Best Cabin Camping near Mendota, CA

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!

Two campgrounds: tent sites with no hookups and an RV Loop with electric. We chose the latter since we are having problems with our solar. Several sites are not open due to damage (storms, vandalism, not sure why) and the ones that are open could still use a little sprucing up. We were in site 112 which had the advantage of shade from a huge oak tree. Since the three sites to our left were closed and the one to our right was not occupied, it felt private but if all sites were open and occupied, there would not be much privacy between sites. 116 looked to be the best site in this Loop. Wooden picnic table was a little warped and there was a huge hole at one corner that I tripped in more than once. We tried to re-position the table but there was no way it would budge. No bathrooms in the RV Loop but it was not that far of a walk to the flush toilets in the tent Loop. The road on the RV Loop was part paved and in fine condition but part dirt with deep ruts that were impossible to navigate around. This campground gets extra points for recycling, especially of propane canisters. The campground is located at the East entrance to the park by the Visitor center; there are no campgrounds by the west entrance and you cannot drive between the two (you can hike). Lots of hiking, Condor sightings and, in the spring, many wildflowers.

If planning a trip longer than just a day hike to the beautiful Pinnacles National Park, and since backpacking in not allowed in Pinnacles, the Pinnacles campground on the east entrance is a nice quiet place to spend a night. This campground is also a nice option to get an early start to a long hike the following morning. The campground is situated only accessible from the east side (this is important if you are coming in off the 101 on the west side of the park - you will need to make sure you plan your route properly or will end up on the wrong side of the park with the closest option Bittersweet Rd. (G13) to cut across and get to the east entrance. The campground itself was very clean, and while we used a small tent site, also offers RV sites. Sites are primarily close together but also had many trees which offered a little shade and semi-privacy feeling. Standard campground with picnic tables and metal fire pits, water located in multiple areas throughout including showers. There was also a pool located on the grounds but we did not use it.

Although many national parks are busier, more frantic camping experiences, Pinnacles provided a very relaxed, pleasant few days of hiking and camping.

The campground itself was a basic national park setup: pretty spacious and scenic sites, picnic tables, flush toilets, and running water. They also have coin showers and a dump station for RVs.

Since Pinnacles is in a more remote area, the access to the park from the campground was clutch. We were able to get an early start and beat the (few) crowds out to the best trails. In our four days in the park, we hiked almost every trail. The trail system is extensive and can be connected in many ways, but here were our favorite parts:

• High Peaks area - on the map it’s called “steep and narrow”
• Bear Gulch and Balconies talus caves
• Chalone Peak Trail

Pinnacles is the newest national park, and it’s quite small, so you can do it justice in a day, but I’d suggest slowing down and spending the night. It’s a perfect place to take it easy!

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Pinnacles)

CAMPFIRES ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE. Not even in the fire rings at each site!

We enjoyed seeing LOTS of wildlife in Pinnacles from our campsite: California quail scurrying up a hill, mule deer, and raptors of all kinds. Lots of nocturnal animal activity! 

But the campsites themselves were dispersed around a parking lot -- not much more to it, and very little shade or barrier between sites. Quiet hours were not enforced at all. People were loud through the night.

Wrong name was written on our placard so we worried all night that someone would accuse us of taking their spot, even though we had reserved. and pre-paid for the one we were in. Camping host was indifferent to this error.

Great National Park, though, and seemed to be the only camping option in the area.

The Pinnacles Campground offers a variety of sections to fit the need of most every type of camper. There are two sections to the park - an east and a west side which are not connected very easily unless you hike through the Pinnacles themselves. However, the main Campground offers a ranger station and store that provides books, snacks, and information on the park. There is wifi and a pool and showers available. Sections include group sites (which were the ones I stayed at), good for families, school trips, or camps, and more family style camps, and places where you can glamp in your RV fully equipped with hook ups.

The pinnacles is unique because they are one of two spots in California where you can see the California Condors, a huge giant scavenging bird that almost became extinct. From the campsite you can watch them soar back to their roosts in the higher Pinnacles through binoculars. Truly a wonderful experience.

Cons: Watch out for the raccoons. They will eat everything you don't lock away!

[ 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!

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!