Lake McSwain Recreation Area near Merced offers upscale glamping accommodations with full hookups and access to the serene waterfront. These canvas tent and cabin glamping options include comfortable beds, electricity, and private picnic areas where guests can relax after a day of outdoor adventures. Several glamping sites feature modern amenities like showers, firewood availability, and well-maintained facilities that enhance the outdoor experience. "We love McSwain. It is our go to camp ground in the area. It's close, clean and friendly," noted one visitor about the lakeside glamping experience. Yosemite Lakes RV Resort and Indian Flat RV Park also provide glamping accommodations including yurts and premium canvas structures with essential comforts like climate control, furnished interiors, and easy access to natural surroundings.
The natural setting around these glamping destinations creates opportunities for fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing without sacrificing comfort. Lake McSwain Recreation Area features a marina and splash area that operates seasonally, allowing glampers to enjoy water activities during their stay. One camper mentioned, "There are great trails, fishing and very friendly staff. The sites are clean and operational and everything is explained well prior to your stay." Most glamping sites in the region maintain proximity to Yosemite National Park, making them ideal basecamps for day trips to explore the iconic landscape. Visitors should note that summer reservations for these unique glamping experiences fill quickly, especially for premium accommodations with views of surrounding lakes and mountains. Many locations offer year-round availability with varying seasonal amenities and activities.
$30 - $40 / night
"My family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer."
"There are free warm showers and the bathrooms are fairly clean. If you are staying in a tent make sure to layer up and bring lots of blankets because nights can get very cold."
$30 - $200 / night
"over night & day sites, hot showers and indoor restrooms surrounded by beautiful nature."
"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."
$20 - $100 / night
"It would make the perfect group site as they were a bit tucked back from the other sites. Site #12 could easily be connected to site #11 as the brush is well-cleared between the two."
"Located a short 20 miles east of 99, just north of Fresno, this Army Corps of Engineers campground is stunning."
"Really beautiful park, stream running through, campfires allowed. Friendly helpful staff. Somewhat difficult drive up the 120 especially if you are in a large rig."
"Whip out your wallet and empty on it on the check-in desk of this thousand trails (or whatever) park."
$24 - $439 / night
"Bathrooms were very unclean but the park gets the job done as a place to sleep while visiting Yosemite. No Verizon or T-Mobile coverage. Wifi available for purchase."
"With a pool, petting zoo, a corral where they have a fire and s'mores followed by a movie, this is a great place to camp with the kids."
$30 - $289 / night
"Good selection of sites, for RV's tents etc. cheap, fire pits, clean toilets and showers, level sites, free use of neighboring property's swimming pool, friendly staff, and a really quick drive into Yosemite"
"In winter check-in/drive up bookings are in the lodge reception in the main village which is great as they're open all through the night. Power was good, showers were okay - hot but lacked pressure."
$55 / night
"However, we have been welcomed by the very nice and friendly host, who told us everything we needed to know. Restrooms and shower are quiet clean and the Wifi is extremely good."
"Big grassy area close to Mineral Museum, water and electric hookups. We basically had the fairgrounds to ourselves. They have additional spots in more of a parking lot setting, well marked."
$30 - $89 / night
"We arrived in the dark. We had reserved a site with a small two person tent already set up for us."
"Has water, portable toilets and heated showers. Campsite has Some shade from the sun. Also has a couple glamping tents aswell."
"Rv, bring your own tent, yurts, safari tents,, cabins. RV spaces have many different location styles, secluded, views, groups etc.
Large clean pool with a shallow lounging section.""Quiet; dog park; pool; playground; fire pit ; only thing is sites and small."
RangerMany options to stay! Rv, bring your own tent, yurts, safari tents,, cabins. RV spaces have many different location styles, secluded, views, groups etc.
Large clean pool with a shallow lounging section. Playground. Bathrooms/showers were freshly renovated and clean. Laundry on site. Clubhouse and small provisions.
Easy access to Bass Lake and Yosemite entrance as well as local Town food and markets.
