The best camping near Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Turlock Lake State Recreation Area adventure.

83% (7 reviews)

Park with both lake and river offers camping and water recreation in the San Joaquin Valley.

Popular ways to camp

Community favorites near Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

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Public campgrounds in the park
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Stay at a public campground in Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

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Turlock Lake Campground

111 sites · RVs, Tents In Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

Top-rated campgrounds near Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

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Diamond Gulch

44 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents824 acres · Groveland, CA

CLOSE TO YOSEMITE! Explore the mines and hang out on our Groveland, California ranch! We are 35 minutes to the main gate of Yosemite National Park. A great place to stay just outside of the park. We have 824 acres on a beautiful cattle ranch with two small ponds. On our property, you'll find frogs, turtles, oak trees, pine trees and stunning views of Yosemite. We have several campsites to choose from including RV camping, tent camping, and a glamping tent. Pets are welcome. Campfires are permitted as long as there is no fire ban. Potable water and toilet are available onsite. There's a golf course less than a mile away. We are also very close to town. In just a few minutes, you can drive to our local grocery store and pizza parlour. We are a 10-minute drive to Pine Mountain Lake. Beautiful Pine Mountain Lake offers golfing, dining, horseback riding, water sports and an airport. When you come to the ranch it feels like you are hundreds of miles away from civilization, but still close to everything you need. It is incredibly peaceful! This is a great place for someone who wants to escape city life and enjoy the tranquillity of nature. Much of the ranch is open wilderness for you to explore, and it's not uncommon to see deer, frogs, turtles, quail, turkeys, or other countless species of birds. Diamond Gulch Camp is the perfect place to relax if you’re a photographer, artist, family or a group of friends looking for a place to camp near Yosemite. A small portion of the property was used as a gold mine years ago, and you may find remnants of old home sites if you go exploring. We're not far from Wards Ferry Road, Groveland, Lake Don Pedro and other interesting places.

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Walden Ranch

2 sites · Tents300 acres · Linden, CA

Walden Ranch began with the purchase of a neighboring 20 acres. Couple that with the inspiration of Thoreau's lines and life at the real Walden Pond, the ranch has grown to nearly 300 acres and the small ranch pond has grown to a 5-acre lake with a 3-acre forest and home. Scouts, family and church groups use the site for gatherings. Available are canoes, bonfire, and exploring the ranch's 300-head cattle, llamas, poultry and wildlife. Pitch your tent in a forest setting alongside a lake on a working cattle ranch. Watch wildlife or hike to smaller lakes on the ranch. Other animals include dogs, llamas, geese, chickens, and horses. The ranch is within a 20 minute drive to either Stockton or Lodi, CA and is surrounded by vineyards, orchards and pastures. Outdoor flush toilets, sink, tables and fire ring available. Forested area is set amidst grazing lands. This "Walden" even has willow trees slipped from Walden Pond, MA. Owner looks forward to sharing this peaceful, special spot!

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Yosemite Westlake Camp

33 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents6 acres · Coulterville, CA

Located on the John Muir Historic route to Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Westlake Campground and RV Park is convenient to all things Yosemite. Between here and the park is Rainbow Pool, a well-known swimming hole that campers here often visit on their way back to the campground for a refreshing dip in the cool waters. Coulterville was started as a gold-rush town. You can visit the museum and visitor center even try your hand at panning for gold.

