Camping near Bass Lake

Take a lakeside break in this cozy town near Yosemite National Park.

92% (3867 reviews)
92% (3867 reviews)

Popular camping styles for Bass Lake

Under $50

Available this weekend

12 top campgrounds near Bass Lake

98%
(209)

Musick Creek Falls

4 sites · RVs, Tents40 acres · Shaver Lake, CA
Musick Creek Falls spans 40 acres just south of Shaver Lake, at 4,800 feet elevation. The land, in vibrant regrowth after the Creek Fire, showcases unique wildflowers like Sierra Manzanita, sweet peas, Indian paintbrush, and cedars. The rugged terrain features three stunning cascading waterfalls, hiking trails, rock climbing, mountain biking, and exceptional stargazing opportunities. With proximity to Shaver Lake and China Peak Ski Resort, guests can enjoy hiking, fishing, boating, skiing, and more. While the access road is dirt and gravel with some potholes, it is maintained by the community. The property provides pristine spring water, naturally filtered through granite aquifers to a high pH of 9—ideal for re-hydrating and detoxing. On-site amenities include a composting outhouse, trash receptacles, and free use of kayaks. Spare camping gear, tents, and blankets are available upon request. Most cell phones have good reception, ensuring you can stay connected as needed. The property borders the Musick Creek Confluence, a protected Nature Conservancy area. To preserve this ecosystem, we emphasize a strict “leave no trace” policy. Trash bins are conveniently located, and respecting the environment and our downstream neighbors is crucial. Weather is mild year-round, with cool evenings and comfortable days. While wildlife like timber rattlers and bears may be present, encounters are rare. As always, caution is advised around water and after dark. Please note that there is no host on-site during winter months (December–April), and access depends on weather conditions. Visit musickcreekfalls.com for updates and additional details. We’re proud to share this special place with the Hipcamp community. Your visit supports conservation efforts and helps maintain the beauty This property holds profound historical significance, having witnessed pivotal events like the California Gold Rush, the timber and mining booms, and the rise of early electric companies. Once located along the first and main road in the area, it served as a center stage for these developments, inspiring stories in Louis L’Amour novels. It has also borne witness to more somber chapters in history, including acts of genocide. More about its remarkable past can be explored at musickcreekfalls.com
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$63
 / night
97%
(191)

Red Tail Ranch at Yosemite

10 sites · RVs, Tents90 acres · Groveland, CA
Only 25 minutes from Yosemite's entrance gate, come stay at stunning Red Tail Ranch and avoid the crowds of the big campgrounds. With fast wifi, abundant hot water for showers, clean/flush toilets and inside space for cooking with a commercial sink for dishes, all the necessities for a comfortable stay are on site. Use Red Tail Ranch as an ideal launching off point for Yosemite or stay on the property and enjoy all that it has to offer. Red Tail Ranch is a beautiful 90 acre property in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Among the oak woodlands, meadows and coniferous forest, there are numerous trails to explore the property and direct riding access to a developed mountain biking area nearby. Great birding, botanizing and wildlife watching opportunities abound. We have RV sites with hookups, a five site drive-in campground and one walk-in campsite- all with clean, flush toilet bathrooms, hot outdoor showers, indoor camp kitchen and gathering space. Whether your pitching a tent, parking a campervan or rv, there are opportunities for everyone. For large events, workshops or reunions, Red Tail Ranch can be rented out in its entirety- please reach out with any questions or how to do this. New additions to the campground include cornhole, darts and a ring toss game for all to enjoy. We are 10 minutes from the small town of Groveland with a market and restaurants and just down the road from the put in for rafting on the Tuolumne river. Our pricing is a little higher than other places nearby and this is due to the property's great locations, incredible beauty, and all of the amenities added for a great experience. If wanting more information about Yosemite or the surroundings, host Robb Hirsch is a biologist and professional nature photographer with 25 years of experience in the area. He also is connected with all the local guides for any outdoor adventure referrals. Concerned about getting into Yosemite with the new summer reservation requirements? We know all the details, including how to navigate and get through or around the system. Stay with us and we will show you how to access the park with or without reservations.
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$59.50
 / night
98%
(71)

Camp SourBerry (near Yosemite)

2 sites · RVs40 acres · Oakhurst, CA
Welcome to Camp SourBerry! Here, you can park your home-on-wheels in a private space with a view. You can enjoy the feeling of rural seclusion while within walking distance (~1 mile) from shops and restaurants in Oakhurst. The South Gate to Yosemite National Park is less than a 30-minute drive (~75 minutes drive-time to the Valley floor), and Bass Lake's shores are only 15 minutes away. Local wildlife is abundant. Wild turkeys are a common sighting, especially in the spring and fall, as are squirrels, bears, deer, coyotes, and bobcats, plus all kinds of native birds (hawks, quail, jays, woodpeckers, ravens, vultures, and eagles). We have a small homestead-style farm and so do the neighbors, so you can hear the distant sounds of chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, and cows. Because the safety of our animals (and yours) is paramount, we do not allow pets off-leash. The parking location is an ease pull-through for passenger vehicles and shorter trailers. People with longer, taller trailers find it easier to pull-in and back out. The best view is on the passenger side of the drive! Whether you want to stay put and enjoy the natural setting or have a base from which to explore world-class attractions, we would love to host your next vacation.
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$34.56
 / night
98%
(839)

