For those who want to get away from civilization for a weekend, but still want the comforts of home, consider renting a cabin for your Firebaugh camping trip. Cabin camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. When you're looking for a quiet location in nature, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect cabin rental.
Pinnacles Campground is located in the unique Pinnacles National Park, 32 miles south of Hollister, California. The park encompasses 26,000 acres of spectacular rock formations and remnants of an extinct 23 million-year old volcano. Hiking and rock climbing are very popular activities in Pinnacles, as is watching for the majestic California condor overhead. Pinnacles National Park is a nesting place for the endangered soaring bird, the largest in North America.
Pinnacles National Park has more than 30 miles of trails, ranging from easy to strenuous. Many trails intersect, allowing for a short loop or a longer all-day hike. Popular destinations include Bear Gulch Reservoir, High Peaks and the Balconies area. The Bench Trail provides direct access to the park from the campground. Visitors enjoy exploring Balconies Cave and Bear Gulch Cave, which houses a large colony of Townsend's big-eared bats. Bring a flashlight! Rock climbers flock to Pinnacles for the variety of climbing routes that range from easy top-ropes to the multi-pitch climbs along Machete Ridge.
The campground is situated in a rolling landscape dotted with shady Valley Oak, Blue Oak and Coast Live Oak trees. A gentle, seasonal creek runs through the grounds. Springtime finds Pinnacles bursting with a wide variety of vivid wildflowers that line every trail and fill entire meadows with color. Deer and wild turkeys roam the area, and condors can be viewed from within the campground. The park ranges in elevation from 824 feet along South Chalone Creek to 3,304 feet atop North Chalone Peak.
$43 - $164 / night
A historical resort in central CA that offers 19 therapeutic hot tubs, dry sauna, geo-thermally heated mineral water swimming pool & accommodations. Offering 10 cabins, 2 airstreams, 9 tent sites, and 10 RV sites!
$70 - $185 / night
Monterey Bay RV campground and preserve is nestled in rolling hills about 14 miles south of Hollister, California. The climate is tempered by the ocean, which is only 50 miles to the west, and wildlife is abundant throughout the area. San Benito RV Resort 's modern facilities ensure convenience and comfort. The on-site live entertainment and planned activities keep things interesting. When it's time to explore the area, there are many natural attractions and activities around San Benito RV Resort , such as the Pinnacles National Monument, fresh and salt-water fishing, and golf courses. Visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium during your time at Thousand Trails' Monterey Bay RV campground. It's an experience that won't be forgotten! See wildlife & natural attractions from a Monterey Bay RV campground Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at San Benito RV & Camping Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
$30 - $40 / night
Spanning 35 breathtaking acres of majestic oaks and manzanitas, cascading waterfalls, rolling hills and a never-ending star-spotted sky, Yosemite RV Resort is an idyllic camping getaway in the valley foothills. Hang here to enjoy the large pool, new playground, and horseshoe pits, then hit the trail, catch a falling star and adventure boldly under the Yosemite Valley sky.
Stay in a cozy cabin for you and your family and friends or camp in your tent or RV. For horse owners, have your horse in a bedded barn stall, paddock or large pen. Enjoy the Dining Hall with full kitchen, full baths and hot showers. A fire pit and bbq area for gathering with your group. Guided Trail Rides and several arenas available. Come relax and play with or without horses.
Guide
If you’re doing the long drive from the Bay Area to LA, a nice place to stay is Mercey Hot Springs. It takes about 20 minutes to get there from the freeway and is in the middle of nowhere. Camping is $50 per person, but it gives you access to the pool and the hot tubs. There are both clothing optional hot tubs and hot tubs for bathing suits. The best campsites are the ones with no hook-ups. They are under the trees and right next to the pool. The RV sites with hook-ups are in an open field area with no tree cover. There are also airstreams and cabins available to rent. Camping gives you 24 hour access to the hot tubs. There is no food available here and the closest town is 30 minutes away so be sure to come prepared. There is also a sauna and a nice hike up in the hills. Nice quiet place. Everyone is super chill and no one really bothers you about swimming after hours.
