Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Oakhurst? Find the best information on tent camping near Oakhurst, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Oakhurst's most popular destinations.
Recreation Point is nestled in a partially shaded cove overlooking the northern end of Bass Lake. It offers tent-only, overnight sites and picnic area for groups. The maximum group sizes range from 30-50 people per campsite and 50-100 people per picnic site. The camp consists of four sites on one loop: Knoll, Lagoon, Scout and Acorn. The group picnic areas, Cove, Oak Point and South Park, are on a separate loop.
Bass Lake offers a beach and boat ramp. Popular activities include swimming, motorized boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, sailing and fishing for bass, trout, bluegill and catfish. Recreation Point has a designated swim area. Nearby hiking trails include Willow Creek, Goat Mountain, Spring Cove and Way-of-the-Mono Interpretive Trail. A variety of educational programs are offered on weekends during the summer.
The Sierra National Forest, located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada, is known for its spectacular mountain scenery and abundant natural resources. The terrain includes rolling, oak-covered foothills, heavily forested middle elevation slopes and the starkly beautiful alpine landscape of the High Sierra. Recreation Point is located in the Bass Lake Ranger District at an elevation of 3,400 feet. Bass Lake is a very popular area known for its variety of fish, as well as the bald and golden eagles that make their home here.
Yosemite National Park can be reached in under an hour, making it an ideal day trip from Bass Lake.
Rules & Reservation Policies As you make travel plans that include reservations on Recreation.gov, there are standard policies that apply to most locations of which you should be aware. Do keep in mind, however, that there are many exceptions, so it is best to review reservation information listed on individual facility pages for those policies and procedures that pertain to your specific locations. Any location or activity requiring a permit or lottery will have unique requirements and policies. Please check individual facility pages for pertinent information for those sites. Booking Window For most locations, you can reserve six months in advance of your stay for individual sites and 12 months in advance for group sites. There are some exceptions, so it is best to check with each facility. Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Tours & Tickets: You may request changes to tour dates at no cost before the arrival date. If you cancel before your tour date, you may be eligible for a refund. Cancellation fees apply. Please check the tour facility description details page for cancellation policies. Permits: Varies by location. Please check the permit details for the permit location. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under "Late Cancellations" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees. Tours: A tour or ticket no-show is one who does not cancel a ticket before arrival and does not arrive for the tour. Tour no-shows are not entitled to a refund. Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure. Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as "Recreation.gov 877-444-6777." Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July
$131 - $397 / night
The Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite sits on the floor of the Yosemite Valley. Located on Southside Drive, this campground offers tent sites and glamping tents. Picnic tables, fire pits, and an extensive camp store.
Located on Boggy Meadow adjacent to Big Creek, Fresno Dome Campground is conveniently located near the Fresno Dome trail which provides wonderful views of the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding mountains. Fir and Pine trees provides shaded sites and all sites have grills, tables and fire rings. Access to campground is paved and dirt. There is a campground host on site. Please deposit trash at entrance to campground.
$20 / night
Beautiful private campground right on Willow Creek. This has a flat area to pop your tent on and includes a brand new sturdy picnic table and composting out house. Swim and fish in the creek and stargaze at night. There are fish in the creek so bring your poles. South creek requires 4x4 the terrain is very steep. Both camps have a fire pit and fires are forbidden June 1st til Nov 1st. You can have a camp stove during the off season months We do allow dogs.
50.00 charge for check in after Sundown
$60 / night
Guide
We were tent camping and were nervous about not having a reservation around Yosemite so we reserved a site here for a tent site by the river. The price was high but were willing to pay for a confirmed place to stay during June 2021. When we got there they were under major construction and told us the area by the river was closed. They put us in the area on the hill. The sites were small and full of dirt. We got more dirty there than several of the more remote places we stayed before and after our stay there. The campground was decent though, and everyone we spoke with was nice. Three stars was value for the price. We found several first-come first served campgrounds around there for much less (of course they only had vault toilets).
