Cherry Valley

Okay, first of all, the previous reviews about getting to the campground are definitely from whiny Californians who don’t travel, and who think paved roads are “off roading”. Being from Oregon, where forest service roads are not paved, this trip was a BREEZE. Getting there was easy peasy, and not at all difficult like previous reviews say. The campground was beautifully maintained, with the vault toilets cleaned every day between 7-9am (they didn’t even smell that bad! Just be sure to close the toilet lid and keep the door open when not in use so it airs out). The camp host has quarts of wood for $8/each and you pay by cash only. We stayed at site 23 and it was super roomy (big enough for a 6-person tent and a 4-person tent with TONS of room left over). What a great little campground!

Okay, first of all, the previous reviews about getting to the campground are definitely from whiny Californians who don’t travel, and who think paved roads are “off roading”. Being from Oregon, where forest service roads are not paved, this trip was a BREEZE. Getting there was easy peasy, and not at all difficult like previous reviews say. The campground was beautifully maintained, with the vault toilets cleaned every day between 7-9am (they didn’t even smell that bad! Just be sure to close the toilet lid and keep the door open when not in use so it airs out). The camp host has quarts of wood for $8/each and you pay by cash only. We stayed at site 23 and it was super roomy (big enough for a 6-person tent and a 4-person tent with TONS of room left over). What a great little campground!

Great campsite even for a first timer. Camp 9 was large, you have a few grove of pine trees for a hammock, and close to the restrooms. The restrooms however are very primitive, no flushing toilets! There are water faucets spread throughout the site, there is one close to camp 9, on the left side. However they limit the time it is available. Next to camp 10 is the trailhead to Cherry Lake. The trail is moderate, its is downhill with very rocky, and slippery parts. You should be fine, because even my 3 year old was able to hike down. We had to carry her on the rocky parts. We came in August so the waterfall is dry, but I imagine it would be pretty in the spring. Overall, Cherry Lake campground is a gem. If you found this campground from the Yosemite reservation, this is very far from the valley. Its about 2 hours from Yosemite Valley Visitors Center, and the drive is long with winding roads. The reservation.gov has the distance from Yosemite very misleading, because the National Park is so big, the distance is relative to the boundaries.

Great campsite even for a first timer. Camp 9 was large, you have a few grove of pine trees for a hammock, and close to the restrooms. The restrooms however are very primitive, no flushing toilets! There are water faucets spread throughout the site, there is one close to camp 9, on the left side. However they limit the time it is available. Next to camp 10 is the trailhead to Cherry Lake. The trail is moderate, its is downhill with very rocky, and slippery parts. You should be fine, because even my 3 year old was able to hike down. We had to carry her on the rocky parts. We came in August so the waterfall is dry, but I imagine it would be pretty in the spring. Overall, Cherry Lake campground is a gem. If you found this campground from the Yosemite reservation, this is very far from the valley. Its about 2 hours from Yosemite Valley Visitors Center, and the drive is long with winding roads. The reservation.gov has the distance from Yosemite very misleading, because the National Park is so big, the distance is relative to the boundaries.

Robert and his wife where absolutely wonderful hosts. They where kind and kept the campsite very clean. The bathrooms where always clean and they where always constantly attending to the park and making themselves available for any questions we had.

Robert and his wife where absolutely wonderful hosts. They where kind and kept the campsite very clean. The bathrooms where always clean and they where always constantly attending to the park and making themselves available for any questions we had.

Nice campground but nothing to do around there. Access to the lake via short drive with no picnic area on it. Only boat ramp. The hiking trails are marked but not maintained and it was hard to follow.

Nice campground but nothing to do around there. Access to the lake via short drive with no picnic area on it. Only boat ramp. The hiking trails are marked but not maintained and it was hard to follow.

Great campground and campsite. Campsite 9 was huge, but there was a lot of sun between Noon and 2PM, so bring a shade! Bathrooms were fairly close and kept clean. The hike from the campground to the lake is about 10-15 min and steep in some areas, but the trail that leads to the lake is right next to the site. Drive to the lake is 5 min, and parking was not too difficult. We enjoyed our time here and will be coming back.

Great campground and campsite. Campsite 9 was huge, but there was a lot of sun between Noon and 2PM, so bring a shade! Bathrooms were fairly close and kept clean. The hike from the campground to the lake is about 10-15 min and steep in some areas, but the trail that leads to the lake is right next to the site. Drive to the lake is 5 min, and parking was not too difficult. We enjoyed our time here and will be coming back.