Cherry Valley Campground: Your Secluded Sierra Escape Near Groveland, CA

Cherry Valley Campground Introduce

For Californians seeking a truly immersive and off-grid escape into the heart of the Sierra Nevada, Cherry Valley Campground near Groveland offers an unparalleled experience. This isn't just a place to pitch a tent; it's a gateway to breathtaking landscapes, crystal-clear waters, and a chance to truly disconnect from the demands of modern life. Tucked away in a pristine natural environment, Cherry Valley Campground is a beloved spot for those who cherish solitude, incredible hiking, and the simple beauty of the outdoors. With its welcoming atmosphere and access to some of California's most stunning natural features, it consistently earns rave reviews from those who discover its magic. This comprehensive guide aims to provide you with all the essential details about Cherry Valley Campground, helping you plan your perfect high-Sierra adventure.

Cherry Valley Campground is located in Groveland, CA 95321, USA, situated within the Stanislaus National Forest. While the address might seem straightforward, it’s important to note that this campground is a remote gem, roughly 33 miles from the nearest town. This distance, while requiring careful preparation, is precisely what contributes to its unique appeal, offering exceptional stargazing opportunities and a genuine sense of wilderness. Access involves navigating a "beautiful and relatively easy to drive" forest road. The remoteness means "NO SERVICE" for most cell carriers (ATT, Xfinity), emphasizing the need for downloaded maps, a physical map, or, ideally, a conversation with the knowledgeable on-site host. Despite its secluded nature, the campground's location provides direct foot access to Lake Cherry and is a fantastic base for exploring nearby Lake Eleanor and the stunning Kibbie Creek area, renowned for its waterfalls and unique geology. This strategic position allows for deep dives into the surrounding wilderness, making it a perfect spot for avid hikers and nature lovers.

Cherry Valley Campground offers essential services designed to facilitate a comfortable and truly natural camping experience, emphasizing self-sufficiency and the beauty of simplicity:

Varied Campsites: The campground offers a mix of reserved sites and "first-come-first-serve spots," providing flexibility for different travel plans. Sites vary, with some offering more space and better views, including "a little bit of water through the trees."
Clean Bathrooms: The campground boasts "very clean" bathrooms that are "always thoughtfully propped open to help with smell," indicating a high standard of maintenance and care.
Water Spigot On-Site: A water spigot is available for campers, though it is highly recommended to bring a substantial personal water supply (e.g., 10-20L water cubes) due to the remote location and potential for high demand.
Firewood for Sale: Firewood is available for purchase on-site, requiring cash. This is a convenient option for those who may have forgotten their own supply.
Host Assistance and Local Knowledge: The camp host, JJ, is a "very friendly and helpful" resource, providing "great tips" on local hiking, swimming spots (including safety advice), and a detailed physical map.

Cherry Valley Campground shines through its unique features and highlights, providing an unforgettable experience for those seeking a true wilderness immersion:

