First off, I want to say that my 5-star rating only applies if you are visiting between mid-October…read moreand mid-April. During the rest of the year (April 15 to October 15), it's too hot to really enjoy camping either here, or at the Corp of Engineer's other campground at H.V. Eastman Lake a few miles to the northwest (Codorniz Recreation Area). The ideal months are probably November and March, especially if you are tent camping: not too hot in the daytime, not too cold at night. In December, January, and February, it's going to be really cold at night, the nights are really long (14 to15 hours), and those months have the greatest chance that it will be raining. If you are tent camping, I recommend that, if possible, you make a reconnaissance day trip in advance, and visit both the Hidden View and Codorniz campgrounds, to inspect the campsites for yourself. When tent camping, you really need the site, or at least the tent pad, to be as flat and level as possible. Both Codorniz and Hidden View are located in rolling hills and not all of the sites offer as much "flatness" as you might want, and it's almost impossible to really tell for sure what these sites are like from the photos on the Recreation.Gov website. Codorniz is not quite as hilly as Hidden View, and has more trees, but that said, the trees in both campgrounds are Valley oak (Quercus lobata), and these aren't really the best shade trees, having very small leaves. They are bare in the winter months and don't even start to develop leaves until late April, so in the winter and early spring, the trees all look dead and there's no shade at all. There are boat ramps and day-use/picnic areas at both Hensley and HV Eastman Lakes, but the lakea are relatively small, compared to Folsom Lake or Lake Oroville, and in the winter and early Spring months the water level is typically so low that the ramps might not even be open. Something to consider is that Hidden View campground is only 75 miles from Yosemite Valley: if you would like to camp somewhere with electric and water hookups that's reasonably priced, and make a day trip to Yosemite, Hidden View is a good choice.

+3 stars for very friendly and helpful rangers and clean bathrooms. This is a very well-kept…read morecampground. -1000 stars for visiting in July. I'm sure this is a fine place in March. In July, it's like visiting Satan's favorite county park. It's 110 degrees, the lake smells gross, the bottom is all silty and nasty, and the area where the lake has receded from its high water level is muddy and squelchy. I think this is where parking ticket cops and used car salesman go on vacation. Probably also where those guys whose job it is to deny workers comp claims spend a weekend. Only somebody professionally evil (or a rattlesnake) could love this place in July (and I have my doubts about the rattlesnake.) You could drive 30 mins further and be in the Sierras where it's 20 degrees cooler, the water is clean and clear and doesn't smell like the decaying dreams of a homeless fisherman, and the bottom of the swimming hole is granite rather than a squishy layered lasagna made of the bodies of rotting demon fish. I also really don't get these reviews that are like "the lake is gorgeous." It's a man-made reservoir set in a relatively barren landscape. Yellow hills and oak trees here and there. It looks exactly like what you might imagine "we put a bunch of water in a place only fit for cattle grazing" would look like. This spot is the epitome of "the part of California you drive through to get to somewhere else." Still, it's clean and easy to get to and I recommend it as a stopping point on a road trip if you need one - just not in the middle of summer.

An absolute GEM Spring cove was just perfect for my family and I. The campground was perfect the…read moreset up, the bathrooms near by were clean and well kept. The showers were also very nice and clean. Parking for one car only, there's an option to park another vehicle but its 10$ for extra cars. The lake was so close, just a small walk away. Rangers were so nice and checked on us often. We absolutely LOVED this campsite.

This is a fantastic location. Great campground. It was very clean and very well organized. The camp…read morehost Mathew McCabe was outstanding appeared to be constantly at work and readily available. A very attentive host, who clearly took great pride in his work.

