If you want to explore the beauty of Mendota, glamping is an excellent option. Camping has always been a favorite form of travel for many, but Mendota, CA glamping is a new and unique way to do it. Glamping offers quick access to one or more of Mendota's most popular destinations.
Pinnacles Campground is located in the unique Pinnacles National Park, 32 miles south of Hollister, California. The park encompasses 26,000 acres of spectacular rock formations and remnants of an extinct 23 million-year old volcano. Hiking and rock climbing are very popular activities in Pinnacles, as is watching for the majestic California condor overhead. Pinnacles National Park is a nesting place for the endangered soaring bird, the largest in North America.
Pinnacles National Park has more than 30 miles of trails, ranging from easy to strenuous. Many trails intersect, allowing for a short loop or a longer all-day hike. Popular destinations include Bear Gulch Reservoir, High Peaks and the Balconies area. The Bench Trail provides direct access to the park from the campground. Visitors enjoy exploring Balconies Cave and Bear Gulch Cave, which houses a large colony of Townsend's big-eared bats. Bring a flashlight! Rock climbers flock to Pinnacles for the variety of climbing routes that range from easy top-ropes to the multi-pitch climbs along Machete Ridge.
The campground is situated in a rolling landscape dotted with shady Valley Oak, Blue Oak and Coast Live Oak trees. A gentle, seasonal creek runs through the grounds. Springtime finds Pinnacles bursting with a wide variety of vivid wildflowers that line every trail and fill entire meadows with color. Deer and wild turkeys roam the area, and condors can be viewed from within the campground. The park ranges in elevation from 824 feet along South Chalone Creek to 3,304 feet atop North Chalone Peak.
$43 - $164 / night
This recreation area is part of Hensley Lake
$20 - $30 / night
A historical resort in central CA that offers 19 therapeutic hot tubs, dry sauna, geo-thermally heated mineral water swimming pool & accommodations. Offering 10 cabins, 2 airstreams, 9 tent sites, and 10 RV sites!
$70 - $185 / night
Codorniz Campground on Eastman Lake is a perfect launchpad for activities like canoeing, birding and hiking. Tucked in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the area attracts abundant wildlife like bobcats, golden eagles, mountain lions, hawks and wood ducks.
Eastman Lake is the first designated Trophy Bass Fishery, by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Both young and old anglers will find fishing on Eastman lake a satisfying challenge. At the campground, visitors can try their hand at disc golf or challenge a group of friends to a game of volleyball. Horseshoe pits are also available for a little friendly competition.
The rolling hills around Eastman Lake are surrounded by tall grasses and scattered oak trees, giving way to stunning mountain views. The lake features 1,780 surface acres, fed by the cool waters of the Chowchilla River.
The Sierra National Forest is a short drive to the east of the campground.
$20 - $100 / night
Group Camping Area
$30 - $200 / night
Wide sites on cement pads
Free Wi-Fi and Cable
$50 / night
Traveler
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!
RangerThis National Park is unlike many we have stayed at in that they do have showers, a swimming pool, a store, lots of amenities, getting there is the hard part as it is in a very remote part of California. The park is known for the California condors and our hike didn’t disappoint as we saw many. The hike to the high peak was crazy!
GuideThis is only my 5th National park and was beautiful. Lots of wildlife visitor's. The Park is also home to the California Condor. Bummer that we didn't see any. RV spots have electric plug in. We stayed in a 30 amp spot.
GuideGreat place to hike, spectacular views. Rock climbers will enjoy the pinnacle rock formations. Talus caves add to the wonderful hikes and offer a refreshing break from the sun. Spring and fall best, summers are hot. You may also see a California condor overhead.
LegendI have to admit, I didn't even know Pinnacles NP exsisted. I'm glad I saw the sign and venture to check it out. It’s a beautiful park and has the largest population of California Condors in the world.
The campground is situated about 2.3 miles from the main trailheads. There's tent and RV campsites. It's a good campground with the NP visitor center located within the campground.
Note: There's only 30Amp service at the RV sites. Bring an adapter if you only have 50 or 20Amps.
TravelerWe were suggested by the ranger to take a 9.5 mile hike to see the best of the park. included high peaks trail climbing steps carved into the rock in the 30's. And going through one of their caves (balconies cave) as the other was closed for bat breeding season. 1,500 elevation gain in the first few miles but totally worth it. With a few bathrooms along the way makes it very convenient if you need to stop. Overall an amazing hike and views of California condors when you get to the top.