Exceptional Host Hospitality: The camp host, JJ, and his dog Zeke, are repeatedly highlighted as a major asset. JJ is described as "very friendly and helpful," providing invaluable local insights on hiking and swimming, and even offering alternative, superior campsites to reserved ones. His knowledge and care significantly enhance the visitor experience.
Breathtaking Natural Beauty: The entire area is "stunning," offering unparalleled beauty with "many varieties of moss and lichen," dramatic granite outcroppings, wildflowers, and landscapes shaped by past fires, symbolizing "life finding a way." The "beautiful waterfall" and fast-moving "Kibbie Creek over solid granite" with "series of small waterfalls" are particularly stunning.
Abundant Wildlife Sightings: Campers have enjoyed "multiple bald eagle sightings" and have observed various critters thriving in the area, offering incredible opportunities for nature photography and appreciation.
Unplugged Experience: The lack of cell service is viewed as a significant "pro" for many, allowing for a complete "disconnect" from digital distractions and fostering a deeper connection with nature and travel companions. This facilitates a truly relaxing and immersive outdoor experience.
World-Class Hiking Opportunities: The campground provides direct or nearby access to exceptional trails. "A short hike down to lake Cherry (footpath from site 10)" is convenient, and the "hike down to lake Eleanor" and "hike over to Kibbie Creek" are particularly lauded, with Kibbie Creek described as potentially the "single most beautiful day of hiking I’ve ever done." The landscape scarred by fire years prior adds a dramatic and poignant element to the scenery.
Safe Swimming and Water Access: While remoteness requires caution, JJ provides crucial advice on safe swimming spots. Kibbie Creek's water is described as "great to dip our feet in," and the lack of bugs around the fast-moving water is a significant bonus.
Dark Skies for Stargazing: The significant distance from town creates exceptionally dark skies, making it a prime location for "great star-gazing." A gravel road on the dam offers a perfect vantage point for viewing the night sky.
Low Bug Presence (Seasonally): While summer months may see more bugs, visitors in late April experienced "mosquitos were barely noticeable," a pleasant surprise for a wilderness campground.

For more information, to inquire about specific site availability, or to connect with the host at Cherry Valley Campground, please use the following contact details. Remember to call during typical office hours, and be prepared for potential limited availability due to the remote nature of the campground.

Phone: (209) 962-7825

Mobile Phone: +1 209-962-7825

Address: Groveland, CA 95321, USA

Cherry Valley Campground is an ideal destination for Californians who genuinely seek a remote, unplugged, and deeply immersive outdoor experience. If you’re looking to escape the relentless pace of city life and reconnect with nature on a profound level, this campground is perfectly suited for you. Its location in the Stanislaus National Forest, though 33 miles from the nearest town, is precisely its strength, offering unparalleled stargazing, pristine hiking trails leading to stunning waterfalls like those on Kibbie Creek, and opportunities for spotting wildlife, including bald eagles. The incredible hospitality and invaluable local knowledge provided by the camp host, JJ, transform a simple camping trip into an enriched adventure, offering safety tips and secret spots that only a true local expert would know. While preparation is key—bringing ample water, downloaded maps, and appropriate footwear—the rewards are immense: clean facilities, a tranquil atmosphere with the soothing sounds of the creek, and memories of truly breathtaking landscapes. For those who value genuine wilderness, a digital detox, and a chance to experience the raw, unfiltered beauty of the Sierra Nevada, Cherry Valley Campground offers a magical escape that will leave you wanting to return, just like its many devoted visitors.

