Best Tent Camping near Arnold, CA

Recent Tent Reviews near Arnold, California

996 Reviews of 71 Arnold Campgrounds

• 

  Maria M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 2, 2024

  Lake Tulloch RV Campground and Marina

  ick

  Wow, let's say we had a nightmare ishhorrible experience. We rented a tent camp site for 2 nights. We were given an RV Slab camping site. It had the tiniest barbecue grill available. The water that was coming out of all the faucets,  was red and brown. People weren't allowed to shower that night. Once night fall came, the camp's site was infested with roaches Everywhere, they went in all our grocery bags and under them. Went into and under all our boxes that we had. The roaches hid under our tents also. There also seemed to be a termite infestation. We had to cut our camping trip short after spending over a thousand dollars on supplies, food, the Camping site and parking fees The workers that drove by, especially Travis, were nice and Welcoming. Dogs have to be on a leash at all times. If you want to go into the lake with your dog, You have to walk very far away if you didn't rent one of the tent sites at the lake front area. Had to fumigate my vehicle when I got home with all my stuff in it. I pray none of the bugs will be in my stuff at home. I heard many other guests screeching and shouting, omg theres cockroaches every where. Good to know, we weren't the only ones disappointed. The owner Jake refused to refund me, or my two guests that wasted their 50 dollars in parking fees, although the trip was cut short due to the conditions. Jake offered for us to stay another night. Will never be back. Beware.

• 

  Kristen S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 2, 2021

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Decent campground, overpriced

  We were tent camping and were nervous about not having a reservation around Yosemite so we reserved a site here for a tent site by the river. The price was high but were willing to pay for a confirmed place to stay during June 2021. When we got there they were under major construction and told us the area by the river was closed. They put us in the area on the hill. The sites were small and full of dirt. We got more dirty there than several of the more remote places we stayed before and after our stay there. The campground was decent though, and everyone we spoke with was nice. Three stars was value for the price. We found several first-come first served campgrounds around there for much less (of course they only had vault toilets).

• 

  Kate A.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 20, 2021

  Thousand Trails Ponderosa

  Great location, but plan ahead

  This is a well maintained RV and tent camping resort. It’s great for kids that want to ride bikes around the sites- but be careful of the river, it’s swift. The RV and tent sites are in two separate areas, with more updated amenities available for RVs like hot showers. Shared pool site. Lots of great trails to weave through the campground on a mountain bike.

  One downside- it can be hot. Not a lot of tree cover for the RV sites- make sure you bring shade with you. Luckily, there’s a nice cool river to swim in!

  Fires are restricted sometimes in the summer. Some sites require a membership.

  Local grocery and pizza, frozen yogurt available within walking distance.

  Lots of great fishing, floating, and kayak accessibly. Bring tubes and life vests. Poles and bait.

• H

  Heather L.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 31, 2021

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Great for families traveling to Yosemite

  We tent camped on the river here and really enjoyed our stay. We floated on the river in tubes, visited Nearby Rainbow Pools, went into Yosemite Valley a couple of days, the park is about 5-10 mins from the entrance to Yosemite but we didn’t mind we enjoyed the drive into the valley and used it as an opportunity to spot wildlife. We had two young kids (6 &8) and the campground restrooms and showers were perfect after a long day hiking, they were well maintained, good water pressure. These restrooms were located at the ponderosa tent sites, we had some family also camping in RVS along the river and I can’t speak for those restrooms. No cell service & WiFi is unlikely to work so prepare to be unplugged..they do give you printed directions to the closest area to get a signal depending on your carrier. The staff was very friendly and helpful! We will definitely be back one day. Side note: we came during COVID so reservations to Yosemite National park were required, therefore the park and surrounding campgrounds were not as packed as they normally would be. (This was heavenly).

• 

  Kara S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 21, 2016

  Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging

  Decent for last minute tent site near Yosemite

  Our group stayed in a tent campsite for one night in August 2016. This was our first campsite for a 2 week national parks road trip.

  My biggest gripe with this campground is that it is not stated anywhere on their site that you cannot park your car in your campsite. At least for us, we had to park down a hill and walk up to our site. We spent our entire evening and the next morning walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth anytime we needed something from the car. Having the car in the site is so so much better and all the other campgrounds we stayed at were set up that way.

  Additionally, the entire campground was incredibly dusty, more so than any other campground we stayed at during our trip. The bathrooms/showers were not very well maintained (quite dirty and dusty) although the stalls did all have toilet paper. It was also quite a walk from our tent site which was located in the back part of the campgrounds.

  Staff were generally helpful and they have everything you'd need in their office/general store (ice, firewood, snacks, etc).

