The campground is well kept. The toilets, even if it's just a whole in the ground, were kept clean. 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. read more

Summerdale Campground - Site 20 - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

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Camping here was an experience. We loved it! Being able to walk to the creek and put your feet in to 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. read more

Gorgeous, clean, quiet campground near the Southern entrance of the park. Restrooms kept clean. Gorgeous river running through. Camp host was kind and thoughtful! Would stay here again. Places to eat a little south, pizza was so good. No showers but you can shower in the park! read more

My husband and I booked a stay here months ago in anticipation of a 3 day stay to see Yosemite. We were a little worried about the distance from there to the park as it was about an hour away. And of course, anything inside Yosemite was completely booked out. We weren't sure what to expect when we arrived but we were pleasantly surprised! The camp hosts Jim and Holly are absolute gems. They take incredible care of this campsite and really care about their guests. Bathroom had the cleanest vault toilet I've ever seen, and Jim always had firewood available if you needed for $10. There are no hookups but there are water spigots around the camp. There are also no showers, but if you're feeling wild there's a creek that runs by the grounds. It's about an hour drive to Yosemite, but it is the closest campground to the park on the south side. It's quiet after 10 pm and we never had any issue with loud guests. We didn't have any trouble with traffic into the park, but we also left around 5 am to try and get there before it got busy. We will definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting to visit! read more

Summerdale Campground - SD10 - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

Beautiful campground; quiet and maintained. Jim and Holly were the best hosts, full of helpful information. Clean bathrooms and very close to Yosemite Park. read more

Beautiful Campground and a great place to stay when visiting Yosemite. Campground hosts, Kathi and Larry are very friendly, very helpful and they keep the place looking great! Bathrooms were spotless. Every spot has a fire ring and firewood is available for $8 per bundle. Very quiet, very scenic and very relaxing. Get up early to visit Yosemite, traffic is nuts by 8am. If you leave the campground at 6am, you can enjoy the park in the AM. We went to the Ahwahnee Hotel around 10:45am we got to the front of the line for the restaurant because it opens at 11am. We got the best table in the room, had a nice lunch and left the park to go back and relax at Summerdale in the afternoon, little nappy and eventually get a fire going and start dinner. Great stay! read more

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Had the most amazing time at summer dale in Yosemite. The campground staff (Linda and Ed) were amazing! They were so nice and thoughtful, what ever we needed they helped us with. They clean the bathrooms spotless every morning and make sure things are clean. When staying at a campground it's the little things like this that make you really appreciate and enjoy how special everything is. Thank you for being amazing people and making my time here so enjoyable. Will most definitely be going back. read more

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Fantastic campground for the small bunch of greenhorns and fat dog that I traveled with last year (July 2009). The large private campsites, picnic tables, fire pits, and running water assuaged our transition from city boys to wilderness men. The trout in the stream were so plentiful and easy to catch, i only stopped fishing because i ran out of hooks when they swallowed the powerbait nugget. The waterfall was great way to cool off and relax after a long day of hiking in yosemite (which is only minutes away). Stay in Summerdale if you want to avoid the crowds and long waitlist of camping in Yosemite. I'll be going back to Summerdale at least a couple times this year. read more

Summerdale Campground - Enough room for two 9-person tents (but we only had one). - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

So apparently any Forest Service campground that has potable water available is beyond 5-star luxurious, so can't hate on this place too much. It's a half hour drive to the park (Wawona, not the Valley) from here, and the grounds were very pretty, with a little creek and a meadow to walk around. Also, dogs are allowed, which is a rarity. Notes of concern: - check in lady was bordering beyond evil. In spite of the fact my friend had made a reservation and read all the small print, the woman managing the campground seemed to take it upon herself to make up charges and requirements. She may have been pocketing the money. In spite of it not being highlighted on the website, we were informed: -- only 2 dogs physically allowed on any campsite at one time. -- only 2 cars allowed at any campsite at any time. Each extra car costs $5/night. This $5/night is NOT the same as the $5/night my friend had already been charged on the website (I call BS). Sooo, we ended up just paying for an entire other campsite that "just happened" to be unexpectedly empty. Will the national forest really ever see that proud green $20 bill? I doubt it. Beautiful campsite, really enjoyed my stay once the obnoxious checkin was over. Note: only pit toilets, no soap anywhere. Only water is out of a faucet peering out of the ground every couple of campsites. read more

