Ripon is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Ripon campgrounds just for you. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your California camping adventure.
$20 / night
"The lake has receded quite a but that one of the docks is about 100 yards from the actual lake now (California drought). The campsite was well maintained."
"There was no formal check-in system to the campground, and finding the location of campgrounds 120-130+ was confusing because of the signage. Otherwise, a very serene lake and good site."
$50 / night
"Easy access to the lake. Campground is well maintained. Bathrooms are always clean and with hot water. No shower at this site. But there’s one close by at the Riverview, walking distance."
"Wicked August heat, BUT there’s the lake!
5 Stars — were it not for the SLOBS who preceded us!!"
"We were lucky to have a spot at the dead center of the top of the mountain looking out at the lake (site 13) with a big shade tree."
"There are sites on the lake with shade provided over the tables. It was mid week and was not crowded at all. The lake is gorgeous and at night there were several deer walking thru the site."
"Positives
- Amenities! I love how everything was themed, from the street names to the signs. Two nice playgrounds, ball courts, pool and hot tub."
"We went for Christmas in July and Santa was there for pictures, we go for Halloween and there is trick or treating through the whole place, a haunted house and a decor and costume contest."
$30 - $200 / night
"over night & day sites, hot showers and indoor restrooms surrounded by beautiful nature."
$150 / night
"It is very dry, the Lake New Malones was down quite a bit. We swam in the lake the water was great. However, we did not bother with the Kayaks. It’s really not a kayak lake more of a speed boat lake."
"New Melones was not a top destination but it was close to a very special place for us, Natural Bridges."
"Brennan Island State Park is an absolute gem nestled in the heart of the California Delta. From the moment you arrive, you're greeted by friendly staff who make you feel right at home."
"They have one cabin with electricity. It has a bunk bed And a queen. Bring air mattresses cause they are just wooden frames. Very close to the Sacramento River for a nice cruise."
$25 - $45 / night
"Fabulous lakeside camping.... We’ve been in March, May, July and September..... July, just too hot but we love being able to just get up and fish... The lake is stocked with Trout, Bass and Catfish."
"Our site was awkwardly slanted (so I thought we would trip and fall into the lake) but on the lake so that was nice. 4 wheel drive recommended since I saw people struggling to get in and out of sites."
"We have a nice site right now, but decided to park the truck at a nearby on-site lot due to the size of this space (but we were thankful they worked us in, and our truck did fit, but so close to a family"
"Nice place, great staff. Gets really busy weekends and hollidays."
$30 - $40 / night
"My family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer."
"There are free warm showers and the bathrooms are fairly clean. If you are staying in a tent make sure to layer up and bring lots of blankets because nights can get very cold."
ScoutWe 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.
LegendNot expensive and has bathrooms, garbage, fire pits and picnic tables but no privacy and unfriendly camping ground covered with gravel and few level places to comfortably pitch a tent. Many families here but some partiers till midnight and an idiot who ran his generator all night during quiet hours
TravelerI 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.
ScoutGreat campground accessible for most campers but large RVs might struggle. Has water, portable toilets and heated showers. Campsite has Some shade from the sun. Also has a couple glamping tents aswell.
GuideFirst time up and it's so nice and peaceful. Stayed in the cabin that sleeps 6. Super nice, close to the bathrooms. There's a community outdoors kitchen with stove and sink. Small hiking trail that had some horse nearby that cam and said hi to us. Will definitely be coming back. Love that this place is open all year long
TravelerThese were quite decent campgrounds, kind of close together but decent sized sites. We were lucky to have a spot at the dead center of the top of the mountain looking out at the lake (site 13) with a big shade tree. Since we got there on a Saturday night, we were surprised to see that the campsite directly to our left and directly to our right were empty. By Sunday night, every campsite within sight was vacated so we had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted without having to worry about disturbing other people. Deer are fearless & majestic, several “packs” walked through our campsite all throughout Sunday night when everyone else was gone. They walked up to us to smell our campfire & our food (we were making s’mores). There’s a campfire spot, a water source, a picnic table, & a grill set up at each site (for the most part), with trashes nearby.
The Lake was nice! We went swimming in the swimming area and there were a surprising amount of people there via Covid. We went in the little shop briefly but from what I could tell they had a lot of useful things campers may need varying from firewood, ice, snacks. fast food, alcohol, & camping/fishing supplies. You can have 2 cars at your campsite but we only had one, the second would be an additional charge. You can bring pets but also for a charge. If you have campsites like 1-20 you’ll have to walk clear across the campgrounds to get to the water or make a quick drive down with your party. We just drove which was better for us after having swam.
Only complaint is the porta-potties. We went from Saturday to Monday & by the end of Sunday there was no more toilet paper, high-piled waste, & when I called to try to inform them to restock the toilet paper no one answered. I brought my own toilet paper so that wasn’t the worst situation but definitely bring some just in case! Master that sumo squat to hover over that thing!
ScoutMy family and I stayed at Lake McSwain Campgrounds for a weekend during a mountain bike race at Exchequer. We showed up with our 24' trailer on Friday, and even though it was February, they brought on staff to get us all checked in since it was so busy because of the race. There was a short line to get in to the campground, but we didn't wait long and the staff was helpful and friendly. The site was a good size for two trucks and the trailer. The site was not too close to the water, not too far. The bathrooms had showers which we used since our site didn't have a sewer hookup. The site did have water and power though. The marina isn't normally open in February, but they opened due to the volume of campers that weekend. They stocked up on the basics and even had hot coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning and sandwiches at lunch. On Sunday, we moved over to a full hookup site and it was level and felt private. We camped next to some friends and stayed up around the campfire and made smores. The kids rode their bikes around the campgrounds alllll day. They had a blast! Thanks, MID!
GuideGorgeous place to camp and tons of dragonflies,butterflies and bees. We did a lot of kayak fishing and relaxing by the lake. We were able to walk the kayaks down with no problem. The only 2 down falls are...... you can’t read the tiny sign that says your campsite number. I think it should be on both sides of the sign and bold. Also they’re sooooo close together. It’s great for families and they can buy a couple next to each other. Tho we were celebrating our 1 year anniversary and we would have wanted more space between campers. Other than that it was a lot of fun and perfect weather. They don’t have showers so heads up. We just got naked and did it cave man style in the middle of the night. It was warm enough and made it that much more special. They do have water spouts to wash your dishes and bathrooms walking distance. A picnic table, bbq and fire pit at every location. Make sure you get water shoes because the lake does have sharp rocks and the local CVS has them. It was really nice and convenient and worth the money. It did get really hot , so my fiancé and I went to the local ice cream parlor. It was about 5-7 minutes away from the site. It’s a cute little mom and pop ice cream shop and the customer service was amazing. We went their Friday afternoon when it was over 90 degrees and it was the best ice cream. It’s called Country girls ice cream shop. Look for the pink picnic table and red corner sign. I recommend this place and also right near buy is a little gas station to get gas, bait, firewood and etc. Well hope this helps future campers and have fun.
GuideThe lake has receded quite a but that one of the docks is about 100 yards from the actual lake now (California drought). The campsite was well maintained. Each camping section seams to have it's own restroom within 2 minutes walking distance. The wildlife was " people friendly" to say the least. I had a family of deer pretty much monitoring my whole trip plus they couldn't seam to wait until I went to bed to come check out my camping gear 😊
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ripon, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ripon, CA is Acorn Campground with a 3.6-star rating from 28 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Ripon, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 22 glamping camping locations near Ripon, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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