Best Cabin Camping near Elk, CA

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.

We were able to stay in the cabins for a night and they were small but clean. Some cabins have electric and some do not, but honestly, electric is not necessary while camping here so if you can’t don’t have it don’t worry. The area is very close to some awesome sequoia groves and was very quiet which was great. There are showers for people who stay in certain areas, but you need tokens from the front desk at check in. Don’t forget to ask, we didn’t know until we were naked, ready to go :). Hosts were very nice. Overall, great experience here.

Backing up to the John Muir Trail all the way into the back country of the high Sierra is this Gem of a ranch. It has amazing amenities, such as cabins, tent cabins, developed hot springs, all meals included, toilets and running water, horses back tours/packing, backpacker resupply, and store. 

Getting there however is quite a feat. First you have to traverse a one lane road nearly 30 miles back into Florence Lake. Then you have to take a boat ride to the other side of the lake, and finally you have to hike 5+ miles to the ranch. It is all worth it for the sunning views, great food, amazing fishing, hiking, and all around experience.

Many options to stay! Rv, bring your own tent, yurts, safari tents,, cabins. RV spaces have many different location styles, secluded, views, groups etc.

Large clean pool with a shallow lounging section. Playground. Bathrooms/showers were freshly renovated and clean. Laundry on site. Clubhouse and small provisions.

Easy access to Bass Lake and Yosemite entrance as well as local Town food and markets.

Somewhere up near the starry night a pinecone the size of a cat begins its descent to the soft, needle laden ground below. It softly thumps against a branch, and then another, and still another. What seems like minutes, indeed enough time to walk a ways down a path, or find the restroom, or toss a ball many times with kids, the soft thumping grows a little louder, and boldly becomes a clunk…clunk…thunk…until the pinecone emerges from the cover of limbs and lands…bouncing…on the ground at my feet. This is the mighty sugar pine; a tree whose girth is so large in its own right that our family of five cannot manage to stretch our arms, hand-in-hand, around the whole of the tree. And yet, like the small dog that mercilessly barks, the giant sugar pine displays its fantastically large pinecones as a means to say, "I am here", rather than get lost among the biggest trees in the world by volume---the giant sequoias.

This isn't just a land of giant trees. Sequoia and King's Canyon boast some of the most grandiose monuments in all of the continental United States: the deepest canyon, the tallest mountain, incredible caves, the view from Morro Rock, a collection of some of the highest mountain passes, and an expansive backcountry wilderness. Despite the many wonderful park visual aids to teach visitors about the size of these great sequoias, and even standing at the foot of these great trees, I found it impossible to comprehend their size. The extremes of this beautiful place bring with them a sense of humility, much like standing at the edge of the ocean, and all that remains is peace and serenity. While we found this park to be far more awe-inspiring than Yosemite, really than any of the any parks we've visited, it is far less touristed and crowded.

And then there is the wildlife. California Black Bears were resting in every meadow that we walked by, usually making a meal of grubs in the rotting logs. We stopped to let a mama Quail pass with all her babies in a row behind her. Marmots greeted us from the hidden nooks, running here and there to find something to nibble.

With a national park like this, I'd be willing to sleep in my car! But I didn't have to, fortunately. We stayed in a cabin in Grant Grove, centrally located in the park. The cabin was furnished perfectly, and included all that we needed for bedding. There was a lovely fire fueled stove outside on the covered patio. The showers were good enough and there was a place to wash dishes. Grant Village has a large market for groceries, a restaurant and a visitor center. There is a free shuttle that runs through the park to alleviate any concerns about parking. This review is for General Grant Cabins, which are reservable from a separate entity via the National Parks system. However, it is alongside a campground area where tents and RVs can be parked. This is marked cabins only due to the NPS divisions--search for the campground to learn how to set up a tent or park an RV at the very same location.

Tough drive, very narrow roads with steep drop offs. Scary drive in the dark. Its a thin road with 2 way traffic. Barely room to pass up on coming cars. Albeit a very scenic drive. This place is everything a wilderness seaker is looking for. Cozy village cabins, high uo in the mounatinous forest. Hiking trails leading to gorgeous lakes, hot springs tubs scattered around and across a clean chilly river. Secluded enough for bears to roam around likes its their hood.

Absolutely the worst human beings on the planet. A man flashed my son in the bathroom and blamed my son for it.

We camped in a non-electric tent site for $30, I was charged $68 but she (the manager) used up all my points to pay for it, and pocketed the $30 I already dropped in the overnight box.

They only want you to come, sleep, and leave. Don't even think about enjoying the property or cabin.

They have cameras watching you and will nit pick you to death. They will tell you where to park, then get mad at you for parking there.

The employees drive around, obviously under the influence. I once witnessed the maintenance man running over the fire pit. Smh.

This KOA was horrible. It was unkempt, the grass was dead, no gravel, no shade and the camp was set up so your camper was in the sun all day. Also, had friends who stayed in a cabin which had roaches. The bathroom was CO-ED - but let me explain. When I say co-ed, I mean a single room with showers and toilets where everyone was in there together so you or your children could be in a shower next to an adult in a shower next to you. It was just awful. Disappointing since it was a great location for visiting Sequoia. Also, it was in an are next to stockyards so it smelled like a stockyard ALL THE TIME! I would expect more from KOA.

    I agree the road out is pretty scary I don't advise trailers but I have seen them while driving in. It is one lane and you must pull out for opposing traffic. But definitely one of my most favorite places in the Sierras. The views are amazing, I recommend giving yourself extra time to stop and get out for the views a few times on the way in. 