  Overall, we were happy to have found a campground nearish Yosemite at the last min since most things book up really quickly inside the park, but I'm happy we didn't stay here more than one night.

• D

  Daniel D.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 25, 2020

  Silver Lake East- Eldorado

  Great Lake access

  I’ve camped here 4 times- 2 times tent camping and 2 times trailer camping. The lake has a beautiful, and easy to walk to from the campground, especially from the sites in the 40s and 50s. The vault toilets can be a bummer if you are tent camping, and there are no hookups for rvs. But the campground has beautiful trees, and there is a restaurant and camp store for your convenience. Also, across the highway at the Silver Lake East campground is an awesome hidden secret called “Potholes.” Shhhhh!

• M

  Michael

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 11, 2021

  American River Resort

  Family of 4 roof top tent camping

  Nice campground - close to river. .5 mile walk to town for shopping/eating. All sites have fire pit and picnic table. Bathrooms clean and private showers. A little pricey for a tent site - 45.00 and 5.00 for the dog but it’s California.

• 

  Joe B.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 13, 2019

  Fallen Leaf Campground - South Lake Tahoe

  Cozy

  Nice bear boxes and bathrooms. Tent sites were big

• 

  Megan E.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 27, 2024

  Crane Flat Campground — Yosemite National Park

  Night under the stars

  Got one of the furthest sites tent camping. Could see all the stars. They also provide bear boxes for each site.

• M

  Mike L.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 16, 2019

  Lake Amador Resort

  Nice family campground

  The man made pond is nice for the kids. It has a slide they can use. Rv areas are clean. Tent camping is okay!

• 

  Tim S.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 14, 2021

  Fence Creek Campground

  Off the beaten track

  This is a beautiful campground. At the end of the road. Parking is along a ridge, and tent camping is down the hill. RV camping has no hookups, but plenty of space.

• 

  Nikki C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2018

  Crane Flat Campground — Yosemite National Park

  Tent camping outside the Yosemite valley

  Beautiful tent camping above the Yosemite valley. Close enough to drive into the valley but far enough to not be surrounded by people at all times. Make sure to bring hammocks! Great trees to lounge in!

• 

  Alison

  Legend

  

  May. 11, 2021

  Indian Creek Campground (CA) - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

  Nice campground with a Lake

  Nice campground with numerous RV and tent sites. Bathroom with flush toilets and showers. Big trees provide ample shade. Quiet area close to the amenities of the Carson Valley.

• 

  Cherami H.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 12, 2019

  Bagby Camping and Recreation

  The most beautiful steel bridge in the world!

  Tons of Gold Rush history here, nice rv glamping featuring showers and a boat launch at first camp, more primitive tent camping up the road at second camp (my fave). I've been camping here for years, it's my favorite in the world!

• J

  Jim M.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 1, 2019

  Angels Camp Campground and RV

  Super RV Park

  I would stay here again and again. The tent sites have a large covered area for shade and the park has a pool for a refreshing little swim. Showers are included with the campground fee.

• J

  Jayson S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 23, 2021

  Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging

  Great option if Yosemite’s full

  Great option if your looking for full rv hookups. If you’re tent camping, this might not be the best place. Bathrooms were very unclean but the park gets the job done as a place to sleep while visiting Yosemite. No Verizon or T-Mobile coverage. Wifi available for purchase.

• h

  harry S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 31, 2022

  South Shore Campground

  Not too bad

  Most site are for tent camping. The sites for trailers are not level do be prepared. There is drinking water throughout the park. Trailers longer than 26, it is a tight squeeze. No cell service at all, no where. Very quiet and not far from the lake. Bathrooms are clean.

• 

  Jay B.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 6, 2019

  Wrights Lake

  Tranquility

  At the top of the Sierras, El Dorado national forest, tucked in away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Stunning views, and blue skies, campground is well maintained and accessible. Rvs and tent camping. Shallow lake that warms up a little for kayaking and swimming. Great family lake.

• 

  Keef W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 15, 2016

  Tahoe Valley Campground

  somewhat crowded

  much busier overall than the majority of the eastern sierras, still a nice get away. not too close to the lake but access is far from difficult. book ahead of time and request 9 for a tent site.

• 

  Tory B.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 23, 2020

  Chris Flat — Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest Headquarters

  Great small campground right on the river

  Campground is setup in a loop. Pay at the post upon entry - fill out the reservation envelope and put your nightly fee into the envelope.

  There are spots for tent camping and even or truck spots with a larger parking space.

  This is a seasonal campground and will be closed during the winter months.

