Best Glamping near Pinnacles National Park

If planning a trip longer than just a day hike to the beautiful Pinnacles National Park, and since backpacking in not allowed in Pinnacles, the Pinnacles campground on the east entrance is a nice quiet place to spend a night. This campground is also a nice option to get an early start to a long hike the following morning. The campground is situated only accessible from the east side (this is important if you are coming in off the 101 on the west side of the park - you will need to make sure you plan your route properly or will end up on the wrong side of the park with the closest option Bittersweet Rd. (G13) to cut across and get to the east entrance. The campground itself was very clean, and while we used a small tent site, also offers RV sites. Sites are primarily close together but also had many trees which offered a little shade and semi-privacy feeling. Standard campground with picnic tables and metal fire pits, water located in multiple areas throughout including showers. There was also a pool located on the grounds but we did not use it.

This location is a fairly convenient distance to Pinnacles National Park if you prefer not to stay at the national park campground. A little more expensive since we are not Thousand Trail members but has a laundromat, small store, pool, showers – though some were out of order. It looked the place needed a tune up, not bad, just a little run down and things needed to be fixed. I would stay here again. Compared to the campground at Pinnacles where we were going, we feel this is the better option. Pinnacles is mostly day hikes so this campground is perfect.

The staff were friendly and helpful. We had quiet, wildlife (saw a bobcat and heard owls at night), and a pretty flat and roomy tent site. Our site was shady enough, though not all sites appeared so lucky. It seemed like there were lots of activities for the kids. We were only there one night and did not check out anything else the campground has to offer so can't comment.

It is a big campground, and I can't recall the site number we had. It was a little confusing as to what we could take or not. There seemed to be quite a few long term campers in the Rv area.

This is a large campground (and the ONLY campground) in Pinnacles National Park. It is on the East side of the park, and you can only access it from the East side. There is no road going across the park from west to east, so expect to drive south or north in order to get to the campground if you are coming from the coast (as I was). Here’s what I like about the campground: it’s kind of spread out and it seemed that each site had a little privacy, every site has its own bear box, and some sites have trees for hammocks. Here’s what I didn’t like: the entire campground’s septic system was on the fritz and not expected to be fixed anytime soon, so all modern bathrooms were closed and porta potties were in place everywhere (and they needed tI be serviced). I also didn’t like that there was only one shower house with two showers (for women, I am am assuming 2 for men) for so many campers. I also didn’t like that the host sites were tucked back behind the pool and shower house on a spur road, making it difficult to spot (I finally found them late the second day; none too helpful either). All that said, the ranger station is right at the front of the campground, and there are great trails you can hike to or take a quick drive to from the campground. The CAVES!!!! So cool! And you have to hike the Balconies. Take at least two sources of light (cell phones do not count) and plenty of water as it gets hot in the afternoon. The coolest part was seeing 5 of the 30 or so California Condors soaring on the thermals over me on the Bear Gulch Loop.

Pinnacles National Park is very cool!!!  Lots to check out.  You can learn about CA Condors, how pinnacles form, rock climbing, learn about the San Andreas fault.  All kinds of things to explore and learn.

The campground is clean with bathrooms.  The showers are only near the convenience store, which is not very convenient because the camp sites are so spread out.  The RV's have their own campgrounds.  As do groups.  It's a good size campground.

Our site was #46.  We liked it for the privacy it gave.  Most sites sit right on the open road throughout the campground.  We were more tucked away. 

 I imagine this campground would normally be very green  and the creeks and waterfalls flowing after the rainy season.  Unfortunately we have been in some-what of a drought.

There are a lot of cool hikes.  Hikes with caves filled with bats, waterfall hikes, huge boulder climbing hikes.  Hikes to a reservoir, great for a picnic.

We hiked  from our site to the reservoir, about a 9 mile loop.  It starts off ok, then it just keeps getting better and better.  At one point you actually are walking along the San Andreas Fault!! CRAZY.  If you want to do a shorter hike, the park provides parking lots at the base of most of the hikes.  Then it's only about 2 mile loop.

The only reason I gave this campground 4.5 stars, is because of the sites. They are very much "out in the open".  That's just a personnel preference.

Go check it out, and hike to the top!!  Oh Beware of the raccoons.  These big guys are savy!!!

