This is a FREE campsite.

Address
31605 Hardin Flat Road
Groveland, California
GPS: 37.813243, -119.93447
Elevation: 3570'
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Management
Public - Forest Service
Website

Activities:
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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (22 votes, average: 3.27 out of 5)
Submitted by Anonymous. Last update on Dec 28, 2015

Free Dispersed camping in the Stanislaus National Forest's Groveland Ranger District. First come -> First Camped. Reservations not accepted.


Most helpful review
jws42292 on April 11, 2021

Stayed here 2 nights on a 3 day Yosemite trip. The aforementioned rocks are no longer blocking as I could tell. I turned down golden arrow road and went right and there were a few campsites. I imagine going further in either direction you could find a site. This is the best place to camp for free outside Yosemite. 5 mins to the entrance and 45 mins to the Yosemite valley. I would not look for camping on 140 as I couldn’t find any free options.


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Metric
Metric
Joined 3 years ago

NO CAMPING! PRIVATE PROPERTY!

Metric gives a rating of 1Metric gives a rating of 1Metric gives a rating of 1Metric gives a rating of 1Metric gives a rating of 1
Reviewed June 15, 2022

THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY... NO CAMPING!!

The area has been fully developed and there is no proper access to the site. We followed Google Maps to a dirt road off the back of a parking lot when we found the first access point blocked by construction equipment. The site indicated by the GPS coordinates is under development and it was obvious that we should not stay there. As we left, an irate caretaker told us to leave and not come back. There weren't any "No Trespassing" signs but the site is very clearly closed to camping. Other reviews have suggested that there are places nearby where you could get away with tent camping, but I wouldn't try it.

Stayed here in a 16 foot-long PopUp Trailer (RV). Metric would not stay here again.

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Romain
Anonymous User

Quiet place but really cold

Romain gives a rating of 5Romain gives a rating of 5Romain gives a rating of 5Romain gives a rating of 5Romain gives a rating of 5
Reviewed March 14, 2022

The exact shared position was closed and inaccessible but the surroundings were pretty quiet. We found a place next to it and we slept here all the night. No cowbells and there were also other cars staying the night. Only downside, it was very cold at night!!! (Marche 11th). Thanks for sharing this campsite!

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. Romain would not stay here again.

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GennyB
Anonymous User

SITES AVAILABLE WITHOUT BOULDER IMPEDEMENT, close to Yosemite and a beautiful place to stay!

GennyB gives a rating of 4GennyB gives a rating of 4GennyB gives a rating of 4GennyB gives a rating of 4GennyB gives a rating of 4
Reviewed August 13, 2021

After staying here on August 1st, I think I can help offer clarity to lost or confused campers! If you are heading east on Big Oak Flat Rd, you'll pass a turn-off for Hardin Flat Rd on your right (which is where the GPS leads you if you're following the coordinates provided by the original poster of this site). Continue past this expensive, established campground (Thousand Lakes) and you'll pass two pull-off spots on your right (do not recommend staying there, the trees have been damaged by wildfires and two large branches came down close to us while we were checking it out). That's when you'll see all the construction equipment and where you're supposed to turn (on the gps, anyway) to the left is a bunch of rocks and construction items. Just keep going! There's a sign that says no thru-traffic, but according to the people at the Thousand Lakes they didn't shut down the other side of the road so they can't tell you not to pass through. Once you pass through, you'll come to a split in the road. We camped at 37.812885, -119.935153 just up ahead and on the left of the loop. We didn't do much exploring so I can't tell you about other sites, but this area IS open and there ARE free campsites not impeded by boulders.

Pros-- Gas station very close, campsites are very well dispersed, extremely close to the West entrance of Yosemite. Easy to find your way back if you don't have enough service to load your GPS. Stars were absolutely GORGEOUS. Little to no bugs. SUnset was stunning.

Cons-- There were cows with cowbells all over the place so it was never really quiet until you got used to the cowbells. To someone sensitive to noise when sleeping, it wouldn't be ideal. They also leave presents for you when you're gone! People also come through late at night looking for sites. Some sort of RV got stuck while we were sleeping and woke us up for the next hour or two because they were shouting directions at each other to get themselves unstuck. Another night, a construction flatbed came through too. Also, no service whatsoever.

