Potwisha Campground — Sequoia National Park

One of the few campsites that is open in the park (Dorst and Buckeye Flats being closed for the 2026 season) this site books up fast. Beautiful wooded site with lots of wildlife and shade. Wildlife includes bears, but all we saw was a turkey walking through the campsite. Lots of walking trails available from there campsite. Communal water, toilets, dumpster, recycling and pump out available. Each site seems to have a fire ring with a grate, a picnic table, and a bear box. No T-Mobile coverage, but you can get Wi-Fi at the visitor station.

This campground is at the base of the park on the south end.  It can get warm there in summer months.  Rangers were nice.  Wildlife came through camp.  We saw deer and quail each day.

Full campsite each night.  Busy place.

www.hitched4fun.com crew was happy here.

This was one of the best camp sites we've ever had. We had shade and private access to the creek. Dumpster and restrooms were close. Campsites are well spaced. Views are amazing! Can't say enough good things about this camp ground.

Stayed in#2 which was largely shaded but sloped as are many sites. Recommend site#20 especially- next to river and large and level. Also site#17 and#22 were level and relatively shady/private. Flush toilets and sinks with potable water but no water taps. Has sewer dump adjacent.#21 and#23 were nice but not as level. Some road noise but not bad, Large rock formation to west means early sunset which keeps temps moderate. 

Food aside: Ate breakfast scramble burritos (Mtn House or Readywise) with supplemental Costco Merlot cheese, chorizo, and Kinders wood fired garlic seasoning. Yum!

One night is all I spent here. It was much warmer climate than other areas of the park due to lower elevation. There’s a 6 mile hike starting from the campground that leads to some waterfalls. No camp host on duty and many campers breaking rules I.e. campfires fires during a burn ban, loud music throughout the campground, plugging a movie theater set-up using extension cords to the bathroom. Would have appreciated if it was better managed. The camp site itself was decent. Large enough for several tents.

Reservations required and we were able to reserve online just before we arrived. The campground was full. Our spot was okay but not very level (so we used our blocks which helped some). The sites are pretty close together. We pulled over to the dump station area/parking lot across the street the next morning so we could stretch out a bit and throw a ball for our dogs. Nobody was there. The creek is very pretty. The camp host was very friendly and helpful. No snow and weather was great.

First spot in the park. Wonderful swimming hole. Easy to access and quaint site. Trails and nearby restaurants.

This campground is sort if basic. It is very close to town as its the first campground in the Sequoia Park. The swimming hole is unmatched, complete with rope swing. Very accessible and even bear sightings. Trails and lots of shade.

This campsite is very close to the Sequoia foothill visitor center which is nice but it also means it’s at a much lower elevation than the rest of the park. It is HOT in the summer and it’s not super shaded. This campsite is really crowded. There were tons of very large noisy groups so if you are looking for a calm and tranquil evening, do not stay here. It’s more of a party campground if that’s what you are going for. There was loud music, crying kids, and barking dogs. The bathrooms are decent. Bear boxes are provided at each site. Overall I would not stay here again only because the people make it a horrible experience and it is toasty at that low of elevation.

This is a great spot in March April and may 

But gets pretty hot in the summer.

Plenty of scenery and hiking.

Trailhead to waterfall hike starts in the campground.

Saw my first wild bear! Slowed down to take a photo and a car flying down the road almost hit it but it scampered away unscathed. You can walk across the street to the river. There’s a cool bridge and a rocks to climb on. The site was smallish. Nice bathrooms. Even a pay phone.

Its qlmost impossible to get a spot here, but we got lucky on a Thursday early in the season. It was amazing! There were deer and marmots that were friendly (but not camp beggers) and trees the perfect distance for hammock sleeping.

Great place to start exploring Sequoia NP. I brought my own shower/toilet tent for 4 night stay. Hardly anyone there. Wonderful stay.

We camped at site 13 between 2/12 and 2/14. There were restrooms and a large sink that is useful to dump bear attracting water located pretty close.

The campsite itself is fairly large. I would say it lends itself more to tent camping than car or RTT camping. The site is located on a significant slope, this includes the paved parking area and the grass. There are a fire pit, bear box and picnic table located at the site. Be wary, when we went there were numerous large holes that were definitely a trip hazard.

While there were rangers and employees of the park driving around, there were no actual rangers at the kiosk. Additionally, there wasn't a reservation list posted.