ScoutWe stayed here for the night prior to a Hetch Hetchy backpacking trip. We arrived in the dark. We had reserved a site with a small two person tent already set up for us. It was a bit hard to find in the dark, but the camping area is fenced in under an oak grove so eventually we found the stump with our name on it next to the tent. In the future, I think I’ll just bring my own tent and deal with the small hassle of setting it up—the tent provided was fine, but definitely would not have been a good choice if there had been rain. And you could tell it is essentially set up 24/7—some tiny insects living inside etc. The campsites themselves were sufficiently spacious and the host has nice fire pits with fire wood provided for each site, plus picnic tables. Basic portapotties plus some running water for bathrooms. Fellow campers were an interesting mix of folks from all over, though I wish the owner had quiet hours posted and communicated—our immediate tent neighbors sat out chatting and laughing until nearly 1am which was annoying. The coyotes and owls at night were lovely.
ScoutGreat campground accessible for most campers but large RVs might struggle. Has water, portable toilets and heated showers. Campsite has Some shade from the sun. Also has a couple glamping tents aswell.
TravelerGreat option if your looking for full rv hookups. If you’re tent camping, this might not be the best place. Bathrooms were very unclean but the park gets the job done as a place to sleep while visiting Yosemite. No Verizon or T-Mobile coverage. Wifi available for purchase.
GuideSummary as of late June 2020:
-Super nice, helpful manager -Great location for Yosemite/Hetch Hetchy -Large, clean restrooms -Inconsistent electricity -Bear Lot is right next to Hwy 120 -Coyote Lot is literally a new gravel parking lot, 4x4 required -No wi-fi in Bear Lot or Coyote Lot
First of all, I have to say that the manager (owner? I never caught his name) was very kind and tried his best to accommodate everyone there. The location is great for trips to Yosemite, and if you’re lucky enough to reserve a spot in the ‘main loop’ (I don’t see this ability online), you’ll probably love it. The bathrooms are large and clean and there is laundry, a small playground, a small pool (closed during our stay), and a privately run store on-site.
We brought our 28’ toy hauler here at the end of June 2020. We had reserved a spot in Coyote Lot, which we were told over the phone would be no problem. Upon arrival, the manager had his doubts but told us to “put the truck in 4x4 and give it a go!” Coyote Lot looks like a newly, semi-leveled gravel parking lot with full hook-ups… no trees or shade. There were some longer spots, but there was no way our trailer would fit in the one we reserved. The lot also exits through a run-down residential grouping of trailers, some occupied and some abandoned.
The manager put us in Bear Lot, no question, after it was determined Coyote Lot would not work. This lot is a little more established than Coyote, but still a gravel parking lot with electricity (inconsistently for many) and water hook-ups. The lot is pretty level and separated from Hwy 120 by a wooden fence. There are some picnic tables and fire pits, but not enough for each spot. We didn’t end up having to use our generator like others did. There were tent campers and rv/trailers in this lot.
Side note: the Rainbow Pools swimming hole that is recommended on the website was WAY overcrowded and I do not suggest going unless maybe you go in the early morning. There were tons of people, tons of litter, and no respect for nature… very sad to see.
Photo are of Bear Lot
ScoutReally beautiful park, stream running through, campfires allowed. Friendly helpful staff. Somewhat difficult drive up the 120 especially if you are in a large rig. No cell reception at all so you need to drive to the top of a Hill or into Groveland
TravelerThese were quite decent campgrounds, kind of close together but decent sized sites. We were lucky to have a spot at the dead center of the top of the mountain looking out at the lake (site 13) with a big shade tree. Since we got there on a Saturday night, we were surprised to see that the campsite directly to our left and directly to our right were empty. By Sunday night, every campsite within sight was vacated so we had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted without having to worry about disturbing other people. Deer are fearless & majestic, several “packs” walked through our campsite all throughout Sunday night when everyone else was gone. They walked up to us to smell our campfire & our food (we were making s’mores). There’s a campfire spot, a water source, a picnic table, & a grill set up at each site (for the most part), with trashes nearby.
The Lake was nice! We went swimming in the swimming area and there were a surprising amount of people there via Covid. We went in the little shop briefly but from what I could tell they had a lot of useful things campers may need varying from firewood, ice, snacks. fast food, alcohol, & camping/fishing supplies. You can have 2 cars at your campsite but we only had one, the second would be an additional charge. You can bring pets but also for a charge. If you have campsites like 1-20 you’ll have to walk clear across the campgrounds to get to the water or make a quick drive down with your party. We just drove which was better for us after having swam.