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Cole Ranch

10 sites · RVs, Tents7 acres · Waterford, CA

"I firmly believe that Nature brings solace in all troubles." -Anne Frank- Serene, quiet acreage on the Tuolumne River, with views of the snow capped Sierra Nevadas on a clear day. Scores of wildlife sightings, including river otters, eagles, wild turkeys, beavers, and many more. Perfect for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, or just relaxing. Like to fish? Fishing at Cole Ranch is a Love/Hate thing. If you Love to Fish, you will Hate to leave. Gateway to Yosemite National Park, the Mother Lode region, hiking trails, and spelunking opportunities. All sites have access to our community outdoor kitchen, which has a refrigerator, coffee bar, sink, BBQ's, and stoves. Also available are our bathrooms, quite possibly the cleanest campground bathrooms in the 13 western states, which include flushable toilets, two sinks, and warm showers. Book your visit now. (Group bookings must be approved by host. Group bookings that have not been pre-approved may be cancelled.) *%*% Ever see a meteor shower? Cole Ranch is a perfect place to view one. The Perseid meteor shower is active mid-July through August, with the most active night being August 12. The moon will be 50% illuminated that night, and will set around midnight. With few lights around, there will be lots to see.*%*% (Cole Ranch is a working ranch, surrounded by walnut and almond orchards. Harvest for these orchards occur mid-August thru September, and can create dust and noise. Occasional noise from common ranching activities may be heard. Landscaping activities like mowing, watering, etc. generally occur Mondays-Wednesdays) Check back here periodically for advisories on river conditions. ###EXCITING NEWS### We are working hard to open at least THREE new campsites. These new sites will be more secluded and private than current sites, each with its own path to the river. Earliest these will be open is Mid-September. Contact Barry, coleranch23@icloud.com, for more information. NEW ADDITION We have added two picnic tables with benches to our inventory. These tables are available like our other equipment, First come First served. All we ask is you return any of or stuff to its place after use. **ADVISORY** 6/20/24 River is currently running at normal levels. 4/18/24 River is currently running about 3' above normal. Except for Fisherman's Hideout, all sites remain open. Fisherman's Hideout is currently under water, but should be open some time in May. Fishing is great right now, but water activities will be limited. Will update as changes occur.

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Wildhaven Yosemite Glamping

37 sites · Lodging36 acres · Mariposa, CA

Wildhaven Yosemite offers glamping tents and cabins on a beautiful property with mountain views in Mariposa, CA, just outside Yosemite National Park. Our glamping experience provides the comfort, cleanliness, and customer service of a hotel while keeping everything you love about a night outdoors in nature. Our extra-large, safari-style tents feature comfortable beds with linens, electricity, heaters, and all the furnishings needed for a memorable night outdoors. Looking for a little more structure in your night outdoors? Our larger glamping cabins provide a kitchenette, bathroom & shower, AC and heating, improved sound insulation, upgraded views, large windows, and a private patio to get you the fresh air you need. Your stay includes more than just a comfortable place to sleep. Guests are treated to hiking trails, communal spaces to socialize, trip planning help, Wi-Fi, and on-site activities such as yoga, wine tasting, and live music (spring through fall). The 36-acre hillside property is the star attraction, providing sweeping views towards the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, down onto scenic Mariposa, and across miles of rolling hills.

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Nolla A-Frames Near Yosemite

5 sites · Lodging45 acres · Colfax Springs, CA

Welcome to our A-Frame Nolla Cabins at the doorstep to Yosemite! Our property is conveniently located off Highway 120 and 15 minutes outside of the entrance to Yosemite National Park. While amenities such as the town of Groveland, restaurants, and gas stations are nearby (15 minutes away), you will truly feel like you are off the beaten path at this campsite. Featuring our A-Frame cabins in partnership with Nolla from Finland, sleep on a comfy mattress on a bed looking out through a floor-to-ceiling window where you may see deer grazing nearby, cedar and pine trees, and big sky with stars at night. Each cabin has a picnic table outside, a Yeti cooler of water, as well as clean composting toilets. The cabin has a solar battery, enough to charge your devices and plug in a fan or light. Hot showers are available across the road at our sister property! Please be sure to check the Yosemite website for details on Park Reservations ahead of time if you plan to go Yosemite!

