Best Glamping near Friant, CA

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.

We have stayed at this campground many times and recently revisited in September’24. This COE is on a small lake that is used for irrigation during the summer resulting in a much lower water level than in the spring. Fishing is good. The Corps have added more electric sites over the years and there were 5-6 that fit our 43’ Blue Bird. We marked this as “big rig” friendly. Springtime has the grasses green with abundant wild flowers in late Feb through early March. Summer can be hot as the elevation is low in the California Central Valley and the grasses are brown. Sites are asphalt. Many sites may take some time to level. Back in and pull through are available. A nice dump stations is available within the COE park. Fall has a Tarantula migration and you will definitely see them. Coyote, Bobcat, and deer are frequently seen. Codorniz is 21 miles from Chowchilla. One way in and one way out cuts down on traffic.

Thousand Island Lake is a trek to get to but once you get there, well you don’t really want to leave. This view is absolutely beautiful, and it changes rapidly with the rising and setting sun so make you have your camera ready for it. This is completely back country so you gotta pack it all in. There are some rules you have to follow while camping at this lake, 30 feet off of the trail and then another 100 feet away from the water. This can be hard to do as your camp may be on a slant or in the wide open, however you have plenty of space to choose from at this location. There is another rule about camping past a certain peninsula but from everyone we talked to they had no idea which peninsula the map was actually referring to, so you just walk past a couple of them and hope you’re in the right spot. The water is very cold but still feels great after a long hike all day.

There are multiple routes to getting to this lake, you can come. The John Muir trail and the PCT lead to this location, also Mammoth California has a trail that leads here as well. We even encountered mule train options on our way in if you prefer that type of transportation. But this is definitely somewhere you want to visit.

Thousand Island Lake is a backcountry camping area located at 9,839 feet elevation in Ansel Adams Wilderness within the Inyo National Forest, California.

If you desire 360 degree mountain beauty, a cool lake to fish, float, swim or reflect by, epic sunrises and sunsets, star-filled night skies...or just desire the unearthly quiet of being unplugged and being a speck in rugged vastness...this is for you!

This incredible dispersed backcountry camping area must:

1. Be hiked into
2. Possess a permit
3. Use approved bear canisters
4. Leave No Trace

There are a few methods of getting to Thousand Island Lake...all involve backpacks and hiking. First, if you are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail NOBO or SOBO, you will at some point of your journey reach Thousand Island Lake. Second, if you are hiking the John Muir Trail NOBO or SOBO, you will reach Thousand Island Lake during your journey. Third, you can choose a beautifully scenic 14.3 mile out and back from Mammoth, CA...the shortest of the three options. Fourth, there are horseback/mule train options.

We happened to reach Thousand Island Lake as part of our August 2018 SOBO John Muir Trail attempt.

Choosing to hike in by any of the options takes planning and preparation. This is beautiful country, but it is also rough and unforgiving. The trails are wonderfully cared for, but not groomed and flat...know this and adequately prepare.

Every hiking/camping group must possess a permit, which for a short hike directly into Thousand Island Lake is secured through the Inyo National Forest office. PCT and JMT permits are primarily lottery based (although several walk-in permits are granted each day on site...but that's a gamble).Inyo National Forest website page states: "Groups cannot be larger than 15 people (includes day use). Quota of 30 people permitted to start overnight trips each day from May 1 to November 1."

This is active black bear country, so you must use approved bear canisters for food and odoriferous items (toothpaste, soap, lip balm, insect repellent, etc). Stiff fines by rangers (and they do backcountry patrols) await if you foolishly ignore this law...worse yet, you might receive a catastrophic visit from Yogi or Boo-Boo. We did not see any bear or evidence of their presence but I’m sure they saw us.

Leave No Trace...pack it in...pack it out. Yes, that means everything. Know the rules and abide by them. Nothing more distasteful and damaging to pristine wilderness are those that believe they are the exception to this rule and leave trash...worse, waste and TP dotting the landscape. Unfortunately, I found myself burying selfish stranger's waste. So bring a small shovel (www.tentlab) and a Ziploc freezer baggie to pack out your TP.

There is signage at Thousand Island Lake advising where to camp, which is far away from the main JMT trail. Again, abide by the rules and camp at least 40 feet away from the trail and 100 feet from the lake. Read and obey the list of rules on the website.