   Once in the campground/resort area there are two separate loops to camp in as well as cabins to rent and a small dispersed camping area there is also a general store, bath house, and small Cafe that are all seasonal since the road is closed most of the year. So open and close dates vary depending on snow. You can get firewood, drinking water at the store but it can be a little pricey, so I recommend bringing your own. The baths/showers are usually included for anyone paying for a campsite, but this may have changed. It is very cheap for day use persons to use the showers though. The sites are all very nice and surprisingly private though some are pretty close together. All provide a firepit, table, bear box, and parking space. I love that there are bear boxes at such a remote place! There are vault tiolets and dumpsters for trash. The river runs along one side of the campsites so about half of the sites are on the river. Bring extra bugspray for these sites as you are close to the water. 

     Most important if you made it this far reading 😅😂 there are multiple NATURAL HOT SPRINGS!! There are several different pools located across the river from the campgrounds. They are all over the hillside and range in temperature from lukewarm to bath water to Hot. They also pump the natural mineral water to the bathhouse for the showers! The springs are the main reason to come out and camp. There are also tons of hiking trails and other lakes in the area including 2 thermal lakes and tons of breathtaking views. I highly recommend this place. 🏞🏕

Also: I have not personally stayed in the cabins or dispersed camping area only the paid sites along the river, but I have been here several times and have seen them. There is also a corral area for horses so I'm not sure if that qualifies it as an equestrian camp but there is a spot for the horses.

This is a great campsite if you have an Rv or trailer. Close to the lake plenty of activities in the area

Boats jet ski rental fishing etc

If you read a few of the other reviews there is mention of the road getting to Mono Hot Springs.  You can't describe enough what a crazy road it is.  Do not take the warnings lightly.  Your first drive down this road will leave you white knuckled.  But so worth it!

I was taking a fly fishing trip in the morning and figured I would camp the night.  All campsites were taken.  But there are tons of other sites that you can just set up camp.  Basically pull off any area and set up camp.

I ended up sharing a campsite with a couple adventure riders for the first night and second night set up camp with the fly fishing guide just off to the side of the main campground.

In the campground each site had a fire ring, cooking area and bear box.

The camp host was amazing and so sweet!  She even gave me some tips on where to fish.

Pit toilets but super clean and no stink at all.  Again the camp host does an amazing job.

They also offer cabins, an amazing restaurant, a little country type store and a spa type area, or so I am told I did not check that out.

There are a couple hot springs you can walk to, again I did not check those out.

I was there for fishing.  

The river runs right close to the campsites and it is amazing fishing, I was told that it gets stocked often.

But the real gem is taking a drive around the roads around the area and finding more hidden fishing spots.

Great place to stay. With clean sites and plentiful amenities, you can camp comfortably while seeing the sites that California has to offer.

Of all the places we took our kids on their first camping road trip (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone etc)it was right here in California that they found their favorite here at Kings; big trees ( and fallen giants you could walk through) cave tours, hikes, rivers .. they loved it. So much to cover its best to go to Recreation.gov and choose your camp area. Highly recommended by this family !

Amazing views all around the campgrounds. If you want to get of away from the city this is the place to be...Love it.

Lodgepole Campground itself is located in the beautiful Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the central California region next to the amazing Sierra Nevada. Lodgepole is near the Kaweah River.

The Giant Sequoia Forest it's a thing of beauty and the famous General Sherman Tree - the world's largest tree is an incredible experience to see up close.

This by far is my favorite one! Plenty of options and good with kids too. They all have the events close to the park entrance. Three Rivers is about 5 miles away, i was blown away with this lake by the foothills but it really feels like a lake on a mountaintop! Its not as clear as Lake Tahoe but theres camp grounds along the bay, for military personnel, we have learned that theres an army campground here. You can reserve your spot and camp and this closes by night time, check your mwr or militarycampgounds.com for more info. I believe this is exclusive for active, reserve and retired. Be ready for an identification for the park rangers will check randomly. Also along the bay, watch for the tide. Some paved roads can be under water. That weekend there were trees under water and huts only roof left thats visible so be aware of you leave your belongings try to keep it on the higher ground or in the vehicles. We dont want to ruin this area because this is actually a dam. Anything debris could potentially be a hazard. Plus for the creatures thats living in the water. There were people that brought their boats and some were fishing. Plenty of hotels in the area but if dont come unplanned like what we did. We did not reserve a camp site since its first come first serve basis and it was a memorial day weekend.. holidays- plan ahead! 😂 but we still found a place to stay and the next day we explore the park and its was magical! 

Importantly due to the elevation, always bring chains with yall, there are some places there that rents or buy the chain but it could be really pricey.

Passing through this was a fine place to sleep for the night, but for the price of $70 for just water and electric (when we typically stay at very nice holiday KOAs for the same rate) - we felt disappointed with our stay. The bathrooms were clean-ish, but there were still cobwebs and very DIY. In the men’s room, you would step on loose tile that would squish water up through it. For the price point, we expected professionally renovated bathrooms. Sites are on gravel and pretty close together with no privacy. Within the park there was noise late into the night that sounded like an ice cream truck and we could hear the nearby train throughout the night. In summary, for the experience we should’ve stayed at the Love’s down the road rather than spend the money here.

This spot is a good stopover point to get near the mountains leading to Sequoia. Not a bad resting spot after a long drive. Hot, noisy, street lights, little privacy between neighboring spots makes it hard to enjoy. Good pool, fun game room, nice store and staff.

This KOA is great! Very clean, has a K9 area, barbecue grills, hot showers, laundromat, etc. and right in town!