Great place to stay before getting to Sequoias. Was a little cold at night but not to bad. Had a deer run by our site in the morning which was a surprise.

I really enjoyed my stay at this campground.  We had a spacious site, it was quiet, and I loved the hike to the waterfall from the campground.  In fact, the trail was right off our site.  There are some very curious and friendly deer when we were there!

We were right next to the entrance of a hiking trail (#14) so there was a lot of foot traffic & cars early in the morning and throughout the day. There was a large party of maybe 6-8 people next to us that blasted music way into the night. It wasn’t very considerate, but you never know the neighbors you’ll get. There was a deep sink right next to the bathroom which made it easy to do dishes. Good place to stay but I’d prefer driving the extra hour or so to stay at a dispersed spot off Tenmile for free.

There was nothing really wrong with the campground, and it's fine for a night stay or two but I can't see spending a ton of time here.

I managed to grab site 9 and I guess I just got lucky.  The campground was packed and people were rolling in fast.

Lots of BIG campers and a fair number of tent campers.

Even with a packed campground the site I had was quiet.  Must have been because it was up on a hill.

Sites have picnic tables, fire rings and bear boxes.

Running water, flush toilets and water to refill your bottles or what have you.

There is a river that is easy enough to walk to.  I didn't have time to fish but it did look pretty promising.  There is a site you basically have to walk through to get to the river.  Nice large site.

The deer are all over and not easily spooked.

Medium sized campground that has smaller, tight sites. Located directly off the main access road to Sequoia National Park, making it very loud and popular. RV’s and big campers with lights and generators. Fine if your passing through or can’t find other accommodations, but I wouldn’t spend significant time there. There is a swimming hole with ancient petroglyphs and acorn grinding holes right across the street.

We just left after staying 3 Nights here. It was in the high 90s and extremely uncomfortable. We had campsite 1 which didn’t have much shade. When walking around I would recommend 5,7,9 if you are going. At this time (July) they are doing construction 12 after entering the park( which they told us when we entered) they allow cars to pass on the hour. No dogs allowed in the creeks or trails. The flies got the best of me but thats just nature.

The campground itself is basic. Bathrooms somewhat dirty, spots have a lot of sun, ground squirrels EVERYWHERE and basically have no fear. No showers so we sponged bathed and it was perfect. I’m not sure what was going on at night but at the dump station across the street loud trucks would come and it sounded like train cars being locked together/hitting each other.

we didn’t get to see the waterfall since we had our dog( our bad) it’s a pretty drive up to the sequoia forest.

As soon as you enter Sequoia from the SW side you’ll see Potwisha on your left. The biggest thing to remember is that the tempshere will be 20 degrees warmer than at Lodgepole, so if you’re underdressed or under-supplied, get into Potwisha. The Ranger came around and checked in everybody, said hi, invited us to the amphitheater area for a stargazing class. She had binoculars and everything you needed to learn about the heavens!

Good place to stay! Love this park!

Sequoia National Park is easily my favorite place in tbe US, with wonderful options for camping all around. After some last min changes, we had to resort to this campsite as we were running out of light.

Decent prices for being inside a National Park, though nowhere to buy firewood unless you leave the park! clean bathrooms and a nice variety of different campsites with nice paved places to park!

We arrived just after dark and a neighbor provided us some of his extra wood. The site was near capacity but was an easy stopover on our trip from Yosemite.

I stayed here at the Potwisha camp area for three days on a trip to view the area. The campgrounds were clean, close to the entrance, and quite full. The fee for overnight stay was normal and everything needed was close to each individual location. The staff here were spirited and helpful throughout my stay; I would definitely come back anytime!

It was a great campground but I have been ruined by free campgrounds so when I do have to pay I am disappointed if there aren't showers. Also it was a little far away from the main section of the park (where we wanted to be) but it was the only campground available.

That being said, the campground was pretty sweet. We backed out truck in and slept in the bed, but there are plenty of rv and tent sites around. We stayed at site 12 for two nights and on our last morning we woke up to see a bobcat snoozing in the sun. We also lucked out and came across a mama bear and two cubs near Moro Rock which was incredible!!!

Next time I would try to reserve a campground up higher, but I wouldn't think twice about staying here again if they were full.

Honestly, this was all just incredible. The campground itself was awesome. Far away from neighbors to feel privacy and great hikes in every direction that go up in the mountains. A lot of mule deer very close by as well. Beautiful rivers and waterfalls to be seen and the wildlife is so vibrant.