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First camping experience. The spaces were nicely separated out. you get a lot of privacy which means your neighbors wouldn't be bothered if you would want to make some conversations after 10pm in a normal volume.... you know what I mean. Clean bathroom. Lots of water faucets. Garbage bin onsite. the picknic table was in good condition. read more

Decent camping. Very lush grounds. A small creek runs to the side, and at night you can hear the rushing waters even from the far side of the campgrounds. I was here in a particularly hot July and the river was not even close to running dry. The campsites are large, even the smaller ones can still easily fit two 8-person tents. If you plan on bringing more than one vehicle be sure to specify so on your reservations, as the parking spots are cordoned off from the rest of your site by way of large logs and boulders and you will only have room for one car in standard sites. All in all, i enjoyed my stay and felt secure and relaxed. I am shorting this campground a star for two reasons: it is extremely dusty, as though campfire ashes are spread underfoot everywhere; and also because it is unusually buggy. I tend to camp in areas near water so i am used to the bugs, but for some reason i was eaten alive during my stay and was under constant attack from yellow jackets, mosquitoes, silverfish, spiders of all kinds, and other insects. read more

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This is now our favorite campground to stay at if planning to visit Yosemite. Camp host Gina gave us great advice and we followed it. Our visit took place when the President was in town too so Gina told us to visit Nelder Grove. What a hidden Gem that was and no crowds!! Our site was clean, pit toilets are provided as well as potable water. Stream nearby is stocked with ready to catch fish. My son caught us dinner! Wildlife is plentiful. Deer visits were common and the birds and butterflies are gorgeous to see and hear. Days were hot and nights got cool so remember to layer and bug repellent highly recommended. We definitely will be back!! read more

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We stayed here mid May 2017, it was our first time at the campground. We booked through a booking site, the pictures of the campsites can be deceiving. Gina the host was awesome! She was very accommodating and fun to talk to. We love that she upheld the normal campground rules; it keeps the campground quiet and safe. The park entrance is 2 miles up the road, Yosemite Valley drive took about 45- 60 min depending on the traffic and roadwork. This year there is a crazy amount of people and traffic. Gina suggested we leave at 6 or 7 am to do our site seeing, boy was she right! By the time it's noon, it's so packed! If you do your research you can find some cool trails and beautiful areas in the park with less people. Overall the campground was beautiful and clean. My only complaint is that you do hear the traffic from the highway, try to get a site next to the creek to drown out the noise. Thank you Gina, you're the best! read more

Summerdale Campground - Seasonal creek that runs through the campground. May 2017 - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

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We stayed at Summerdale Campground for two nights in early June. The location is great for getting to Yosemite. The campsite is clean and spacious. The host Gina is beyond amazing. I hit a small barrier when leaving the campground. Since the cars are made almost entirely out of plastic these days, a small piece near the bumper came off, got jammed and blocked the front right tire from moving. So, we got stuck at the campsite's parking lot until Gina helped us made sense of the situation and unjammed the piece of plastic that got stuck. Thank you, Gina! We made it back to LA safely! read more

Summerdale is a little gem right outside Yosemite. The sites are well spaced and private, unlike what you will find in the park. My husband and I have visited Summerdale about 5 times so far, and it is one of our faves. Fishing: Can be GREAT! But at times, has been really bad. We've often cought our limit each day (trout) and snagged some crawfish to boot. But, we've also had a couple of experiences when we didn't get a single bite. When we asked the guy at the store in Fish camp why the fishing was so bad, he ranted on and on about certain (insert racial epitaph here) people who tend to show up right after the creek is stocked, and fish all the trout of the creek as a team, with nets. We quietly left the store, hoping he couldn't smell our liberal leanings . . . The Creek is lovely - good for wading, and has several slow shallow spots where you can put your chair in and enjoy the afternoon. I have seen beavers in the creek south of the campground. Facilities: Pit toilets, trash service and piped water. All good quality and well maintained. The campground is CLEAN. I've never seen a cleaner campground. Camp Hosts: I've had experiences when they were nice as pie and extremely helpful, and other experiences when they were bordering on offensive. Allow me to carify - the husband is 100% nice, the wife is sometimes not. She apparently takes her job very seriously, and seems to be lacking somewhat in the people skills department. Yes, we understand that its her job to enforce the rules and collect the extra $5 per extra car etc . . . But its not necessary to be so hostile! She rides her bike around the campground, this is the image that comes to mind: http://youtu.be/r4kiXh8YOzk I would have given a 5-star rating if not for the camp-Nazi. HWY 41 noise: Yes, its there fairly consistently from about 8am-6pm. Passenger cars are not terribly noticeable, but larger vehicles and noisy vehicles are more so. Nights are punctuated by an occasional Harley accelerating up the hill, and an occasional hot rod blowing by. But most times, the creek makes enough noise that it drowns out all but the loudest highway noise. Even with the Camp-Nazi, we do love this campground and plan to return often. read more

