Pinnacles Campground

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Uma Dixit-Gokhale
2 months ago
Nothing insane about the views but the stargazing opportunity is phenomenal. This campsite in itself is very well managed and maintained. The campsites are spread apart far enough for there to be distance between campers. There are fire pits/picnic benches available to use per site. Loved bringing my dog here as well and using the small trail that runs through the campground. The campstore provides all essentials but just make sure to get everything you need before they close (5pm). Bathrooms are also very well maintained. I would definitely come back!

  Adam Kaplan
2 months ago
It's a good size campground with tent cabins and group sites. It's right off the main road in the park so easy to find. There's the park book store, camp store with firewood, and some showers near the entrance. Spots along the creek tend to have more privacy but more bugs. Spots on the loop will have better sky views. The campground is a cold sink and wind tunnel so bring layers. You will see vultures, maybe you'll get lucky and see a condor. Turkeys, deer, rabbits are common to see a well.

  MV Crow
2 months ago
Best NP campground that I ve ever been to. Level pads, perfect for car camping. Will definitely book again! 10 minutes from the East entrance. Dogs allowed in campground, not allowed on any trails in the park. Awesome camp store with attached bookstore. Real shower and pool open during warmer month. Fires permitted. Firewood sold in store. No cell service, but Wi-Fi can be bought for the day (buy at the camp store during business hours!).Safety: Felt very safe during a solo overnight visit.

  Katie Rodolico
a month ago
We were in loop b campsite 45. Great site. Only quibbles are that the TP in the bathroom was so thin you could read a book through it. Which left little bits of tp on the bathroom floor because it broke when you pulled it. But the campground was great,I had some signal with t-mobile. Friends had Verizon and there was no signal.Trails were great. Lots of condor sightings.

  Jennifer Tran
5 months ago
Great facilities for camping. We stayed at a group campsite and enjoyed gorgeous views of the night sky, easy to get to hiking, clean bathrooms, and parking near our site for most people in our large group. We were visited by turkeys and deer - so even a little entertaining wildlife.Restrooms: Clean and close to camp. Flushing toilets and running water were wonderful!

  Cathy Haagen-Smit
4 months ago
Beautiful location near a small visitor center and little convenience store. Flush toilets, only 2 showers for men, 2 for women, but nice and hot. Very quiet. Pretty oaks. We were in a small van. Most others were in small RVs or tents. Large sites, many flat site. Picnic table and fire ring. Free shuttle bus to trailhead.Nearby activities: Pinnacles National Park is beautiful and great for hiking!

  Jams Bee
6 months ago
This should be a National Park standard campground but it falls super short of that. It does not have enough restrooms for the amount of people and the distance you need to walk is too long. The visitor center is a gift shop only. Is there a ranger to do guided hikes or some where to learn about the animals, geology, history, etc? The Nature center was closed but it was smaller than the yurts. This has been a NP since 2013. Time for some upgrades. I live a short drive to this and love to camp. This is a one and done situation.

  Josh Kimbrough
7 months ago
Wild turkeys and lots of space to spread out. Look out for the racoons!Water quality is good, and water pressure is excellent.There are some service drops that have minor electrical issues (open ground). They won't prevent power from working, but do increase your risk of damage if a short occurs.Campground is sandy, nice for tents. Very little shade.

  Janice HP
9 months ago
We stayed in site number 95 for two nights, June 18 and 19. This site has a long dirt/gravel driveway and has electric hook up. It doesn't have any shade until about 4-5 pm, so it gets pretty hot. The store and Visitors Center are within walking distance. The closest restroom was quite a walk. I'm noticing now that the map doesn't show the restroom. The one we used was over by campsite number 1. The road has many potholes and is not paved. If the wind picks up, quite a bit of dust blows around. We hiked the Bear Gulch Reservoir Trail and made a loop out of it by coming back the way of the Rim Trail. Really spectacular! The bat cave was closed but that was fine with me!

