Best RV Parks & Resorts near Columbia, CA

You come into Yosemite Lakes by a little Thousand Trails convenience store and gas station. It's kind of handy since there's really nothing nearby other than Groveland. Make sure to come in at this entrance though. When coming from the west GPS likes to take you through Hardin Flat Road... don't go that way with an RV. Check-in was quick and easy. Don't forget it's first come first serve like most Thousand Trails campgrounds. Staff were all very friendly. There's complimentary wifi at the main office if you need it. There's NO phone signal of any kind for miles. There is Jabba Communications wifi throughout that campground that you can pay for but it's pricey and very shoddy and unpredictable here. Unless you're staying for a long time it's not worth it.

Every spot pretty much has full hookups but only a few with 50 amp. The rest have 30 amp. Again, as I've said with other Thousand Trails, that just seems like laziness to me. These campgrounds have been around long enough to see the need for upgrades.

We parked at the far east end past the cabins in a pull-through group spot. They are the biggest spots and didn't seem like people really use that area much. It was pretty quiet for the two weeks we were there. It's off season as well though. Power went out to the entire campground two days in a row. Not the campground's fault as high winds knocked out power to the entire area. They were nice and let us use our generator even though they are not allowed any other time.

There's a little river that runs along the campground that looks like it would be beautiful in the spring and summer when there's more water. It still had quite a bit flowing through over by the main office. Yosemite National Forest is just a short distance away. Some great hikes and sights to see!

I'd say with a few more updates this one could easily be a 5-star!

Thousand Trails Membership allows me to stay 21 days free. Just 5 miles outside of Yosemite Entrance or Catch the bus right here at the campground. Campfires allowed. Lots of activities for the kids. Dog Friendly. Creek near by to cool off during hot summer days.

Was an OK spot to stay at for the time we needed it. Very questionable characters living in long-term. Prefer a spot that does background checks for anybody staying there long term. Playground was in rough shape, swings broken. Place needs an overhaul big time. Really really pretty area and the town of Columbia is very cute. Would return, but only as a last option.

General: This is a HUGE RV park (a Sun Resort) with back-in, pull-through sites, and cabins. We called a day ahead to see if there was room and on a weekday in early May, there was plenty of availability. We even received a Spring Flash Sale (40% off) rate which, although more than we usually spend to camp, was reasonable. As is typical of RV parks, there is a small patch of lawn between sites but virtually no privacy. There are trees throughout the park and although it is located right on the road, only the sites that back up to the road hear road noise. There is a small pond in the center and we saw some ducks. All camping sites have full hook-ups and a picnic table but no fire ring or grill. There is a large laundry room and a café. We were assigned a site at check-in. 

Site Quality: Pads are paved and level. The back-in sites in the center back up to each other with no divider between them. I saw several large RVs look almost like they were touching! 

Bathhouse: Two bathhouses each with three stalls, two sinks, and two showers. Although there is a curtain separating the showers from the rest of the bathroom, the bench is outside of the shower stalls, which could be awkward. However, in the time we were there, I never saw a single person in the bathroom(assuming most people use their own bathrooms in their RVs). The shower had good water pressure and hot water.

Activities: There is a pool, playground, rec center. Shuffleboard, horseshoes, and beach volleyball. It is a half-mile around the perimeter, so I was able to enjoy a short run.

This is not our usual type of camping experience, but since we met friends at a nearby winery, this worked for us since we did not want to drive far.

Stayed here in May. Old KOA campground has been redone. Very clean and making improvements. Lots of activities for kids (pool, horseshoes, playground). East side of CG seems to accommodate more for families with kids while west side is better for RVs. Most RV sites have full hookups and are pull throughs. Drove up to Lake Alpine with snow on the ground.

The full hookup rv spots are gravel & very dusty. Whole park is actually. Spots are a little tight for my 37' 5th wheel but it worked out pretty good. Back end of my trailer hung over a big hill. You sit above the full timer rv spots & mostly look at trees. Good sunsets! Lake water level was super low at end of summer & lake is hard to access. Unless you got a boat. Saw deer & wild turkeys. This park is huge. Can drive around & find a good spot to access the lake & go swimming.