I'm not taking off any stars for amenities because it's exactly as described at either reserveamerica or recreation.gov. I've lived and camped in California all my life and this rates as one of the most beautiful and well-kept campgrounds that I've experienced. The people who have had issues with the camp host likely created the issues themselves. She may be strict, however, she maintains a beautiful campground with the cleanest pit toilets (like permanent porta-potties), even raking around them in the morning. The strictness is also appreciated by parents. You're assigned a campsite based on your equipment (car, trailer, etc) at time of reservation, and the camp host did accommodate many changes. We actually had a total of 8 sites reserved. (it was a back up plan due to the impossibility of getting 8 sites close to each other in Yosemite Valley). (unlike a previous post, did not see any link in either camp reservation site that has you pay for your car or extra cars ahead of time, and I know they do state there will be a per car charge above the campsite fee). We used Summerdale as a staging camp for hiking Half Dome and had anywhere between 30 and 40 campers. Even though we couldn't get everyone in sites next to each other, the one-loop campground makes you close enough to take a short walk to your friend's site. Most sites are shaded, but some do lack shade. There is a beautiful creek with a small waterfall, a meadow area, lots of high trees, and the usual outdoor pests. We apparently attracted the first bear of the season by leaving our ice chest outside. There are no bear lockers at this site. The bear deserves a 5-star rating for only getting into our food and leaving everything else alone. The Fish Camp general store is about a mile from the campground. Great for ice, firewood, and ice cream. Oakhurst is a small town just about 30 minutes south which has all your amenities, groceries, Starbucks, etc. And of course Yosemite is a mile north. When you pay your Yosemite entrance fee, it's good for 7 days. read more

Best campsite ever! well, best campsite near yosemite at least. Loads of space, nice river that runs through the campsite. My brother caught rainbow trout with a freakin spongebob fishing rod! Where else can you go find fish that want to be eaten that badly?!!?!? The good thing about this campsite is that its only 1.5 miles away from the south entrance to yosemite. You can get to the entrance by 530am and you'll bypass paying the park fee ($20). But the secret is leaving at 9pm or else you might end up paying the park fee when you leave. Marge and her husband are the caretakers. Very nice people. If you happen to go to summerdale, say hi to them for me (the kim family, they know us by now). read more

Summerdale Campground - about to leave the beautiful campsite - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

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We went and stayed for three nights. LOVED IT! The camp host was super nice super friendly. We went with another family so we had two campsites right next to each other. Two very nice private campsites. The camp grounds was very well maintained bathrooms clean enough for being in the middle of no where pretty much. Nice creek with water falls and a swimming hole the kids loved it. About a mile and a half from Yosemite entrance and about another hour and a half to the valley floor. I would definitely go back again. read more

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If you want a quiet, relaxing place to enjoy your weekend, this is it! If you want to party, don't come here! After 10:00 pm you can hear a pin drop at this place! The host, Gina, keeps the place quiet and clean. This is one of the nicest camp grounds we've been to and the sites are large. The only reason I didn't give it all 5 stars is because it has vault toilets that were not the cleanest. The camp ground is just outside Yosemite but be aware it's another hour to Yosemite valley. This place is great! read more

Summerdale Campground - Just up the hill from our campsite we had visitors! - Campgrounds Near Me - Fish Camp, California