  Chris Loh
6 months ago
The campgroups staff was very friendly and helpful. Facilities were clean and maintained. The pool was clean. Camp sites towards the back get more secluded into trees and brush, and if your lucky a small creek will run through the back of your camp site.Restrooms: Showers are in the front by the pool and camp into center and store. On the weekday we visited all the bathrooms were very clean.Dog-friendliness: I was pleasantly surprised they allowed dogs at the tent-cabin sites. Very dog friendly at the campground. And lots of places to walk the dogs!Picnic area: We had a tent cabin and it included a 2 porch chairs and a deck to set up on (Directly facing the picnic area and for pit. Fire pit only usable depending on fire season and status (they did not allow fires in the pit on our visit due to high fire season). They have several additional picnic /tables area inside Pinnacles National Park, as you start your hike.

  Cerin P
8 months ago
The sites are ok. They are dirt and not level and pretty bad when it rains. In the summer, it s nice to have electric hookups for ac, except the power doesn t work properly so everyone s breakers keep tripping. They intend to have it off completely for a full day for repairs , but didn t charge any less for those days and only announced it days before in the alerts section which you have to specifically go click on to read. If you made your reservation months ago, you get to find out the day of I guess. The dump station has a lid with a lock attached that is always submerged under sewage water. To use the dump station, you have to go into the store to get the key from the person behind the check in desk, which you then have to submerge into the sewage water with your hands to open the lock. The people in the store then take back the disgusting key with bare hands and continue checking people in and handing people food etc. There is a pool during summer that is supposedly open 10-5. But in actuality it doesn t open til they feel like it. Someone showed up at nearly 11 to begin cleaning it and preparing it for the day. The store employee said that s normal and they open whenever someone shows up to do it. It seems like it might make sense to clean it at closing the night before so it s clean in the morning, but logic doesn t seem to be a big factor.Yes, Pinnacles is a cool little national park, and it s nice to be able to camp while you are there, but the campground is very poorly run and it s not ok to purposely expose campers to raw sewage every day as a matter of course. I also wonder how many people get the sewage all over them trying to dig for the lock and then go the twenty feet or so into the pool. I bet it s more than zero

  Land Shark
2 months ago
Interesting place to hike, but falls short as a national park. No lodge or restaurant, roads are terrible, but you may see a condor.

  Melissa Toso
a year ago
We had site 30 for one night and 46 for one night, as we reserved our spaces last minute. I found the campground overall quiet and enjoyable. Site 46 is close to a dumpster so that was loud as patrons but their trash in their at different times of day. Also limited shade at site 46 compared to 30. The facilities were clean. No lights or shelves in the bathroom which was inconvenient for night time. You cannot access trails easily by foot from the campground, but the drive is not far. Technically you can walk to bear gulch area from there but you will be adding on atleast a few miles. Overall we were very impressed with this little gem on a NP and hope to be back if we are in the area again!

  Jamie Buck
10 months ago
Nice big campground with lots of group and tent camping. RVs had electric only but there were a couple spots to fill your water tanks (82 and 98/100). We stayed in an rv spot and enjoyed our stay. We were in 98 and the spots were staggered so you were directly next to anyone. The pool was nice but cold. There s no where to stop when pulling in or pulling out so be prepared. The dump station works but is not easy when the shuttles are running as they use the dump station loop to turn around. Meaning those rvs waiting in line have to move to accommodate the shuttles. Speaking of the shuttles, if you leave around 11 be prepared to wait in line. Overall it was a nice stay and we would return.

  Susan Schwaderer
a year ago
We stayed here for 3 nights while exploring the park. It was wonderful to be here off season with very few other campers around. It was beautiful! We saw the condors (very high in the sky) and enjoyed the hikes. After we left the campground and camped in Salinas, we visited the west side of the National Park and did a couple hikes there. Per the ranger's recommendation, we were able to get a full view of the pinnacles best from the west side. We wish we could have stayed longer, it was so peaceful. Though we didn't have a direct water hook-up, we were in site 111 and there is a threaded water faucet very near which made easy filling of our tank. Space was level too and backed up to a ravine. We had good signal on our AT&T phones and were able to use our hot spot to stream and connect to the internet. Staff was helpful.