Traveler
If you have an RV or prefer car camping/glamp set up this is a very nice spot. Lots of RV spots, but I chose to tent camp. Two types of tent sites, platform and ground neither of which has AC/Water. I had a platform site that was next to a little stream. There is a village store on site, showers, toilets, and water. Close to Wishon Reservoir which is great for trout fishing. Courtright is a little farther but wasn't accessible at the time I went due to fallen trees blocking the road. Attended a village church service on Sunday which was the topping on the cake for me. Lots of people around the campsites but partying is prohibited. That being said if you want a little more serene camping experience there is plenty of dispersed camping in this part of the woods.
ScoutWe tent camped on the river here and really enjoyed our stay. We floated on the river in tubes, visited Nearby Rainbow Pools, went into Yosemite Valley a couple of days, the park is about 5-10 mins from the entrance to Yosemite but we didn’t mind we enjoyed the drive into the valley and used it as an opportunity to spot wildlife. We had two young kids (6 &8) and the campground restrooms and showers were perfect after a long day hiking, they were well maintained, good water pressure. These restrooms were located at the ponderosa tent sites, we had some family also camping in RVS along the river and I can’t speak for those restrooms. No cell service & WiFi is unlikely to work so prepare to be unplugged..they do give you printed directions to the closest area to get a signal depending on your carrier. The staff was very friendly and helpful! We will definitely be back one day. Side note: we came during COVID so reservations to Yosemite National park were required, therefore the park and surrounding campgrounds were not as packed as they normally would be. (This was heavenly).
Guide
Great location right in the valley. Amenities were nice (showers, laundry, food). The three-sided cinder block enclosure was a bit rustic and dirty. Would have felt cleaner actually camping in a tent where you can control what comes in and out of your personal space. Hiked several days in the park and took in sunset from Glacier Point (while doing the 4 mile hike earlier in the day from the valley floor up to the point). Beautiful!
Traveler
Our group stayed in a tent campsite for one night in August 2016. This was our first campsite for a 2 week national parks road trip.
My biggest gripe with this campground is that it is not stated anywhere on their site that you cannot park your car in your campsite. At least for us, we had to park down a hill and walk up to our site. We spent our entire evening and the next morning walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth anytime we needed something from the car. Having the car in the site is so so much better and all the other campgrounds we stayed at were set up that way.
Additionally, the entire campground was incredibly dusty, more so than any other campground we stayed at during our trip. The bathrooms/showers were not very well maintained (quite dirty and dusty) although the stalls did all have toilet paper. It was also quite a walk from our tent site which was located in the back part of the campgrounds.
Staff were generally helpful and they have everything you'd need in their office/general store (ice, firewood, snacks, etc).
Overall, we were happy to have found a campground nearish Yosemite at the last min since most things book up really quickly inside the park, but I'm happy we didn't stay here more than one night.
Guide
I really enjoyed tent camping here. I’m not a fan of the trailer camping because it’s all cement and everyone is close together, but it’s doable if need be. When tent camping, you’re under beautiful trees which I love!
Guide
We had a nice open camping spot. It was at the edge of Yosemite Valley. The only downside to the spot was everyone else had a RV and had there generators on at 6am. We are not RV people so we don’t know why they need to run them. Next time we will camp in a tent only area. This area had no showers.
Traveler
The place is in great location. The bathrooms are clean which is a great plus. There is a nice river (Fresno River). One thing I have to add is that many of the campsites along the water trailer and especially tent sites are very bunched up. There is not any room between campsites. The tent sites have are honestly 20x20 I would say. Therefore, there is no privacy. I understand from a business perspective the concept but to make it more appealing campsite I would suggest changing the layout and cutting the tent sites into half so that each campsite has more room.
Ranger
This was our first time to Millerton Lake / Meadows Campground. We feel like we have the campground almost to ourselves for ourselves given that it's January. We imagine it's crowded in summer months. The campground is very lovely and well maintained. Most sites overlook the lake. Non-electric sites are separate from electric ones, which keeps down noise for those like us who still camp in a tent. Coin operated showers available.
Ranger
Got one of the furthest sites tent camping. Could see all the stars. They also provide bear boxes for each site.
