Best Tent Camping near Hanford, CA

Great 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.

We 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.

We stayed at campsite 12 out of 25. They have group campsites and single campsites which is great and it Is also free and you can stay for up to 14 days. Each came with a picnic table (two if a group) and a fire ring. There are vault toilets that weren’t the worst one I’ve been too. You can see the Kings River and hear it really well. It is a beautiful canyon not far from Pine Flat Lake. It is family friendly and the ground is pretty comfortable to have a tent on. Amazing views of the stars at night, really beautiful weather during the day and night. It might get pretty hot though during the summer months because it’s only at around 1000ft in elevation. Its close to so many creeks too. If you like going up dirt roads and seeing bears or amazing views I definitely would recommend coming here. At night along with seeing the stars and hearing the river, you can also hear frogs, and there is not very many mosquitoes.

There was nothing really wrong with the campground, and it's fine for a night stay or two but I can't see spending a ton of time here.

I managed to grab site 9 and I guess I just got lucky.  The campground was packed and people were rolling in fast.

Lots of BIG campers and a fair number of tent campers.

Even with a packed campground the site I had was quiet.  Must have been because it was up on a hill.

Sites have picnic tables, fire rings and bear boxes.

Running water, flush toilets and water to refill your bottles or what have you.

There is a river that is easy enough to walk to.  I didn't have time to fish but it did look pretty promising.  There is a site you basically have to walk through to get to the river.  Nice large site.

The deer are all over and not easily spooked.

Campground is overall very nice. The campsites come with bear boxes to store your food or other gear that might be odorous. Each site comes with a fire pit with attached grill top that swings off. Some site have electric some don't depending on what you want. We stayed at number 107 which was near the top of the hill and was about a 150 foot walk to the edge where you could see the sunset over the valley. I would recommend site 103 or 104 as they are the top of the hill with the best views. There are restrooms available which are actual toilets and urinal not pit toilets. However there are no shower facilities. The days are mild and the nights were cool. Being so close the giant trees was amazing and the views are spectacular. Definitely a place to visit.

Great little campground right next to King's River in Sierra National Forest. Twisty paved road wraps around Pine Flat Reservoir to get to the campground. Picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, and occasionally... cows wander through. The main loop has several sites and there's a section off to the right with much more secluded sites among the trees. Popular raft take out spot from the river. There's a small beach just past a paved cul-de-sac. The river is cold and moving  quickly, the sounds of the rushing water reach the campground and make for easy sleeping. Love this place.

The "Town"

In 1908, former slave Colonel Allen Allensworth and four other African Americans founded the town of Allensworth in the San Joaquin Valley of California. According to wikipedia, it is "the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans." At its height, the town included 200 people and a library, post office, barbershop, store, hotel, schoolhouse, church, and numerous other homes and farming buildings.

Water for the town, however, began to try up as other farms "upstream" increased demand and by the time of the Great Depression, public services such as the post office began to shut down and many residents had to move away to find work. Despite hard times, the "town that refused to die" still had a population of 90 in 1972, though within a few years that had dropped to almost zero.

Due to the town's historical significance and a public campaign to save the town, in 1976 Allensworth became a state historic park. Nowadays, many of the buildings have been restored and are available for public tours along with the addition of a visitor center and 15 campsites.

The Campground

The campground is set off at the back of the historic town and was completely deserted when we arrived on a warm summer day in June, including empty spots where camp hosts would have been. Self registration is easy though (just $20) and the town itself had rangers and volunteers in the visitor center for any questions. Bathrooms with flush toilets, free showers, water fountains and an area to wash dishes were ridiculously clean. The camp sites had concrete pads for RVs, picnic tables with covers, and a couple of water faucets, though no electricity or water hookups except for in the camp host spots. The area is hot and dry in the summer with few trees, so the shade covers over the picnic tables are helpful. There’s also an RV dump for an additional $10.

The Weird and The Awesome

I absolutely loved this campground and learning about the town history. It’s quirky, interesting, and such an odd thing to find in the middle of nowhere-California between Fresno and Bakersfield. It also felt completely deserted, like a ghost town, despite rangers and the occasional tour bus coming through. The big open spaces, dust, and sparse amount of trees adds to its otherworldly-ness. If you find yourself anywhere near here, definitely worth a stop. Or if not, their website includes much more information about the history including a virtual tour and is worth a look: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=583

This campground is just up the road from Grant Grove Village, and really close to General Grant Tree (super cool!!). This is a nice and quiet campground tucked in the trees. It gets dark early in here and stays kinda dim throughout the day. There are several loops, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them. While tents and RVs are mostly mixed, there is a small tent only loop. The closest showers are down the mountain at Stony Creek Village or at Cedar Grove Visitor Center and Village. Don’t forget to use the bear boxes. There is no need to drive to see big trees as there is a nice trail from the campground that leads to the General Grant Sequoia Grove, and a really nice trail through the Sequoia Grove.