Best Campgrounds near Bear Valley, CA

My family of four enjoyed camping here. Site 116 is great. It is a little steep to get to the fire pit but the view were worth it.

If you look at the map from Hwy 50 just south of Kyburz, you will see a green tag.  Hit that tag and it takes you to Bighorn Campground, not the location of the green arrow.

Five couples took over the far end of Obsidian Campground to celebrate my wife's birthday for a couple nights.  The elevation in this part of the Sierra's is a great way to beat the August heat.  We were at sites 12, 13 and 14 with our custom van, a Sportsmobile, trailer, fifth wheel, and a tent.  Campground had one other campsite occupied, so basically just us.  Easy access two miles off US 395 by gravel road.   It is know as an infrequently utilized destination.

The trailhead for Molybdenite Creek is just past site 14.  One day we took this trail about 2-1/2 miles up a canyon that leads into the Hoover Wilderness on the North East boundary of Yosemite National Park.  The next day we did the 1 mile hike to Emma Lake, also in the Hoover Wilderness.  Take a vehicle from the campground up the road another 2 miles to the Emma Lake trailhead.  See photos.

It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. It’s a small place that’s probably not crowded often. It’s got bathrooms that are located kinda far if you aren’t in the two sites on either side. Mostly it’s just real ugly, imo. Trees around have burned down in the last 3-5 years it looks like, dry looking even in March. We didn’t stay and set up because it’s just not nice to look at and there’s many nice places nearby. Good place to go if you can’t find much else around. Also, it’s one of the few places I’ve found that have decent cell service, enough for my son to use YouTube and I can make phone calls, gps works. All on just my cellphone hotspot. I have Verizon, idk about other carriers. Decent cell service on site is a big thing for me so that’s why I wouldn’t not stay at this place but it’s bare bones w/toilets and certainly not first choice especially when you have other options nearby.

Spent (2) nights here and loved it. Enough T-Mobile service for messaging and lite web browsing. Spacious pull-out with a small rock fire pit. I believe fires are allowed as long as you have a permit.

~8min drive to Big Oak Entrance and ~40min drive to Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Why stay at Hodgdon when you can stay here!

Came on a Saturday around 4pm, there were 2 other campers other than me so it wasn’t busy at all. No service for at&t. Overall had a good stay here with my 2 dogs

Camped here for what we thought would be a couple of nights for an event. However, event was canceled due to massive wild fire (air quality index was horrible, so stayed 1 night and left ASAP next morning). Campground is right on the main drag through town and just across the street and a short walk to the lake, although the lake does not permit dogs in this area. Nice walking/biking paths, but heavily commercial district means lots of traffic going by. Site (#E06) is huge with enough space for several RVs, but we parked sideways adjacent to the picnic table and had spot near to bathrooms/showers which are clean but a bit ragged around the edges. 

Food aside: Dinner of Curly's pork with cheese and Hatch green chile tortillas. Good to come back here at some point when not high season and can stay more in camping zone, this is a pretty commercial district.

We stayed one night on our way through the area. Spot was nice level and clean. We loved the bike paths all though out the area. Rode In to south Tahoe and had a great experience.

We ended up at this small campground because our potential boondocking spots were completely snowed in up top.  So glad we did as it is tucked away on the grounds of an amazing state park!

Most of the sites are small with a lot of tree coverage. It was quiet, quaint, and clean. We found a good site that provided just enough sky for both our 400W portable solar panel and Starlink to work pretty well. The bathroom building has flush toilets, was kept clean, and warm showers. 

But the campground isn’t the reason to come here...it’s the history! This little park tucked into the Western Sierras will blow your mind. It is a significant Miwok Native American historical site, with home sites, ancient Oak trees, and literally thousands of grain, and acorn grinding stones located in the central part of the park. 

The visitor’s center is a must-see and brings the location to life. In cooperation with the local tribes, the state manages the site and visitor’s center for the public. Take a walk on the interpretive trail, hike the adventure trails, fish in the creek, or attend a special program. It is a beautiful place to spend a few days. 

The nearby town of Pine Grove has a few restaurants and grocery stores to get what you might need.

If you ever want to get away from it all, here is where it might be found. This gorgeous and sprawling campground close to the tiny resort hamlet of Twin Lakes is worth the drive.  We came for a night or two and stayed nearly a week.

With many FCFS campsites along the loop above the river and among Jeffery’s Pine trees and Sierra sagebrush, you can find a quiet space to set up a beautiful camp. The sites are huge and lots of space in between them.  They are designed for any rig size that is set up for off-grid camping, with double sites for small groups.  Almost all of the sites have a wide open sky and lots of sun for good solar gain and strong Starlink, so no need for a generator.

The river is only a short walk away from any of the campsites, so fishing and cooling off are always an option, and you can start a handful of hikes right from the campground.  The lower lake of the twins is walkable as well, at about 1.25 miles away. 

The vault toilets were sparkling clean and well-maintained by the camp hosts. Showers were available for purchase at the nearby RV park. The town of Twin Lakes has a small grocery store at the marina with a few things -- a bit better than a convenience store, but not by much.  At the top of the upper lake, there is a small restaurant located at the other RV park.

There’s lots of water activity opportunities to do in this part of the world, but check the boat regulations as there are speed limitations.  Fishing, paddling, and SUP’s are all great here, but it can get REALLY windy so plan accordingly.

Hiking is amazing on the many trails which take you to the higher elevations. Wilderness backcountry travel looks delightful, but we only went on day-hikes. Multi-day backpackers can park in the upper lake marina lot for a fee.  With so many trails and OHV trails nearby, this is also a great campground to bring your mountain bike or other toys.

Very nice park, great walking trails, beautiful trees. Many of the buildings are older, but well kept. Showers are coin operated and nice. No trailer hookups, but very site has a water but can’t connect it with the trailer. Park does have a dump station and is included in the space rent. Only issue is being by the road and having road noise. Plenty of restrooms and showers (coin operated). The only Wi-Fi is at the visitor center and VERY limited cell service, no great loss.

Standard dispersed camping on national forest land. Paved main road with dirt roads and areas for camping branching off. Plenty of room. Some areas have beautiful views of strawberry valley!

Nice peaceful spot. Few cars go by, but it’s tucked away enough.