  Trevor Fick
8 months ago
I live in an RV full time and this is hands down the worst national park experience I ve ever had.If your RV has an automatic transfer switch do not come here - Electrical ground on campground loop is iffy and RVs that have ATSs will not work if the campground is full. My electric was working correctly for 5 hours until the park filled at 8pm on a Friday. Spent hours trouble shooting potential ways to jump a wire over my ATS on Saturday but eventually decided to cancel my stay. Tested my electrical on the maintenance site pedestal + camp store exterior 110V and both worked. Drove to a new campsite - electric worked.Campground electric aside, JC (head maintenance guy) is a blessing and went above and beyond to try and trouble shoot with me and offer any assistance he could.Rangers on the other hand have nothing to do but watch you like a hawk. The park is so small and there always seemed to be 2-3 Rangers driving around looking to reprimand people, standing in parking lots observing people, etc. Not an enjoyable feeling.

  Ken Mixter
8 months ago
Stayed in tent cabins. Facilities were reasonably clean. Our trip was just way too hot, and the store ran out of ice, but nothing you can blame on the park - just an unlucky weekend.

  G.Allen Hodges
a month ago
I camped in a tent. There was such an abundance and variety of wildlife that it made experience awesome.

  Matt X
11 months ago
What a weird National Park campground... the roads in Pinnacle NP are not big rig friendly and so is the campground. The roads are not maintained, potholes are deep enough to bottom out a regular car if you are not extra careful. While the spaces further back in the campground have padlengths of 35ft+, I wouldn't advice taking any such long and usually high vehicles back there, trees hang into the path, just waiting to scratch your roof.Did you pick a spot online and don't like it? Absolutely no problem, just visit the camphost in the campground store and rebook to a different site for a bargain price of 10usd + tax.Would you like to use the dumpstation? No problem, visit the campground store during opening hours, get the key for the padlock at the dump, leave a card for something for security, then dump and return the key, so the next ten campers waiting in line with you can go through the same procedure.So now you need fresh water? The next fresh water spigot from the dumpstation is at site 82, one of the electricity Hookup campsites. On your way there you can amuse the other campers as your coach shakes by passing a few deep potholes that you won't be able to avoid. Use the water spigot to fill your tanks, while doing so you block the road, so anyone wanting to get to their campsite in this section will hopefully not mind waiting on you.You need electricity? Book early, the 30amp Hookup sites in thr forward section of the campground sell early at a bargain price of 60 a night. Didn't get one? Sorry, generators are prohibited at all times.

  Ryan Burdick
a year ago
The campground and the staff are great! Everybody we interacted with was helpful. Almost considered 4 stars because no firewood was available at the store. Should call ahead. The staff helped us to find a local store with some, but that was an hour round trip from the campground. Otherwise, the camp, trails and park are a must see.

  Kevin
7 months ago
This campground can only be accessed by the east side. There is no road that goes through the park that connects to the west side. My site had a firepit, a parking spot and a place to put your tent. There are flush toilets and sinks within walking distance (building on left of tent in photo). Showers are available next to the visitor center. There are plenty of wildlife. Lastly, get gas before going in.

  B Gonzo Hong
a year ago
1st timer. TRUCK & TRAILER Camping. Beautiful!It s a National Park (2023 - 10 year anniversary) so it s much more than a regular camping spot. WATER at almost every site. ELECTRIC at every RV spot. Condors, wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons live at the campsites.Before it s dark = store your coolers and anything with a scent or the RACCOONS will get into it. Our friends across from us were at our campfire while the Raccoons went into their cooler and drank all their kids fruit juices.Check the length of the site before you reserve - make sure your trailer and truck fit. Some sites are really short. They have yurts also!We came on the beat weekend with the Chalon Native Indian Nation! Crafted dram catchers, prayer balls, medicine necklace, and learned about the Missions & Native interactions and how they thought the Chalon people were extinct but that s not the case. This September- they are adding a sign Heartland of the Chalon People DUMP rules: YOU go into the store (don t wait for them,) give your ID and get the key. Then dump, come back to give back the key, tell them how many gallons you dumped, and get your ID. Only open 9:30am - 5:00pmNO phone service. Pay $10 for 7 days of WiFi - only works if you re close to the store.SHUTTLE: shuttle stop at the store - takes you to Bear Gulch day site (2 miles) and then you can hike from there on the TRAILS. Short to long hikes, kid friendly. If you don t use the shuttle, then you can walk the two miles.

