About Glory Hole Recreation Area
Number of accommodations: 135
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Pet friendly
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water Access
- Lake Access
- Marina
Pets and Policies
- Pet friendly
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Rates, Sites & Availability
135 Sites Available
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Site Details
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135 Sites Available
No available sites
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Reviews (431)
What Guests Are Saying
Glory Hole Recreation Area is highly praised for its peaceful, clean environment, with spacious campsites and well-maintained bathrooms, including free showers. Many visitors enjoyed the beautiful scenery and wildlife, along with excellent hiking opportunities nearby. While some noted issues like long grass and noise disturbances, overall, the campground is considered a great place to relax and camp, with friendly rangers and convenient amenities.
What Guests Are Saying
Glory Hole Recreation Area is highly praised for its peaceful, clean environment, with spacious campsites and well-maintained bathrooms, including free showers. Many visitors enjoyed the beautiful scenery and wildlife, along with excellent hiking opportunities nearby. While some noted issues like long grass and noise disturbances, overall, the campground is considered a great place to relax and camp, with friendly rangers and convenient amenities.
Review Summary
kc h
VerifiedJuly 19, 2022 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: Ironhorse 8-22, 70-79
Shower and bathroom was pretty good (only 1 shower in women's bathroom fyi), campground pretty clean
Marelissa C
VerifiedJuly 18, 2022 • Stayed at: 022, Loop: Ironhorse 8-22, 70-79
SITE DID NOT HAVE FLAT GROUND FOR MULTIPLE TENTS. BATHROOMS WERE DIRTY. PEOPLE HAD MUSIC PLAYING UNTIL PAST MIDNIGHT. THE WATER LEVEL IS DEPRESSING. NOT SURE IF WE'LL BE BACK TO THIS CAMPSITE.
Steven M
VerifiedJuly 16, 2022 • Stayed at: 072, Loop: Ironhorse 8-22, 70-79
Grabbed this place last minute when our campsite at Yosemite was cancelled due to the fires and we were already on our way. The place is beautiful and we were surrounded by reservoirs. The campsites are easy to find and there was plenty of space between us and other campers.
Ian L
VerifiedJuly 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 125, Loop: Big Oak 113-132
Water level was down about 200 ft. Temps were triple digits in late June / early July. We rented a patio boat at the marina which was really fun. There weren't any good beaches on New Melones for kids, so we went to Pinecrest, Alpine, Murphys and Arnold on the other days for more kid friendly lakes and cooler temps. On the first day my wife and kids scrambled down to the lake from the campsite. It was really muddy down there. I sliced my foot open in the mud and my 5 year old got about 100 little leaches on him. We pinched/pulled them all off without too much trouble.
Matt w
VerifiedJuly 5, 2022 • Stayed at: 103, Loop: Big Oak 90-112
Sad that the water level is so low and the campsites are not maintained
Michael S
VerifiedJune 30, 2022 • Stayed at: 131, Loop: Big Oak 113-132
I guess the campground can be really nice, but currently the water level of the lake is very low.
The toilets and showers are clean and working good.
Victor M
VerifiedJune 27, 2022 • Stayed at: 057, Loop: Ironhorse 45-59, 80-89
The campsite was nice, quiet. Enjoyed the fire pit with grill and the shower. I just wish we would have known that the beach was closed.
Vladimir K
VerifiedJune 27, 2022 • Stayed at: 071, Loop: Ironhorse 8-22, 70-79
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Ella W
VerifiedJune 25, 2022 • Stayed at: 022, Loop: Ironhorse 8-22, 70-79
We arrived to this campground and it was a desolate concrete area. We left.
Kathleen M
VerifiedJune 25, 2022 • Stayed at: 139, Loop: Big Oak 133-144
So all the bathrooms closed - which I was aware of and probably the reason many sites were available same day.. but there was no way to register in person when I arrived-so I had to pay the extra registration fee$ for Recreation.gov. 3 stars cause my campsite had water and even a drain plus there was an osprey hunting right outside when I woke up. Lovely area.
Location Glory Hole Recreation Area
Address:
Glory Hole Recreation Area, 6503 Whittle Ranch Road
Angels Camp, CA, 95222
United States
From Sacramento take 99 S, 88 W and 12 E to San Andreas. Take 49 S for approximately 15 miles. Turn right onto Whittle Ranch Road and follow the road 2 miles to the recreation area.
From Central California and the Bay Area take 80 E, 580 E then 205 E to 120 E in Manteca. Take the exit for 120 E/99 N. Continue on 120 E, then take 108 E to 49N. Turn left onto Whittle Ranch Road and follow the road 2 miles to the recreation area.
Glory Hole Recreation Area is accessible via State Route 49, which is approximately 10 miles away, providing connection to U.S. Route 50 and other regional roads.
Latitude & Longitude: 38.0075 / -120.54
Elevation: 351 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
3PM
Check out time
2PM
General
- PLEASE HEAD STRAIGHT TO YOUR CAMPSITE UPON ARRIVALThere will be a reservation tag and 1 or 2 vehicle tags clipped to your campsite's post. Please leave the reservation tag on the post and place the vehicle tag(s) inside your vehicle(s) with dates visible. Contact a Park Ranger if you have any questions.
- At New Melones Lake there is a 14-day camping limit within a 30-day period.
- The recreation area entrance gate closes at 9:00pm. Vehicle entry after the gate is closed is prohibited. Exit at any time.
- During quiet hours, loud noise is prohibited. Excessive noise (audible beyond 50ft) at any time is prohibited.
- Camping fees include boat launch and day-use fees. Two vehicles are permitted in standard campsites. One vehicle is permitted in walk-to sites. All vehicles must display a campground vehicle tag or an overflow vehicle parking receipt.Vehicles must remain on paved roads and parking spots. Off-roading is prohibited.
- Campfires are only allowed in fire rings or grills in designated areas. Campfires must be attended at all times and extinguished completely before leaving.Campers may collect only dead and down wood for campfires. Chainsaw use is not allowed on property.During National Weather Service "Red Flag Warning" days and facility fire bans, wood and charcoal fires will not be permitted.
- All pets must be on a maximum six-foot (1.8 m) leash at all times. Leaving your pets unattended is not permitted.
- The dump station is out of order at this time.
- While recreating at New Melones Reservoir: CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY boats and any other recreational equipment that comes in contact with water. Never dump unwanted bait, worms, fish parts or other organisms into the water. For more information visit https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/ STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES. REMOVE plants, seeds, animals and mud from boots, gear, pets, and vehicles. CLEAN your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site. STAY on designated roads and trails and use local firewood. For more information visit https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/
- If New Melones Lake elevation is below 870', boat ramps are not available. "Water front" campsites may also not be available. Park maps depict an elevation around 1050 feet. Current lake elevation: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryMM?Stations=NML&SensorNums=6&End=2021-07-19&span=1+month
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Last updated: June 5, 2026
