Best Campgrounds near Pinnacles, CA

raccoons….everywhere…. seriously leave your car locked, these little buggers were not afraid of humans. otherwise, good showers, clean bathrooms. private sites. very convenient location to trails.

We camped here February 24-26, 2025. The forest service website indicated the campground is open all year, but when we arrived on the site one through four were available. Beyond site number five was a locked gate. Site five was closed due to “hazardous tree“. The stream was running plentifully and gave a lovely background noise. Sites 1 & 2 share a parking pad which is almost level. Site 1 is completely exposed and quite spacious and full of ground squirrel disruption. Site 2 is very convenient to the parked car, and it was our choice because we sleep in our van. Most of the water taps were not operable but the one by the toilet near the entrance did work and was labeled “non-potable, not for drinking or cooking”. The tap in site number 2 had no handle and was dripping at a rapid pace so we hung a bucket on that tap and use the collected water for handwashing. There were trash cans conveniently located to all of the sites, and there was a good supply of toilet paper, but even though the weather was cool, the toilet closest to the entrance was a bit smelly. It is a pit stop for people driving over or back on Naciemiento-Ferguson Road. I noted that reviewers indicated that they were plagued by flies and yellow jackets in the mid summer, but we had only a couple of flies, no yellow jackets. The weather was predicted to be sunny and pleasant with highs of 70° based on checking the weather reports for Jolon, California. It was almost a new moon and the stars at night we’re gorgeous. There was heavy dew which turned into frost in the early morning. We saw the occasional lizard and a couple of slow moving salamanders. We saw no raccoons, and considering that they have switched from having dumpsters to having trash cans I suspect that raccoons are not a problem. There was a posted memo dated February 2 reported that for the Monterey Ranger district, campfire restrictions were lifted until March 25, due to sufficient rain having been received. We walked the loop of the other campsites; some of them have the picnic table and fire ring located some distance from the parking spot, a few are possibly suitable for RV camping but most of those would require at least some leveling. I don’t know when they plan to open the rest of the sites, but probably March would be a good time to come and enjoy this campground. Bring your own drinking water. The fee is expensive for a no-water campground, but I was willing to pay the discounted price with my lifetime senior pass.

Nice campground, not very big. Beautiful views of Salinas Valley and San Juan Bautista. Great star gazing too!

Very close to the beach, quiet, excellent friendly staff always happy to help. Had some helpful neighbors for my first time in the travel trailer. They have activities daily and things to do which are sent out daily in a text. The store has many items that may be needed and some souvenirs. It was a great visit!

We stayed here for a week due to it's proximity to the beach and Monterey/Santa Cruz. This park is very well cared for, and management responsive. Showers, laundry and store are all clean and well maintained. Sites are close together but paved. Beach is super close and sea life plentiful. Surfing beaches very nearby. We visited in the off season and most local shops were closed, but the fresh seafood and coffee shops were open. Other shopping is a drive away. Sites are tight but paved.

First, knowing nothing about this area of CA I looked for a spot to set up for a few to dry out, we'd just dropped out of Shasta Mt b4 heavy winter storms. Arrived late afternoon to set up. Problem is the ground is covered, literally, with all the casings, glass, human trash everywhere 😮‍💨 🙏 please, always pack out a bit more than you've created in an area. These pics are the cleanest spot I could find. 😪

Camped with family over Memorial Day weekend. Park was busy , but amazing. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Our camp neighbors were awesome. Bathroom and showers clean. We camp here at least twice a year. Can’t wait to come back.

Camping spot was clean and a tall fire pit a good distance from the water and bathroom at site 22. Was hot af was the only issue for us, 103 and the sun just hurt. There were plenty of fish and fishing folks on the shore and boats all were catching.

We stayed here for 3 nights in the summer, arriving on a Sunday, and it was great. I was worried about the heat, but it really wasn’t too bad, even on the hot days (low 90s) it cools down in the evening and didn’t get hot until early afternoon. Just be sure to get one of the shady spots! We set up in site #1 when we first arrived because it was private and had nice views, but it was way too much direct sun. We moved to #4 and it was much better- shady and even better views. 

There were other people here when we stayed here but everyone was very quiet and respectful, and we didn’t hear any shooting like other reviews have mentioned— this may be due to the ban on shooting (and camp fires) at this time because of fire danger, but I was still impressed and surprised that people respected the ban. There is one pit toilet that we didn’t check out, but man you can smell it if you camp in one of the sites near to it. 

We saw one volunteer/employee come and clean things up while we were here. We were pleasantly surprised that the trash wasn’t too bad here. No trash service so please pack out your waste. Cell service is good up at the campground, though you do lose it in parts on the drive up. We made it up in our 26ft class c no problem, though the road is narrow at times and we were glad we didn’t come across any oncoming traffic. Sites are relatively flat/ fixable with levels. Two of the sites are huge/ pull throughs so would be good for bigger rigs or big groups. If you get up here and all the sites are taken, there are several spots outside of the campground where you can disperse camp. 

This is an OHV area but we didn’t see any while we were here. We hiked along the OHV trails and there was nothing- but I could see it getting busy on the weekends. 

There's a 14 day stay limit. No water provided up here.

My only complaint was the BEES! They were everywhere and aggressive, and all in our face, but didn’t sting us. One of the campers said that this was unusual though. Really nice campground, amazing that it’s free! Thanks BLM!

This place always comes through for us when we need a quiet place to stay when traveling in the area. It's $20/night, there seems to always be room, and it's always been nice and quiet when we stay here.

Sites are hit or miss, so drive around until you find one that suits you. One of these days we'll nab one of the sites to the right of the fork when you enter the campground, but they always seem to be taken.

Good cell reception, pit toilets, trash dumpster (no recycling).

Loud music playing at this hour clearly says quite time is at 10 pm and it’s so loud