We enjoyed our first visit and will definitely come back! The park is a mix of old RV’s that folks have long term stays and open spots for visitors. Some nice spots and some tight spots. We stayed in site 62 with 41 foot MH. There was no room for a tow vehicle and we did not put our awnings out. We enjoyed fishing from the bank and had some good luck with power bait. The resort is very clean and quiet!

Wonderful shuttle bus to and from casino, heated pool and jacuzzi, dog friendly, walking trail, full hook ups, very clean, lots to love!

Full hook-up. 50 amp 30 amp. Fresh water at each site. Free WiFi. Large grassy area with picnic table. Lots of trees and shade. Sewage at each site. Management is very helpful and works hard maintaining grounds. They are in their own RV at the back of the campground.

Full hook ups, good shade, good access to water, but pretty crowded. It’s not the place to go if you want to get out into the wild.

The staff there were great, very helpful and accommodating. They put us in G loop #19 which was pretty much on a hill and with my 33 foot travel trailer, there was no way for me to get it in there and level. I actually snapped a bolt off my stabilizer trying to back my rig in there, so we told the rangers we wouldn’t be comfortable in that spot even though it had full hook ups, so they moved us to McClure Point Rec Area. If you are planing to come out here, check out McClure Point Rec Area...much better sites and way better views, no sewer hook ups, but it’s worth it.

Grassy full hook up sites in Sonora Ca. At the junction of Hwy49  the “Chain of Gold” and 108 outside Yosemite National Park. Daily/weekly rates. Short walk to downtown in this 1850’s mining town.

Sierra Campground off the beatin path. Full hook ups in summer. Closed in winter. Tall pines block satellite feeds. Spotty Cell service. Daily, weekly, monthly rates. Lots of trees dropped due to bark beetle. Pool, group camping, ball fields, disc golf

Nice place quiet lots of places for big RVs pull through spots and back in spots they have spots for family reunions have showers store boat ramp nice place to camp North Shore is not for RVs it's for tent camping the South Shore has hookups 30 50 amp service full hookups all around a good place good people quiet time is 9:00 p.m. till 7:00 a.m. I believe doesn't mean you can't be up just no loud music no carrying on to disturb the other people lake is almost full

This RV park was the first place we took our very first new travel trailer. We wanted a close to home location with all the hookups to make sure we knew how to use everything. We were shocked at how clean and beautiful this park was! Everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful. There’s an awesome walking trail around the park. We had our 6 year old with us and she loved to scooter around the walking path with us. We used the free WiFi to homeschool as well. This is a great place to visit. We specifically stayed in spot 24, but any of the spots along the back have a beautiful view of the canyon.

Summary as of late June 2020:

-Super nice, helpful manager -Great location for Yosemite/Hetch Hetchy -Large, clean restrooms -Inconsistent electricity -Bear Lot is right next to Hwy 120 -Coyote Lot is literally a new gravel parking lot, 4x4 required -No wi-fi in Bear Lot or Coyote Lot

First of all, I have to say that the manager (owner? I never caught his name) was very kind and tried his best to accommodate everyone there. The location is great for trips to Yosemite, and if you’re lucky enough to reserve a spot in the ‘main loop’ (I don’t see this ability online), you’ll probably love it. The bathrooms are large and clean and there is laundry, a small playground, a small pool (closed during our stay), and a privately run store on-site.

We brought our 28’ toy hauler here at the end of June 2020. We had reserved a spot in Coyote Lot, which we were told over the phone would be no problem. Upon arrival, the manager had his doubts but told us to “put the truck in 4x4 and give it a go!” Coyote Lot looks like a newly, semi-leveled gravel parking lot with full hook-ups… no trees or shade. There were some longer spots, but there was no way our trailer would fit in the one we reserved. The lot also exits through a run-down residential grouping of trailers, some occupied and some abandoned.

The manager put us in Bear Lot, no question, after it was determined Coyote Lot would not work. This lot is a little more established than Coyote, but still a gravel parking lot with electricity (inconsistently for many) and water hook-ups. The lot is pretty level and separated from Hwy 120 by a wooden fence. There are some picnic tables and fire pits, but not enough for each spot. We didn’t end up having to use our generator like others did. There were tent campers and rv/trailers in this lot.

Side note: the Rainbow Pools swimming hole that is recommended on the website was WAY overcrowded and I do not suggest going unless maybe you go in the early morning. There were tons of people, tons of litter, and no respect for nature… very sad to see.

Photo are of Bear Lot