Best Tent Camping near Gustine, CA

Enjoyed tent camping at mount Madonna. I was able to reserve a drive in tent campground one month out . Many miles of trails and excellent facilities.

Good tent camping. The Merced river runs along the east side of thr Park. I think there are beaches but can't confirm it (see pics).21 tent sites ,showers, bathrooms, lost of tables and water for the sights to share. The camp does need to catch up with maintenance in he facility though,lighting and cleaning. No camp host while we were there, that could be why?

Wow, let's say we had a nightmare ishhorrible experience. We rented a tent camp site for 2 nights. We were given an RV Slab camping site. It had the tiniest barbecue grill available. The water that was coming out of all the faucets,  was red and brown. People weren't allowed to shower that night. Once night fall came, the camp's site was infested with roaches Everywhere, they went in all our grocery bags and under them. Went into and under all our boxes that we had. The roaches hid under our tents also. There also seemed to be a termite infestation. We had to cut our camping trip short after spending over a thousand dollars on supplies, food, the Camping site and parking fees The workers that drove by, especially Travis, were nice and Welcoming. Dogs have to be on a leash at all times. If you want to go into the lake with your dog, You have to walk very far away if you didn't rent one of the tent sites at the lake front area. Had to fumigate my vehicle when I got home with all my stuff in it. I pray none of the bugs will be in my stuff at home. I heard many other guests screeching and shouting, omg theres cockroaches every where. Good to know, we weren't the only ones disappointed. The owner Jake refused to refund me, or my two guests that wasted their 50 dollars in parking fees, although the trip was cut short due to the conditions. Jake offered for us to stay another night. Will never be back. Beware.

We starter visiting Modesto Resivor in the sixties. My father would hail all of our gear out to one of the many islands, and let the kids and dogs run free. Now that we are older, we camp on the shore line. Rustic tent camping near the water-skiing course is my favorite. Quite nights and darker stargazing. Blonde Beach is where your likely to find us Jetskiing.

We went during the week and we were the only ones there. The Rangers are super nice and the showers were clean. They do have a ton of open space but lack shade and their website needs some updates since they don't represent the campsites very good. the lake was nice and warm and very refreshing. They don't have a whole lot of activities to do here so bring a football or some board games to play. They only drawback that we had was that the water hookup was too low to the ground to wash dishes (we do tent camping). They also allow you to have a fire pit fire and supply you with a fire ring and bbq pit. Overall we were very happy here.

We've been camping here a few times now, since it is about a half hour from where we live. We camp with a 27' Travel Trailer and the campgrounds can accommodate it. There is also several tent campsites as well. The marina to Lake Del Valle is a few miles away. They rent recreational boats as well as aluminum fishing boats. They have a swimming beach area and they rent kayaks as well. There is some decent hiking trails from the campgrounds. There were no hookups where we camped for the travel trailer. Lots of turkey and deer in the area. The fee for us was $27/per night. They is a per fee as well.

I chose Casa De Fruta because of their Passport America discount. I had to be in the area for a day, so I’ve decided to try this one. It was half price for three nights. It is an older park, it has seen better days but the RV sites are full-hookup and concrete.

I saw lower sites that looked like tent sites, it is perfect if you want less highway noise. There are some“permanent resident” sites in the back of the park. Bathrooms are kept clean. They have a pool, but it is not heated, so I couldn’t use it in October. It was in the ’70s during the day and pretty cold during the night. 

I had to use my small heater to keep myself warm. It’s a great weekend place for families with cute fruit and candy stores, carousels for the kids, little train, and animals. The weekend I came there was a Rennesaince Faire in the back and I’ve heard there are other fun festivities going on in the area, like the Garlic Festival, Strawberry Festival etc. One funny thing happened, I locked my bike to the bench but I lost the key. The office was kind enough to have maintenance to come out and help me. They cut my lock and finally, I was able to get my bicycle back. Typical me!🙂 Overall, I had a good time at the park, not much to do after you visit the little stores, but it is perfect for a night or two stays.

It was a nice campground to go to. Lots of wildlife and hiking. Dogs are allowed. The lake is closed to any and all water-craft because the water level is too low. It is very clean and well maintained for the most part. Cell phone service for Xfinity/Verizon is spotty at best. There is weak wifi.