We camped on the northwest area of the Lake. Numerous hikers were there, some groups that hiked in for a day or two, others were thru-hikers. I enjoy the "community" of backcountry backpacker's. Day hikers can bring "Fido."

It is unnecessary to pack in hordes of water, as there seems to be streams and lakes aplenty. I'd recommend a reliable water filter or boiling the water to ensure a parasite free thirst quencher. We used a simple Sawyer Squeeze, which was both lightweight and effective.

Once camp is set, hike around the trails of this pristine wilderness and soak it all in...or just pull out your sleeping pad and relax.

I have read and been admonished to use 100% DEET for the mosquitoes on the JMT...particularly June-July, and though prepared, we experienced none in mid-August, nor at this elevation. The elevation should not be bothersome healthwise, as it is not above 10,000 ft. As Floridian Flatlanders, we had no adverse altitude maladies...other than being out of breath while climbing passes. June and early July hikers may experience snow at this elevation depending on the winter accumulations.

Several notable peaks shadow Thousand Island Lake, Banner Peak being one of them.

For those securing a day hike permit, search out several websites/blogs for the best starting locations (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/thousand-island-lake-pct).

If you are looking for the best bang for your buck in backcountry short trips, file this one away as a "must do!" There are others in the eastern Sierra Nevadas...but that's for another post.

Sparse and open foothills very beautiful in late winter.

Clean Campground and site. The site we stayed at had a nice fire ring, was flat, had a picnic table and it was close to running water. We tent camped, but it looked like there were plenty of RV spots too. Nice and quiet too.

Use your national park pass for 50% off such a quiet place.

This is a great campsite but there are a few things campers must know. Not all sites are drive up. Some have a “thrombosis hill and stairs” to get to. If you book sites B 16, 17 or 18 bring a sherper or pack horse with you to get your tent and stuff to the top of the hill. Male bathroom has a toilet and shower and was clean. Female bathroom has the same but was disgusting! Not what we expected from a Gov. Park. As we were only staying night, we slept in Jabulani #Jabulaniadventures.

Even with all the rain, the lake isn’t very full. The campground, including the bathroom, was clean. It was difficult to figure out what to do when we reached the campground, because there is no one at the entrance. A ranger came around at some point, who was able to answer our questions. The sites are small, but there are some with great views of the lake.

…IF you get the right spot. We were there during Easter weekend and it was a bit crowded but not too bad. The sites are too close together and we had a nosy neighbor that seemed to take pleasure in watching our every move til I told her to mind her own business  The rate is reasonable and the grounds are clean and well kept with lantern posts, fire rings and sturdy table. Some even have nice verandas. Rangers on  site are friendly and accommodating and will even deliver fire wood to you.

This is a decent campsite. Nothing amazing but the lake is nice. The bathrooms aren’t particularly clean so I chose not to shower. The sites are very wide open so you won’t have much privacy.

We had a shared space, good thing they were really friendly. It was a very well shaded area that we got! It was a beautiful day, very peaceful too . My family and I enjoyed our day!

Plenty of sites, we arrived after 8 pm and were able to find a spot and book it on Recreation.gov easily.

It's a nice campsite. A bit of trash scattered around the tent spots. Excellente toilets and showers, but not so great out of hours check-in. Also 70+USD for a tent site with no hookup in November is a rip-off.

Great place and experience. Bathroom are the best I’ve seen by far. Large dog run which was amazing. Personal just a bit expensive 100 ish for a rv spot with 30 amp an water.

Restrooms very clean. Some areas shadier than others. Kids loved pool and clubhouse. Shopping nearby.

A nice campground.  Lots of space between sites, some with electric and water.  Nice views of where the lake should be, with volcanic outcroppings all around.  Site 01 was shaded, level and easy to back our 24 foot trailer into.  Unfortunately the lake was way low due to drought.   Things we did not like:  (1) although not far off of Highway 99, the road from Chowchilla was incredibly rough.  15 miles of poorly-patched pot holes.  I went no faster than 35 mph but still bounced the rig badly.  (2) a vagrant guy was wandering around for the three days we were there.  He came up to our trailer once; he seemed harmless but pretty out of it, maybe just stoned.  (3) a large gathering of campers in the tent area were loud and raucous well past midnight, laughing, loud music, and drunken arguments.  We were worried they could break out weapons.  (4) bathrooms were cleaned daily, but quickly trashed, probably by the aforementioned campers.