Best Cabin Camping near Pinnacles, CA

If you’re doing the long drive from the Bay Area to LA, a nice place to stay is Mercey Hot Springs.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there from the freeway and is in the middle of nowhere.  Camping is $50 per person, but it gives you access to the pool and the hot tubs.  There are both clothing optional hot tubs and hot tubs for bathing suits.  The best campsites are the ones with no hook-ups.  They are under the trees and right next to the pool.  The RV sites with hook-ups are in an open field area with no tree cover.  There are also airstreams and cabins available to rent.  Camping gives you 24 hour access to the hot tubs.  There is no food available here and the closest town is 30 minutes away so be sure to come prepared.  There is also a sauna and a nice hike up in the hills.  Nice quiet place. Everyone is super chill and no one really bothers you about swimming after hours.

This place was awesome for kids. A little loud and busy but still had clean bathrooms, hot showers, pool, hot tub, outdoor games, bike rentals… they were even delivering pizzas to campsites when we stayed that smelled amazing. Compared to other KOAs we have stayed at, this one was extremely expensive. However, given the location and all of the included amenities I can understand why. We had a great time and used this a launching off point to visit Big Sur.

They have nice facilities and a heated pool although a hot tub would be nice also. The sites are a little small but very mature trees and they keep it clean. Some of the back in sites for tent trailer are a pain to get into but very nice setup with private dishwashing station and cook space. Bathroom is. Lean and nice club/game room and clean washing facility. Close to the highway with a fairly easy on and off the although it's a little confusing at first. All day/night highway noise but it starts to become white noise after a while. Staff are friendly and accommodating and quick to respond to any issues. Its got a grocery store nearby and the camp store is fairly complete as well. Not a lot of outdoor activities other than the pool and bags and the K9 trail, but pleasant to walk though. It is very hilly and steps are around to get between levels. After being here for 4 days, I would consider coming back again.

This KOA is great for a family getaway. TONS of activities on site- huge bouncy pad, a climbing wall, ping pong tables, a swimming pool, pedal go karts, the list goes on and on. There are also Plenty of options on how to stay- RV sites, cabins, tent sites, you can even book one of the campgrounds Airstreams! There is also relatively quick access to Santa Cruz to the north and Monterey to the south.

My only criticism is that it is not that woodsy. But hey, this is a KOA! If you want to camp in the woods, go to a national park!

Highly recommended Pinnacles for families! There are lots of great hikes, a pool to swim on hot days, and so many stars at night. There is also a great camp store with everything you need - from food to cookware to cute t-shirts. And if your kid loves the junior ranger program as much as ours you can pick up your guide and badge at the visitor center.

It’s also a super short drive from the Bay Area which makes it an easy getaway during the school year.

Great for familyfamily time and outdoors. I recommend taking camping essentials even if you camp on a cabin. They stay is almost always quiet and peaceful and nice.

Great location with nice views of the valley. Easy drive in with parking spots next to most sites.

Camp sites and cabins are a little close together but nice, clean grounds make it comfortable. Good playground for kids. Foosball, ping pong, corn hole, horseshoes, and other games available. 3 gas fire pits near the office with nice space for socializing or sharing an outdoor dinner.

Cabins are tight but nice and clean. Our kitchen had all the necessary utensils and dishes to cook for a couple nights.

Staff is nice, communicated well ahead of the trip, and made late check in easy.

Huge pool is heated May to October. Small sauna next to pool currently closed but looks fairly new.

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!

Fernwood is a unique campground because it has tent sites, RV spaces, canvas tents, cabins, a motel and even a restaurant. It’s situated on the river in Big Sur, and is surrounded by the majestic Redwood trees. If you don’t feel like cooking head up to the restaurant for a delicious meal. There’s also a small market to pick up necessities and ice.

The small cabins are nice and I quite like them. This is a good place for hiking, but unfortunately there is not a lot more to do. You can go to Monterey and do things there though. If you have kids, they also have a pool and a giant trampoline made out of beach ball material. Will definitely visit again.

Great place to hike, spectacular views. Rock climbers will enjoy the pinnacle rock formations. Talus caves add to the wonderful hikes and offer a refreshing break from the sun. Spring and fall best, summers are hot. You may also see a California condor overhead.

My whole family loves this place. River runs right through the campground and inner tubes are available to rent. Cute camp store with coffee for the grownups and treats for the kiddos. While the campsites tend to be pretty close together, the whole campground is nestled in the woods providing a very beautiful setting. Big Sur Bakery and Pfeiffer Beach are right up the road.

Many ways to stay - Tent, RV, or rent one of their cabins. I brought my RV and got a site that was about 20 feet to the river. Amazing!

We stay at this KOA 3-4 times a year. We especially enjoy the Halloween and other theme weekends they have. They have made tons of improvements over the last 10 years we have been going. Sites range from tent sites, RV sites, to full size cabins. They even rent out Airstream trailers. The staff is wonderful. Fun place. A little expensive but what you would expect for all the amenities offered. Beautiful pool but the kids kind of take it over. All the rest of the stuff KOA offers plus super clean bathrooms and sites.

Can’t beat the view, proximity to Carmel, amenities and cleanliness of this facility. The cabins and camping sites have been nestled into terraced platforms on the side of this beautiful ridgeline located about 15 minute drive from Carmel.

But the sites are much smaller than what we’re accustomed to (we typically don’t camp within 10 feet of another family). But it is a very family friendly campground with a lot of oversight and CLEAN bathrooms!

For those coming with RVs and travel trailers: be advised that there are sections of one-lane road in the last mile leading to the resort. And the driveway to the campground is STEEP!

