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March 2023 by B “Gonzo” Hong
1st timer. GREAT store next to the Nat’l Park store - only open 9:30 - 5:00. Get stuffed animals, socks, stickers, books, maps, t-shirts, sweatshirts, camping supplies, ice cream, food, wood, drinks, RENTAL RECREATION GEAR, bracelets, coffee mugs, patches, postcards, and so much more.To use credit card: you NEED to spend $5RV DUMP RULES: YOU go into store (don’t wait for them,) give them your ID, get the key to the lock on the dump. Once your done, give back the key, tell them how many gallons you dumped, and get your ID back. The dump is ONLY open during store hours 9:30am - 5:00pm.
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December 2022 by Jeanette Y.
Late October tent camping (campsite 49C) review. This was probably on the down side of my camping experience but the National Park itself is beautiful. Location: inside the park, near the visitor center & about 20 minute drive to the High Peaks hike. Amenities: -pool -1 bathroom with showers near visitor center (there's a total of two showers available) -store with food, wood, supplies & souvenirs (Campground Store & Office Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m, seven days per week) Weather: Day time is pretty nice but nights can be really cold (low 50s) so packing hand warmers is a must! Things to know: -there are SO MANY BUGS. I've been to plenty of campsites but I've never been to one with so many flies and bugs -this was no joke a lot of night animals around the area. A fox came to visit our campsite and a family of raccoons. We heard them scratching our camp chairs (no we did not leave food out) -dependent on weather and fire warning, you could be experiencing NO camp fires but you won't know until the day of. They put a sign over the pit so you don't burn firewood Overall, not a big fan of this camp site because of all the bugs and location of it compared to other sites.
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November 2022 by Nicole Clapper
They are helpful and carry almost everything you might forget when packing for your camping trip.Restrooms: Bathrooms and showers available
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October 2022 by Ellen L.
this is a wonderful place to spend a few days in nature! located about 2hrs south of silicon valley, this campsite boasts a fair amount of real estate...plenty of sites for rvs and tent dwellers alike! there are also cabins for those who wish to have 4 walls and a roof, so to speak! we stayed in site 12, the closest set of campsites to the main entrance and camper store. this site had a good amount of shade, perfect for autumn when the daytime temps still reached 80s and 90s. we had a picnic bench, fire ring, and bear locker. the locker was on the smaller side, compared to other place we'd camped at, but it was effective in keeping the critters out...and we saw some raccoons and birds hiding in our area! the fire ring could not be used since the fire danger level was high and therefore fires were forbidden during our stay. since we came sunday-tuesday, it was very quiet and the only things were heard were usually birds chirping. the restroom was a short walk, about 200 steps from our site, and had flush toilets, running water, soap and toilet paper. nothing to wipe the hands though, so be prepared to bring a towel or wipe your wet hands on your shirt! the camper store is located right by the main entrance and has everything you could have forgotten or want to buy! they had cooking oil, s'mores ingredients, sandwiches, peanut butter, bread, ice cream and other basics. they also had small pinnacles national park souvenirs for purchase. for those who don't want to disconnect fully, you can purchase internet access, $3/hour or $10 for the day. note the camper store is only open from 930-1700 so if you need to purchase something, be sure to come during this 7.5hr window! showers are located just behind the camper store, separate men's & women's rooms. there were only 2 showers in each though (confirmed by my husband for the men's room) and during peak hours, early morning and early-mid evening, there was a little bit of wait as everyone wanted to wash up. my only complaint about the women's showers is that both stalls were quite dark after sunset, especially the one farthest from the entrance/door...good thing the nice lady at the camper store told me, so i switched on my headlamp while i showered! water pressure in the farthest stall was low, but the pressure in the one closer to the entrance had a good pressure, so i was able to take a quicker shower in that one! the swimming pool was unfortunately closed when we visited, but it was a nice area with some lounge chairs...maybe next time we visit it will be open! within the campground, there are a couple of ez/flat trails, perfect for a morning or evening stroll...note that it gets HOT in the middle of the day, and some trails don't offer much shade. from the camper store, walk east along the bacon butterfield trail and see some 19th century farms and stables. walk west towards along the bench trail and head towards the hills and day use areas. we had a wonderful stay and look forward to our next visit!
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June 2022 by Thomas Sortino
Good selection of things you may have forgotten, or run out of.They also have ice cream treats.What they really need is a coffee kiosk or machine!!
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May 2022 by Adam Joy
Great for groups, access to the Pinnacles and other hiking that is only a few hours away from the Peninsula on a crowded Friday night in traffic. This was our first trip and so we found ourselves doing absolutely zero for the weekend - which was truly lovely. Next time we'll be back to do all the hiking and exploring. Dog friendly, nice little shop to pick up last minute supplies, WIFI @ $7 a day if that's your thing and T-Mobile works with just enough service to keep you online.
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March 2022 by Julie L.
TLDR: A good campground, clean facilities, and would come back. This campground is HUGE. We stayed in loop C and got lucky with our campsite. Restrooms were clean, although the motion detected light is kind of annoying so I recommend bringing a headlamp when going after dark. The motion detected light stays on for like a minute and you have to make more motion than just waving your hand to get the light to turn on. Each site had two picnic tables it seems, a fire pit, and a food locker. Depending on the campsite, some of the tables were next to each other and some were not. Little to no trash at each campsite. There's also water spigots, however it's unclear if it's potable. Totally recommend the campground.
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March 2022 by Tyra V.