Only complaint is the porta-potties. We went from Saturday to Monday & by the end of Sunday there was no more toilet paper, high-piled waste, & when I called to try to inform them to restock the toilet paper no one answered. I brought my own toilet paper so that wasn’t the worst situation but definitely bring some just in case! Master that sumo squat to hover over that thing!
RangerThe campground has nice views, but wow, what a scary drive up a curvy mountainous road to get to it. Most of the campground is clay dirt, so it's quite dusty and the RV spots are not paved. They had a pool, but it was filled with rowdy children so we didn't go in. The campground also has a pet wash we wanted to use, but it wasn't working. There is also a random petting zoo, and I felt bad for the animals because it was quite small. Their redeeming factor were the buses to Yosemite. Although it was over an hour each way, we were thankful to have them since we only had our RV.
ScoutMy family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer. We showed up with our 24' trailer on Friday, and even though it was February, they brought on staff to get us all checked in since it was so busy because of the race. There was a short line to get in to the campground, but we didn't wait long and the staff was helpful and friendly. The site was a good size for two trucks and the trailer. The site was not too close to the water, not too far. The bathrooms had showers which we used since our site didn't have a sewer hookup. The site did have water and power though. The marina isn't normally open in February, but they opened due to the volume of campers that weekend. They stocked up on the basics and even had hot coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning and sandwiches at lunch. On Sunday, we moved over to a full hookup site and it was level and felt private. We camped next to some friends and stayed up around the campfire and made smores. The kids rode their bikes around the campgrounds alllll day. They had a blast! Thanks, MID!
Lake McSwain Recreation Area sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills about 30 miles east of Merced at an elevation of approximately 850 feet. The region experiences hot, dry summers with temperatures often exceeding 90°F and mild winters with occasional frost. Campsites throughout the area typically offer shade from oak trees, with several locations providing direct water access.
Fishing at Hensley Lake: COE Eastman Lake Codorniz Campground offers access to fishing areas where anglers can catch bass and other freshwater species. "Campgrounds are clean 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," notes a visitor about the facilities supporting fishing trips.
Swimming in seasonal splash areas: Lake McSwain Recreation Area provides a designated swimming area that operates during summer months. "The marina isn't normally open in February, but they opened due to the volume of campers that weekend. They stocked up on the basics and even had hot coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning," reported one camper about the seasonal operations.
Hiking trails around fairgrounds: Mariposa Fairgrounds offers walking paths with access to the Mine and Mineral museum on the grounds. "Make sure you go to the Mine and Mineral museum on the grounds," suggests a recent visitor who appreciated the educational opportunity during their stay.
Clean shower facilities: Diamond Gulch receives positive feedback for their outdoor shower options. "Excellent showers (especially when you can get them to heat up)" mentions one camper who stayed for five days while exploring nearby parks.
Free firewood access: Multiple glamping sites near Merced provide complimentary firewood, saving campers the expense of purchasing it separately. "Firewood already at the site for your use," notes a Diamond Gulch camper about this money-saving amenity that enhances the outdoor experience.
Resort pools and recreation: Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes includes access to swimming facilities as part of the camping package. "Perfect Campground for a night outside Yosemite Valley!" said one visitor who appreciated the additional amenities during their stay.
Limited cell service: Many glamping close to Merced, California locations have unreliable connectivity. "There is no cell service and the 'pay WIFI' did not work for us...but there is complimentary WiFi at the laundry to check in on things that works just fine," shared a Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes visitor.
Reservation requirements: Most premium camping sites fill quickly, especially during summer months. "Reservation required before showing up. This was the off season so everything was open and quiet," noted one camper at COE Eastman Lake Codorniz Campground.
Site leveling challenges: Uneven terrain may require additional equipment for comfortable setup. "Sites are asphalt. Many sites may take some time to level. Back in and pull through are available," explains a visitor regarding the conditions at COE Eastman Lake Codorniz Campground.
Consider age-appropriate amenities: Indian Flat RV Park offers camping near lodge facilities with pool access for children. "The lodge next door has a bar/restaurant and a store which is convenient," mentioned a visitor about the family-friendly setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Merced, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Merced, CA is Lake McSwain Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 11 reviews.
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