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

In short, this is a "maybe" recommendation…read more To preface, I have visited Yosemite National Park many many times, with many many stays at campgrounds, the Yosemite Valley Lodge & The Ahwahnee. My family loves this park so much that my husband & I chose to get married there last year. I think overall this is an okay campground for the most part. It is well located within the valley loop. It is close to some popular hiking routes, is next to Merced river and just down the road from Curry Village. However, a few things to note that didn't make it a 5-Star stay. 1) Customer service - upon entry, we were greeted by two very friendly hosts. Our party had a physically disabled person with handicap plates on the car. One of the hosts let us know that the stall we parked a car in (temporarily) to unload was designated for law enforcement, but okayed us unloading for 10 minutes. We appreciated the info and consideration. Nearing the 10 minute marker another/separate host approached us really quite aggressively, yelling about us breaking the law and that we need to move immediately. We explained the discussion with the prior host we spoke to, but this one kept yelling at us about how our car looked empty (it wasn't) and wouldn't stop yelling at us until we moved. We totally get the technicality of the stall, but we did receive an okay from another host and this guy was just aggressive as hell with no regard to ADA considerations in a very temporary situation. No law enforcement used it the entire time we were there (several days), did 10 minutes kill them to let a disabled guest unload?? It just was not very host like and incredibly unprofessional. Approach would have meant everything. To add to the poor customer service, we were later accused of pushing the limits with our tents and having more than 6 people (we only had 4 people) despite other campsites directly next to us having at the least 8-10 people, who lit fires mid-day, who had on occasion left their fires completely unattended, and who smoked weed and screamed & talked loudly way after noise cutoffs.. yet no host was approaching them about any of that. 2) some campsites were way overgrown with weeds and fallen over tree trunks. 3) no soap in the bathrooms. As a lover of this park who has stayed more times than I can count, the stay this time at North Pines overall was just okay. The lack of customer service and disregard for disabled persons from some of the hosts was something I don't think myself nor my family will soon forget. I've/my family had never been made to feel like that before, especially at a place that wants conservation support and goes through so much to accommodate ADA.

Best campsite at Yosemite!…read more A bit more off the track versus the other campsites, conveniently located near the Mirror Lake trail. Wedged between a river and a creek, and the creek can be waded in. 1/2 mile to Camp Curry with amenities. Bathrooms were clean but lacked soap for hand washing throughout the visit. We were in campsite 504 which is basically the best one. We really lucked out. Creek and river adjacent. Downside is that we had lots of visiting campers, a bit lacking privacy. Bear bins for food storage are plentiful in space and secure.

Been coming here for years! Bass has 3 marinas (The Pines being the largest). The beauty is…read moreamazing. A little of Yosemite ... Rock formations, green tree and wildlife. Some gorgeous homes am an be rented if you wish, or there are plenty of campgrounds. The lake is not huge... But, you. An find some quiet coves here and there. Just like most places, it can get crowded on the weekends. Lots of beaches, just make sure you are parking legally. Don't miss the FORKS BURGERS! Or, their club sandwich. Delish! Love love this place. Come on over!

Beautiful campground with great facilities and right across from the lake with a nice beach…read more Matthew was an awesome camp host, so helpful and friendly!! Definitely recommend! (Note: definitely bear country, we saw two at the campground but they were relaxed doing their own thing, so just put your food away always and bring bear spray just in case)

So we go camping once a year, and every year we try something new. This year we found Cherry Valley…read moreCampground. It's about 29 miles past Sonora, Ca, but forewarned the drive is very curvy. But...once you arrive...OMG...the campground is amazing. There's a manager on site for any help, they sell firewood and have Potable water if you need it. The bathrooms are super clean and smell good, which is not normal for a campground. Now one thing you must know is that the lake is accessible at multiple points, but it's all rocky. So no matter where you go there's no real beach. However if you drive to the boat launch area which is like 5 minutes away, there is some sand and rocks to enjoy the water. We took some kayaks and we're able to explore the water, even saw a Bald Eagle. The scenery was great. Camping here was awesome, we will def be back.

The camp host was great! Made sure we were okay when a snow storm hit. The location was beautiful.read more

The campground is well kept. The toilets, even if it's just a whole in the ground, were kept clean…read more Larry is such an amazing camp host. We were on site 20. It was nice and spacious. The best part is having the trail to the creek right across from it. This place would be perfect if it had real toilets and a shower.

Camping here was an experience. We loved it! Being able to walk to the creek and put your feet in…read moreto cool off. We even saw a bear, which was super cool. Make sure you put all your food away and everything is fine. Service wasn't great, but it was great to unplug and enjoy time with our family and friends. Probably one of the best campsites we have been too. All the sites are spacious and have lots of trees and bushes that you are able to have privacy.

Forks campground was amazing Very low key for April on a Tuesday and Wednesday…read more It was a little annoying when we first got to our site the campground host Carmen was more concerned about us moving the table then welcoming us to our site. Also they had 4 bathrooms next to our site but 3 were locked and the one opened stall, the lock was broken I supposed they didn't want to clean all 4

This is a cute little campground and we enjoyed staying. It is a little more intense than most…read morecampground with the host tracking you down for vehicle registrations and whatnot. Usually we set up camp and then go to the host to deal with the paperwork etc. This campground will not let you set up first, after a long drive you have to dive into whatever paperwork and registration right away. Great views, not much shade in our campsite and many others. Bring an easy up if you have one.

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.