Best RV Parks & Resorts near Merced, CA

Recent RV Reviews near Merced, California

539 Reviews of 90 Merced Campgrounds

• 

  Sotnos B.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 24, 2021

  Santa Nella RV Park

  Modern, well-maintained overnighter

  Easy day of reservation, with the easy after hours check in. Flat paved sites. Mostly a parking lot style RV park with flat pads and full hook ups. Lots of noise from the interstate, ear plugs necessary. Crossroads area offers lots of travelers amenities such as coffee shops, restaurants and several gas stations. Rotten Robbie's gas is cheapest in town.

• 

  Derek & Alex W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 26, 2021

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Great place near Yosemite

  You come into Yosemite Lakes by a little Thousand Trails convenience store and gas station. It's kind of handy since there's really nothing nearby other than Groveland. Make sure to come in at this entrance though. When coming from the west GPS likes to take you through Hardin Flat Road... don't go that way with an RV. Check-in was quick and easy. Don't forget it's first come first serve like most Thousand Trails campgrounds. Staff were all very friendly. There's complimentary wifi at the main office if you need it. There's NO phone signal of any kind for miles. There is Jabba Communications wifi throughout that campground that you can pay for but it's pricey and very shoddy and unpredictable here. Unless you're staying for a long time it's not worth it.

  Every spot pretty much has full hookups but only a few with 50 amp. The rest have 30 amp. Again, as I've said with other Thousand Trails, that just seems like laziness to me. These campgrounds have been around long enough to see the need for upgrades.

  We parked at the far east end past the cabins in a pull-through group spot. They are the biggest spots and didn't seem like people really use that area much. It was pretty quiet for the two weeks we were there. It's off season as well though. Power went out to the entire campground two days in a row. Not the campground's fault as high winds knocked out power to the entire area. They were nice and let us use our generator even though they are not allowed any other time.

  There's a little river that runs along the campground that looks like it would be beautiful in the spring and summer when there's more water. It still had quite a bit flowing through over by the main office. Yosemite National Forest is just a short distance away. Some great hikes and sights to see!

  I'd say with a few more updates this one could easily be a 5-star!

• 

  Dorothea W.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 19, 2017

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Yosemite Lakes RV Resort in California is a little peice of Yosemite Valley

  Yosemite Lakes RV Resort was a gem of a campground. It was like we were nestled in the heart of Yosemite Valley but we were actually over an hour away from it. A taste of what Yosemite National Park has to offer, if you will. They offer the best riverfront camping spots. The tranquil waters were a pleasant surprise to our trip. We have been to Yosemite many times but have never experienced it quite like this before. I recommend Yosemite Lakes RV Resort to anyone looking to take a relaxing break from lifes hustle and bustle.

• 

  Cindy I.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Yosemite Lakes Groveland

  Thousand Trails Membership allows me to stay 21 days free. Just 5 miles outside of Yosemite Entrance or Catch the bus right here at the campground. Campfires allowed. Lots of activities for the kids. Dog Friendly. Creek near by to cool off during hot summer days.

• G

  Gustavo C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 1, 2022

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Amazing Campground a short drive from Yosemite National Park

  This has been the best Thousand Trails campground that we have been to. Plenty of outdoor activities at the campgrounds. Hiking trails, fishing, bike rides, spots next to the river. There is no cell phone reception and the paid wifi is terrible so it is best not to purchase it.

• 

  Erin S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 27, 2018

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Large franchise campground close to Yosemite Nat'l Park

  We are members of Thousand Trails so our review may be a little different than someone who is a non-member. Here's why. The majority of the campground (the nicer parts next to the river) is for members only. The smaller, tighter section is for non-members.

  WiFi: Yes they have it. It is only available in the 'lounge area'. It's VERY slow. Instead I went east by 4 miles to a hotel to have a beer and connect for work.

  Sites: Those by the river are packed close together and more shaded. We didn't care to be packed like sardines, so we opted for one of the middle sites. Hardly anyone was in these sites so it was quiet and spacious. No problem with full-hookups.

  Events:It's a resort so they have something going on every weekend. While we were there it was a family movie and Octoberfest (beer and bratwurst for $5). Then smores by the fire with music. It was nice.

  Proximity: Although it is very close to the park boundary, it is still an hour to the valley. We couldn't get a spot in the valley so we accepted this as the way it was. No biggie. There was also a bus that took you into the valley in the morning and back in the afternoon for a reasonable price.

  Service: The staff was friendly and patient with all the folks that came in at 7pm begging/demanding for a site.

  Overall, I would go back.

• J

  Jayson S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 23, 2021

  Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging

  Great option if Yosemite’s full

  Great 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.

• 

  Boondocks H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 2, 2018

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  So you got skunked in the park campgrounds

  You may as well stay close, right? Well... Whip out your wallet and empty on it on the check-in desk of this thousand trails (or whatever) park. For the price of the presidential penthouse suite at the top of the Reno Nugget, I was granted access to a dusty, undefined pad of petrified dirt on the outskirts of this RV and yurt focused campground on which to erect my elaborate two-pole tent. It was a little noisy and occupied by an effervescent mixture of post-millenial biker kids and scowling unibrow backpack bros in Arctic-ready shelters.