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Wondernut Farm

4 sites · Lodging37 acres · Big Oak Flat, CA

Wondernut Farm is an upstart, entirely off grid, working farm-stead being built from the ground up. We breed milking goats and sheep, heritage pigs, and are in the process of converting to a grade A dairy and creamery! We use organic practices, management intensive rotational grazing, and dryland pasture management. We sell our animals locally so that others can have their own milking and meat animals. Our 110 year old hay barn and the roof of the former lumber mill were all we had to work with in getting off the ground. Being first and foremost a functional farm, we can't help but offer a somewhat warts-and-all look into everything it takes to be working to our goals. Our hearts are, and always will be, educational and local community focused, and we work closely with farmers and friends alike in better understanding our innovative animal husbandry, power, pasture and water systems. Whenever we have time, we'll afford the same time and opportunities to interested hip-campers. Our location is stunning and historic, and the beauty of the wild, natural landscape is powerful, yet offers easy access to both Yosemite Valley and the San Francisco Bay area. The area features excellent road and mountain biking in the immediate vicinity, vast access to hiking and backpacking trails, a huge variety of rock climbing in the area, the best whitewater rafting in California on the Tuolumne River, with some tasty places to eat or drink coffee in the nearby town of Groveland, just 10 minutes away. Accommodations at the farm are certainly rustic, and private but not secluded, with occasionally heavily project-exploded shared kitchen and living space, showers, and airy flush toilets. Do be advised that animals are pooping, hammers are hammering, sometimes we need to look into a health or animal injury related issue. Sometimes there is blood in an animal birth or slaughter, and our working guardian dogs have been known to be noisy some nights. Water and electricity are both very limited (though we reuse all our water), waste must be carefully sorted into a number of different categories, and there is always evidence of ump-teen projects unfolding at once. The most difficult condition during much of the summer are nuisance flies, which are always gone at night. We have almost no mosquitoes or ticks. Depending on the exact situation and time of year, guests may have the opportunities to snuggle with baby animals and run our herd to or from pasture, and maybe even get their hands dirty picking veggies in the garden.

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Squirrel Rock RV Campground

2 sites · RVs8 acres · Columbia, CA

Private RV campground in the Gold Country. Located in the historic townsite of Columbia known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines". There is 1 site so you'll have the campground to yourselves. There are 2 electrical panels so you can bring your family or friends if you like. If there are 2 RV's you can reserve the campground as a double site. We only accept fully self contained RV's & trailers. Campsite has 2 electric pedestals 50/30/110. Water hookups. No sewer. NO RESTROOMS AVAILABLE. Includes picnic table, camp fire ring, Weber BBQ, doggie station, horseshoe pit, corn hole, walking trails, and garbage/recycle bins. Winter camping dates subject to weather conditions. Located 0.6 mile to Columbia State Historic Park, parking and entrance is free and open year around. It is about a 15 minute walk. Close to Murphys, New Melones lake and Tuttletown recreation area, Moaning Caverns, Downtown Sonora, Mother Lode Escape Rooms, Columbia Airport, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Black Oak Casino, Chicken Ranch Casino, Indigeny Reserve, Inner Sanctum Cellars Basecamp with other wineries and breweries nearby. About a 50 minute drive to Big Trees State Park and Pinecrest Lake. Yosemite National Park is about 1-1/2 hour drive to the Yosemite valley floor. Check for YARTS for transportation from downtown Sonora to Yosemite valley. There are several rafting outfitters in the area. Restaurants in the immediate vicinity include Mandy's Breakfast-Lunch, Columbia Frosty, El Jardin, St. Charles Saloon Pizza. Gas, diesel mini mart, market store nearby.

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Private Reservoir

3 sites · RVs, Tents10 acres · Valley Springs, CA

Private property on a private reservoir. Enjoy some quiet time on the water, swimming, fishing, camping or just sitting and enjoying this hidden gem. Conveniently located a couple minutes from town to get some groceries or even fast food and gas. Also minutes from the large lake of New Hogan if your brining a jet ski or boat. Come relax on this 10 acres of private water access. Fish till your heart is content. Please catch and release. We have a variety of fish: Bass, Blue Gill, Cat fish and even some big Carp. Use our row boat or bring your own kayak, SUP, canoe etc. Newly added large floating dock, sand beach and large swing set/ hammock polls. Come play and have fun and listen to the sounds of frogs at night and the birds in the morning.

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Murray Creek Homestead

1 site · Lodging40 acres · San Andreas, CA

Learn more about this land:Very remote off grid barn with an outhouse, vegetable garden, fruit trees, and small vineyard that I make wine from. There's a creek that runs through the property with Indian grinding holes and arrow heads to be found. We also have volleyball, horseshoes, hiking trails, and much more!You will be in gold country where you can still find gold in the creek to this day! If you're lucky, you might find a nugget, but there's mostly pickers and fines. You'll always get color in your pan after a day of panning. The nights are absolutely stunning for viewing the stars with no light pollution. You will have almost complete privacy, with the exception of an occasional over head aircraft.