Cherry Valley Campground Photos

Cherry Valley Campground Location

Cherry Valley Campground

California Tuolumne County Groveland

Groveland, CA 95321, USA

Cherry Valley Campground Reviews

I wish I could give this place 6 stars. Just make sure you check in with site host JJ and his dog Zeke when you arrive. He’s very friendly and helpful and we got great tips from him the whole time. We booked site 10 knowing it was by the path to the lake, but when we got there JJ made sure to tell us about two first-come-first-serve spots at the top of the hill that by far surpassed the spot we’d reserved. We ended up with significantly more space, a nicer view of the campground, a little bit of water through the trees, and a bathroom just across from us. Which, I might add, was very clean and always thoughtfully propped open to help with smell.Thanks to JJs tips we caught multiple bald eagle sightings, a hike down to lake Eleanor, a short hike down to lake Cherry (footpath from site 10), and a hike over to Kibbie Creek, which might have been the single most beautiful day of hiking I’ve ever done. If we’d had time we’d have continued to Kibbie lake, but we just had too much fun exploring and relaxing at the creek. It’s a fast moving creek over solid granite so there are few to no bugs, the water was great to dip our feet in, and there is a series of small waterfalls that were stunning. Just wear the right shoes! You will thank yourself if you have good grippy trail shoes on all these hikes.Make sure to ask JJ about local hiking and swimming spots! He’s been around and knows all the good spots within a days drive. He also knows which spots are safe to swim and which aren’t, so make sure you listen!! He knows his stuff and might just save your life. He also has firewood available for sale if you forgot it, just bring cash.Main caveats: NO SERVICE. I have ATT and was completely without it. My partner has Xfinity and got away barely enough to send a text and no more. Invest in AllTrails plus (36/year and it was VERY helpful in keeping us on the trail), download maps on Google, or just bring a map. Also, just ask JJ! He has a massive map at his trailer that is very detailed. AllTrails was slightly wrong about the Lake Eleanor trailhead, so his map helped.DISTANCE: Nearest town is 33 miles away, so bring all you need. That said, the forest road there is beautiful and relatively easy to drive. Plus, the distance makes for great star-gazing. There is a gravel road on the dam where you can walk/drive out and get some sky.BRING WATER. There is a water spigot on site, but when you’re that remote, and especially if it’s busy, don’t rely on it. Get a big 10-20L water cube or two from a sporting goods store. My general rule is 1 gallon per person, per day. So 2 people, 3 days makes 6 gallons. We boiled a lot of water for tea and coffee and went through it quickly. Extra water can’t hurt. I brought a Lifestraw to drink from the creek and was happy I did.BUGS: We went in late April at the start of the season, and mosquitos were barely noticeable. I would imagine during the summer months there’d be more. it would be smart to invest in bug spray, long sleeve Sun shirts, maybe even mosquito nets for hats just in case. We kept citronella candles burning, sprayed ourselves down, and covered our ears and neck, and were just fine. There were quite a few fuzzy bumblebees flying through “on patrol” as we said at the time, because they sure did like hovering RIGHT next to our head as if staring us down 😂 totally harmless, though.BRING A CAMERA! The whole area is stunning. Never in my life have I seen so many varieties of moss and lichen. I know this is a popular summer spot because of the swimming areas, but springtime was breathtaking. Much of our Kibbie Creek hike was through dramatic landscapes scarred by fire years prior, so there are the husks of burnt trees rising out of dense oak and manzanita undergrowth, surrounded by wildflowers of all colors and dramatic granite outcroppings adorned with moss, and overlooking lake Eleanor below. If you stop and listen to the critters thriving up there, it’s a beautiful indicator of life finding a way.Thank you JJ! We had a magical anniversary trip and will be back.
May 13, 2025 · Charlotte Dean
Beautiful waterfall super good for bouldering, the ranger is great and his dog Zeke is a sweetheart
Jun 27, 2025 · Cora K
A slice of paradise!We booked this camping whilst we were still in Australia and apparently it would be only an hour away from Yosemite (we definitely did something wrong as it actually would take us around 2h with our rental van to the visitor center). Turns out our “mistake” took us to this stunning - and very well looked after - campsite ✨We ended up staying for 2 nights and spending a day at the Cherry Lake instead of heading to Yosemite straight away as our original plan.JJ is lovely and an outstanding host. We had a good chat and he sorted our booking out (we had 4 nights booked and he rearranged the following nights to another camping closer to Yosemite) - what a legend!The cherry valley campsite is so well looked after by him and his dog (he proudly says no bears would come around with his dog there).Thanks for it all, JJ! I hope we can visit you back soon :)
Sep 07, 2024 · Sílvia Borini
Beautiful remote campground. The lake is beautiful, there's a waterfall and great swimming area (take trail down from site #10). No cell reception here unless you have Verizon (spotty reception but works). No running water. You need to bring your water. Firewood is available on site. Night sky beautiful here because it's remote and away from light pollution. Definitely recommend.
Aug 03, 2023 · Waleed
Campground manager JJ (two j’s lol) helped make our stay worth the 5 stars. Beautiful secluded campground, amazing views and best view of the stars at night. JJ did a wonderful job at keeping the place clean and tidy for everyone and was very accommodating when needed. Just note the way up and down to the 120 is very intense so be careful! But otherwise perfect in our opinion. Definitely recommend!
Jul 29, 2024 · Karla C