GuidePer my rating system, this is very close to being 5 stars, meaning it's worth planning a trip from out of state just to visit this park and surrounding national/state forest for 3 days or more The only reason it's 4 stars instead of 5 is that Pinnacles isn't quite big enough to explore exclusively for a minimum of 3 days. You've got a solid and long day of hiking through the park (6 miles, but very intense and exposed). Then a half day of exploring the parts of the park you didn't get to on the hike And then. . well, by then you've probably seen most of what is worth seeing in the park. So hop in the car and drive to Monterey. Go to the aquarium, eat some seafood, and then drive back to Pinnacles (about 3 hours round trip, but worth it if you spend the whole day in Monterey). This is the definition of 4 stars by my system: a park definitely worth visiting if its part of a larger trip to a region. And for locals, this is a must-visit spot, a place that will be on the regular camping rotation.
The park, which is located in a tight valley in San Benito county, is a geologically unique spot nestled in oak studded rolling California coastal mountains. There are two entrances into the park, but the campground is only accessible from the Gilroy/Hollister side. If you're coming from the Bay Area, take Hwy 101 through Gilroy and then get on Hwy 25 South. As you wind your way on Hwy 25, you pass ranch land and within 10 miles of getting off the freeway, you feel like you're pretty far away from it all. That's the thing about California. Get off the main thoroughfares and out of the population centers, and things get rugged fast. In the days of trillion-dollar market caps for Silicon Valley technology companies, people often forget that California has a rich agricultural history. I've lived in California for going on 3 decades, and I sometimes wonder what the more quintessentially central California experience is: Shopping at the Apple Store in San Francisco and then dining at a fine restaurant as the fog rolls in, or buying produce from a farm stand in a valley bordered by rolling hills. It's probably both. San Benito county is a great place to experience the latter.
What makes Pinnacles geologically unique is that the park is formed from bulbous rock formations. These are somewhat reminiscent of what one would find in southern Utah, at a place like Arches. The main hike, which is a loop that begins and ends at the parking lot, takes you up the ridge line and then across the rock faces. It's an intense and fun hike. It's just under 6 miles, but it will take the entire day. Pack a lunch and plenty of water. There are no water sources on the trail. If you're lucky, you'll see condors floating in the thermal currents.
Speaking of thermal currents, Pinnacles is extremely hot in the summer. I've never come here past April. The winter is ideal for Pinnacles. But if you are in the Bay Area in the summer, it's worth checking out. But be prepared for heat.
There are two campgrounds loops: one is for RV's and the other is for tents and RV "dry camping" (i.e. no hookups). I was in the tent section, dry camping my Airstream. The RV loop is easy to get in and out of. The loop I was in was a bit trickier - "blue square" difficulty level for a 28' trailer. I had a back-in spot, but the angle of the spot made it easy to back in. The tricky part was that it was kind of narrow, with railroad ties on either side. It was a good spot, and I'd definitely take that one again. But, if you want full hookups on the RV loop, spots 50 and 51 are the ones to get. Many of the spots on the RV loop were really exposed, and it can get hot in Pinnacles, even in the winter during the day.
As I mentioned in the introduction of this post, there is a lot to do within a 2-3 hour (round trip) drive of Pinnacles. You could go up to the southern Bay Area. You can go to Monterey. You could go wine tasting in Paso Robles. This is a great place to plan a 3-4 night trip. It's always on my short list of places to go.
GuideCAMPFIRES 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.
LegendCampground Review:
Be sure to look at a map carefully and drive to the property side of the park if you plan to camp here! There are two entrances to Pinnacles and they don't connect by road. Also, we didn't have any cell phone service, but we did manage to get service with our hotspot while in the campground. The store has wifi too, but we didn't need it. The campground is plenty nice, but it doesn't have the feel of a typical National Park campground. We stayed in one of the electric sites with our RV, but there are dry camping sites as well. We had an awesome time in the park hiking and spotting California Condors. The park is absolutely worth a visit and this is by far the closest place to stay.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products from time to time. At this campground, I tested the Ecovessel Boulder Insulated Water Bottle. The quality and performance of this product are both very impressive! I tested this out both with hot tea and cold water and gatorade and have been very pleased. I love the strainer feature so it keeps ice from rushing to my mouth every time I take a sip. It's also convenient for tea as well. Not to mention the color is great. I love this water bottle!