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Gold Wall Ranch & Vineyard

7 sites · Lodging, Tents120 acres · Jamestown, CA

Our property is located above the famous 'Gold Wall' rock climbing area, overlooking Lake Melones. Enjoy the great 360* views of the Sierras and foothills from this 120 acre ranch property. We own a small wine vineyard that offers glamping at its finest. The perfect place to spend one or two nights before your big trip to Yosemite National Park. Our property is NOT recommended for children under 12 yrs old, as we have dangerous cliffs that are straight drop offs. Choose to stay in 1 of our 4 cabins or just pitch a tent and camp under the stars {2 sites available}. The ranch offers fresh Mountain drinking water, with nice shady lawns and Oak trees for shade during the warm Summer weather. Dogs are allowed (2 max) at campsites but NO DOGS in the cabins. We are NOT RESPONSABLE for your animals...they must be on a leash at ALL Times. We have community outdoor areas to enjoy, including picnic tables, a fire pit and a communinal cooking gazebo area equip with BBQ and water. The "Gold Wall" is known for mountain climbing so enjoy the view from above, we offer easy hiking trails, horse shoes, and even mini golf on the "Dragon's Teeth" 6-hole . Looking to relax and rejuvinate your Spirit, book a massage with Michele, a licensed massage therapist, or hang out at the Hawks Lair wine bar on the cliffs edge, overlooking the Gold Wall and Lake Melones. Enjoy the sunset and take in the beauty of the night sky.

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Joyful Heart

1 site · Lodging10 acres · Jamestown, CA

When we moved to the Sierra Foothills, we found this cozy, little spot on the property and we set up a campsite for friends and family. People loved the space so much that we decided to build this cozy cabin and host other guests as well... The hot tub can be filled with fresh water and be heated by wood and/or be filled using the on demand hot water heater. The private outdoor shower is in a beautiful garden setting.

The best camping near Turlock Lake State Recreation Area guide

Overview

About

Nestled in the foothills east of Modesto, the SRA covers 228 acres between the Tuolumne River and Turlock Lake. A popular summer destination to escape the heat of the San Joaquin Valley, visitors flock to the lake to take advantage of its 26 miles of shoreline, ideal for boating, water sports, swimming, fishing, picnicking, and bird watching. Just one mile away from the lake, a year-round campground offers 66 shady campsites for tents and small RVs and trailers, with picnic tables, fires rings, and grates, and additional amenities that include flush toilets, pay showers, drinking water, and dump station.

Notable campgrounds

Best for boaters: Campsites 15 to 27 are the closest to the hand boat launch area at Turlock Lake Campground.
Best for space: Campsites 35, 36, 39, 40, 42, and 43 offer the most space per site.
Best for hikers and bikers: Campsite 58 is available for hikers and bikers only.

Tips for snagging a campsite

During the busy season, reserve a campsite as soon as you know your dates. Campgrounds can be reserved at least two days and up to six months in advance between late March and mid September.
If your plans are flexible, try to visit during the week or during non-holiday periods.
Arrive early to grab a first-come, first-served site at other times of the year.

When to go

The park is busiest between Memorial Day and Labor Day. September and October are ideal times to visit for warm days and smaller crowds. Enjoy ranger-led programs at the campground campfire center over the summer. From September 25 to February 15, certain southern portions of the lake are restricted to duck hunters only. Trout fishing is good year-round, while summer is a good time for bass fishing.

Know before you go

Bring your own boat or watercraft; rentals are not available at the park. Boating hours are from 8am to sunset; boats are not permitted in the water overnight.
There’s a separate swim beach and ski beach. Lifeguards are not available.
Bring repellent; mosquitos and ticks can be an issue in the area.
Fishing licenses are required for anyone 16 or over.
Do not gather dead wood or plant materials for fires. Firewood is available for sale.