Pinnacles National Monument5
Campsite #5 at Pinnacles Campground, Pinnacles National Monument, CA
$43
Campsite #5
| Drive-In | 6 people |
| 40 ft | Back-In |
| 2 | fair |
8/28
9/1
Campsite #5 Features: Drive-In access, Back-In parking, 40ft driveway, Fire ring, Picnic Table, RV Site, Tent Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed
Campsite Reviews (16)
2.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 50% |
| 4 star | | 13% |
| 3 star | | 13% |
| 2 star | | 25% |
| 1 star | | 0% |
@MonicaS3433522 · Camped on Jul 29, 2025 at Campsite #5
Beware of the RACCOONS! While I was heating up dinner, there was a GAZE of raccoons surrounding me with one having a hand in my cooler and another about to climb the table for food. Although there are lots of signs warning about raccoons, there are too many to count when food is around and you're busy the whole time chasing them away while eating. At night, I put all the food in my car because the cooler couldn't fit in the raccoon-proof bin, but I had trail mix in my backpack that was inside the tent that was zippered and the bandits still managed to get the bag of trail mix and spilled much of it on the ground. At night I could hear the raccoons outside my tent eating the spilled trail mix. Because of the close proximity to the bathrooms, I chose campsite A5 which meant I wouldn't have to drive to the showers. However, it does mean everyone else drives to the showers which resulted in a LOT of cars passing by with their headlights on to go to the showers. When you're engaged in astro-photography or just want to star gaze, you have to endure lots of cars with their headlights on. At the campsite, there's a barrier between where you park and where you set up your tent so there is some hauling of stuff back and forth and finding the camp site was initially confusing because of the barrier. Speaking of tent sites, there were lots of ants so my tent had lots of ants on it that I had to wipe down with a towel. While sites A5 and A6 are grouped together, the only thing it has going for it is the large amount of space (ideal for kids and adults to play) and the close proximity to showers. I would definitely seek an alternative camp site for next time.
@SoniaK1C4F4F74 · Camped on Jul 3, 2025 at Campsite #5
an Amazing site for children, well maintained. Lot of stuff to do, hiking and explore the nature. Wild life is very visible.
@HeatherM776338 · Camped on Jun 23, 2025 at Campsite #5
Set in beautiful countryside with wildlife galore and no shortage of adjacent or nearby hiking trails. Free showers and generous tent lots as well
@MaryG2220960 · Camped on Jan 26, 2025 at Campsite #5
In January, much of the park is subdued. We were surprised how many people were there, yet we had no trouble getting a reservation. We enjoyed the pinnacles, and seeing the condors. Overall, a great park experience.
@VanT781BB193FC · Camped on Dec 29, 2024 at Campsite #5
Great campsite within walking distance of visitor center and bathroom facilities.
@KimberlyH57940 · Camped on Oct 20, 2024 at Campsite #5
Fabulous park, wonderful campground. Very friendly staff, clean facilities.
@AnnaC7369977 · Camped on Jul 26, 2024 at Campsite #5
Neighboring campers took our site before we got there due to the lack of signage in a timely matter. They also refused to move and wanted to go to the campsite office to insist that theyve booked my campsite when my campsite reservation number and name is on the paper that was finally put up after 3pm. The neighbor campsite which is Campsite 4 had more than 10 people but somehow campsite management did not do anything about it on top of the issues theyve caused trying to occupy my campsite. Very disappointed with campsite management and the way they handled the issue.
@MarkR9967928 · Camped on Apr 5, 2024 at Campsite #5
I'm 70 years old, and it was difficult to do a 12 mile hike from the campground and back. No shuttle ran to the Old Pinnacles trailhead, and the rangers closed the road to prevent private shuttles. They said no one was hired to run the shuttle. Yet there were many rangers involved in blocking the road and patrolling the parking lots, but no ranger to spare to run a shuttle?
@JaredB2564969 · Camped on Mar 27, 2024 at Campsite #5
The park is completely underrated with some amazing hikes all in close proximity. The caves were especially great. That campground is nice with the added amenity of showers being especially appreciated.
@KingstonH162C1 · Camped on Mar 14, 2024 at Campsite #5
Had sites 3, 4, and 5 for a weekend. They're close to the park entrance so we were worried about high traffic and noise, but that was never a problem. They're also close to the campground store (firewood, ice, ice cream, pretty much any essential you could need. Pretty well stocked!), restrooms, and the water spigot (the map says there's a drinking water site next to the RV dump area but I couldn't find it, ended up going to the spigot across the street from 4 and 5 at the RV sites). 4 and 5 are connected so I highly recommend you get them together if you can for convenience's sake. The sites go a little deep in, so you can have some peace and quiet if you want it. Nighttime can get a little noisy here with frogs, raccoons, bats, and other assorted wildlife, so bring earplugs if you have them. The firepits at 3, 4, and 5 are pretty low to the ground, so they're not great for cooking anything over unless you prep far in advance to get the firewood down to coals (every pit has a grate to set stuff on if you want). Each campsite also has a lunch table, which was nice. Cell service was spotty, but available here and there if you really need it. Some of us had T-mobile and some had Verizon. Campground store has EV charging in case you need to get enough juice to get to King City or Kettleman City.Managed to do both of the major hiking loops while we were here. Bear Gulch is walkable from the campsite, but the Old Pinnacles trailhead is around 4 miles away, so I would definitely recommend driving to the parking lot early. There are maybe 15 parking spots there, with a few other parking lots scattered on the way there. Water in the Balconies Caves were about calf-deep when we went, definitely an experience and a great time! Would love to come back.
@WilliamC221307 · Camped on Feb 25, 2024 at Campsite #5
Nice clean campground, very pretty time of the year
@VictoriaZF796B · Camped on Jun 25, 2023 at Campsite #5
Very few bathrooms, always a long line for the 2 women’s showers at the visitors center, and such loud construction I never received an e-mail or warning about. The construction started at 7am and was extremely bothersome.
@KathleenW260 · Camped on Oct 26, 2021 at Campsite #5
Pinnacles National Park is beautiful. Wonderful hiking trails, caves, wildlife, and campground. I went at the end of October when both caves were fully open, the weather was nice, and it wasn't too crowded. The online campground map isn't accurate. It showed my site (#5) as being alone but it shared parking with #4 and the camping area looked like one big site and not two. I was lucky because nobody was camped in #4; so, I had the area to myself. The online map needs to be updated. One shower was broken but the other worked good and the bathrooms were clean. The store has a good stock of items. I spent most of my time hiking; so, the minor issues with the campground did not detract from my stay. Don't forget your binoculars for Condos viewing. There is no cell phone service but you can buy WIFI online.
@JamesP872 · Camped on May 24, 2021 at Campsite #5
Having pool at Pinnacles was a real treat. Also, the person operating visitor center Monday May 24 gave me excellent advice.
I was not impressed with the attitudes of the Pinnacles concessionaire employees.
I was not impressed with the attitudes of the Pinnacles concessionaire employees.
@KalaG835 · Camped on May 9, 2021 at Campsite #5
Park itself was beautiful. Campground help was not friendly of super helpful.
@RebeccaA391 · Camped on Mar 14, 2021 at Campsite #5
Beautiful campground, easy to find, and right in the middle of the park! It was easy to hike to amazing spots from the campground. Very much recommend this site. The only piece I didn't 100% enjoy, but it wasn't a huge issue, was that the parking for the our particular camping spots was away from the camping area instead of in the spot. Wasn't expecting it, but was able to make it work...and this wasn't the case for all of the spots. All in all, great place to stay!
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