Beautiful campsite #50 right on the water. Tree removal crews emptied water tanks without…read morepermission according to the ranger. This rendered the flushing restrooms unusable, sadly. Other than having to use the vault toilets (which were very clean) the campground and our site was excellent!

Great camping trip at Rancheria. There is nice space at each site, the lake was close and the…read moreMariana across the way had great lunches!

Unfortunately, through-hikers do not have much choice regarding a stop at Muir Trail Ranch (MTR);…read moreit is the only resupply location along the 105-mile southern stretch of the John Muir Trail (with the exception of Onion Valley which requires hiking an additional ten miles). The Ranch does a good job of supplying boxes for individuals and keeps well-stocked hiker bins, but the services leave much to be desired. Here's an example... I'm 49 years old and was solo hiking the trail with a 40+ pound backpack. I rushed frantically to reach MTR before closing and was utterly exhausted when I arrived at 4:30 PM after eleven days trudging through endless mountain passes well-above 10,000'. I was ecstatic to reach the Ranch and gather my food cache. As I started to empty my box, those of us in attendance were told: "We close at 5:00. I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here." We were incredulous! We needed to empty our canisters, clear out our packs, charge our electronics, search through the hiker boxes, and add new items to our packs. This can take much more time than expected (particularly when you're spent after a long week), but doesn't require any work on the part of the employees. They had to put away the boxes, but the rush was completely unnecessary. They could have gone for dinner while we finished our organizing and then put the boxes away later. I had imagined this would be a fun experience, but, instead, was frantically trying to get the gear I needed. It was so disappointing and I was so worried I would make a mistake leaving me without a necessary item or leaving me lugging added weight until my next resupply. Frankly, I was scared. When outside the Ranch, the area is incredible! The camp was in an excellent location and perfect for solo and group backpackers. Crossing the river to the hot springs was also wonderful. A natural bath after many days on the trail was truly refreshing.

Well it turns out, the rumors are true. Muir Trail Ranch really doesn't like hikers. I thought…read moresurely their reputation for being so rude must be coming from PCT hikers since they're more likely to just roll in looking to scavenge for scraps without paying for anything, but apparently MTR shares disdain for all hikers equally! I came in as one of the hundreds of JMT hikers picking up my $85 resupply and let me tell you, the condescension was palpable. From the moment you walk through the front gate, you're bombarded with signs demanding that you don't touch anything, don't bother anyone, stay in your area and don't expect any bathrooms or services. The girls working the ranch for the season were nice or didn't interact at all but the manager responsible for retrieving our resupply was impatient and rude. The last straw was the "shop" that's actually just the manager's small office where there is no wifi but you can pay a whopping $10 for just 15 minutes on a laptop to access your email only. Give me a break. All in all, what a disappointment. It's difficult not to get the distinct impression that they think you're trash and want you to just get your stuff, don't touch anything and then get lost as soon as possible. But thousands of people hike the JMT each year- 3500 in 2016 is the latest figure from NPS. Even if only half of those people pay for an $85 resupply bucket- a very conservative estimate given that MTR is basically the last remote resupply half way through the trail- they're still making a killing off of hikers which is exactly why I don't understand the bad attitude. They treat you like cattle and act like they're doing you a favor even though you're obviously a significant source of revenue for them each season which is probably why they tolerate hikers at all. I don't know what it's like to be one of their guests, but if I could do it over, I would absolutely avoid patronizing this business as a hiker because they're extremely unwelcoming. Everyone picking up their resupply at the same time as me felt the same. Instead, I would resupply at VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort) which has a ferry you have to catch but it's a wild party on Lake Edison and they LOVE hikers. The next resupply if you want to avoid this ranch is Onion Valley which does have a hike-out over Kearsarge Pass but it's no Mather Pass, it's a mild climb and you can get some excellent resupply services with a shower and a shuttle to and from the trail head from Onion Valley. If I could do it over again (and probably will in the next few years) this is exactly what I would do. If you're a hiker, skip MTR. The insufferable condescension on top of the steepest resupply fee you'll find on the trail just isn't worth it.

