Best Tent Camping near Los Banos, CA

Tent Camping Reviews near Los Banos, CA

356 Reviews of 3 Los Banos Campgrounds

• 

  Sara W.

  Traveler

  Aug. 23, 2018

  Coe Ranch Campground — Henry W. Coe State Park

  Easy Scenic Camping close to Bay Area

  Henry Coe State Park is easily accessible from the San Francisco Bay Area for a weekend getaway or short camping trip.

  The Coe Ranch campground has several tent-only campsites that can be reserved online ($8 transaction fee, $20/night), and the campground has parking for vehicles in a small parking area ~20-100 feet from the campsites. Campsites at this campground are aesthetically pleasing, with oak and pine trees around the perimeter of the campground, and there are scenic views of oak woodlands and the valley below. The picnic benches are conveniently located and provide a nice space for eating while camping at the site. Toilets are easily accessed from the campsites. Campfires are allowed in the fire rings only during non-fire season (no campfires during summer months). Dogs are allowed at the Coe Ranch Campground.

  Henry Coe SP has many great hiking opportunities, with beautiful wildflower displays in March and April, and also numerous opportunities for enjoying the beauty of the plants and wildlife seen along the hiking trails which are very accessible from the campground. Near the Coe Ranch campground there is a camp book store, which has some items for sale, including many field guides to wildlife and plants in the park. When the store is open, there is often a ranger available to answer questions about the park.

  My only compliant is that at the site we stayed at (CR005) the ground is quite compacted, so if you do not have an adequately thick sleeping pad, the ground may be uncomfortably hard to sleep on. Normally I have no trouble sleeping on the bare ground at campsites with a thin sleeping pad, so this was surprising. Bringing an extra pad may be a good idea if you are prone to sleep problems when the ground is too hard.

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• 

  Austin C.

  Legend

  May. 29, 2019

  Coe Ranch Campground — Henry W. Coe State Park

  Amazing Backcountry Backpacking

  Came here from SF Bay for 2 nights on a weekend.  Obtained permit from the ranger station and had to pick a district I would camp in the first night (to limit amount of campers in a region per night).  Hiked about 8 miles southwest to a lake the first night and camped in my hammock by the lake.  Second day backpacked about 12 miles northeast to another lake and was able to grab a spot to set up my hammock next to some picnic tables and a restroom.  Saw plenty of wildlife (lizards, snakes, birds, fish).  It was fairly hot in mid-spring, and there is not much shade on the trails, especially the dirt roads.

• 

  Toni R.

  Traveler

  Feb. 22, 2022

  Coyote Lake Harvey Bear Ranch County Park

  Nice but crowded-SUV tent camper review

  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.

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• 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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• 

  Lady L.

  Guide

  May. 18, 2021

  Coe Ranch Campground — Henry W. Coe State Park

  Awesome primitive camping

  This is a primitive campground, no showers only vault toilets and restroom near visitor center ( 2 min walk from campground) both decently clean. Water for washing dishes is available. Spots are not close to each other so there is privacy. It is small, quiet, surrounded with beautiful views. Good hiking trails and good opportunity for bird watching, wild flowers viewing and plenty of deer around. From main road it takes about 35 min drive up the hill through narrow road which is paved but I don't think it is appropriate for RVs. It is a bit of hassle getting here but worth it! If you are car camping I advice NOT to choose drive in spots as it is not leveled but the parking where you have to walk to your camp spot is okay.

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• C

  Clint W.

  Scout

  Nov. 23, 2022

  Don Pedro Lake Fleming Meadows Campground

  Not many asphalt pads that are level (Front to Back) Pads are not very wide, and have large drops to ground.

  Site was H-30. Pad was 8”+ low on rear tires of Class A motorhome. Fire pit was installed to close to picnic table, and no level ground to put chairs around. View was great!

• 

  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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• 

  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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