Best Glamping near Coleville, CA

The Tuolumne Meadows Lodge isn't the kind of lodge you think of when you think of a lodge.  It consists of a main building where there is a small store and an assigned-by-time food service, plus a bunch of platform tent cabins, each with its own stove for heat.  (Nights get cold up here, even in the summer!)

The large parking lot is lined on one side with bear boxes where you can store food, if you prefer to bring some cereal for breakfast and sandwich fixings for lunch.  (There are not many food options up this way. You have the lodge, plus a grill down the way, but that's about it.)

Free firewood is provided for guests, along with a communal campfire in the evenings.  The tents have cot beds and bedding.  Towels are also provided.  (There are bear boxes by the showers to hold your showering stuff.)

If you can get a cell signal, you are lucky.  I'm told that if you walk to the top of the nearby waterfall/river that runs by camp, there sometimes is service there.  I was able to make a phone call out, but no data available.

Lots of great hiking around.  This place reminded me of summer camp, but a bit more pricey!

I’ll start by saying this campsite is huge , there’s like 400 sites so you got to keep that in mind when booking . We got a couple of the sites with electricity which were nice . No fire pits included because those are rented additional , lucky we had one from home . Firewood is $10 a bundle at the store so keep that in mind . The campground advertises WiFi but it’s ran from an separate company and service is extremely poor and slow so your better of using your cellphone data . This is a very active bear area with no bear boxes so keep in mind . We saw bears every single night roaming around and eating from the picnic tables . Some small , medium and extra large size . I recommend the tent sites better than the RV sites because they have a nice location and more private . The RV sites are just packed like sardines , some barely fit or stick out a few inches . Restrooms are clean and showers too . Funny detail the shower head is positioned for ADA handicap specs so you got to kneel down or seat to shower . The campground is located on the Main Street so it’s walking distance to stores or restaurants , I would go back but choose a better site on an outside loop more secluded instead of being in the middle of hundreds of rv’s

We stopped here to eat dinner and since the sign said campground, of course, I inquired further. Not really a campground but what the owners called an outdoor experience. 

There are two covered wagons but since they were both occupied, we could not see inside of them. They have a double bed (linens provided for an extra cost) and no heat. There is also a five-room motel and 12 cabins, some of which have kitchenettes and some without. 

The bathhouse was small but clean. The trout project was interesting (Started in 2006 to improve Bridgeport area fisheries. The family that owns the Settlement continues to hatch and raise trout specifically to plant in Virginia Creek as a thank you to the anglers that support them. It is a non-profit that is supported by people eating in their restaurant and staying on their property). There is corn-hole, a horseshoe pit, and a fish cleaning station on-site as well as a Tesla charging station! 

The settlement is located directly on Virginia Creek on Highway 395. We’ve stayed in a variety of accommodations but never a covered wagon – it would definitely be a unique stay but would have to be when it is warmer!

I've stopped at this campground twice and have very few complaints! There are two areas to camp at, one up higher and the other lower, walking distance from the lake. I've stayed at both.

Both locations have plenty of spaces, complete with a fire pit and covered area containing a picnic table. There is a bathroom at both, although the upper lot bathroom was locked when I was there the first time.

The campground is right off the main road so you do hear road noise (and if at the upper site can definitely see lights from vehicles). The noise at the lower site is much lower.

Down near the lake it was definitely windier and a bit colder than the upper sites.

I saw no signage about camping fees both times I've stopped.

This campground is at the end of a long dirt road. 4x4 is apparently not strictly necessary but I would recommend it, particularly given the unpredictable weather (hail storm on July 25).

The views at the lakes are breathtaking. The campground is next to the smaller lake and has two sections. One is right by the road, fairly open and flat, and the other a bit up the hill, with sites that are more private, nestled around the trees. Most sites had fire pits with grills and a picnic table. Both sides have drinking well water with a had pump. Bathrooms were fairly clean and stocked with tp. The groundskeeper was friendly and helpful. The lakes are cold but apparently there is some trout. Looked like fly fishing was the way to go.

The main downside was how busy the area was, both with campers and day users. Given the COVID situation, reservations are not accepted and driving that road to end up without a campsite would be very unfortunate but highly likely. We ended up camping one night on the side of the road and were fortunate to get a spot for our second night.

We normally prefer wilderness parks, and generally avoid RV parks. We’ve stayed in a few though and this one is by far the absolute nicest one we’ve ever stayed in!! It recently changed ownership and the new owners have invested in a first-class place! We had to find a last minute place on a Sunday due to the Davis Creek Regional park fire. We pulled in here and were helped by a wonderful young woman in the office. What I liked most about this place was that it is more spacious than typical RV parks. Also, more importantly, the bathrooms were amazing and deserving of the “resort” name. While there may have been a few rigs here longer term, their sites were neat and orderly. The location is by a highway (and behind Costco), but the noise wasn’t bad at all. The pool area is beautiful and includes outdoor grills and a gas fire pit. There is minimal shade as the trees are all new. The laundry rooms (2!) were lovely. We would stay here again in a heartbeat. Beautiful and well run facility. Does it compare to a state or National park, no. But for what it is it is outstanding!

Lots of spaces here with picnic tables and hard top awnings to give you some shade. Stopped here on a Tuesday for an overnight and it was very smoky due to the fires in Cali but there was a nice breeze and we still enjoyed the little bit of Mountain View that you could see from the sites. It was 90 degrees F when we arrived on September 16th around 4:30 pm and around 6 pm the breeze started to pick up so it was very comfortable. There is a fee station but there were no envelopes, no way to pay so I think normally it is 6$ but we couldn’t figure out how to pay. We’d definitely return here when the smoke dissipates. Several pull thru sites. We have a 26 foot tr with a Ford F-150. Gravel road, picnic tables and fire pits available. Some restrooms were closed. Sites are gravel and dirt so you will likely need to level.