Best RV Parks & Resorts near Merced, CA

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.