However, here's where it loses a star:

I arrived on a Friday late afternoon. Set up my tent. People were fairly loud until about 11pm. Bathrooms were really nice and clean…at first. Saturday, in came the crowd. Loud, obnoxious, and inconsiderate way past midnight. There was no reinforcement of quiet hours past 10pm. The toilets were clogged by 9pm at both restrooms. Men's restrooms have ONLY ONE STALL. And they were clogged beyond belief. I cannot understand why people do not know how to flush a toilet in public. Do they do this crap at home? Anyway, Sunday morning past 9am, still clogged up. Lines waiting to use the compromised restrooms as well. Ridiculous. Unfortunately, that's what ruined my experience. People just being completely selfish in a public campground and staff not be able to keep up with their antics. Maybe there shouldn't be so many sites for so few facilities. Just a thought.

For SUV tents, check out campsite pics on other sites before booking. SUV tents are usually limited to one entrance/exit point on the tent. Usually the driver's side. Each campsite is different. The one I reserved had only one pic that basically showed me nothing. I only could back in to set up my tent on the grass. Both the picnic table and firepit were facing the passenger side way far from the parking spot (as you can see in the second pic) opposite the entrance to my tent. So something to consider.

Nice older campground you'll need a tent or smaller rig. If RV... bring leveling blocks... lots. This use to be First Come First Served but apparently it's reservable now. Getting it reserved is a website-mess though as you need to click on San Luis Reservoir SRA and then Los Banos Creek Campground. LBC doesn't even show up on the map.

https://www.reservecalifornia.com/

Sites:

1 - Good Off-season (No trees just a shade structure) - On Lake

2 - Ok - Very unlevel. Has shade structure view of lake over site 1

3 - Good Shady site, fairly level and large enough for 20' trailer / 24' RV - On Lake

4 - Good Shady site, fairly level and large enough for 20' trailer/ 24' RV - On Lake

5-9 - Ok Small, with shade structures. No obvious spot for tents but near Lake

10 - Ok Medium size and good for trailer with lots of leveling blocks... one tree for shade

11 - Meh? Small weird triangle parking spot with no obvious tent pad - On Lake and shaded

12 - Good Medium size, Lots of shade, On Lake

13-14 - Pull-throughs ? No Shade

Porta-potties were in great shape (March) to the point I'd rather have these than Pit toilets. Good Job to whoever services those!

Amazing site, got a spot right by river with easy access, plenty of room for 4 tents and the campground hosts went out of their way to help of it was needed

I was able to enjoy the view of lake and mountains inside the tent. Wild pigs appeared at night. It was our first camping trip and we had a great time! No internet and no electricity. Restroom was clean.

We came last summer and stayed in sites #5–7. We arrived about 9pm, unaware that the gates close at sundown. They close and there is NOBODY there to open them for you, so we had to check in the following morning. They do provide a code for you should you need to exit, or if you do arrive late like we did. Just be sure to call ahead of time and check in for the code. This information is posted on the website, but we missed it, so this was on us.

It’s a small campground, only 14 sites I believe. The entire campground is right on the banks of the reservoir so water access no matter where you’re staying. Sites #5-9 are the flattest and beach front. I’m not sure what it’s like now after this year’s rain, but there was a sandy beach front leading into shallow water. It was perfect for our young kids to play in safely (with life vests of course) and we could still be at the campsite and keep eyes on them.

There appears to be only one water spicket and it’s right at the corner of site #5, so it can be a little awkward depending on where your tent is at. There are also several porta potties across the road from site #5 but they didn’t smell. They appeared to be well maintained.

Site #5 appears to be the largest site. We fit our 3 tents at the one site and used the other two just for parking. We originally had site #2 booked as well, but it is a very small spot. Big enough for one 6 person tent. So we all crammed into site 5 but with no problem. We really enjoyed the privacy and smallness of this campground. The camp hosts were very friendly and not bothersome. We plan to return again this year!

