Best Glamping near New Hogan Lake

We 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.

General: 132-site Corps of Engineers campground on New Hogan Lake. No hookups. 

Site Quality: Varies. Most are back-in, but some are pull-through. Most sites are generous in size, providing some privacy. More than a few are not level (do not pick Site 107 if you need anything close to level!). We had reserved Site 80 but ended up taking Site 100. Pads are all paved but narrow; large RVs might be challenged navigating these driveways. A picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and grill complete the site. 

Bathhouse: They really could use some TLC. No soap or towels and not all the showers were functional. I chose not to try the functional one as it had seen better days!

Activities: We saw several boats on the lake and there is fishing. Not sure about other activities as we just enjoyed relaxing at our campsite by the lake! 

We were there on a Thursday in early May, and it was fairly quiet. No ranger or other camp host that we saw. However, on the weekends and in the summer, it looks like it would be a much different story (but we prefer the off-season!). Yes, the bathrooms may have been janky, but who are we to complain when it costs just$10 (with the Golden Access Pass). Beware of goose poop– it is everywhere! And while you definitely won’t hear road-noise, you will hear honking geese!

I wanted somewhere not too far to go and stay when my 5-6 year-old had 5 days off from school. This was perfect in so many ways.

Positives

- Amenities! I love how everything was themed, from the street names to the signs. Two nice playgrounds, ball courts, pool and hot tub. Watching your kids play red light/green light on the jumping pillow put a smile on every parent's face.

- Seasonal programming (weekends only). For October, we did an outdoor movie, magic pumpkins, costume contest, trick or treating, hay ride, and haunted house. My daughter loved everything except the haunted house, which she said was "too scary!"

- Clean, comfortable facilities. Lots of ways to stay. We car camped and found the hook ups really easy to use. Water, drain, 3 types of electricity, picnic table and firepit at every site. We used their bathrooms and showers and was impressed by how clean they were. Most of the time we had them completely to ourselves and they were even climate controlled.

- Restaurant. I cooked breakfast and lunch most days at the campsite, but for dinner we splashed out at the kid-friendly Waterfront Grille. Friendly staff, good food (lobster and prime rib, yum!), amazing views of the sunset.

Negatives

- Water park was closed. Call ahead to see if it is open when you want to go. I heard that it is never open because of some issue with permits or drought. If so, the promotional video is misleading and I almost deducted a star for this.

- Expensive. For camping, it is expensive, but think of it more as a theme park/resort, than true camping. We saved on the cabin and RV, and spent on the optional activities and the fancy meals.

Bottom line, I would totally go back and stay as long as I could. I hear it is super crowded in the summer, but it would be worth it if the water park is open.

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

Overall a great place to camp. Good access to the river from many of the sites and in general the river is kid-friendly (during summer). Spots vary in size wildly so larger RV's might not be a good idea. On average I'd say 30' is a max. Pit toilets are serviceable but not the best. The OHV crowd can kind of make a mess of this campground in summer (Loud music after quiet hours, riding ATV's into and out of campground despite rules against it... etc) If I had to pick a best time of year I'd say fall or spring (Open-June 1st)

Best place for groceries near by is Pioneer, CA and if you're looking for someone to cook you breakfast try Cook's Station. Cell reception is ok on AT&T