Best Tent Camping near Firebaugh, CA

Tent Camping Reviews near Firebaugh, CA

242 Reviews of 5 Firebaugh Campgrounds

• D

  Dan M.

  Guide

  Jun. 14, 2022

  Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park

  Get there early

  Great for tent camping and hiking. RV sites have 30 amp hookups. No water or sewer hookups. Dump station was available. RV sites are all gravel and fairly flat. Paying after the store closed at 6pm was an ordeal. Could never make it happen. We tried to log in for 3$ to pay online but it failed and we were never able to connect. Tent sites were secluded, many under shade trees, and well dispersed. Bathrooms were few and far between. Mostly vault toilets. There is a pool that families will enjoy. There is a small store. Walks and hikes are what is available. For a National Park it underwhelmed.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  Mar. 7, 2021

  Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park

  Crowded But Not Awful

  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!

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• H

  Helen F.

  Guide

  Aug. 24, 2025

  Condon Peak Campground

  Nice spot!

  Easy access in a camper van. Nice big areas but not many spots (about 5 or 6). Only 2 other vehicles/campers here. Beautiful views, cooling winds and don’t seem to be any biting bugs! Picnic tables & shelter, plus a fire ring on each pit. No showers but toilet available. Lovely & quiet!!!

• 

  Chanel C.

  Legend

  Nov. 12, 2018

  Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park

  Ranger Review: Mountain House Beef Stew at Pinnacles Campground

  [ PROS ]

  • Camping in a National Park! This is the only campground in Pinnacles National Park so you’re options are limited, but this campground is centrally located.
  • Wonderful Camp Store with gear, supplies, and anything you might need for camping. They even have snacks, ice cream, and candy.
  • Visitor Center where you can get lots of helpful information about the park and souvenirs to take home.
  • Each sites comes with a picnic table, fire ring + grill, 2 parking spots, and bear box.
  • Clean restrooms but it is shared with a lot of campers. I wish they had a few more.
  • So close to wildlife! We saw 6-8 deers both days just grazing inside the campground. Site #20 is where they hung out the entire weekend. Also, lots of rabbits, owls, magpies, quail, and turkey vultures.
  • Great night sky with lots of stars!
  • Lot’s of hiking trails at Pinnacles National Park. We started on the East Entrance and took the Bear Gulch Cave Trail to Moses Spring Trail, to the High Peaks Trail. It was spectacular and pure magic! One of my favorite day hikes that I’ve done. The caves were so cool to see and the Bear Gulch Reservoir is gorgeous.
  • Really clean and well maintained park. I normally carry a bag to pick up trash on hikes, but this time I barely saw litter.

  [ CONS ]

  • The only showers are by the Visitor Center which is a long walk or drive from the main camping area.
  • Sites are super close together and very small. Some sites barely looked like you could put 2 small tents. Be prepared to be close to neighbors.
  • Very touristy and crowded, it is a National Park afterall so that is to be expected.
  • No fires were allowed when I was there.

  Note: Site #45 where we stayed was great! It had a water spigot right next to us which was really convenient, and it was a perfect distance from the restroom. Not directly next to it, but one site away.

  Product Review

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This weekend I had the opportunity to test out Beef Stew by Mountain House on a camping trip to Pinnacles Campground. As far as the product goes, I can eat this ALL DAY. It’s so good, filling, and hearty just as it is. This is as good as it gets for a quick, hot meal at the drop of a dime. It tastes just as good as a home cooked meal. Overall, just perfect comfort food -- chunky pieces of potato, peas, and carrots, the beef has great texture and generous portions, and the sauce is savory, flavorful and thick. I decided to elevate this meal and make Mountain House Campfire Beef Hand Pies! All you need is ready-to-bake biscuits and a Mountain House #10 Beef Stew Can and you have the best campfire hand pies ever! One package of Mountain House can make 16-20 hand pies. That’s 2.5 cans of ready-to-bake biscuits.

  Ingredients

  • 1 package of ready-to-bake biscuits
  • 1 Mountain House #10 Beef Stew Can
  • Also needed: cast iron pan vegetable oil and paper towels

  Instructions

  1. Follow instructions for making Mountain House #10 Beef Stew and set aside.
  2. Open the can of ready-to-bake biscuits and roll out each biscuit until they are about 4 inches in width. Make sure to work fast with the dough so that it still stays cool.
  3. Place 1 tbsp of Mountain House Beef Stew  into the center of each circle, fold them over (like a taco) and seal the edges by using the tines of a fork, press the edges together all the way around. Try to avoid getting any of the stew sauce around the edges or else it will be more difficult to seal.
  4. Place 1-2 inches of oil in a cast iron pan and place on the fire over coals (or camp stove), not direct flames. Test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a couple droplets of water into the pan. If it sizzles, it’s ready to go!
  5. Cook the pies until the first side is well browned then flip over and repeat.
  6. Let the pies set on paper towels for 1 minute to drain out any excess oil.