Nice campground, creek access, nearby waterfall, but best thing about this campsite is the proximity to Yosemite proper. That said, the couple who manage the campsite are ABSOLUTE, CERTIFIABLE KOOKS. Im an avid backpacker/camper and have been to dozens of states and countless campgrounds on my adventures. You always meet interesting folks, but these two take the cake, and not in a good way. We won't be coming back. We come to the forest to relax and have fun, not be badgered by a couple of weirdos. read more

What can I say? Camping is supposed to be roughing it! There are no showers here, and the toilets are primitive. However, do not let that stop you from using this campground. Yes, you will have to drive to get into Yosemite, but who cares? I didnt. Maybe you do, if so, I am sorry. Okay, lets go. I loved this campground because it is what a campground should be. It was quiet in the evening, the grounds were well kept, the host was no nonsense which ensures everyone behaves (I had read previous reviews about her and was SURE to mind my P's and Q's). The toilets were clean each time I went to use them. Firewood was provided (for a fee), they never ran out. I spent the 4th of July 2014 weekend here and could not have been happier. We drove into Yosemite on each of our five days at this site. It is very close. I believe it was 40 minutes to get into the Valley. Traffic was slow through the campgrounds so I didnt have to worry about my 4 year old daughter and neice. Also, this campite had a lot of privace and space between spots. The bad? Well, a shower would have been nice but we paid for a shower in Yosemite at the housekeepers campground. $5 or $8 I think. I dont feel that I should have to mind my P's and Q's with the host. I could honestly sense that one misstep and that would be it. (What are P's and Q's anyway?) Bottom line, do not hesitate to stay here, honestly, it is FANTASTIC! read more

This is really nice civilized campground. There are probably 25 campsites, some of them have faucets with clear tasty water! Campgrounds have nice terrain, picnic tables and fire pit, you can also purchase wood at the gate. Although this campground is really nice and clean (they have garbage service) next time I will go to Yosemite I'll do rough backpacking. For the first timers it was awesome experience. For the group of 12 (7 tents) we booked 2 campsites, but perfectly fit on 1. There is a general store nearby and Yosemite is just a mile away! Nice spot to explore park! read more

I came here with a few coworkers and had a super fun time here during Memorial Weekend!! I'd definitely come back!! It's not hardcore camping (a 4 year old came with us), and I'm not really that either. It's about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Yosemite and .5 miles from the Fish Camp General Store, and there's a creek/river right next to the campgrounds you can fish at. I didn't catch anything, but I did see fish in the water and others who caught decent sized trout. The campground is nice, wood can be bought by the nice host for $7. There's clean bathrooms, and runny water next to it, but no showers. I didn't feel uncomfortable. It gets cold, it got to about 40's. But since I love fishing, totally worth it coming here! Costs weren't too bad either, 4 of us... $13.25 each for 2 nights! read more

The new host, Gina, is fabulous. I was nervous when i arrived to the campground and found that my 18ft trailer was unable to fit into the space i'd reserved. Up walked Gina. I immediately felt super stressed out bc of the reviews i'd read. i prepared myself and she said...you are never going to felt in that spot. i've got one over here i think you'd fit into nicely. i was floored. i had problem after prob but Gina went above and beyond to help me sort it out...even down to helping me figure out how to start a campfire. The campground was quiet, clean, and well kept.i know this place won't stay a secret once the cat is out of the bag!! The old host is gone!! The only negative i would say is that it would be great to have showers but that would just be more work for Gina...lol read more