  Here's the thing: the staff was super friendly, the store was well stocked, and where the holy everloving fuckelse was I gonna go? From tent teardown to nat'l park access was probably all of 15 minutes. Equally 100% bilked and satisfied - aka "thank you sir, may I have another!?"

• S

  Steve F.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 27, 2022

  Basalt Campground — San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area

  TEMPORARILY CLOSED

  This campground, as well as the day use area are closed for the foreseeable future due to a safety of dams project. This looks to be a long-term closure. Here's the press release about it: https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1057

• J

  Jen S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 17, 2018

  Crane Flat Campground — Yosemite National Park

  Dry Dirt Family Fun!

  Beautiful area to camp, still far from the actual Valley but quiet enough to make day trips. Very dry dirt, like when you step there is a puff, so 1yr old was plenty dirty right away! Facilities are just bathrooms and water station. RV hookups and tent sites. Sites are close together and all around you. There is not enough coverage for true privacy. There were hammocks all over and I wished we had one. Bear boxes are large enough to cover all your food needs. Kids enjoyed it for their first trip and we even had a dear visit our campsite!

• 

  Gary V.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 12, 2023

  Codorniz Campground

  Codoriz campground

  Our first time here, reservation required before showing up. This was the off season so everything was open and quiet. Nice bathrooms no charge. Playground for kids. They have full hook ups or you could do dry camping. Every camp has it own water so that was nice. Good price for $20

• c

  cami R.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 6, 2021

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Nice but full of people

  Full hook ups, good shade, good access to water, but pretty crowded. It’s not the place to go if you want to get out into the wild.

• G

  George M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 27, 2020

  Mother Lode Fairgrounds

  Very nice management and quiet

  Full hook-up. 50 amp 30 amp. Fresh water at each site. Free WiFi. Large grassy area with picnic table. Lots of trees and shade. Sewage at each site. Management is very helpful and works hard maintaining grounds. They are in their own RV at the back of the campground.

• 

  David B.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 27, 2021

  Barrett Cove Recreation Area

  HILLS!

  The staff there were great, very helpful and accommodating. They put us in G loop #19 which was pretty much on a hill and with my 33 foot travel trailer, there was no way for me to get it in there and level. I actually snapped a bolt off my stabilizer trying to back my rig in there, so we told the rangers we wouldn’t be comfortable in that spot even though it had full hook ups, so they moved us to McClure Point Rec Area. If you are planing to come out here, check out McClure Point Rec Area...much better sites and way better views, no sewer hook ups, but it’s worth it.

• 

  Paul N.

  Guide

  

  May. 22, 2019

  Mother Lode Fairgrounds

  Fairgrounds camping

  Grassy full hook up sites in Sonora Ca. At the junction of Hwy49  the “Chain of Gold” and 108 outside Yosemite National Park. Daily/weekly rates. Short walk to downtown in this 1850’s mining town.

• 

  Sarah M.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 7, 2021

  Kit Fox RV Park

  Nice camp between stops

  I stayed here for one night in a 22’ RV at one of the back-in sites for the shorter term stays on a drive from Death Valley back towards the San Francisco Bay area. I believe the office is currently closed due to Covid, but they have a box of maps and envelopes plus a drop box for payment right outside the office.

  It looks like most of the spots here are for pretty long term stays. There was plenty for space for short term, overnight campers. Spot comes with WiFi code, but there’s plenty of cell service too. You’re close to the I5 and can hear the soft lull of some traffic, but it’s still fairly quiet.

• S

  Susanne J.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 21, 2023

  Oasis West RV Park

  Nice and quiet campground

  The facilities was ok, but the pool was not open, which was a big disappointment for our kids. We stayed there one night and had full hook-up and had some laundry done. Two out of four washing machines did not work, but only few users, so we managed. In conclusion it is a rather cheap campground, but don’t expect things to be perfect.

• B

  Brett C.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 18, 2023

  Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging

  Large Sites & Great Staff

  We stayed at Yosemite Pines while my husband worked a job from Jan - Mar in Groveland. Was amazing to have this HUGE campground all to ourselves! The sites are really big. Beautiful trees, paved roads for biking or scootering, hooting owls in the trees, huge unusual pine cones, a nature trail that goes to an old gold mine. Really special place. We had to relocate to a hotel every 28 days due to the max 28 day rules in CA (if campgeound is not zoned for long term campers, visitors can only stay 28 days at a time). There are laundry facilities on site. My only complaint is the rotting picinic tables. I also wish there was a rec room or something where we could all hang out during heavy rain or snow storms.

• 

  Bonnie C.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 19, 2020

  High Sierra RV Park

  Great Hosts but Close Sites

  We stayed in the premium sites at this camp ground.  Loved the hosts.  They were wonderful to work with and very accommodating.  The premium sites include full hook-ups — water, electric and sewer.  We were in site 43.  We were told that during COVID that they they were keeping sites in between those rented open for social distancing, however this did not apply to premium sites.  Spaces were VERY close!

