creek runs through it and lots of big trees nearby.

This is a great campground. Right in the heart of the forest. There is a market and showers at the entrance to the campground. They even have a dump site for trailers and rv’s. Just a few miles down the road are the giant trees, Moro rock and crystal cave. The river runs right thru the campground too. Awesome and fun!!

This campground is definitely worth all 5 stars! The location is unbeatable, and the views are to die for. We stayed at site 144, which is right along the river! The river was high and boasting, which made great white noise for sleeping, as well as drowning out the sounds of other nearby campers - it gave us lots of privacy! While the campsites are sort of close to one another, we couldn't hear a thing they were saying, and we could have our music on without worrying about it disturbing our neighbors. Lots of places to hang a hammock if you are into lounging. There are a few hikes straight out of the campground if you don't want to travel far to get your adventure on, yet there is also a Shuttle stop right at the campground, which means you don't have to fight the crowds for a parking spot and can leave your car right at your campsite. Sequoia Nat'l park is pretty large, so having the market and visitor center within walking distance is also an added bonus. I recommend booking in advance, but if you aren't luucky enough to get a spot right away, keep watching the website! We actually kept daily tabs on in and were able to find a spot only a few months before, simply by watching for cancellations. Weather is great - only in the high 70's/low 80's for our July trip, and not too chilly at night - mid 50's to high 40's. The vast number of trees also provide shade at every camp site! This is much more comfortable than some of the other campgrounds that are lower in elevation in the area, which have much higher temperatures and amounts of sun exposure. I hope you get the chance to stay at Lodgepole! Strongly recommend the Alta Peak Trail high for experienced hikers, and the Commerce Trail for an easy high around lots of Sequoias (with less traffic than the General Sherman tree area). Happy exploring! :)

We stayed here a couple years ago. Had a wonderful time. There are several short hikes very close by as well as walking distance to the sequoia shuttle that can take you almost anywhere in the park for free. Plus the river goes through the middle of the campground so swimming is available. It’s a short walk to showers, market and a visitors center. Must make reservations 6 months in advance.

My last visit to Lodgepole was in 2017 and I noticed the campsites were much closer together than the previous visit. Apparently a large snowmelt changed the course of the river and many sites were washed away causing the park to squeeze them in other areas. That’s was unfortunate but still a wonderful site. So nice to be able to jump in the river after a long day of camping! Also there is nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of a river. Great store onsite and lots of hikes right from the campground. Most campers are very respectful of quit hours but as we all have had to deal with there is always one loud site but they shut up when asked to keep it down. It’s inportant to ressurch the sites to get one that will fit your needs! Some are very small and only fit a little tent. But I really like this campground and recommend it. Will be returning in July and will update then. Happy Camping! 🐻⛺️

Awesome family place

Stayed in the lower area...wide open sites, no staff to be seen, and campground was the loudest I'd ever been to...people up all night long partying. Never again. Upper loop sites looked a little nicer.

If you’re looking to camp in California, Sequoia National Park should be one of your top destinations. They have cabin and tent camping. I have stayed in both. There are trails galore and GIGANTIC trees bigger than your car. This beautiful setting is worth visiting year round and I recommend camping during the less touristy times in early Spring and Fall. You are near lakes, waterfalls, and an array of bodies of water. I recommend coming up the back end up the park for an easier ascent rather than via the 198. The 198 takes you up a steep, but beautiful, hair pin turn ridden road. If you get car sick easily, take the route through Fresno.

This campground is almost TOO nice. There is everything you need and more. They have a full size grocery store, cafe, cafeteria, and gift shop. I loved this spot, but I would opt for a less crowded campsite if I had the choice. There’s so many people that you don’t necessarily get the solitude you might be looking for. However, if you’re looking to see General Sherman and the giant sequoias, it’s a great spot.

The campsite itself is beautiful and well kept.

Although the sites are very close together, we found this campground to be very nice. The sites are small, flat, and the ground is too hard to stake into. Each site had a bear box which you MUST use as we saw several bears there… especially in the early morning. The store was a convenient walk and had the essentials. The scenery was beautiful; we loved walking around camp and taking it all in. It was cool at night because of the high elevation.

Rv camped in winter. Not all loops open but there weren’t a lot of people there so it was ok. Lots of long rv spaces. Nearby exploring is plentiful

Remember pets on leashes on trails.

This campground was very scenic. It didn't seem like a normal campground and it was easy to forget that there were other people camping there. The campspots are perfect fit for a tent. We were camped right along a river spot. My husband and I went hiking in the campground away from the campsites and into the woods and actually saw a bear. The campsite feels right in the middle of the national park of Sequoia. You can hike in the camp away from sites and the top sites to see in Sequoia are also very close. It took 13 mikes to get the to campsite at the entrance of the national park but it was a beautiful scenic drive. Also this campsite offers and is nescessary to store food in bear proof compartments that are on every site. You can see many large Sequoia trees in the campsite. Also it was very shaded and cool after a hot day in August. Very worth visiting.

This place is amazing! I wish we could stayed more days. Restrooms were clean and with toilet paper always. Is near the river, trailhead and the market. BTW we saw deers around the market. I you go to Sequoia NP you have to camp here. you won't regret it.

If you enjoy camping next to a river, this is a great spot for you. The campground is clean, comfy and provides enough scenery in the area to make staying here completely worth it.

It's close enough to all the sites in sequoia but still at least 30 mins to the popular hiking trails. Our timing was bad when we stayed because they were doing a lot of dry brush clearing and thinning out the vegetation so we were greeted with the sounds of about a dozen chainsaws within a half mile radius of our campground. the good news was we didnt' have to buy any firewood as there were piles of them all around. There's potable water near each campsite and vault toilets that were maintained adequately.

A group of friends and I stayed at this campground on a Saturday night on the weekend of May 5, 2018. We got to the campsite around 2:00pm and were lucky to find a spot across the bridge next to the roaring creek. It was a beautiful open spot and the bathroom wasn’t too far away. There were bear proof food lockers for your food and drinking water nearby. We bought some firewood from the marketplace, which was next to the campground. The Lodgepole visitor center was closed for construction.