Guide
This is our go to place for our yearly camp out . It has a spot for everyone from tent camping to cabins.
GuideBeautiful tent camping above the Yosemite valley. Close enough to drive into the valley but far enough to not be surrounded by people at all times. Make sure to bring hammocks! Great trees to lounge in!
Traveler
Pine Flat is a beautiful place close to home yet far enough to find a peaceful getaway at the lake. Campgrounds are clean, restrooms and showers are close to campaign if you are tent camping. Trails to hike and explore.
Scout
Tons of Gold Rush history here, nice rv glamping featuring showers and a boat launch at first camp, more primitive tent camping up the road at second camp (my fave). I've been camping here for years, it's my favorite in the world!
Traveler
Clean 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.
Scout
It's a nice campsite. A bit of trash scattered around the tent spots. Excellente toilets and showers, but not so great out of hours check-in. Also 70+USD for a tent site with no hookup in November is a rip-off.
Ranger
It's free but donations are welcome. It's more for boondocking your trailer or RV. Spots are huge. Great for motorcycle/snowmobile. I was the only person in a tent. Not great if you're looking for tent camping atmosphere. But close to Mammoth and June Lake Loop. Had a bear visitor. Better for RV camping.
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.
Scout
Tent camping and some RV sites available. Went at the very end of the season so cold at night but beautiful during the day! Various homes nearby. Lake was beautiful and the leaves were changing in time for winter. Very clean. Flushable toilets and running water. Walking distance from town.
Traveler
Very close to park entrance. Tent sites are small and gravel. However the hosts are friendly, there are showers, clean bathrooms, good wifi, and you can use the resort pool. Great place to relax after a long day of hiking in Yosemite.
Scout
Absolutely loved it here! No cellphone service, no showers, and one nature toilet. A true tent camping experience. Fell asleep to the raging river nearby. Recreation.gov states that bear proof lockers are provided but that is not true. This is a remote campsite, you are living in bear country; be prepared and secure you food/garbage. We had no problems with any wildlife and found it peaceful.
Guide
Visited in Fall, beautiful time, All the trees were changing, it was beautiful. The campground was nice, the spaces were separated, we tent camped. Store a few minute walk down the road, along with place to rent boats for the lake. Very calm and peaceful area. Because of the beauty and seclusion, wonderful time. one of the best campgrounds/locations I've ever been to.
ScoutThe river is fun for tubing and evening chill. Close drive into the park but tent sites were crammed and the womens restroom became unusable with overflowing toilets. Get there early to pick your spot! Some good shade unless they are all taken so come prepared with your own. Had to use the one toilet in the men’s restroom.
ScoutWe had a great experience with the Rangers and the facilities. The view was BEAUTIFUL and we had a great time. However, we were tent camping for the night and were kept awake by our loud neighbors in their RVs who were playing loud music until 1am. Also, planes fly overhead pretty frequently which woke me up. But the quality of the place is great and would be good for family trips.
Traveler
Has tent sites. Also accommodates RV. Clean bathrooms. I’ve seen fox, raccoon, deer. Great staff. You can rent tubes here and float the river. Short walk to river from campsites. The have a small well stocked store and activities on the weekends. Small outdoor Chuckwagon serves hot food on sat and some sundays. Nice quiet campground. Near small town of Cloverdale Ca.
Traveler
This campground was awesome. We went in the middle of summer without reservations and we were able to get a tent site. This camp site is at the head of the Upper Falls trail so you can get an early start and see some great sunrise scenes. Plenty of toilets and water sources at the camp site, just bring your filter.
GuideThe tent sites were right on top of each other and there was nowhere to park. You had to climb a steep hill to get to them with your car and again to the actual spot. The people were awesome, the facilities were clean and the pool was refreshing. They have WiFi that works great, a store with ice, snacks, and food.
Oakhurst, California, offers a fantastic selection of tent camping options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With stunning landscapes and a variety of amenities, these campgrounds provide the perfect backdrop for your next adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Oakhurst, CA is Little Yosemite Valley Campground with a 5-star rating from 6 reviews.
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