Great park with hiking, great views of Mt. Hamilton and a lake up the road a way, there’s also a mansion & rose garden on the property, shower & bathroom are clean, there are nights to gather and stargaze.The tent spaces are sizable & you can have a fire. Some seasons there are wild pigs running around everywhere.

Initial thought was the hill kinda sucked but it was ok, has cut outs on the hill for tents, very close the the water we were on camp sites numbers 20,21. No parking near camp site you have to unload gear and drive ur vehicle about 1/4mile to park. Good spot if you have kayaks to launch from.

I stayed at this campground with my daughters while on a road trip to So. Cal. It is on a first come, first served basis and is only $20 per night. The staff was friendly and offered suggestions for a good spot when asked. The reservoir was beautiful, but the ranger warned us against swimming due to algae and recommended a different swimming spot on the reservoir.

We set up camp just fine, setting up our tent under a beautiful fig tree. My daughter watched a white egret in the reservoir. It was very windy which would make cooking difficult so we decided to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant that seemed like a kitschy tourist spot called Pea Soup Andersen’s. It was a fun place that I’d take the family to again. The staff there was very friendly and the food was good.

When we got back to the campsite it was dusk. We got ready for bed. By this time it had gotten dark. We watch a frog hopping along and then I felt something land on my foot. It was a GINORMOUS Spider. I kicked it off and then looking around. In the light of the headlamp I saw MANY LARGE spiders. They'd come out to hunt, apparently. This is no exaggeration, they were so large that their eyes gleamed when they caught the light of the headlamp. Many, many eyes were staring back. We immediately headed into the tent, made sure that the zippers were high and tight and went to sleep.

Except I couldn’t sleep well. The gates to the park close at 10pm, but I was consistently woken up by vehicles driving around. It took me a very long time to realize that they were probably patrolling the land. Between the spiders and the patrols it wasn’t a very good night’s rest.

We woke early to load up. The large spiders were gone, but there were tons of spider webs on the outside of the tent and small spiders in them. Those didn’t really bother me. It just seems like it’s a very spidery location.

I don’t know that I’d camp here again. While the location has a real beauty to it and nice wildlife, the large hunting spiders freak me out. No one was bitten though. The patrols I could deal with now that I know about them. But the spiders.

This is a great spot for people looking to get away and camp but not trying to drive for 3-4 hours to do so.

Made a reservation night-of on a Friday, wasn’t going to make it there before sunset, so I called and they gave me a gate code in case the gate is closed by the time we arrived.

There’s 25 camp sites, and some are quite close together. We camp in a roof top tent and wish we had been more selective on our site, as parking space and the incline at each site are different. We were on a bit of a slope and quite a ways away from the fire pit and picnic table at our spot. The bathrooms, shower, and water access are great. Garbage cans will be super close by your site no matter which spot you pick.

If you have a roof top tent, we scoped out a few sites which are more flat, and also have the picnic table near the parking spot. They are: 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12.

I highly recommend the Creek Trail by the campsite if you are here in Fall, it’s magical!

The campgrounds are nicely positioned with plenty of space for individuals or families. Adequate parking and tent area. Best feature (besides the fact its only 20 min from our home) are the sites the run along the river. We hung out in the river all day located about 60ft from our campsite. My favorite time is during the late hours of the evening when things quiet down and falling asleep to the sounds of crickets and the river flowing by....

After the fires in Northern California prevented us from camping in El Dorado County, we made a quick decision to go south a bit to San Luis Reservoir. Basalt Campground was practically empty for the entire weekend we were there. The campsites are spaced apart generously and the sites are huge. Each site has running water to wash dishes and/or hands and feet. The restrooms were very clean and well stocked and the showers were great. I would definitely return here for another getaway!

We were surprised when we made it to this campground- that it was built on the side of a hill. The walk-in sites may be different, but all of the pull in sites were extremely off-level (even with all our blocks we couldn’t get close) and the roads through the campground itself is so steep/narrow and windy that it would be extremely difficult to back in (we watched someone get stuck while trying). There wasn’t a flat tent spot at our campsite either. Finally, we arrived after dark (in November that was pretty early) and it was difficult to find your way into and out of the campground due to lack of signage. We were extremely disappointed with the quality of the sites here and would not recommend.