  George Williamson
a year ago
No usable Verizon signal. T-Mobile speeds were about 10 Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. AT&T was 300/3 but intermittent. Verizon and T-Mobile were with a roof mounted Pepwave antenna. Starlink worked well but you may have difficulty with tree cover depending on your site.Our site was angled oddly such that our drivers side neighbors were very close. Lots of weird orientation here. We had a large oak tree shading our site with low branches that touched our Airstream. The road condition in the loop is very poor with deep potholes throughout. The views from the campground aren't particularly good to make up for it either - you can't see the Pinnacles. The site was level side to side.Tons of birds throughout the campground.Value for the money was very poor at $59 a night - outrageous for a poorly maintained NPS campground.

  Maureen Anderson
3 years ago
Pinnacles Campground is such a gem in central California and far exceeded our expectations when we visited in November. We stayed in one of the cabins and after staying in a far inferior cabin in Zion, I really appreciated the solid construction and thoughtful details of the cabins here. They were clean, roomy, and the beds pretty comfy.As for the facilities, the bathrooms were clean and the grounds well kept. We loved the camp store! It had well-designed and high-quality Pinnacles swag, the staff was friendly and helpful, it was very well stocked with everything we forgot to bring, and we used the many treats they offered to motivate our kids to finish up beautiful hikes with us.One of our favorite parts was the hike we did where we saw many types of birds, including condors! There are also caves and other attractions along the way to keep us and our kids entertained.Finally, it seems like the campground has something fun to offer in each season. When we were there the fall colors were beautiful and the temps moderate. I want to go back later this spring to enjoy the pool and wildflowers. We look forward to many more visits to the Pinnacles!

  Charissa H
8 months ago
Not all the loops are created equal. But many really pretty and private sites. Cute animals everywhere, but very brazen. Youll see a raccoon in my picture, but he was only curious. The real buggers? The birds! We had a bird literally fly by and steal butter right off of our griddle.Oh and there are a lot a lot of bugs at this park. Bring bugspray.

  Rachelle Andrews
3 years ago
Loved our short stay! We decided to try out one of the cabins during our stay, and it was great. Due to the fires many of the trails were closed - except the Bench and Sycamore Trails, but we were still able to enjoy views of the Pinnacles formations. Lucky for us the campground was very quiet so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We saw quails, bunnies, turkeys, and wild deer! The cabin was AMAZING! Everything felt new and very clean. Beds were comfy, the solar powered LED were great in the evening, and the patio chairs allowed us to comfortably enjoy the nighttime sights and sounds. It felt very European!

  Brian Schwab
11 months ago
The Pinnacles were awesome but the sheriff was not nice to people on the trails. The dump station is locked so you have to go in the store to get the key, kinda hassle. The guy running the store was nice but they close shop at 6pm, pool and all so make sure to get your firewood before 6pm.

  Flacker545
2 years ago
The overwhelming 5 star reviews are not wrong. What a great place to go camping. We went the first week of Nov and the weather was still warm. I can't imagine how it would be in the summer. This will be our new winter camping trip. The wildlife was amazing. The deer walk right past the camp sites. Beware that the raccoons will come up at anytime to try to get food. We were enjoying a nice fire and heard something behind us at the picnic table. We turned around to see a raccoon trying to take something. Brazen little trash pandas. The trails were great. Just keep in mind to read the trail info before you head out. Some of the trails are harder than others and have a little to no shade. Bring plenty of water. But most of all enjoy the view.

  Troy big cat Dawson
9 months ago
Unfortunately, we got hit with a double whammy. The pool was out of service for 2 and 1/2 days because it had been overused on the weekend and the chemistry was not in spec.More importantly, they are replacing the septic systems on all of the remote bathrooms. We were not notified that there was going to be large equipment, dozers, skip loaders, and 30 ft trailers either move in dirt out or in. It made for a very dusty and noisy vacation break.

  Jessie Rand
2 years ago
This place is amazing. The campgrounds and trails were extremely clean and there was a ton of wildlife around. Probably the most I ve ever seen at a campground. They had potable water spouts everywhere and they checked them every day.The trails were great too. Bear gulch trail was awesome but the Old Pinnacles trail I thought was the best. Their caves were open and amazing to explore. I would recommend this place to everyone. 10/10