Yosemite Colfax Spring

11 sites · RVs, Tents20 acres · Groveland, CA
Welcome to Yosemite Colfax Spring! Home to a basecamp for river rafting trips during the summertime, we are located 15 minutes driving distance to the entrance to Yosemite National Park. If you are staying with us between May - September and want to come rafting, ask us about our river trips! Our camp sits on a ridge with views down into the Tuolumne River Canyon. The Tuolumne River begins at 13,000 feet of elevation in the High Country of Tuolumne Meadows and provides drinking water for over 2.7 million people in San Francisco. With cedar and pine trees, manzanita bushes, and wildflowers in the spring, enjoy the Sierras' flora and fauna. Our family has been operating our river rafting company for over 50 years, the last 11 of those years being here at Colfax Spring. Conveniently located off Highway 120, we are in close proximity to swimming holes, hikes, and more. Enjoy the privacy of our campsite and getting world-class views to yourself, with all of the amenities (flushing toilets, wi-fi, showers.) Make sure to check the Yosemite National Park website for information about reservations to visit the park!
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$81
 / night
70%
(10)

Golden Arrow Gold Claim

1 site · RV, Tent20 acres · Buck Meadows, CA
Bring the whole family out for a relaxing weekend of gold panning or metal detecting on my 20 acre claim just down the road from the west entrance to Yosemite national park. Just a stones throw off of highway 120 and a few short miles east of Rush Creek Lodge and spa! Camp here at Golden Arrow and hide out under the trees along soldier creek during the heat of the day! If you don’t feel like panning there are several good fishing holes to be found across the claim along the approximately 1400ft stretch of soldier Creek. Plenty of level space to park your RV, Travel Trailer, or Conversion Van… It’s rare to find an active claim that is accessible by 2wd and even more rare to find someone willing to welcome you to pan on their claim and keep what you find! Take advantage of this rare opportunity and try your luck at hunting down some gold on your next vacation!!
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$30
 / night
99%
(51)

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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$157.50
 / night
97%
(580)

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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$102
 / night
92%
(19)

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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$119
 / night

Dog-friendly getaways

Star Hosts in Bass Lake

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Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Camping near Bass Lake guide

Overview

About an hour from Fresno in the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake attracts boating and water skiing enthusiasts with its reservoir, often touted as a mini Lake Tahoe. While nearby Oakhurst up the road has a wider selection of amenities, Bass Lake offers plenty for campers wanting to be close to Yosemite National Park, including boat and water sports rentals, RV resorts, and tons of campgrounds for tent camping. The town is set on the northern shores of the lake—for a quieter alternative, consider the US Forest Service’s Lupine Campground, offering campsites with fire rings, plus picnic areas and restrooms with flush toilets.

Where to go

West of Bass Lake

While the expanse between Bass Lake and the California coast has its fair share of towns and farmland, there are also plenty of natural areas and parks to explore. Spots worth considering along this route include San Luis National Wildlife RefugePacheco State Park, and Henry W. Coe State Park.

Sequoia National Forest

Head south and you'll hit Sequoia National Forest, where you'll find everything from scenic waterways to colorful high mountain scenery. Backpackers may want to also consider a trip out to the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, with its thick forest interspersed with Alpine meadows.

Stanislaus National Forest

North of Bass Lake, the massive Stanislaus National Forest is a great place to continue water adventures, with a wide variety of lakes and rivers. Hiking and camping opportunities also abound in this wooded area.

When to go

Bass Lake is definitely a summer destination, though many area campgrounds are open year-round. Summers can get hot, with daytime temperatures sometimes rising to the upper 90s, while nights are pleasantly warm, with temperatures in the 60s. The spring and fall shoulder seasons are ideal if you want fewer crowds, with pleasantly warm temperatures in May and September. Late fall through winter gets plenty of rain, and snow is not uncommon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Bass Lake is a wonderful destination for camping. Located in the Sierra National Forest in California, Bass Lake offers a variety of campgrounds with beautiful lake views, opportunities for water sports, swimming, and fishing. The lake is surrounded by pine forests, providing an ideal setting for hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife watching. You can find different campgrounds around Bass Lake, including both public and private options. For more information on camping options in the area, you can visit Hipcamp's Bass Lake Camping page.

Yes, reservations are recommended for camping at Bass Lake, especially during the peak season (May through September). Bass Lake campgrounds can fill up quickly, so it's a good idea to book a campsite in advance. You can learn about the various campgrounds and camping options around Bass Lake on Hipcamp.

Yes, there are showers available at some campgrounds around Bass Lake in California. For instance, Wishon Point Campground and Crane Valley Group Campground both offer shower facilities for campers. Keep in mind that amenities may vary between campgrounds, so it is always a good idea to check the specific campground you plan to visit for up-to-date information on available facilities.

Bass Lake camping prices can vary depending on the type of campsite and amenities offered. Tent and RV sites typically start at around $25 per night, while cabins and more luxurious accommodations can range from $100 to $300 per night. To explore camping options at Bass Lake, check out Hipcamp.

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