LegendThis is a large campground (and the ONLY campground) in Pinnacles National Park. It is on the East side of the park, and you can only access it from the East side. There is no road going across the park from west to east, so expect to drive south or north in order to get to the campground if you are coming from the coast (as I was). Here’s what I like about the campground: it’s kind of spread out and it seemed that each site had a little privacy, every site has its own bear box, and some sites have trees for hammocks. Here’s what I didn’t like: the entire campground’s septic system was on the fritz and not expected to be fixed anytime soon, so all modern bathrooms were closed and porta potties were in place everywhere (and they needed tI be serviced). I also didn’t like that there was only one shower house with two showers (for women, I am am assuming 2 for men) for so many campers. I also didn’t like that the host sites were tucked back behind the pool and shower house on a spur road, making it difficult to spot (I finally found them late the second day; none too helpful either). All that said, the ranger station is right at the front of the campground, and there are great trails you can hike to or take a quick drive to from the campground. The CAVES!!!! So cool! And you have to hike the Balconies. Take at least two sources of light (cell phones do not count) and plenty of water as it gets hot in the afternoon. The coolest part was seeing 5 of the 30 or so California Condors soaring on the thermals over me on the Bear Gulch Loop.
ScoutNice campground for a night. A bit outdated, but clean shower and toilets. There is also a laundryroom. Good spaces and shade Lot of noise from the airport, train and highway
GuideEasy on/off from Hwy. 99. Nice management. Spaces large and lots of shade coverage. Close to hwy but far enough that road noise isn't onerous. Train passes through once at night time, bring earplugs. Clean, tidy, well kept campground.
Guide
If you’re doing the long drive from the Bay Area to LA, a nice place to stay is Mercey Hot Springs. It takes about 20 minutes to get there from the freeway and is in the middle of nowhere. Camping is $50 per person, but it gives you access to the pool and the hot tubs. There are both clothing optional hot tubs and hot tubs for bathing suits. The best campsites are the ones with no hook-ups. They are under the trees and right next to the pool. The RV sites with hook-ups are in an open field area with no tree cover. There are also airstreams and cabins available to rent. Camping gives you 24 hour access to the hot tubs. There is no food available here and the closest town is 30 minutes away so be sure to come prepared. There is also a sauna and a nice hike up in the hills. Nice quiet place. Everyone is super chill and no one really bothers you about swimming after hours.
TravelerI Van Camped at Mercey Hot Springs for 5 days. When I arrived the nights were hot so I decided to take an AC Cabin #10 where I could park right next to the cabin and slept comfortably. I moved to a RV camp site #5 when the temps at night were a more comfortable mid 60s. I love that the hot tubs are available all night long. It allows for long soaks while star gazing. The therapeutic water is magical some of the best I have found. As soon as you enter the pool or hot tubs you feel the smooth water on your skin. The hot tubs are all oversized privet bath tubs that you fill with mineral water of your desired temperature. This is a completely off the grid resorts that has good energy and tranquil atmosphere. It is very clean with clean bath rooms and showers. When I was there in June 2024 they did not have the restaurant open yet but one looks like it is in the near future. They do have snacks, cold drinks, coffee, ice cream and Ice in the front office for purchase. I took the short hike up the hill to see the solar array, while up there I discovered a most amazing triple Labyrinth circle walk that was very mindful experience. I have never seen such a neat labyrinth as this. Truly an amazing stay, I will be back.
Scout
Sparse and open foothills very beautiful in late winter.
TravelerClean 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.
TravelerUse your national park pass for 50% off such a quiet place.
ScoutThis 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.
GuideEven 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.
Scout…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.
GuideThis 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.
GuideWe 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!
ScoutPlenty of sites, we arrived after 8 pm and were able to find a spot and book it on Recreation.gov easily.
Scout
Fresh Air (despite being surrounded by bad air on all sides) + Nature (deer, quails, turkeys, coyotes in one night) + Dark New Moon Skies means Bright Stars with Clear View of the Milky Way + Safe (Popular with Campers but well distanced from one another) + a Clean Toilet that mysteriously doesn’t smell!
ScoutWe were heading to the other campground but saw à sign and stopped here. The views are not spectacular since you are in a little depression. But toilet, picnic table, structure to protect from the sun, firepits. Cant beat that for free.
TravelerClean and well kept. Level ground all be it hard and difficult to get stakes in. I would return if ever in the area. Sites are well spaced and dead quiet at night. (No cell service with Verizon)
GuideClean, easy, spacious. Any car could make it. No service. Six spots. Each spot has shelter, table and ring. Pretty private. Will be back for sure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Mendota, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Mendota, CA is Pinnacles Campground — Pinnacles National Park with a 4-star rating from 84 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Mendota, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 glamping camping locations near Mendota, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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