We had a great time at the Pinnacles campground this week. Our site was convenient and quiet and we had a large oak tree for shade. It was cold at night and warm in the daytime. Very few bugs, lots of wild turkeys and squirrels. We were there Sun-Wed so it was fairly quiet. When we arrived we were greeted by Carlos, who was tending to the grounds, he was incredibly friendly and helpful, I would give him 5 stars! We will be back again, this was the perfect time to go.
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March 2022 by Lucy N.
We booked the tent cabin in March. The tent cabins look new and are in great conditions. There's one queen bed and two twin beds. Very large. It has three windows and a storm lockable door. We booked a non electrical tent but it did have a solar battery box that has USB connections, provides power for lights and fan, able to provide radio. The room is very clean. Each site provides a picnic table, fire pit and a food locker. There's two outdoor chairs and a bench. You'll need to bring your own bedding and for March evenings, bring ALOT of comforters and blankets. Evenings can get down to the 20's. Visitor center opens at 9am. Camp Store opens from 9:30am to 4pm - provides some food items (ie snacks), drinks, ice cream. There's some camping essentials. You can buy wood. The pool wasn't open (I think it opens in April). There's only one shower building which is near the camp store. Shuttle bus runs every 20 minutes on weekends. It stops only at the Bear Gulch Nature Center. But I think if you ask the driver, s/he may be willing to stop at the Old Pinnacles Parking Lot. Some of the bathroom buildings were being fixed or renovated. One day the bathrooms near us was working but then the next they closed it for repairs and had portable bathrooms up (they had a sink to wash hands). Bring flashlight/headlamp to the bathroom, sometimes the light doesn't turn on. There are lots of wildlife running around - turkey, coyotes, deer, quails, raccoons. So abide the locking up your food rule! Some evenings were pretty loud and some evenings were quiet. Quiet hours from 10pm-6am. The evening sky was definitely beautiful!
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March 2022 by Brandon L.
Pinnacles National Park and Campground packs a punch. It's very small compared to other national parks but offers a lot. * Access: The campground is accessible only from the east entrance. The west and east roads do not connect. * Directions: From Bay Area take 101S through Gilroy to Hwy 25S, go through Hollister to Hwy 146, make a right. Turn left into Pinnacles Campground (1 hr 50 mins from Livermore) * Entrance: Remember this is a national park so you have to pay an entrance fee. But we have a annual national parks pass for $80, highly worth it because you can go to any national Park. * Campground: Large diagonal RV spots with electric hook up. Campground has a dump station. You can also rent cabins or pitch a tent. Fire ring with bbq grill grate. * Camp store: Very close to the camping spots. They have more stuff than the usual camp store. Drinks (no beer), ice cream, snacks, stickers, books, stuffed animals. * Bear gulch hike: One of the most popular hikes. Drive about 2.4 miles to the Bear Gulch parking lot. You can do the rim hike and stay above ground or do the Moses Trail and go through the caves. You can also do the caves (bring a headlamp) and exit about halfway through to connect to the rim chill. The reservoir at the top is beautiful. Hike timing with 2 five year olds: (20 mins to the first short tunnel; 15 mins to the first cave exit to rim trail; 10 mins to reservoir = 45 mins to top; 25 mins on rim trail down to parking lot) * Caves: Check the website to see if they are fully open. In March, only half of the caves were open. There's a metal gate that was locked inside. This is to protect the bats that are located in the upper portion of the cave. when we came in October the gates were open and we were able to climb all the way through. There's a couple moments where you have to get on your hands and knees and crawl under some rocks. But it's just to get under and then the passageway opens up. It's not like you're in a narrow tunnel for a long time. * Cell service: none on verizon. wifi available for purchase ($3 hr; $7 for 24 hrs) * Wildlife: If you are lucky you can spot the California condor. We saw a couple and they are really special. Also a mountain lion was spotted near the campground at night. Be aware.
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September 2021 by Anne Wardlow
You feel safe there, the super sweet and friendly Rangers are so helpful! We arrived late, the camper next to us became very hostile so the Ranger did overtime and sat between us until we were in bed! The campground hosts are also so friendly and helpful, you can ask them anything! It was nice as there were no loud parties at night and during the day there was a pool to swim in. I really enjoyed my stay, I will be returning soon.
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August 2021 by Gina W.
A National Park, small but mighty an easy drive from the Bay. So when you're feeling a bit flighty you can escape for an overnight stay. Made reservations two months ahead for one of the fancy tent huts. But it's fine if you're open air instead all sites here make the cut. SUPER hot in summer so be sure to pack some way to seek some shade. The store has ice, essentials snd snacks feels luxurious, you have it made. Start your hike before 9am and try to rap it up by noon. I can't wait to visit Pinnacles again! (Lost a star for TRULY bad bathrooms.)
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August 2021 by Dan Reis
Sweet place. Good evening & morning hikes. Stars !
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August 2021 by Shani D
Loop D -113. Loved this campground for a few main reasons. We had a RV therefore, they had an electric hookup and water hook up, which most RV ers know is an amazing amenity when offered in a national park.The few cons: Only one bathroom! which was superrrrrr dirty. I didn’t use it, but my husband checked it out. And the shower takes quarters. So make sure to take plenty of quarters.The RV dump station is padlocked at all times (you have to get the key from the visitor center) and closed after 5pm! We learned this the hard way, they should have a larger sign by the dump station (that’s visible when driving in) mentioning you can’t dump after 5pm!Other than that, Pinnacles NP is a hidden gem! I hope it stays that way as most people haven’t discovered it’s beauty.Oh and another Pro- plenty of wild life! Probably due to not many people visiting.
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August 2021 by y kim
There are everything you need for camping.