My friend reserved a campsite for 2 nights during Labor Day weekend. I agreed to the camping trip, and then read the reviews on yelp...eek! The trouble started when we arrived a couple hours before check-in and asked if our campsite was ready. As the hostess was walking away & making a big production out of checking to see if there was a clean campsite available I joked to my friends, "it's okay if our site isn't ready yet, we'll just have to go drinking!" The hostess whipped her head around and demanded to know what I had just said!! Not wanting to get on her bad side already I told her I said "driving", not "drinking". FYI we are all in our 20's and 30's...I'm not sure why what I said was such a big deal to her. Then crazy lady asked if we had another car coming. When my friend responded yes, the lady said "well I don't have that on my paper", my friend responded by showing the lady our reservation confirmation that stated "2 cars" and the lady responded with, it "doesn't matter what your reservation says, it doesn't say so on my paper"...Okay?! After a breakdown of all the rules, the real fun started...We had 7 people, but found out we were only allowed 6 so we had to meet car #2 at the general store & sneak someone in via the trunk. Everything was fine while we set up camp. Upon returning from a short hike, we cooked up some food and played a game around the campfire. I am sure we were a little loud, but also no louder than any other time I or anyone else had been during camping. After all, this is not a meditation retreat... Around 9:15 the hostess came up to our camp huffing and puffing shining her flashlight in our faces, doing a head count and yelling at us about the noise. Naturally, she flipped out and threatened to kick us all out when she counted 7 instead of 6 people. We told her the 7th person was just a visitor and she said that we still broke the rules, no more than 6 people are allowed at a campsite. So back to the general store to take person #7 out of the camp and put him in the trunk to sneak him back in. When we got back we all went to bed and she had security come up to our tents and talk to us. We don't know why, as we were in our tents getting ready for bed! Night two we came into the camp and she asked why there were less people. It's like we can't win with this lady! First there's too many of us, and then there weren't enough! We were all terrified and went into the tents by 8:30 pm; she then made a point of coming around our camp twice, the last time telling us that we were actually being nice that night. Wow! Thanks for the approval mom! I've never had a camp ranger come to my campsite so many times. It's ludicrous! Our campsite was beautiful and private (#14), but the hostess was absolutely terrible from the start. Do yourself a favor and book somewhere else, unless you want to feel like you're a child at church camp. *Side note* There were other campsites that had more than 6 people; I'm not sure why we weren't allowed 7 at our campsite. read more

For the first-time camper, this has been a positive experience. The camp was quite close to the Yosemite entrance (1.5 miles) and easily missed if driving a bit too fast, but fortunately, when I arrived really late into the night, found it. I loved the fact there was a creek running through the camp and a short hike up the driveway, there is a small waterfall and creek tucked into the woods. The camp managers where friendly, watchful and informative. I really appreciate their attention to detail, conversation and knowledge of the area. I would say though, to prepare for the dust. Despite the lush vegetation, the grounds are dry and dusty, so be prepared to get yourself and your car dirty, especially if you have pets. Otherwise, when I visit Yosemite again, I'm gonna encore here. read more

This is the best place to camp. I've been camping her for more than 15 years and my wife's family has been coming longer. This place is so relaxing. Gina the camp site host is awesome. Very personable. She wants you to have a good time. I always go to Summerdale when I go camping. But I will definitely be back because of Gina. I just hope she is always there when my family and I go. She made our trip very nice and comfortable. She is the only camp site host that I have ever seen talking to the families just to see how things are going. Most camp host just go and do their job and never talks to the guest unless it is to check them in. Will gladly be looking for Gina next time we are in Summerdale. Thank you Gina for making our camping trip this year a successful one. read more

Summerdale Campground is truly a gem in the Sierras. It is located less than 1 mile from the southern entrance to Yosemite (bear in mind, there is still an hour's drive from this entrance to the Yosemite Valley). The setting is lush/green, and there is a lovely creek along one edge of it. While it is not easy to get down to the creek from within the campground, just before you enter the grounds there is a decent trail to get to a 5ft waterfall and a couple of pools. Very refreshing after a long day's hike in Yosemite! The Campground is very clean, especially given how many people go through it every week. The new camp manager Gina is totally cool. Very friendly, helpful and resourceful. She sells firewood and will even bring it to your site on her cute golf cart. The vault toilets are OK. I've seen cleaner, but again this is a function of the traffic this place sees. There are good running faucets and dumpsters within 50 yards of most campsites. This is even more impressive given how much space there is between most campsites. The place clearly deserves 5 starts, short of two things I will point out for the picky. (1) Some campsites don't get much shade, and ours was one example. (2) Where there's fire - there's smoke. We definitely enjoyed our campfire and s'mores, but so was everyone else; the whole basin gets literally covered in smoke at times. Overall, I will definitely come back again, even if I have to bring a smog mask. read more

The new host, Gina, is wonderful! The former hosts in the previous negative comments are gone, and Gina runs a great property, and is very friendly and helpful! We were just there over Memorial Day weekend and the campground was clean, relaxing and well-kept. The stream that runs near the camp is clear and fresh as can be, and you can take a lovely walk along the river. The only negative would be that it is a bit of a drive to get to Yosemite, and we got caught in the holiday traffic each day. Still a great place to stay, and a town is right down the road if you forget milk, ice, or other essentials. read more