TravelerI Van Camped at Mercey Hot Springs for 5 days. When I arrived the nights were hot so I decided to take an AC Cabin #10 where I could park right next to the cabin and slept comfortably. I moved to a RV camp site #5 when the temps at night were a more comfortable mid 60s. I love that the hot tubs are available all night long. It allows for long soaks while star gazing. The therapeutic water is magical some of the best I have found. As soon as you enter the pool or hot tubs you feel the smooth water on your skin. The hot tubs are all oversized privet bath tubs that you fill with mineral water of your desired temperature. This is a completely off the grid resorts that has good energy and tranquil atmosphere. It is very clean with clean bath rooms and showers. When I was there in June 2024 they did not have the restaurant open yet but one looks like it is in the near future. They do have snacks, cold drinks, coffee, ice cream and Ice in the front office for purchase. I took the short hike up the hill to see the solar array, while up there I discovered a most amazing triple Labyrinth circle walk that was very mindful experience. I have never seen such a neat labyrinth as this. Truly an amazing stay, I will be back.
Scout
This campground is 300 acres, so they say. We went here for the first time end of July when it can be hot toddy. It was only low 90s. They have 2 pools, one adult with hot tub and one family, quite far apart. All on all we liked it and will return in the winter when I am sure it will be beautifully green hills surrounding.
TravelerPlenty of sites if you have 30 amp. Plenty of full hook up sites. The 50 amp sites were all in one section. If you don’t need to run your A/C you can get by with 30 amp hook up. We loved most of the sites were pull thru. Had good picnic tables. Restrooms and showers were great. Like others have said this place needs a lot of care. A lot of sites were out of order. Nice trails there. Gilmore was a distance for us to restock on supplies. Pool was open but not heated. Hot tub was closed for the winter season. You are out in the sticks so no cell phone service. You could purchase WiFi and patch your phone thru WiFi calling.
GuideSeriously love this place and wish we could go all the time! Too bad we live on the East Coast or id he here 24/7. We stayed in a cabin in January. Right near Pinnacles National Park! We had Condors above our cabin, deer around us, wild pigs crossing the roads. Its amazing!!!! My favorite part of our California trip was staying here!
Ranger
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.
Guide
This Campground has lots of potential. We expected a cleaner site for $40 a night. Really just a cleaner campground in general. Our site had lots of trash at it. Like Chewing Tobacco, old empanadas, cereal, etc. But it had some positives. Like the store, Lake and splash n dash. But it seems like the money you pay goes to there cabins not the campground. Cell service was spotty. Rangers were nice but they didn’t know what they were doing even though the clearly had experience. Overall the campground just needs some TLC
Legend
The park is amazing and there are so many great hikes, wildlife viewing and picturesque landscapes!
The campground loop we were in was full and the sites are fairly close to your neighbor but it wasn't bad. The main reason being absolutely NO generators allowed so it was peaceful. The sites were semi private as the brush and trees have grown around most sites offering a little privacy. Other campers were friendly and considerate. Note that the RV side with the hook up does not offer any privacy and is near the main road. RVs are not confined to that area though.
The spots are flat and include fire pit, picnic table and food locker. Raccoons apparently are a big problem here so keep your food locked up. There is a small general store/visitor center with a variety of food items, stove fuel, firewood, general camping supplies and souvenirs. WiFi also available for $10 for 7days per device. We paid, but our T-Mobile hotspot with Weboost won out in the end because the WiFi did not reach our spot. There is better reception for the WiFI in other spots. No cell reception with AT&T or Verizon.
The hiking is great! and during the week pleasantly absent of tons of other hikers. Masks are required even on trails when 6 ft distance cannot be maintained, and people were very respectful of that on the trails. There is a lot of wildlife to see though sadly we did not see any condors on this trip. The caves are currently closed due to Covid.
Other amenities:
Tent cabins
RV only loop with 30amp hook up only (no sewer or water hook up)
Showers
Bathrooms
Garbage and Recycling
RV dump station (flush water only)
Fresh water filler up (near RV camping area)
Group camping
Pool (currently closed)
Pets allowed but NOT allowed on any trails
Overall a great experience for a lesser known National Park, would come here again!
