Pinnacles Campground

We thought Pinnacles was a fine campground. We were in 72C, which didn't have much shade throughout the day, so that could have been a problem. However, we weren't in our tent then. The water spigot was right across from our campsite--very convenient. The site is at the bottom of a large hill with lots of trees, so shade does come eventually. It was colder in the morning, though, because the sun didn't hit our campsite till about 9 a.m.

One of us used the shower facilities, which has plenty of hot water. The only issue is that there is no light over the shower stalls, so it was a bit dark.

We were fairly screened from our neighbors by trees and shrubs, and we found a nice, fairly flat spot to pitch our tent (a 3-person). It was quiet at night and we got to hear wild turkeys, woodpeckers, frogs and other wildlife.

Loop C only has porta potties, and they were pretty full from a busy weekend (we went Sunday through Tuesday). Kind of gross, but they did the trick.

Our one complaint is that if you were in loop C, especially on the end where we were, it was a long walk back toward the camp store to get to the Bench trail which then required another 1.5 mile walk to even get to the start of the main hiking trails.

The camp store was great. It even had microwave popcorn--a real treat for me!

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Avoid 116 D unless you’re desperate. The group sites parking spaces literally run the length of the site. Roads run both front and back of site. And there is a well worn shortcut right through the site. Not to mention it’s a long walk to the bathroom. Very few bathrooms overall which tells you where people are peeling at night ick.
D loop is nicer.
1 star for site, 5 stars for the hikes. The cave on the way to the reservoir had an underground creek running and little waterfalls, very cool. Bring a headlamp or flashlight.
Don’t do the “steep and narrow “ trail if you’re afraid of heights. Just a mental handrail between you and a very very long fall.

This site was a little small. On positive note water was close. Bathroom was main problem without light when it got dark and no way to dry hands with paper towels or hand air dryer. These are easy fixes hope that will be made.

Pinnacles was amazing to explore and the campground was a great place to relax at the end of the day. Our site, 49, was secluded and surrounded by beautiful vegetation. We had quail, scrub jays, a deer and raccoon visit us. The raccoon kept us on our toes to put away our food right away but he was easy enough to chase away. The restroom and shower facilities were clean and well maintained. We will be back!

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Beautiful underrated park!! SO unique and fun to explore. Campground was lovely, all the sites seemed very private! We had site 57, it was HUGE! Our space could have held 3 tents easily! SO private, backed up to a little creek. I guess it does need to be said, don't think for a second even when you are being responsible with food that those raccoons aren't watching...because they are...and they will sneak attack! And they are BIG.
The only downside to the campground is the facilities and bathrooms which were very minimal. I know funding is few and far between these days for our wonderful parks so I'm not complaining, just wishful thinking for the future:)

Our visit to Pinnacles National Park was an unexpected surprise. One of our goals is to visit as many of the Continental United States National Parks as we can.We were visiting our son in California and thought oh we’re here, let’s stop at Pinnacles as we head south. We were really surprised and amazed at the things we were able to see. The hikes up to Bear Gulch and Balconies caves were wonders we didn’t expect. The bonus of seeing three California Condors was amazing. We didn’t know much about them in the information provided really helped us to spy them.
The employee working at the visitor center took one look at us and knew what types of hikes we would like and could do. The young lady was incredibly helpful. She was also very calming as she was trying to help a woman who had hiked from the west side to the east side by mistake. She was contacting the Rangers and provided comfort and assistance to the woman. You just don’t see that kind of compassion very often in today’s world.
We would highly recommend visiting this National Park and have to a number of people we’ve come across.

Made a quick trip from Reno when a camp spot opened up. Overall a great trip. Good hikes and birding. Two nights probably enough to explore

Perfect place to stay to get an early start on hikes in the park. Water is available at the campground but not to each site, so filling up prior may be best depending on which site you’re in. Facilities are well maintained and people are friendly. Hikes are a must if you want to see the beauty of this park, and there are many options. Loved our time here!