  Optional: Enjoy with salsa, sour cream, and cilantros

  Considerations: If you want to prevent leaks in your hand pie, take an additional step when sealing your pies by flipping the pie over to the other side, and sealing it again with your fork. It’s a little more work, but the payoff is worth it!

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• r

  roxanne

  Traveler

  Aug. 4, 2021

  Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park

  Wonderful campground nestled in Pinnacles National Park

  Great camping spot with a small creek running by the site. Water = mosquitoes and this was no exception. Plenty of shade at this site, level ground and space was plentiful for our 14 x 15 tent. We had a separate dome tent to keep out bugs. The site had two picnic benches, a fire pit and bear lockers for your food. The potable water was just steps away and the parking area easily accommodated two vehicles (vans). The bathrooms were a short stroll away, along with the big trash dumpsters. They have a pool near the visitor’s center/camp store which was very popular. Staff was really nice and the sites are well-kept. The pool and showers are a longer walk from our site so we ended up driving to those accommodations. Pay showers and the water was generous and shower stalls were relatively clean. Pinnacles trail heads are close by. Lots of trails, but when we were there an excessive heat warning was in place. Definitely a place to return to!

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• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  Mar. 7, 2021

  Laguna Mountain Campground

  Hard to Believe This Place is FREE!

  This place is so great! It is difficult to find BLM camping in California and this is a gem!

  The road is in prone to mudslides and looked like is was recently cleared of mud in multiple spots. Warning though this is the kind of mud that is like clay and has to be scraped off of wheel wells and undercarriage. We collected quite a bit and the underneath of our RV looks like hundreds of stalactites grew and THAT was on the recently cleared spots! The road itself is paved but very potholed, patched and narrow. Be aware of blind corners on weekends when the traffic increases and people fly up the narrow road!

  The campground has big flat parking areas for RVs, vans or tents. The individual spots are spaced out nicely and all seemed to have some shade. Also there are covered picnic tables, fire pits and a bathroom which consists of a clean pit toilet. There is NO water, hook ups, or garbage available so don't forget to bring extra water to extinguish your fire as this is a high risk fire zone. Pack in and pack out!

  The days and nights are quiet and very relaxing! Bird and wildlife viewing abundant and hiking trails nearby. 

  There is absolutely NO cell reception at the campground or the road in, NO AT&T, NO Verizon, and NO T-Mobile!

  Will definitely come here again!

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• 

  Eddie N.

  Guide

  Jul. 31, 2018

  Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park

  Great for hiking and camping

  Being here plenty of times. My son and I have hike almost all the trails there numerous times, never gets old. People there are very friendly. There is a general store but sometime it closes before 5. Use to come here before it became a national park and there were less crowds, now you need to make reservations because the walk-in sites fill up fast. The wild life is great except for the typical raccoons that are always hungry so make sure you use the bear boxes at the campsites. The last few times we have been there we were able to have a campfire but when conditions get bad only camp-stoves are allowed. No worries if you forget something at home the general store is pretty much stocked up, they even have camp stoves. Cool thing about Pinnacles is that they have a swimming pool. As for the caves, your best bet would be to check the cave status on the Pinnacles NPS websites because the caves are sometimes closed. Get pretty hot in the summer.

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• C

  Carter B.

  Traveler

  Dec. 16, 2020

  Upper Sweetwater Laguna Mountain Campground

  Quiet and secluded

  Clean and well kept. Level ground all be it hard and difficult to get stakes in. I would return if ever in the area. Sites are well spaced and dead quiet at night. (No cell service with Verizon)

• K

  Kimberly

  Guide

  Mar. 1, 2022

  Laguna Mountain Campground

  Beautiful place to camp

  We have stayed here a few times. It's a long drive down a dirt road to get to Sweetwater Campground where we stay. They seem to keep up with the holes in the road though. There are plenty of places to hike and bike. We had to stop on one of the trails though because there were too many stickers for our dogs feet. The water is stagnant at the falls when we went but it was fun to climb down to the falls. Fire rings and picnic tables and a vault toilet available. Pack in pack out. Please leave it clean!