We just returned from four nights at East Fork Campground in mid-August. We can't say enough good…read morethings about the campground and the campground managers, Dennis and Terry. They were welcoming and assisted promptly with adjusting our reservation so we didn't have to move sites mid-stay. The campsites are well-maintained. Steph and Tatiana scurried about keeping the restrooms spotless and preparing sites for the next campers. They too were very friendly and helpful. The campground has many wonderful sites, some by the creek, others more private on the outer edge, still others with open areas where families and children can play. It's an advantage that about half the sites are first-come-first-served. East Fork Campground is our favorite Eastern Sierras place to camp and this was our third trip.

I came here just to give a shout out to Terri and Dennis the campground hosts! They were absolutely…read morewonderful! Terri was helpful on the phone when booking the reservation, and actually happened to greet us at our spot as we arrived! She was informative about the campground, and went above and beyond to coordinate/recommended a day of spot change to one that was magnificent and by the creek! Water. Clean flush toilet bathrooms. Quiet campground. A hiking trail that runs along Rock Creek and all the way to the lake (or drive), an easy hiking trail if you have kids who are wanting to meander their way through nature. Five stars and will be coming back!

As the temperatures heat up in the Central Valley, the dangers of flooding due to the rapid snow…read moremelt may have temporarily halted travel into both Yosemite and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. HWY 168 remains open, however, and there are still plenty of snow parks packed with snow along the highway once you get up to the 6000 feet elevation level. If you travel a little further northeast, about an hour's drive from Clovis, you will find Huntington Lake. Much of the lake was still frozen solid when I visited there last weekend and the temperature up there was mild with only a hint of a breeze. There was also plenty of snow along the roads and on the marina and lakebeds, which made it a perfect place to visit to see the snow, take photos of the lake and snow-capped mountains, and escape the heat. Perhaps best of all, there were not too many people who appear to visit the lake since it is mostly frozen and with Shaver Lake, China Peak Mountain Resort, and the aforementioned snow parks all still open for some fun in the snow and outdoor enjoyment. Considered one of the cleanest and most pristine lakes in the Central Valley and in the Sierras. I cannot wait to come up again in another month as the snow is melted down to fish and swim in the lake and hike on its trails. For the first time in over a decade, the water levels will be at full capacity. It is known to get a bit breezy during the summer months, which makes it ideal for sail boating. There are probably another two or three weeks to see and play in the snow. Huntington Lake is my recommended spot to go for those in Fresno County that do not want to travel too far to find a lot of it.

We are so grateful to have a new place to eat at Lakeshore. The new chef did amazing.. love all the…read morefood. We were members of the clean plate club.

My husband and I just stayed at Kinnikinnick Campground for the first time, and it will not be the…read morelast time, this campsite is amazing! It's super close to Huntington Lake, separated by only 1 road and 1 campsite, so perfect to walk over to the water. It's also less than a quarter mile from the little town, which has a convenient store and restaurant, among a few other places, such as a post office, etc. The campsite was very well maintained. Every day we saw hosts driving through on golf carts multiple times a day, the bathrooms (which have flush toilets) were kept up nicely, and 2 of the stalls even have lights on all night long, making it convenient if you have to use the restroom in the dark. They had a water source too for filling buckets to put out your fires as well. The town convenient store was super convenient to have nearby, for a few things that we forgot. It's important to know, however, that you are going to pay an arm and a leg for anything. A few examples of things we purchased with their prices rounded up: $16 Immodium, $7 graham crackers, $6 marshmellows, etc. The restaurant attached to the convenient store was great too, we had a few drinks there, as well as some garlic.parmesean fries and wings. Although they brought us the wrong wings (we asked for buffalo and got barbeque...they were still good), everything else was great, including the service and atmosphere. To check in for the campsite, you go to a small place a little ways down past the town. The store clerks were super friendly, and the store had cute souvenirs for sale also. The proximity of the campsite to Huntington Lake is awesome, but if you drive 20 ish miles away you also get to Shaver Lake, which is where we spent most of our time, as it was consistently 10 degrees warmer each day than Huntington Lake. While in Shaver Lake we also ate at Shaver Lake Pub and Grill, which had delicious food. A few other close places that we went to while we were camping here were: Mono Hot Springs and Rancheria Falls. Rancheria Falls was very close, only probably 4 miles away, and then it's a 2 mile hike up to the falls. The falls were nice and full still at the end of August. Mono Hot Springs is less than 20 miles away, but it takes over 1 hour to get there, on a very windy/narrow/single-lane road which is very sketchy at times, but thankfully there are some turnouts and my husband was driving.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! I have camped at several state parks in California and this is by far the…read morebest. The bathrooms are CLEAN and fully stocked at all times. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. And if that's not enough, the rangers were helpful, available, courteous and engaging.