  Despite this, we still would highly recommend this campground!  Especially if you are visiting Yosemite!  It is clean, bathrooms in great condition, WiFi was good and limited free and as mentioned earlier hosts/owners were GREAT!

• 

  Heather D.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 1, 2020

  Yosemite Ridge

  Nice main loop, but...

  Summary 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

• 

  Erin A.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 19, 2021

  Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

  Perfect Base Camp for Yosemite

  Beautiful campground with even more amazing staff. It is First come first serve (after a reservation) so get there early. We lucked out with a pretty big and shaded riverfront spot (site 73) and could not have been happier. Full hook up, VERY well maintained facilities and again the staff are over and above helpful.

  It’s about 45 minutes to drive to the valley or Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite but the drive is beautiful. Plus a short drive to Rainbow Pool and Cherry Lake if you want to avoid park crowds. ( we stayed weekday so we didn’t experience traffic or crowds in Yosemite but I’m sure it can get crowded. Would 100% stay here again.

  Oh 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

• 

  M&M B.

  Traveler

  

  May. 31, 2022

  Merced River Resort

  Not bad for a quiet night in a gated, rustic, no frills night

  If you don’t mind a quiet, rustic, affordable & rural type of trailer/RV spot in Turlock, this place is for you… nice hook ups… nice hosts! If you are looking for a glam RV site, this is not the place for you…

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 16, 2016

  Yosemite West / Mariposa KOA (Midpines, CA) - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Mariposa KOA is a great way to see Yosemite

  So if you didn't know, to camp inside Yosemite National Park, you must book your reservation a year in advance or take a chance on trying to get one of the first come first serve sites. The problem is your only a few hours from Sacramento and 4 or 5 hours from LA, so the locals have an advantage on getting the first come first serve sites. I live in Iowa, and if you are like me, planning a trip a year in advance, with kids school schedules and activities, and to travel 1,700 miles to Yosemite National Park is impossible. So a good alternative is booking the Mariposa KOA about thirty miles from the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park. If you don't want to drive into the park there is even a bus that passes the entrance to the campground. It costs about the same as a Motel 6, but it is clean and has a lot of amenities including a pool, fudge shop, and an ice cream shop. It has tent sites and RV sites, and they are separated so if you are tenting you don't have to stare at camper trailers and RVs. I give it a four out of five because you still have to drive thirty miles to get to the park and the shower house isn't very large so you generally have to wait in a twenty minute line to take a shower. Bottomline, if you are traveling from a long distance I highly recommend Mariposa KOA to visit Yosemite National Park.

• B

  Brett H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 10, 2021

  Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site

  Amazing off grid Location, Quiet, RV access

  After accidentally driving to this location following the directions of another reviewer for the “Yosemite Boondocks” campground across 41 (which we never found) we were very happy with this location.

  First, to tell you how to properly get here and find all the spots, drive to the end of the road (don’t pay attention to the gate and “off road” dirt road you see to the left before the parking lot. Don’t go there. Go to just before the big Snow Play parking lot and head right through the dirt. There is no paved road but the area is flat and any car, truck or rv/trailer can make it back here easily. I got nervous at first about ability to turnaround so I parked prematurely near the entrance. Keep going and you’ll find at least 4 or 5 big private areas separated by huge cut logs all with plenty of room to turnaround and not have to back up.

  If you’re nervous, we watched several cars, vans, and trailers camp overnight in the big paved parking lot right past this, and that’s fine, but you’re in a parking lot. Come out to the right and you’re in heaven.

  We were the only RV here and had it to ourselves an entire week (granted it’s early November). Can’t beat the proximity to Yosemite south entrance.

• J

  Jeff M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2021

  Santa Nella RV Park

  Good for overnight RV

  I have stayed at this RV park several times as a stop over for the night. It’s not the kind of place I would want to stay at much longer but it does have all the power and water connections that one needs for an RV. Most of the sites I have stayed at have the connections at the center of the site which makes it a little awkward but most of their sites are pull through. The park is adjacent to an older mobile home park but if one stays near the front of the RV park you won’t even notice this. The rate we paid was about $45 a night and we thought it was worth it versus pulling in to the nearby Anderson’s Pea soup parking lot and squatting there.

• N

  Name

  Scout

  

  May. 8, 2023

  Indian Flat RV Park

  Neat and fully equipped RV park with restaurant, pool, arcade, minimart

  At least when we visited the RV Park and the adjacent Cedar Lodge was functioning as one, meaning we could also use their pool, arcade, ping pong etc. Good places with tables, BBQ included.

• 

  HandL C.

  Ranger

  

  Jan. 7, 2023

  Indian Flat RV Park

  Close to Hwy 140 park entrance

  After November 1st, the office is closed and the RV park is on autopilot. There is no hot water in the bathrooms, which are not maintained. Site #125 had a faulty ground, so we used power from site #124. We basically were the last to leave on December 1st, closing day. The lodge next door has great wifi, a gift shop and a lobby with hot drinks. Location is very good for access to Yosemite.