• J

  James W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 23, 2021

  Indian Flat RV Park

  Close to Yosemite

  Very close to park entrance. Tent sites are small and gravel. However the hosts are friendly, there are showers, clean bathrooms, good wifi, and you can use the resort pool. Great place to relax after a long day of hiking in Yosemite.

• 

  Alison

  Legend

  

  May. 16, 2021

  Eureka Valley Campground

  Next to the Stanislaus River

  Love this campground because of it’s close proximity to the Stanislaus River. There are 28 first come first serve RV and Tent sites. There are interesting granite rock formations in and around the campground. Potable water, fire rings, picnic tables and garbage receptacles round out the amenities.

• A

  April N.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 30, 2020

  American River Resort

  Gorgeous setting, but...

  This review is for tent camping, not RVs.

  1. Nearly all of the tent sites are tiny and crowded very closely together with no privacy breaks at all between them. To make it even more claustrophobic, many of the near-river sites are terraced into the hillside so you stand at the bottom and look up into a wall of tents stacked 3 high on top of each other. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and most of the sites were full so the effect was like looking up into a packed stadium from the bottom row of bleacher seats. That first night was like a giant tailgate frat party. Multiple groups were blasting music & even though that’s against the rules nobody seemed to make them stop. Thank goodness we were able to move a few sites away, and then everybody cleared out the next day. The best site is #31. If you’re going on a weekend or any time during the summer, don’t make any reservation at all if you can’t get #31. I’m not putting that in my google review btw, that’s only for folks on Dyrt.

  2. The facilities have a lot of maintenance issues that just aren’t being taken care of. For example: there are two bathroom buildings, an old one built out of rail cars (?) near the river and a newer-construction one uphill by the RV sites. Both bathrooms have multiple sinks and toilets that are out of order. In the downhill ladies room there was a toilet that ran water constantly and another that wouldn’t flush at all. I actually took that 2nd one apart and fixed it myself. That same ladies’ room had a sink removed completely from the wall leaving hanging pipes sticking out, a 2nd sink that wouldn’t turn on, a 3rd sink with wobbly handles, and a 4th sink that was fully functional. Next to that restroom on one side was what was supposed to be a shower facility but it was completely out of order and locked. On the other side of the restroom there was what was supposed to be a dishwashing station but it was disconnected with pipes dangling and dirt & leaves filling the sink. Why install nice things and then let them fall apart? I don’t understand.

  3. They do seem to keep the toilets stocked with soap and TP and paper towels, and there are lots of garbage cans that do get emptied when needed. However, sometimes campers are naughty and leave behind trash outside the bins. This ranges from micro-trash (bottle caps, wrapper ends) to big pieces (foil pans, beer bottles). We stayed there for 2 days after the giant party moved on, but we never saw camp staff coming around to deal with the loose litter. We were pulling wads of fishing line out of the rocks and throwing away other people’s bottles. Blech.

  4. There is an on-site rafting company. We took a full-day rafting trip that launched right from the campground & we had a great time.

  5. There is a little general store that sells ice, firewood, souvenirs, Tshirts, etc.

  6. It is a gated facility so hopefully secure?

• A

  Amaya P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 7, 2021

  Alpine County Turtle Rock Park Campground - CLOSED INDEFINITELY

  Hidden Jewel

  Turtle Rock is a hidden jewel. It is well kept and maintained. Showers are provided for a small fee so make sure you have quarters. Toilets are dispersed throughout the campground. There’s a section for tent camping as well as RV camping. No reservations required as I always drive in whenever I go. One of my favorite spot around Markleeville area.

• 

  Casey M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 30, 2024

  Crystal Springs Campground

  Pretty chill little spot...NOT FOR LARGE RVs or CAMPERS

  Great little spot for tent camping or vehicle camping. You'll be fine if you have a smaller RV or Camper trailer but would not recommend for large units. Camp host Scott was really cool and down to earth. The campsite is clean and well maintained. Pit toilets were the best I have ever seen/smelled. The site can be pretty windy so bring tent stakes and cordage to tie out your walls.

• C

  Chase

  Traveler

  

  May. 5, 2021

  Tahoe Valley Campground

  Good last minute find

  We were trying to stay up on Luther pass but the snow and forest service has the road to camp closed still in early May. We found this place just driving down into town looking for a new camp. $65 to tent camp which seemed pricey but it was last minute so we took it. Very clean bathroom great staff dog friendly and large sites.

• 

  Roxanne D.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 8, 2024

  Lake Camanche

  Fun Spot low cell service

  We have been going to camanche Lake for years . Low cell service but very nice place to tent camp. Last year, they gave us our spot we set up, then was told they made a mistake and made us move spots, but the new spot was closer to the water and that made the kids happy. Kinda a hassle, but it worked out. We love it at this lake.