Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Elk, CA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Elk, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Find the best campgrounds near Elk, CA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$40 - $150 / night
"Just 25 minute drive to the entrance of National Park. But did enjoy staying in campground with nice walking trails around the property and peaceful pond to canoe. "
"He is super attentive and friendly without being in your face, he strikes the perfect balance between helpful and respectful of your privacy. Great place!"
$39 - $69 / night
$10 / night
"Great little spot close to a lot of nice trail heads and close to all of the amenities of Yosemite. Was recommended this spot by a friend who works for the park and was so glad!"
"It's a nice place real nice open large camp area pretty cool nice trail to a bridge overlooking the San Joaquin River gorge I really enjoyed it it's much more fun if you have horses to ride"
"Good supply of wood clean restrooms clean creek water , definitely going back"
"We hiked the waterfall trail, which is breathtaking, but full of a lot of people! Once you get passed the 2nd huge waterfall, the crowds start to die down and its just you and the mountains."
"One of the nicest backpacking campgrounds. Nice bathrooms and right next to a clean blue river perfect for swimming in! Surrounded by granite rocks in one of the most wonderful place Yosemite"
$50 / night
"Camp ground was very easy to find, very spacious, picnic table, pit fire, restrooms are not too far & not too close to any site, flushing toilets and showers are not too far away located next to the"
"Great camp sites. we got in at 10pm and were still able to find a free site. it is so close to the General Grant so we didn’t have to get in the car, we just made it a long hike."
TravelerGreat location, centrally located for exploring both Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
Nicely shaded spots and the higher elevation is nice for cooler nights during the hot summer months.
Great views of the sunset from the back of the campground.
Grant Grove Village is very close by with market and restaurant.
We stayed in site 32 which was probably the worst spot in the campground. Very hilly spot with one flat spot for a tent right next to neighbors picnic table and fire pit. Both 32 & 34 are tent only spots and right on top of each other. The other sites nearby were much more flat and looked much nicer.
TravelerWe camped at site 13 between 2/12 and 2/14. There were restrooms and a large sink that is useful to dump bear attracting water located pretty close.
The campsite itself is fairly large. I would say it lends itself more to tent camping than car or RTT camping. The site is located on a significant slope, this includes the paved parking area and the grass. There are a fire pit, bear box and picnic table located at the site. Be wary, when we went there were numerous large holes that were definitely a trip hazard.
While there were rangers and employees of the park driving around, there were no actual rangers at the kiosk. Additionally, there wasn't a reservation list posted.
ScoutThis was a beautiful campground. The only thing negative I could say about this campground is that a lot of the campsites are very close to each other. But if you choose wisely, as my friend and I did, then I have no complaints. Surrounded by trees and wildlife, we were visited by deer and entertained by a family of quails as we sat around our fire. Our campsite had a fire ring with a grill, two picnic tables and a bear box. The restrooms, which had flush toilets, were clean and well maintained. There was potable water near our campsite and an additional bear box was nearby if needed. There were also trash bins, including separate waste bins for recycling glass and plastics nearby. There was no cell reception in the campground but there was a pay phone next to the ranger station where you check into camp. Though I do not know if it was in working condition so I would not rely on it. If you were planning on hiking to some of the less traveled spots in the park, this campground was nice because there were several trails that you could access from within the campground.
LegendThis is a really cool little campground near the entrance of Sequoia National Park. The sites are tent only, so no hookups or anything like that. Pretty nice sites though, a lot of space. I think there can be fire restrictions in the summer since it can get so dry, so just be aware of that. As far as places go, it wasn't too pricey. I think we paid about $20 a night. There are bathrooms with running water, and the sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Each site also has storage lockers for your food, so be sure to lock it up in order to keep the bears from getting into it.
As for stuff to do around here, you obviously have to check out the trees. Go look at General Sherman and all the other Sequoia trees. They're so amazing and honestly it humbles you a little. Also check out Moro Rock Trail. The view from the top is amazing. You'll also probably see a fair amount of wildlife while you're hiking around, so be careful of the bears. Out of all my trips to California, I've seen the most bears here in Sequoia. They are super cool creatures, just keep a respectful distance and of course don't feed them.
RangerWhile I did not camp here, I did drive through and checked out the sites.
I was looking to get a bit further on my driving or I would have happily set up camp.
I even picked out the site I would have set up camp. 26, huge stump of a tree, bear boxes, fire rings, picnic tables, water on site, flush toilets. Nice sites for sure.
Some sites are right on top of each other and others are a bit more spread apart. Drive around and check them all out.
In Mid Sept there were only a handful of campers and the majority were in campers just a few tent campers.
TravelerWe drove in after a long day of hiking in Yosemite. This campground is right off of Hwy 120 and makes for a super convenient stop the night before or after visiting Yosemite.
At the time we visited (early Nov 2020) there were no water or trash removal services, but the infrastructure is there. Bathrooms were in poor shape, though I'm not sure if this is due it being the winter season.
Campsites were $16 and included a picnic table, campfire ring, and a bear box. There were plenty of spots within our campsite for three 2-person tents.
GuideIt is a beautiful campground located off Kaiser Pass Road. Even in June there was so many wildflowers and vibrate green. There was bathrooms and each site had a picnic table, fire pit, and bear box. Creeks ran though many of the campsites. There was trails close by and so many meadows. The roads nearby can take you to Kaiser Wilderness and Kaiser Peak. By car it’s only assessable between June and October and it’s worth the wait if you happen to try to come up the beginning of November like we did the first time near huntington lake. The road is pretty haggard to get to the campground. It also gets extremely cold at night so make sure to bring warm clothes and have a good tent and sleeping bag. The creek was really cold so if you need drinking water you should bring some or bring a filter. I would also suggest bug spray of some type because the mosquitoes are pretty relentless there. The stars are beautiful and the site is free too.
GuideWe were planning on driving through the Great Sequoia National Park and camping at one of the campgrounds. We figured since it was the middle of the week they wouldn’t be packed full. However neither of us realized how much the park catered to tourists. All the open campgrounds were full and the rest were closed probably because it was still a little early in the season. We were starting to think we’d be driving all night to get out and find a place but then we crossed over into the National Forest and saw the Princess Campground. It was pretty late and there were no self service envelopes for payment so we found an open site and in the morning the campground host came around to collect the payment! Really nice sites with a picnic table, fire ring, and metal bear box for food and smellable items. There are vault toilets, trash bins, and clean water available. There are even some giant sequoia/sequoia stumps throughout the campground.
GuideWe stayed in sites 37 & 38. These two weren’t ideal for group camping as there was quite a bit of brush in between, but 39 is much closer and cleared out so 38 & 39 would have been better. They were still nice campsites though with flat spots for tents. Lots of tall beautiful trees.
I liked that our spots were on the outskirts as we didn’t have anyone else too close to us. Driving through the campground it looked like some of the other spots were right on top of each other.
There was also a 2-stall bathroom with flushing toilets near by. It was well kept and did not smell.
There is no water access close to the campground. You can go across the road and down a small hill but it wasn’t a beach or anything. Kind of a rocky shore. There are of course spots along the lake you can find. You’ll just have to drive and look for something.
We didn’t experience any nighttime wildlife visitors nor did we see any snakes. Our dog had to stay on leash which was best anyways as there were many people walking their dogs throughout the campground. We had the camp host stop by to check in but otherwise wasn’t too bothersome.
Tent camping near Elk, California offers a variety of scenic locations where nature enthusiasts can enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from private retreats to public campgrounds, there's something for everyone.
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