Overall, though, it's an excellent place to stay if you can get over its little quirks!

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. GennyB would stay here again.

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jws42292
Joined 3 years ago

Plenty of sites with best access to Yosemite

jws42292 gives a rating of 5jws42292 gives a rating of 5jws42292 gives a rating of 5jws42292 gives a rating of 5jws42292 gives a rating of 5
Reviewed April 11, 2021

Stayed here 2 nights on a 3 day Yosemite trip. The aforementioned rocks are no longer blocking as I could tell. I turned down golden arrow road and went right and there were a few campsites. I imagine going further in either direction you could find a site. This is the best place to camp for free outside Yosemite. 5 mins to the entrance and 45 mins to the Yosemite valley. I would not look for camping on 140 as I couldn’t find any free options.

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. jws42292 would stay here again.

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Will
Anonymous User
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Reviewed August 13, 2020

This campsite is blocked off, they are doing a lot of construction in the area

Will would not stay here again.

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Stephanie Marie Guest
Anonymous User
Reviewed November 15, 2019

Camp sites have have all been blocked off with large rocks. There are small pull offs at each entrance but not ideal for overnight parking

Stephanie Marie Guest would not stay here again.

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Amanda Crissman
Anonymous User

Great place to stay overnight when heading into Yosemite

Amanda Crissman gives a rating of 4Amanda Crissman gives a rating of 4Amanda Crissman gives a rating of 4Amanda Crissman gives a rating of 4Amanda Crissman gives a rating of 4
Reviewed July 29, 2019

We arrived late and stayed overnight on our way into Yosemite. No restrooms or fire pits, but it was a convenient place to sleep on our way into the park. While it was right along Harden Flat road, there weren't many cars so there wasn't much noise at all. Our spot was close to the river, so we fell asleep to the sounds of the river. I would definitely stay here again. No Verizon cell service.

I didn't notice a log blocking the road, as reported back in 2018. I either didn't see it, or it has since been cleared. We entered from the West.

Amanda Crissman would stay here again.

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it-travelers
Joined 5 years ago
it-travelers gives a rating of 5it-travelers gives a rating of 5it-travelers gives a rating of 5it-travelers gives a rating of 5it-travelers gives a rating of 5
Reviewed September 28, 2018

Due to a bridge out the road from the west is closed, drive in from the east. Some dispersed camps availible along the road. Stayed two nights without problems lot of forrest employees drove by and waved friendly.

Stayed here in a Passenger Vehicle. it-travelers would stay here again.

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Sherrill
Anonymous User

Danger from dead falling trees

Sherrill gives a rating of 1Sherrill gives a rating of 1Sherrill gives a rating of 1Sherrill gives a rating of 1Sherrill gives a rating of 1
Reviewed August 5, 2018

This campsite area was burnt several years ago during the Rim Fire. There are dead standing trees that fall without warning. You are taking a risk with your life if you stay here. I saw a huge, very tall pine tree fall while I was there at the campsite. The burnt trees have not been cleared, and over the years the dead trees are now starting to fall. The road is closed, because the bridge was burnt during the fire.

Sherrill hiked in and stayed here with a tent. Sherrill would not stay here again.

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Larry Massey
Anonymous User
Reviewed May 29, 2018

Didn't stay here...but I did speak with the staff at the Yosemite Lakes Campground...and saw them directing people to this camping area...there is a bridge out on part of the road, but there is still camping open here...not sure how to get to the camp spots...stop and ask a local...maybe at the Country Store outside the Yosemite Lakes Campground!

I stayed with my son at Yosemite Lakes...yes, it was a little pricey mid-week at $47/night...but we had a large camp area on the river not too far from the Bathrooms (which had hot showers...nice after a long day of hiking into the park)...both Hardin Flats and Yosemite Lake Campground are about 5 minutes from the Hwy 120 entrance to Yosemite NP...and about 30-45 minutes to the valley floor!

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Angel
Anonymous User

Closed

Angel gives a rating of 1Angel gives a rating of 1Angel gives a rating of 1Angel gives a rating of 1Angel gives a rating of 1
Reviewed May 29, 2018

We've stayed there on may 24 and the road's closed. we could finally slept inside our car near there, at the very beginning of Hardin flat rd. But it was very noisy and unconfortable

Angel would not stay here again.