Great camping trip! Highly recommend it. Linda and Ed are fantastic host. Campsite and bathrooms are clean, love the near by stream and waterfall. I would have given it a 5 star, yet Ed felt the need to remind me about the quite time rule before 10pm. Sorry, but I took offense to that knowing it wasn't our site breaking the rules. read more

Summerdale was our favorite spot growing up in the Central Valley and it was not so far

This is the best campground and each camp site is secluded. I liked this a lot when we went on a camping trip to 3 different campgrounds. The campsites are large and the bathrooms are clean and lit at night. The only downside was that our campsite had a lot of bees (we went at the beginning of August) and bugs so bring lots of bug spray! read more

Gina is absolutely the best! While she runs a tight ship, her campground is clean and quiet and she is an amazing camp host! Loved the relationships that she tries to build with each and every camper. She truly is a gem and as for the campground itself, it is gorgeous with large flat sites read more

Loved this place! Such a great spot to take the family. There's a nice creek that goes through the property and all the sites are large enough to have privacy. Plus, you're only a mile away from the gate to Yosemite! read more

Wow, I was blown away by the beautiful setting and the host's outrageous attitude. I have stayed at many campgrounds, never had any problem with any host/ranger, but the female host in her mid 50's at the check-in booth got to be the worst. SHE IS UNFRIENDLY - Seven of us arrived to the campground in two separate groups (5 and 2). The group of 5 checked in first. The host warned them that only 6 people are allowed at the campsite and rudely asked them to call us two who were on our way to the campground but there was no cellular service. SHE IS UNREASONABLE - When my friend and I arrived, the host yelled at my friend, AX, who reserved for not understanding the rules and allowing 7 people to come. She prohibited our car and I from going into the campground and made AX walked to the site. She was also unnecessarily invasive by following AX to the site when AX was just trying to resolve the problem with our other friends. She also accused our friend, SZ, of lying when he failed to call without cellular reception and tried to kick him out. We were at fault but what she did was very disrespectful and unreasonable. SHE IS UNWILLING TO HELP - I met another host while I was waiting at the entrance. He was nice enough to suggest two solutions: stay at different sites and hangout at the same site as long as the head count doesn't exceed 6 by bedtime, or stay at the lodge for one night and come back the next day for available site. While we were chatting, AX and SZ came back to the entrance with the rude host yelling loudly like we were all deaf. The campers staying in their RV next to ours were very kind to offer their site. I notified the rude host while the nice host was away and then the worst nightmare happened. She insulted us by calling us solicitors and beggars, and threatened us by calling the sheriff and not letting us reserve another site the next day. All the insults and threats were unnecessary because we stayed calm the whole time and were just trying to figure out the best solution that would work both ways. Sadly, we were treated like a bunch of rats and lawbreakers. SHE IS RACIST!!!! - After all the name calling, she went off to the next level and said, "You foreigners don't go into other people's campsite and invade their privacy. This is America!" Wow, wow, wow...we are Asian but I didn't expect that kind of insults from a campground by a world famous national park in CA and with campers from around the globe. After all her threats, SZ left to look for lodging. The rude host followed AX and I to our site AGAIN!!! She also yelled at us when we were trying to thank and apologize to the campers next to our site. Stay away from this campground if you don't want to have your whole trip ruined. She is unhelpful and would make up her own set of unreasonable rules (no next day campsite reservation) to stop you from coming back. She is racist and uses every single way she can to insult you. Although we have 7 people, she could have given us the available site (we saw few sites available that night and we are more than willing to pay for the extra site). Instead she kicked people out while it was already late at night and we had nowhere to go. She would pop out of nowhere every half hour and spy on you with her flashlight. Plus her definition of quite hour means sleep time, she would come to you even though you speak very quietly. Despite the rudeness, the campground is located at a great location. It is only about a mile away from the park entrance and general store. There is running water in between sites and a hidden waterfall within walking distance. Some of the sites are significantly smaller than the others but you can pick your own site if the host is happy. read more