The Pinnacles Campground offers a variety of sections to fit the need of most every type of camper. There are two sections to the park - an east and a west side which are not connected very easily unless you hike through the Pinnacles themselves. However, the main Campground offers a ranger station and store that provides books, snacks, and information on the park. There is wifi and a pool and showers available. Sections include group sites (which were the ones I stayed at), good for families, school trips, or camps, and more family style camps, and places where you can glamp in your RV fully equipped with hook ups.

The pinnacles is unique because they are one of two spots in California where you can see the California Condors, a huge giant scavenging bird that almost became extinct. From the campsite you can watch them soar back to their roosts in the higher Pinnacles through binoculars. Truly a wonderful experience.

Cons: Watch out for the raccoons. They will eat everything you don't lock away!

[ PROS ]

• Camping in a National Park! This is the only campground in Pinnacles National Park so you’re options are limited, but this campground is centrally located.
• Wonderful Camp Store with gear, supplies, and anything you might need for camping. They even have snacks, ice cream, and candy.
• Visitor Center where you can get lots of helpful information about the park and souvenirs to take home.
• Each sites comes with a picnic table, fire ring + grill, 2 parking spots, and bear box.
• Clean restrooms but it is shared with a lot of campers. I wish they had a few more.
• So close to wildlife! We saw 6-8 deers both days just grazing inside the campground. Site #20 is where they hung out the entire weekend. Also, lots of rabbits, owls, magpies, quail, and turkey vultures.
• Great night sky with lots of stars!
• Lot’s of hiking trails at Pinnacles National Park. We started on the East Entrance and took the Bear Gulch Cave Trail to Moses Spring Trail, to the High Peaks Trail. It was spectacular and pure magic! One of my favorite day hikes that I’ve done. The caves were so cool to see and the Bear Gulch Reservoir is gorgeous.
• Really clean and well maintained park. I normally carry a bag to pick up trash on hikes, but this time I barely saw litter.

[ CONS ]

• The only showers are by the Visitor Center which is a long walk or drive from the main camping area.
• Sites are super close together and very small. Some sites barely looked like you could put 2 small tents. Be prepared to be close to neighbors.
• Very touristy and crowded, it is a National Park afterall so that is to be expected.
• No fires were allowed when I was there.

Note: Site #45 where we stayed was great! It had a water spigot right next to us which was really convenient, and it was a perfect distance from the restroom. Not directly next to it, but one site away.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This weekend I had the opportunity to test out Beef Stew by Mountain House on a camping trip to Pinnacles Campground. As far as the product goes, I can eat this ALL DAY. It’s so good, filling, and hearty just as it is. This is as good as it gets for a quick, hot meal at the drop of a dime. It tastes just as good as a home cooked meal. Overall, just perfect comfort food -- chunky pieces of potato, peas, and carrots, the beef has great texture and generous portions, and the sauce is savory, flavorful and thick. I decided to elevate this meal and make Mountain House Campfire Beef Hand Pies! All you need is ready-to-bake biscuits and a Mountain House #10 Beef Stew Can and you have the best campfire hand pies ever! One package of Mountain House can make 16-20 hand pies. That’s 2.5 cans of ready-to-bake biscuits.

Ingredients

• 1 package of ready-to-bake biscuits
• 1 Mountain House #10 Beef Stew Can
• Also needed: cast iron pan vegetable oil and paper towels

Instructions

1. Follow instructions for making Mountain House #10 Beef Stew and set aside.
2. Open the can of ready-to-bake biscuits and roll out each biscuit until they are about 4 inches in width. Make sure to work fast with the dough so that it still stays cool.
3. Place 1 tbsp of Mountain House Beef Stew  into the center of each circle, fold them over (like a taco) and seal the edges by using the tines of a fork, press the edges together all the way around. Try to avoid getting any of the stew sauce around the edges or else it will be more difficult to seal.
4. Place 1-2 inches of oil in a cast iron pan and place on the fire over coals (or camp stove), not direct flames. Test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a couple droplets of water into the pan. If it sizzles, it’s ready to go!
5. Cook the pies until the first side is well browned then flip over and repeat.
6. Let the pies set on paper towels for 1 minute to drain out any excess oil.

Optional: Enjoy with salsa, sour cream, and cilantros

Considerations: If you want to prevent leaks in your hand pie, take an additional step when sealing your pies by flipping the pie over to the other side, and sealing it again with your fork. It’s a little more work, but the payoff is worth it!