All in all, it’s worth returning,

Per my rating system, this is very close to being 5 stars, meaning it's worth planning a trip from out of state just to visit this park and surrounding national/state forest for 3 days or more  The only reason it's 4 stars instead of 5 is that Pinnacles isn't quite big enough to explore exclusively for a minimum of 3 days. You've got a solid and long day of hiking through the park (6 miles, but very intense and exposed). Then a half day of exploring the parts of the park you didn't get to on the hike  And then. . well, by then you've probably seen most of what is worth seeing in the park. So hop in the car and drive to Monterey.  Go to the aquarium, eat some seafood, and then drive back to Pinnacles (about 3 hours round trip, but worth it if you spend the whole day in Monterey).  This is the definition of 4 stars by my system: a park definitely worth visiting if its part of a larger trip to a region.  And for locals, this is a must-visit spot, a place that will be on the regular camping rotation.

The park, which is located in a tight valley in San Benito county, is a geologically unique spot nestled in oak studded rolling California coastal mountains. There are two entrances into the park, but the campground is only accessible from the Gilroy/Hollister side.  If you're coming from the Bay Area, take Hwy 101 through Gilroy and then get on Hwy 25 South. As you wind your way on Hwy 25, you pass ranch land and within 10 miles of getting off the freeway, you feel like you're pretty far away from it all. That's the thing about California.  Get off the main thoroughfares and out of the population centers, and things get rugged fast. In the days of trillion-dollar market caps for Silicon Valley technology companies, people often forget that California has a rich agricultural history. I've lived in California for going on 3 decades, and I sometimes wonder what the more quintessentially central California experience is: Shopping at the Apple Store in San Francisco and then dining at a fine restaurant as the fog rolls in, or buying produce from a farm stand in a valley bordered by rolling hills.  It's probably both. San Benito county is a great place to experience the latter.

What makes Pinnacles geologically unique is that the park is formed from bulbous rock formations.  These are somewhat reminiscent of what one would find in southern Utah, at a place like Arches. The main hike, which is a loop that begins and ends at the parking lot, takes you up the ridge line and then across the rock faces. It's an intense and fun hike. It's just under 6 miles, but it will take the entire day.  Pack a lunch and plenty of water.  There are no water sources on the trail.  If you're lucky, you'll see condors floating in the thermal currents.

Speaking of thermal currents, Pinnacles is extremely hot in the summer. I've never come here past April.  The winter is ideal for Pinnacles.  But if you are in the Bay Area in the summer, it's worth checking out.  But be prepared for heat.

There are two campgrounds loops: one is for RV's and the other is for tents and RV "dry camping" (i.e. no hookups). I was in the tent section, dry camping my Airstream. The RV loop is easy to get in and out of.  The loop I was in was a bit trickier - "blue square" difficulty level for a 28' trailer. I had a back-in spot, but the angle of the spot made it easy to back in.  The tricky part was that it was kind of narrow, with railroad ties on either side. It was a good spot, and I'd definitely take that one again. But, if you want full hookups on the RV loop, spots 50 and 51 are the ones to get.  Many of the spots on the RV loop were really exposed, and it can get hot in Pinnacles, even in the winter during the day.

As I mentioned in the introduction of this post, there is a lot to do within a 2-3 hour (round trip) drive of Pinnacles.  You could go up to the southern Bay Area.  You can go to Monterey.  You could go wine tasting in Paso Robles. This is a great place to plan a 3-4 night trip. It's always on my short list of places to go.

While a very beautiful campground and clean bathrooms and showers, many of the sites are WAY too close together. And a private road to small homes/cabins faced our site, and residents are driving in/out at all hours of the day and night. At $90/night or whatever we paid, I was disappointed. Avoid camp sites 6, 7, & 8 unless you like other campers 15’ from your picnic table. No joking. (Fortunately we had super cool neighbors and another didn’t show either night we were there). Probably won’t stay there again unless I can visibly see the site I’m getting, which apparently you can’t even do (my wife booked it) and they don’t assign your site number until a few days(?) before arrival.

Although many national parks are busier, more frantic camping experiences, Pinnacles provided a very relaxed, pleasant few days of hiking and camping.

The campground itself was a basic national park setup: pretty spacious and scenic sites, picnic tables, flush toilets, and running water. They also have coin showers and a dump station for RVs.

Since Pinnacles is in a more remote area, the access to the park from the campground was clutch. We were able to get an early start and beat the (few) crowds out to the best trails. In our four days in the park, we hiked almost every trail. The trail system is extensive and can be connected in many ways, but here were our favorite parts:

• High Peaks area - on the map it’s called “steep and narrow”
• Bear Gulch and Balconies talus caves
• Chalone Peak Trail

Pinnacles is the newest national park, and it’s quite small, so you can do it justice in a day, but I’d suggest slowing down and spending the night. It’s a perfect place to take it easy!

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Pinnacles)

I have to admit, I didn't even know Pinnacles NP exsisted. I'm glad I saw the sign and venture to check it out. It’s a beautiful park and has the largest population of California Condors in the world.

The campground is situated about 2.3 miles from the main trailheads. There's tent and RV campsites. It's a good campground with the NP visitor center located within the campground.

Note: There's only 30Amp service at the RV sites. Bring an adapter if you only have 50 or 20Amps.

Pinnacles Campground is a nice campground in the middle of the Pinnacles N.P. Sites are nice, and most of them could easily fit two tents. It was fairly busy when we were here, with a lot of people and noise. Raccoons are very active here so be sure to lock all of your food away and don’t leave anything out through the night. There quite a few sites that offer good shade.