GuideHighly recommended Pinnacles for families! There are lots of great hikes, a pool to swim on hot days, and so many stars at night. There is also a great camp store with everything you need - from food to cookware to cute t-shirts. And if your kid loves the junior ranger program as much as ours you can pick up your guide and badge at the visitor center.
It’s also a super short drive from the Bay Area which makes it an easy getaway during the school year.
RangerThis National Park is unlike many we have stayed at in that they do have showers, a swimming pool, a store, lots of amenities, getting there is the hard part as it is in a very remote part of California. The park is known for the California condors and our hike didn’t disappoint as we saw many. The hike to the high peak was crazy!
GuideThis is only my 5th National park and was beautiful. Lots of wildlife visitor's. The Park is also home to the California Condor. Bummer that we didn't see any. RV spots have electric plug in. We stayed in a 30 amp spot.
GuideGreat place to hike, spectacular views. Rock climbers will enjoy the pinnacle rock formations. Talus caves add to the wonderful hikes and offer a refreshing break from the sun. Spring and fall best, summers are hot. You may also see a California condor overhead.
TravelerThe Pinnacles Campground offers a variety of sections to fit the need of most every type of camper. There are two sections to the park - an east and a west side which are not connected very easily unless you hike through the Pinnacles themselves. However, the main Campground offers a ranger station and store that provides books, snacks, and information on the park. There is wifi and a pool and showers available. Sections include group sites (which were the ones I stayed at), good for families, school trips, or camps, and more family style camps, and places where you can glamp in your RV fully equipped with hook ups.
The pinnacles is unique because they are one of two spots in California where you can see the California Condors, a huge giant scavenging bird that almost became extinct. From the campsite you can watch them soar back to their roosts in the higher Pinnacles through binoculars. Truly a wonderful experience.
Cons: Watch out for the raccoons. They will eat everything you don't lock away!
LegendI have to admit, I didn't even know Pinnacles NP exsisted. I'm glad I saw the sign and venture to check it out. It’s a beautiful park and has the largest population of California Condors in the world.
The campground is situated about 2.3 miles from the main trailheads. There's tent and RV campsites. It's a good campground with the NP visitor center located within the campground.
Note: There's only 30Amp service at the RV sites. Bring an adapter if you only have 50 or 20Amps.
TravelerWe were suggested by the ranger to take a 9.5 mile hike to see the best of the park. included high peaks trail climbing steps carved into the rock in the 30's. And going through one of their caves (balconies cave) as the other was closed for bat breeding season. 1,500 elevation gain in the first few miles but totally worth it. With a few bathrooms along the way makes it very convenient if you need to stop. Overall an amazing hike and views of California condors when you get to the top.
GuidePer my rating system, this is very close to being 5 stars, meaning it's worth planning a trip from out of state just to visit this park and surrounding national/state forest for 3 days or more The only reason it's 4 stars instead of 5 is that Pinnacles isn't quite big enough to explore exclusively for a minimum of 3 days. You've got a solid and long day of hiking through the park (6 miles, but very intense and exposed). Then a half day of exploring the parts of the park you didn't get to on the hike And then. . well, by then you've probably seen most of what is worth seeing in the park. So hop in the car and drive to Monterey. Go to the aquarium, eat some seafood, and then drive back to Pinnacles (about 3 hours round trip, but worth it if you spend the whole day in Monterey). This is the definition of 4 stars by my system: a park definitely worth visiting if its part of a larger trip to a region. And for locals, this is a must-visit spot, a place that will be on the regular camping rotation.