I'm teetering between a 2 star review or a 3 star review here. On the one hand, this campground is beautiful, private, and gives you that right amount of seclusion that you need. There's a creek and waterfall in the campground itself. They have drinkable water here as well near the restrooms. They also have dumpsters throughout the campground, so it's convenient to throw your garbage away at the end of the night. The campsites have enough spaces for 2 cars, and the restrooms here are pretty clean for what it is. They're private, peaceful, quiet, and very spacious. All of them have fire pits and a picnic table. Add to that, it's located only 1.5 miles from the entrance of Yosemite, do the Mariposa Groves are only 3 miles away. The problem we ran into, as you can read from the various other reviews, was the camp host. She is exactly as everyone described: unfriendly, unhelpful, strict, and straight up crazy. Think: Eva Braun. Or better yet, the female version of Hitler. She has the hearing of a bat and can hear everything you say. No joke. Her sonar ears can hear whispering from a mile away. We could tell straight away that she was gonna be a buzz kill. Literally a buzz kill. We were somewhat buzzed on the first evening of our arrival (alcohol is allowed here, though her demeanor would give you the impression that it isn't) when she made her rounds and finally landed her broom on our campsite. We were not being belligerent or anything and were just playing "Catchphrase," which did get us all excited and made us laugh a lot. We were told we were too loud even though quiet time wasn't until 10 PM and it was only 9:15 PM at that time. We were also told there were too many of us as 6 is the maximum amount of people on the site and no visitors were allowed, so our 7th friend was told to leave. There was an instant sobering effect amongst all of us. Whatever alcohol we consumed just evaporated from our pores and into thin air. Yes, just like that. Apparently the sound of laughter and people having fun is an unwritten rule that is strictly prohibited on this campground. We immediately went to bed after dropping our friend off at the general store. The camp host went even so far as to point her flashlight into the car to make sure our friend was gone. The security guy physically came to our campsite after lights out and informed us that we were allowed to drink still but we just had to be quiet. Yeah, thanks for that, buddy. We're already all sober and not in the mood. Imagine being anxious every time you passed the camp host on the way in and out. Imagine wanting to run away anytime you're talking to a group of more than 6 people and see the camp host approaching. Imagine whispering amongst each other because Big Brother can hear your every word and sneeze. That was us all Labor Day weekend. Lights out, it's quiet time. read more

Make sure you put your food away and not in the tent, we were visited by BEARS, cant beat the crayfish and fishing

The host from the previous reviews is GONE. We spent two nights at summerdale and had read the previous reviews. Nervous at first that the wicked witch from the previous reviews was going to be there i was ready to deal with her. When we arrived the camp host was really sweet and offered us a rake and shovel to move the snow from our camp. She immediately treated us like family it was a very warm welcome. The location and the sites are a perfect way to stay near one of the most beautiful places on earth. I will be back thank you!! read more

My husband, my two-year old and I planned a first visit to Yosemite (Aug 14-16, 2009) and this campground was close to the park and had open sites (all of Yosemite was booked). I agree with the previous reviews that location and the campsites were definite benefits. However, not all the campsites appeared equal in terms of size - so arriving early in the day to have a choice of sites is important if you care about the size and location of your site. Generally I was pleased - after all, it's a rustic camping experience. However, there are a couple of things that could improve the campground. 1.) A tub for washing dishes by the water spigots (or outside the outhouses). 2.) A sign displaying the hours during which firewood is available for purchase - it seemed somewhat random. 3.) Recycling Bin/Dumpster - I did not want to toss my used cans, but that's pretty much what I had to do to avoid my car smelling like trash the whole trip. Also, we were in campsite 7 (If I remember right) on the outer part of the loop, by the road. We could hear some road noise until about 10 pm, which was less than ideal when you're going for a rustic experience. Perhaps the sites on the inner part of the loop or on the creekside would be better for avoiding the non-nature noises. read more

Just got back and LOVE this campground. It is 45 minutes to an hour to the valley floor and about 10 -15 minutes to visit the Mariposa trees. We had site #7 which is a bit on a slope to the picnic table but very nice either way. The hosts Marvin and Gloria were FANTASTIC! We were pulling a travel trailer for the first time and had our hitch break and multiple other things we needed help with and Marvin helped us several times. The campground is very clean and beautiful as stated by other reviewers, we stayed here for 3 nights and then moved to Bass lake which is only 30 minutes away. read more