Established Camping
Tule - Success Lake
About
US Army Corps of Engineers
Success Lake
Overview
Tule Campground is located at Success Lake in the Sierra Nevada foothills just 8 miles east of Porterville, California. A variety of outdoor recreational activities abound, including boating, kayaking and fishing.
Recreation
The lake provides great opportunities for boating and swimming. Kayaking the lake's quiet, unpopulated coves is a favorite activity. Anglers fish for bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill and the occasional trout.
Facilities
The campground is open year round and offers 103 sites, several of which have electric hookups. Flush toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station are provided. Playgrounds and boat ramps are located on-site. Campfire programs are presented at the amphitheater on Saturdays from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Campground gates are closed from 10p.m. to 6 a.m.
Natural Features
Success Lake, when full, covers 82,500 acre-feet of water with a surface area of 2,450 acres. One acre-foot is equal to 325,872 gallons of water! The campground sits on the northeastern shore of the lake, in an area dotted with sparse stands of trees. Shade is limited, but springtime wildflowers bloom on the surrounding foothills, creating a beautiful display of color.
Location
Tule - Success Lake is located in California
Directions
Take state highway 99, to east on Hwy 190 for 25 miles until you arrive to campground enterance. Please follow the signs.
Address
BOX 1072
Porterville, CA 93258-1072
Coordinates
36.0802778 N
118.9022222 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonGood
- AT&TAvailable
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Water Hookups
Pleasant Stay
A friend and I camped here overnight while on a 4-day motorcycle tour of the Sothern Sierra, the location was convenient. We found sitting and watching the sunset over the lake perfect site#30 after a long day ride. However, when we went to bed our neighbors were partying which is fine, but I was laying awake till 12:30 am when I asked them to please keep the noise down which they did, in the morning 6:30 am I was eating breakfast and greeted them with a good morning and a wave the response that I got was a middle finger and a loud“F” you, This kind of behaver is disgusting in a family environment
The date was Saturday night 9/16 and their site was#29
Not enough shade/Boat rentals available
There is very few campsites with shade. It’s a pretty far walk to the lake. On the pro side not too far from a town if you need to grab something. It was clean at the campsite. But the lake had so much wooden debris logs, branches etc. Really hard for phone reception to make calls or internet, we have AT&T, T Mobile. But we still enjoyed our stay.
Nice Views, plenty of sites
We were unable to get into Sequoia National Forest due to damage on the road, which is no fault to the campground. But besides the national forest not much to do around the area unless you have watercraft. I do believe there are boat rentals. The lake is beautiful & peaceful, lovely sunsets there. Bathrooms are remodeled and very nice! Our site was at the end and did not have the cover over picnic table which would have been nice to know, bc we would have choose anothet but not a big deal. We had Verizon services work well there. Little t-mobile service.
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Great campground
It’s really a cheap place to camp and have nice hot clean showers it’s beautiful at sunset and nice campground to be at peaceful and spread out!!
Fun in the sun!
Very nice place to visit! Comfortable campgrounds & crowds.
Beautiful Sunsets. Otherwise, really "rough around the edges"
Beautiful sunsets. Really"rough around the edges". Surprised to see the Army Corp of Engineers responsible for this campground. The camp sites themselves, aside from being fairly barren, are potholed, uneven gravel- littered with a ton of garbage like cigarette butts, bottle caps and broken glass. Add the abundance of goatheads, and there's nowhere to walk barefoot or to let your dog walk. The water supplies seem to be placed randomly and not very close to sites. In July at least, the water ranges from hot to warm. The campground is close enough to other attractions, but aside from the beautiful sunset over the hills, it's a fairly dead and barren, unattractive/ utilitarian park with a muddy, uninviting shoreline. The sites are so wide open and with the park being close to the street, there's a subtle feeling of vulnerability. Bathrooms are a sad affair. Steamy. Lots of bugs. Poorly functioning plumbing. It'll do in a pinch, but choose another option if your looking for something nice.
Lake
Clean, well kept
True California Beauty
There is so much to do here and around this area. From hidden water falls and earth made rock slides this is one of my favorite places to come camping. Here are a few pictures of the area.
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Great alternative to crowding in Sequoia/Kings Canyon
Camping in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park can fill up quickly, so if you arrive to the area in the afternoon, if the higher-elevation campsites are under snow, or if you’re looking for an option outside the park, Tule Campground is an amazing alternative.
The campground is located on Success Lake, a large lake that provides kayaking, fishing, and other recreational activities, and is located only about 20 minutes from Sequoia National Park. The sites were spacious, and while they weren’t nestled in trees (like we normally prefer), the terrain provided amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains. There were plenty of sites available to us when we arrived late in the day in late March.
There are closer campgrounds to access the Sequoia & Kings Canyon sights, but Tule was a good alternative.
Much of the park was still inaccessible in March, but we enjoyed many low-elevation, off-season activities: hiking the Congress Trail (by following the ski marks), seeing General Sherman, hiking up to Moro Rock, attending a snowshoe ranger program, hiking to Marble Falls, and exploring the General Grant Grove area. We’d suggest spending most of your time in the Giant Forest area, and trying to get off the main tourist trail for a bit.
You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Sequoia and Kings Canyon)
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