The park, which is located in a tight valley in San Benito county, is a geologically unique spot nestled in oak studded rolling California coastal mountains. There are two entrances into the park, but the campground is only accessible from the Gilroy/Hollister side. If you're coming from the Bay Area, take Hwy 101 through Gilroy and then get on Hwy 25 South. As you wind your way on Hwy 25, you pass ranch land and within 10 miles of getting off the freeway, you feel like you're pretty far away from it all. That's the thing about California. Get off the main thoroughfares and out of the population centers, and things get rugged fast. In the days of trillion-dollar market caps for Silicon Valley technology companies, people often forget that California has a rich agricultural history. I've lived in California for going on 3 decades, and I sometimes wonder what the more quintessentially central California experience is: Shopping at the Apple Store in San Francisco and then dining at a fine restaurant as the fog rolls in, or buying produce from a farm stand in a valley bordered by rolling hills. It's probably both. San Benito county is a great place to experience the latter.
What makes Pinnacles geologically unique is that the park is formed from bulbous rock formations. These are somewhat reminiscent of what one would find in southern Utah, at a place like Arches. The main hike, which is a loop that begins and ends at the parking lot, takes you up the ridge line and then across the rock faces. It's an intense and fun hike. It's just under 6 miles, but it will take the entire day. Pack a lunch and plenty of water. There are no water sources on the trail. If you're lucky, you'll see condors floating in the thermal currents.
Speaking of thermal currents, Pinnacles is extremely hot in the summer. I've never come here past April. The winter is ideal for Pinnacles. But if you are in the Bay Area in the summer, it's worth checking out. But be prepared for heat.
There are two campgrounds loops: one is for RV's and the other is for tents and RV "dry camping" (i.e. no hookups). I was in the tent section, dry camping my Airstream. The RV loop is easy to get in and out of. The loop I was in was a bit trickier - "blue square" difficulty level for a 28' trailer. I had a back-in spot, but the angle of the spot made it easy to back in. The tricky part was that it was kind of narrow, with railroad ties on either side. It was a good spot, and I'd definitely take that one again. But, if you want full hookups on the RV loop, spots 50 and 51 are the ones to get. Many of the spots on the RV loop were really exposed, and it can get hot in Pinnacles, even in the winter during the day.
As I mentioned in the introduction of this post, there is a lot to do within a 2-3 hour (round trip) drive of Pinnacles. You could go up to the southern Bay Area. You can go to Monterey. You could go wine tasting in Paso Robles. This is a great place to plan a 3-4 night trip. It's always on my short list of places to go.
GuideCAMPFIRES ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE. Not even in the fire rings at each site!
We enjoyed seeing LOTS of wildlife in Pinnacles from our campsite: California quail scurrying up a hill, mule deer, and raptors of all kinds. Lots of nocturnal animal activity!
But the campsites themselves were dispersed around a parking lot -- not much more to it, and very little shade or barrier between sites. Quiet hours were not enforced at all. People were loud through the night.
Wrong name was written on our placard so we worried all night that someone would accuse us of taking their spot, even though we had reserved. and pre-paid for the one we were in. Camping host was indifferent to this error.
Great National Park, though, and seemed to be the only camping option in the area.
GuideGood spot to explore Pinnicales National Park. Typical TT resort park off the beaten path, far out but nice place, we enjoyed our stay. At the time we were there a lot of the riverfront sports were out of order. Park does have a lot of those devil spikes in the grass so beware of those with the dogs or bare feet. I did see someone bare foot walking and I was confused as how he was not stepping on them little spiked mines/ thorns then it happened and he went down having to crawl back to the road and get shoes. Pinnacles NP has lots of great hikes, bird watching is a thing out here and home to the California Condors. Near the town of Gilroy home of the garlic festival. A little out of the way but a nice scenic backroad alternate from I5 or 99 if traveling north/south.
LegendCampground Review:
Be sure to look at a map carefully and drive to the property side of the park if you plan to camp here! There are two entrances to Pinnacles and they don't connect by road. Also, we didn't have any cell phone service, but we did manage to get service with our hotspot while in the campground. The store has wifi too, but we didn't need it. The campground is plenty nice, but it doesn't have the feel of a typical National Park campground. We stayed in one of the electric sites with our RV, but there are dry camping sites as well. We had an awesome time in the park hiking and spotting California Condors. The park is absolutely worth a visit and this is by far the closest place to stay.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time. At this campground, I tested the Ecovessel Boulder Insulated Water Bottle. The quality and performance of this product are both very impressive! I tested this out both with hot tea and cold water and gatorade and have been very pleased. I love the strainer feature so it keeps ice from rushing to my mouth every time I take a sip. It's also convenient for tea as well. Not to mention the color is great. I love this water bottle!
