I really enjoy these two lakes. One of my "go to places" when I have several days to go camping. We recently drove up to see this years conditions and was met with a huge filthy hoard. There were 5+ tents in each camp site spilling into each others. As if that wasn't bad enough, there were literally hundreds of people camping all along the lakes. Tents on boulders 4x4 vehicles parked off road on boulders, there wasn't a square inch of space not filled with some type of tent, tarp, lean to, or other type of shelter. There were so many vehicles you could barely navigate the narrow road and in some places you couldn't. To say I was appalled in an understatement. Trash and filth everywhere. Latrines emptying into the creek. Perfect place and condition for covid to inhabit.

I won't be back this year, maybe not next because it will take that long for nature to clean up after these slobs.

If you do not know how to care for our precious wilderness places, or don't care to, STAY HOME!

I think this is my favorite California State Park. It is situated in the Calaveras Big Trees Giant Sequoia Grove.

The campsites are spacious with lots of room between you and other campers, hot showers, great Visitors Center, campfire programs, puppet shows, self guided hikes, Stanislaus River, Beaver Creek, lots of wildlife, astronomy programs (we even got to see the International Space Station go overhead) and so much more.

We saw a yearling doe with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a deer, a fledgling osprey with a little hick-up in his first flight, lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters, birds of all different colors. Just delightful.

Big Trees is close to explore the many little charming Gold Country Towns in the area and if you want to go out to dinner every kind of cuisine you can imagine.

You will have an awesome time at Calaveras Big Trees.