Kings Canyon/Sheep Creek

Brianna

I feel it's my duty to warn others like me looking for a weekend getaway to King's Canyon that this is probably not the camping experience you're looking for. I visit national parks frequently for hiking and lowkey car camping, and was expecting the same here. This was my first truly bad experience with an NPS campground. The entire campground was on party mode from 9am until at least 2 am. There was music in all directions, campsites packed with cars and visitors. We were woken up many times each night after 11pm--and I sleep with earplugs. I understand the car alarms throughout the night were to scare off bears(?) although it was hard to tell as one instance our neighbors were just pulling a prank to scare their friend. Someone started sawing wood with an electric saw around 11:30pm and kept at it for almost 30 minutes without the ranger coming by to enforce quiet hours. Another campsite next to us had about a dozen people drinking and listening to music past 2am, walking through our campsite with flashlights, shining them into our tent, joking and talking loudly....rather than exit to the road via their site, it seemed? On Sunday morning, one of the two women's restroom stalls was closed after someone vomited on the floor. This was clearly a different sort of camping crowd--and definitely not a good match for my crew that was expecting to sleep before midnight and hike super early to beat the heat of the day, and spend time vibing with nature. The crowd here had zero respect for the campground or other campers. And a last word of caution--the heat WAS almost unbearable during the afternoon--my thermometer registered 100 in the shade. However, the river has so many great spots to hang, swim, and cool down, and the store at the hotel sells bags of ice and refreshments. I couldn't tell if Moraine or Sentinel were calmer spots--but I would NOT return to Sheep's Creek unless I were to stay in the sites along the South Fork river that are sort of tucked away. It seems that many campers use Cedar Grove as a launching point for pack-in camping, which would be a great way to get into nature. However, in lieu of backpacking, I think that next time I'd stay in Grant Grove and only drive down into the canyon for a hike and a swim. I hope this helps someone plan a perfect trip to King's Canyon. Don't forget your swimsuit!

Bradley Berthold

I went here in July. Honestly, if you are visiting the national forest I suggest going to the south side of the parks instead of staying at this campground. In July it gets hot hot hot here, and all of the major attractions are in the southern end of the parks which will be a two hour drive around curves and hills. There is plenty of shade in this campground but you can't really hang out in the campground during the day, it is just too hot. So you will find yourself driving to the lodge or to the river to chill. The lodge is only .25 miles away so you can get ice or food, you won't be entirely away from civilization lol. There was no mosquitos just some small flies that could get annoying once in a while. The bear boxes get old real quick with constantly taking things out and putting them back in . Expect to be woken up any time a bear shows up because people honk their car alarms to scare the bear way instead of just leaving the bear alone (if it's not digging through your food just leave it alone imo). We had bears every night in the campground (people honking every night) but I only saw one Some people were putting food wrapper trash in the bathroom so the bears were getting in their. Just like any campground, they people are the worst problem We were allowed to have a campfire and we could use any fallen wood of which there was plenty around, you don't need to buy firewood . I suggest bringing a small axe to chop up the fallen trees for your self. Do NOT leave your fire unattended. My neighbors did that 🙄 and got a ticket for it I did see one bear, they really aren't a big deal to be worried about as long as you follow the rules. The restrooms are flush toilets but a few of them were closed off so I had to walk a bit to get to them from where my site was . The rangers are very friendly If you have a very large tent expect the ground to be on a tilt so you might want to bring a way to level your airbed, etc Each spot has a bear box, a parking spot, area for the tent, and a fire pit with a grill on it. The campsites are very clear of brush or foliage, they mainly are all dry pine needles. Expect though to get very dusty shoes. There were NO showers available at all. Not even pay ones at the lodge, they told me the showers had been closed for the last two years, I wonder why they even have the signs anymore! If you try to use any soap at your campsite make sure to capture it, grey water is not allowed to touch the ground. The restrooms have a sink station where you can dispose of grey water, wash dishes, and brush teeth, etc.

Lisa Ha

We stay at site #16 and it is a big site that can fit 6 people with 3 tents easily. There is a small creek that runs along the side of the campground that provides nice white noise. The bathroom is very close across the road, behind site #15 maybe 40-50 ft. There are 2 bathroom stalls in the women's restroom with a sink. There are 2 bathroom stalls, a urinal and a sink in the men's bathroom. Outside of the restroom has a sink that you can use to wash dishes, pour water that you used from your site, etc. ~ 50 ft east of the bathroom is the trash, recycle, and a water spigot. ~ 50 ft northeast of the bathroom is another water spigot just northeast of the bathroom. I walked to the south fork of King's River that is behind site #12 & #11. It is a nice view of the river, and to hang out. Someone mentioned that they fished in the river but I did not bother to try this time since the water did not seem calm enough. I do not fish so I did not think fish would be active here, but I should've tried anyway. Be careful and stay close to shore if you get in the water because it is not a slow flowing river and may be slippery. It seems like the best camp sites are all in the back row closest to the King's River because you get more shade so it is cooler. When I walked around the campground, I noticed that the front half did not have much shade and was definitely more hot with sites that seemed more sloped. It is a nice short walk on the bike path to Sentinel Campground.

dick lenahan

Us 4 guys every May(opening) & October (closing) would stay the weeks…. Best times to go, very few people….. we did that for years and years….

Alberto Marmolejo

The area is really great. A little rugged, but really scenic.. You have a beautiful creek nearby. A lot of bears though.