I have been ciming here scinse i was 9yrs old im 42 now and i absolutely love this place!! The…read morehistory the fishing the campgrounds swimming holes and i would always come back with a little jar of arrow heads and obsidian and even got invited to an indian ceremony to put the mother bear in a safe hibernation!! 5 's more if i could!!

an absolutely wonderful place: it's kinda dinky looking from the street but if you follow the creek…read moredownhill, you'll find granite pools and falls to play in. it's slippery so bring some water shoes if you can, but it's more than necessary to take a dip in the little pools and falls if possible. it's beautiful for many reasons, the fresh water just makes it that much better. totally worth any trip or drive to get here.. and the stars on clear night.. immaculate. I recommend x1000 plus some :) my picture doesn't do it justice cause I was too busy playing in the pools to take a good pic on my phone

Camp Kern is a Boy Scout Camp that has been here for 77 years (1939). It is definitely showing its…read moreage. The buildings are pretty dilapidated and some to a degree unsafe, such as the deck leading into the dining hall. We had a Scout leader from our Troop offer to put some screws into it as is actually had none. The tents were in bad shape with holes and ties missing, which is no help against the many mosquitoes and bugs. The trails leading into camp and to the gun and firing range (very steep) were also poorly maintained. Our Troop also helped groom the trail leading to the camp which also helped a bit. To make matters worse the pitiful state of the restrooms (portable toilets) and showers weren't cleaned regularly or stocked (with dead bugs everywhere). Although there are a lot of really tall trees, there are a lot of dead ones too. The previous night one came crashing down not too far from camp sites. I'm sure it must be an issue as a result of the drought, fungus, beetles, etc. but they really need to cut more down, lest a tree falls on a tent which looks like a distinct possibility. One of the main things the camp is known for, is its proximity to the Lake, which it abuts. It's docks and swimming area are worn. They also didn't have the sailboats that are shown in the Scouting Magazine review of the camp. We were told there was a mixup in the company that supplies them and they would be delivered the day we left. So we ended up borrowing one sailboat from a nearby camp that we used by everyone to get the Sailing merit badge the last two days. The Camp Director, Kent, is a man with a good disposition but I wondered his sincerity in improving things as it seems strange you would have to ask him to stock towels or pump the toilets? Or for that matter, not to have the sailboats there? The food was decent but there were often long delays in being served and they frequently ran out of things. Also be aware when it says you will have 'steak' on Friday, it will be pork shops and 'tacos' were actually half of a tortilla. The portions were generally small, but seconds were often the case after everyone had been served. On the positive side the Camp Counselors were good. They hung out with the Scouts and bonded with them. From talking with them it sounded like the Boy Scout Council didn't give a lot of resources to the camp, which would account for at least it's condition and maybe more experienced staff in the kitchen. It was their first week of their summer session, so you would have to cut them some slack as there will inevitably be some loose ends. But for the totality of issues and the fact they have been here so long, one would have to wonder if there is a plan to improve things or not? During a hike they do on Wednesday of the week (of various lengths), we were able to see another Boy Scout camp next door by the name of Camp Oljato. That looks to be a better option until Camp Kern can get their house in order. On aside note, the camp has good Verizon service throughout and only AT&T service right on the waterfront. Not that Scouts need it of course :) Also, there are electrical outlets at the sink areas and in the dining hall for your electronics. Last but not least, I feel bad leaving a poor review as a Scout leader, as you want to support each other. But like any business, we all have choices for summer camps, so you need to deliver an all around good product. And I have been to a few other camps, so I do have a basis for comparison.