LegendThis is a large campground (and the ONLY campground) in Pinnacles National Park. It is on the East side of the park, and you can only access it from the East side. There is no road going across the park from west to east, so expect to drive south or north in order to get to the campground if you are coming from the coast (as I was). Here’s what I like about the campground: it’s kind of spread out and it seemed that each site had a little privacy, every site has its own bear box, and some sites have trees for hammocks. Here’s what I didn’t like: the entire campground’s septic system was on the fritz and not expected to be fixed anytime soon, so all modern bathrooms were closed and porta potties were in place everywhere (and they needed tI be serviced). I also didn’t like that there was only one shower house with two showers (for women, I am am assuming 2 for men) for so many campers. I also didn’t like that the host sites were tucked back behind the pool and shower house on a spur road, making it difficult to spot (I finally found them late the second day; none too helpful either). All that said, the ranger station is right at the front of the campground, and there are great trails you can hike to or take a quick drive to from the campground. The CAVES!!!! So cool! And you have to hike the Balconies. Take at least two sources of light (cell phones do not count) and plenty of water as it gets hot in the afternoon. The coolest part was seeing 5 of the 30 or so California Condors soaring on the thermals over me on the Bear Gulch Loop.
Legend
We went in August and the water was beautiful.When we went it was drought season and so no fires allowed, even in the designate grill area. The sites are large and mostly private. Bathrooms were very nice and the host was awesome.
TravelerHas tent sites. Also accommodates RV. Clean bathrooms. I’ve seen fox, raccoon, deer. Great staff. You can rent tubes here and float the river. Short walk to river from campsites. The have a small well stocked store and activities on the weekends. Small outdoor Chuckwagon serves hot food on sat and some sundays. Nice quiet campground. Near small town of Cloverdale Ca.
ScoutAwesome
ScoutMy family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer. We showed up with our 24' trailer on Friday, and even though it was February, they brought on staff to get us all checked in since it was so busy because of the race. There was a short line to get in to the campground, but we didn't wait long and the staff was helpful and friendly. The site was a good size for two trucks and the trailer. The site was not too close to the water, not too far. The bathrooms had showers which we used since our site didn't have a sewer hookup. The site did have water and power though. The marina isn't normally open in February, but they opened due to the volume of campers that weekend. They stocked up on the basics and even had hot coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning and sandwiches at lunch. On Sunday, we moved over to a full hookup site and it was level and felt private. We camped next to some friends and stayed up around the campfire and made smores. The kids rode their bikes around the campgrounds alllll day. They had a blast! Thanks, MID!
TravelerThis is my second time staying here and I’ve really enjoyed it. There are free warm showers and the bathrooms are fairly clean. If you are staying in a tent make sure to layer up and bring lots of blankets because nights can get very cold. It’s also a nice place to fish and the on-site store is a plus.
ScoutWe have stayed here many times now in the off season. There’s great trails, fishing and very friendly staff. The sites are clean and operational and everything is explained well prior to your stay.
GuideI guess if you stayed on the water it might be nice but the campground itself was pretty bad. 1st they have blocked any phone signal so even with my WeBoost I could not work from here. 2nd the flies were horrible. 3rd my site was across from overflowing trash can. 4th the hookups are on the wrong side so you can't back in where you should. The photos on their website are very deceptive. They shot them so your site looks close to the water but it's not. If there's a problem there is no one you can call. I was tired, it was late, and I had to leave and drive down to Merced and sleep in Lowe's pkg lot. 2 stars because I emailed them, and they did give me a refund. I guess if you're local and this is all you know.....
Experience the charm of cabin camping near Firebaugh, California, where you can unwind in nature while enjoying modern comforts. With a variety of options available, you can find the perfect spot to relax and explore the great outdoors.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Firebaugh, CA is Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park with a 4-star rating from 84 reviews.
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