The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Tres Pinos , CALIFORNIA

Good spot to explore Pinnicales National Park. Typical TT resort park off the beaten path, far out but nice place, we enjoyed our stay. At the time we were there a lot of the riverfront sports were out of order. Park does have a lot of those devil spikes in the grass so beware of those with the dogs or bare feet. I did see someone bare foot walking and I was confused as how he was not stepping on them little spiked mines/ thorns then it happened and he went down having to crawl back to the road and get shoes. Pinnacles NP has lots of great hikes, bird watching is a thing out here and home to the California Condors. Near the town of Gilroy home of the garlic festival. A little out of the way but a nice scenic backroad alternate from I5 or 99 if traveling north/south.

Big campground because the coronavirus the facility has closed. I just use campground and showers is free hot water showers. Seems like fun on the summer I went on the winter and the place is very cold. One time visit. Staff is very cool.

We camped here for one night to test our pandemic project…a van conversion. We had never been here before but will definitely come back. We came in November, just in time for a temperature drop and some nice gusts. I’m not going to hold the chill against this area because I didn’t dress accordingly.

We had a great site and there was no one on either side of us. The bathrooms were a short walk down hill. They were clean with flushing toilets. There camp ground was quiet and it was mostly couples or small family groups. The hiking is quite beautiful and the woodpeckers were busy storing acorns.

We were surprised when we made it to this campground- that it was built on the side of a hill. The walk-in sites may be different, but all of the pull in sites were extremely off-level (even with all our blocks we couldn’t get close) and the roads through the campground itself is so steep/narrow and windy that it would be extremely difficult to back in (we watched someone get stuck while trying). There wasn’t a flat tent spot at our campsite either. Finally, we arrived after dark (in November that was pretty early) and it was difficult to find your way into and out of the campground due to lack of signage. We were extremely disappointed with the quality of the sites here and would not recommend.

My husband and I are not big fans of Campgrounds and prefer boondocking, but Mount Madonna was a pleasant surprise. There are several loops in the campground, and we stayed in Valley View 1 which had electric and water hookup for RV camping only. We were happy to have the electric hook up since the redwood and oak tress surrounding all the sites are huge and block out the sun. It would have been difficult to get sun on the panels especial since we had fog every morning as well. The bathrooms included flush toilets and were cleaned several times a day. The park has showers however, due to Covid-19 they were closed during our visit. Some of the campsites were closed as well to help comply to social distance rules. Valley View loop is close to the main road, some street noise is heard during the day but is limited at night. You are allowed up to two dogs and they are allowed on the surrounding trails. While walking through the trails we say several deer as well as a Turkey Vulture hanging out in a tree looking for a meal. There is a dump station with water in the campground. The drive through horseshoe shape makes it easy to pullup, dump and pull through to the other side where you will find potable water to fill up your tanks if you desire. Overall, we enjoyed our visit and are considering using one of the group sites for a family reunion once we can get together in big groups again.

How have I never heard of this place before?! Super easy to book, and “last minute” (3 weeks before) compared to 6 months out for a state park. Beautiful redwoods around although 15 mins away is regular houses. Campsites are small, I luckily got 301 which was bigger. There’s a fire pit, picnic bench, trees for shade, potable water, clean bathrooms with soap. Super dark at night with awesome star gazing. What more can you ask for! I did see a bobcat one night at 2:30 am so beware. I can see it getting loud because of close proximity, but honestly wasn’t bad. You can hear the kiddos screaming and having a grand time in the morning though.

This is one of those spectacular must-do national parks that is frankly under-discovered.  You can approach Pinnacles from the west or the east (we chose the west).  Truly unique landscape complete with hikes through caves and streams, rewarded with breathtaking views.  But it is HOT in the summer - so highly recommend going in the spring (when the water is still running through the caves)  or the fall (no water but still gorgeous).  During the busy spring and summer months, be sure to start the hike EARLY as the parking at the trail head gets full quickly (and rangers will turn your vehicle around).

This is now a national park and no longer a National Mounment.  The park is great for hiking and climbing.  But is gets hot and I do mean hot in the summer.  If you are climber the rocks themselves heat up and the reflection is HOT.  Hiking would have to be early morning or early evening. Also you need to be aware of the snake population.

That being said in the spring and fall this is a great place to hike and climb.

I have been there in February and have been cold. But it is great time of the year to see raptors including condors.  For those of you who like raptors this is a great park to see many.

In the spring and fall there is great hiking.  There are two sets of caves to explore - but check first as they are often closed to protect the bat population.

Pick your campsite carefully.  Some are really in the open with no shade - which depending on the time of year can be a problem.

We love Mount Madonna and have camped here often. It has a few RV sites with water and electric but the dry campsites are a little bigger and very nice. Great hiking trails. Flat looks for kids to bike on. Don't miss the deer pen and the historic house hikes. One of the best local campgrounds near San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Watsonville area. Close but very much a camping experience. Some fog can creep in so be prepared for it to get cold and wet some nights. Camp sites can be close together if in one fo the electric water sites but not too bad. Nice for families. Showers are clean.

This is a very nice place, well maintained, run by the State.