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Mahalipu
Joined 6 years ago

Closed!

Mahalipu gives a rating of 1Mahalipu gives a rating of 1Mahalipu gives a rating of 1Mahalipu gives a rating of 1Mahalipu gives a rating of 1
Reviewed May 26, 2018

Tried to stay there on May 21,2018 but the road access was closed because of logging and rebuilding. The paid campground was about $60, and way out of my range, plus it has lots of activity madness RV’s. Not sure when this free campsite will open again. We ended up backtracking to the Sweet Water campsite off Hwy 120 and found a nice spot for $24

Mahalipu would not stay here again.

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groh2009@gmail.com
Joined 5 years ago
Reviewed May 24, 2018

5/22/18. The road to this campsite was blocked with a barrier due to a slide.

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beatport
Anonymous User
beatport gives a rating of 5beatport gives a rating of 5beatport gives a rating of 5beatport gives a rating of 5beatport gives a rating of 5
Reviewed May 15, 2018

We stayed at eastern part of Hardin Flat Road: we left Yosemite NP through Big Oak Park Entrance and then turn left into Hardin Flat Road on the first sign we saw (near to Evergreen Road). You can find many spots in the forest along the road. Please remember, no bear locks provided! Still the best place in this proximity of Yosemite NP.

Stayed here in a Passenger Vehicle. beatport would stay here again.

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chocofiend
Joined 6 years ago
chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4
Reviewed November 20, 2017

Best free camping on the western side of Yosemite! Still a pretty long (and hilly) drive into Yosemite Valley, so I'd still recommend trying to get a paid campsite if you want to spend two or more days there.

We drove passed quite a few pullouts, but also logging equipment, as some others have mentioned. If you don't stay too close, it should be okay. We were there in early October.

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. chocofiend would stay here again.

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WanderingBuffalo
Joined 6 years ago

Great spot!

WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5
Reviewed September 30, 2017

This place was great! Had a little trouble finding in the dark but quickly found other people and eventually a spot. No amenities but you drive right past a pay campground you could easily drive to and use bathrooms. Would definitely stay here again! Beautiful views too. No Verizon cell service.

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. WanderingBuffalo would stay here again.

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WanderingBuffalo
Joined 6 years ago
WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5WanderingBuffalo gives a rating of 5
Replied October 3, 2017

Also, this is a great spot for the weekend but due to what seems like recent fire damage there is logging work on the road that starts at 4am!! on Monday. I found myself starting my day very abruptly but didn't have any issues with anyone.

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chocofiend
Joined 6 years ago
chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4chocofiend gives a rating of 4
Replied November 20, 2017

We were there around the same time, and a small bridge on the road was closed when we tried to cross it in the morning. Didn't disturb our sleep too much though, and we found our way out another way.

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quapcousteau
quapcousteau
Joined 7 years ago

No signage but chill camping.

quapcousteau gives a rating of 3quapcousteau gives a rating of 3quapcousteau gives a rating of 3quapcousteau gives a rating of 3quapcousteau gives a rating of 3
Reviewed March 31, 2017

Alright, so I stayed here for two nights and it was relaxed. I went based off of multiple sources that it was free dispersed camping. I couldn't find much official info on it though. Overall it was a nice campsite, there are no signs, you just pull off where one sees fit. Close to the road, but it's quiet and seldom used. Gas station nearby on 120, it closes early. No cell service for att. Another solid free campsite.

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. quapcousteau would stay here again.

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Irisorav
Irisorav
Joined 7 years ago
Irisorav gives a rating of 4Irisorav gives a rating of 4Irisorav gives a rating of 4Irisorav gives a rating of 4Irisorav gives a rating of 4
Reviewed August 29, 2016

We stayed next to the Hardin flat Rd. If you enter the road from West then maybe a mile or less before crossing the river there is a spacious spot on the right side of the road just next to the river.
Has enough room for multiple vehicles, not best for RVs, maybe a small one. Not so private. Enough room for tents as well (under the trees where cars don't go. So you can be sure people don't drive next to your tent.)
Quite close to the road, but not so much traffic.

Irisorav would stay here again.

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