I was last at the camp in 2014 before my Stroke ! I have great memories of being there I took my…read morescout troop & attened many order of the arrow events . I first attended the camp in 1988 through 1994 my older son worked staff there in the early 1990s . I always had a greattime good food always kept busy the lake is great to get to the camp you have to travel by barge this is a cool experience .

I've been camping for more than 25 years, whether it be dispersed with limited facilities or sites…read morethat have full on electrical outlets and close to a body of water (like Camp Edison). Yet majority of the time, I have been lucky to get a reservation here. To make a reservation, you will need to go on Camplife.com and select Camp Edison as your location. Reservations open up 6 months prior to your desired camping dates. So if you want to camp around June, you will need to get on the reservation site around December and compete with others in the reservation process. Reserving for May-July are the worst; similar to reserving at Yosemite National Park. It can be frustrating as you will be assigned a random number in the queue at 8am on the dot; so make sure you're logged in at least 15 minutes prior just in case you encounter connection issues. You can be either #1 or #1000; it just depends on how many are on the site at that given time. You also have a time limit to make your reservation or risk to having it swooped by another camper if you fail to do so. I recommend making your reservation on a desktop and not on mobile as you might have issues with cell signal. As far as the experience goes, I just love camping here. Sites are adequately spaced but other "Loops" may be a bit spacier. Most sites are RV/Trailer accomodating. Electric meters for eac site, communal water stations, hot showers (shower card needed) and flushing toilets. They also have a Camp Store near the Check In Booth. There are also vendors that drive around that sell firewood. You can also rent boats at the Shaver Lake Marina, and if fully booked, you can try your luck at the nearby Sierra Marina. Walking distance to Shaver Lake and a few mins drive to the Shaver Lake town. I highly recommend this campgrund if you're lucky to snag a spot online. Also, you can pay for "Day Use" only - which basically is equivalent to a Day Pass. Good luck!

Amazing location for an all day Family trip. The road is a bit curvy and high elevation. Lots of…read moreparking, boat ramp as well. Highly recommend. Beautiful scenery.

I come here every year, usually in June or mid-August to hike the Big Pine Lakes trail. This year,…read morethe only reservation I could get was for April. We stayed over the weekend and it was absolutely freezing!!! Driving up, you could already see the mountains covered in snow and I knew right away we were in trouble! It got down to 21 degrees! I had double gloves, double layers, double everything and I still couldn't feel my fingers!!! Lol. I was so glad I brought my snow cleats because they helped a lot since the trails were covered in snow! For safety reasons, we decided to only hike up to Lake 2. The usual beautiful turquoise blue lakes were nowhere to be found and instead replaced with a half frozen lake. It was still a cool sight to see and I'm grateful I got to experience it at least once in my life because I swear, I will never stay here again in April! No way! Hahhaha. I definitely would not recommend camping here that time of year unless you have an RV or are really prepared for winter conditions. We were a big group which made the experience a lot more fun. I love this campground and there's a reason it's so hard to book. It's truly beautiful up there. If you're lucky enough to snag a reservation, definitely check it out.

You can't beat this campground for its proximity to the Big Pines Creek trail head. If there's one…read morebit of practical hiking advice I can offer, it's to camp here for at least two days before hitting the trail if you live at a low elevation. I was not acclimated and it made my hike unexpectedly grueling. It's an absolutely beautiful hike, and I wish I was less focused on simply breathing! The entirety of the campground is surprisingly fancy as campgrounds go. Lots of manicured public spaces. But the store always seemed closed which probably had something to do with the government shutdown happening at the time. Directional signage within the campground (to specific site numbers and to the trailhead) is pretty awful and I wasted a decent amount of time trying to find my site. I got up pretty early to hit the trail (just as the sun rose), and had to use AllTrails to point me to the trailhead. In early Oct, it can get pretty cold up there so setting up camp at 4:30pm wasn't ideal. Try to get there earlier bc it cools down really fast. My specific site (26) was really private and very nice. It looked just like the pictures on Recreation dot gov. It sits beside a bubbling little stream, yet mosquitoes were never an issue. It was also the most level and tidiest tent pad I've ever had the pleasure of sleeping on. There was a major drop-off between the car pull-in and the campsite, so I had to be extra vigilant about not breaking my neck during the frequent back and forth loading and unloading.