I visited this place back in the late 90's.  I figured it was time I reviewed it.  My fondest memories were of the mosquitos.  Bring some high percentage deet bug spray for your protection.  The waters of the Niobrara are some of the best in the world for recreational canoeing or tubing.  The frequent sandbars of the river make it perfect for those who want to take a break from time to time.  Smith Falls itself is very beautiful and worth it for the quick cold shower. 

Primarily, this area is for those who wish to take a day or two to canoe the river.  I would prefer the guided tour so you don't miss things like the 45 degree water that naturally feeds the river from underground springs. There are usually just class one rapids on this river, so anyone should be able to enjoy the waters the whole trip.

The wife and I visited here in November and we still talk about it.  Mostly because of how cold it was at night, and how sick we got.  We weren't as prepared to deal with the lower temperatures as we are now.  With that being said, this was my only complaint for the 3 day trip.  Take note we stayed here in 2008.

First off, the showers on site were great.  I don't remember having to pay much of anything to use them.  The site itself was a dirt base with little grass.  The big plus was the pine needles laying around became very useful for building a fire.  There are also nearby water spigots for your water needs.  For the summertime there are plenty of trees in this campground.

As for the overall housekeeping of the campground, I don't think they can do much better.  This campsite is fairly well known and gets its fair share of people traffic year round.  The grounds aren't far from Big Bear or Fawnskin so you have options to go shopping or for a nice dinner at least once or twice.  In my opinion I think Subway will always be my favorite because it fills you up for quite a while. On the other hand, the sizzler in town isn't all that bad either.

The area offers some great hiking and views, but I think the lake tour was probably my favorite because of how many movie stars and celebrities have houses along the lake shore.

I believe anyone wanting to stay at Serrano will have a nice relaxing time, even if the fishing doesn't measure up when you want it to.  I never had any luck shore fishing FYI.

Wanting to camp here in late July I took a drive to check out the campground prior to the trip. I did find that most of the campground is on dirt driveway. The sites that aren't on the shoreline don't have grass like those on the shore. They are mostly weeds and dirt. The campground itself seems to have almost everything except showers to make it comfortable. Pit toilets are on site. There are a couple areas with a hydrant for fresh water. The sites closest to the beach swimming area seem to be the absolute best overall. Bring a camp shower for a better experience.

When i made the visit in mid June it was very very hot. I think the temperature was around 108F. I checked the farmers almanac for late July and the temperature averages from 96 to 110. Not my cup of tea. Although the lake was very nice and I'm sure the water will feel great in the summer, sleeping during those high temps wouldn't be as great.

My visit was very brief. This was one campground I visited just to try and find an opening for one night. Just by driving through and cruising the sites, I would stay here for sure, especially during the summer months. This site sees quite a lot of shade and the river is really a sight to see. Just uphill from the campground is the Mt. Whitney trailhead, a small restaurant, a day use area with grills, a small fishing pond, and a very beautiful waterfall.

Wirhout staying here I can tell you to do your reasearch before staying here. The sites are mostly surrounded by large boulders and there isn't much room to park more than one vehicle and maybe one camper. Some sites have barely enough space for one tent so plan accordingly. Some driveways are narrow too because of the boulders. The campground is nestled within the trees so there should be plenty of shade.

I sure will keep this site in my list of places to camp in the future for summer getaways.

I can finally understand why it is proof positive of how diffficult it can be to get a campsite at this park. The natural beauty is beyond the words of a recreational camper like myself.

Upon entering the campgrounds it is relatively easy to find the campsite. Loop C is where I camped and I believe that to be the absolute best area. Your just far enough from the river noise to sleep well, and it's open enough to watch the stars in all their glory. The ground is soft enough to simply push your ground stakes in with your shoe.

Every site here is just the right size, but I prefer the ones towards the middle of this loop.

The biggest downside is the toilet paper the park uses at the campgrounds. It won't turn on the holders, so you have to manually take it off little by little. Also, it isn't very durable. I would ask if you can bring your own in, but I'm sure they purchased this paper for its affordability. There is running water in the toilet house, and this will get taken advantage of by campers. We have found many people taking "showers" in the sink.

The drive to Yosemite Valley is about 45 minutes from Wawona. Glacier Point is about the same. The closest is the little village of Wawona inside the park which has some nice historical buildings and a small store for supplies and food.

Overall, I will be coming back to this campsite on a regular basis.

I took a chance and drove to the Lone Pine Campground just below Mt. Whitney on Memorial Day weekend of 2017. After circling the campground twice I asked the campground manager if there was an availability. After double checking his paperwork I managed to snag a site 43 which was at the far end at the top of the grounds.

This site is meant for group camping and it really is quite large with a picnic table made for 20 people to sit at. There is a fire ring to accommodate a very large fire. It may have been 4 feet across, I didn't have a tape measure.

The drawback of this site is that you will have to walk everything at least 100 feet uphill. Not ideal for a lot of comfort gear. On the plus side, the bathroom isn't far away and they are clean.