(Lake Alpine) Lodgepole Campground
October 2026
About
Overview
Lodgepole Group Campground is located just two miles west of Lake Alpine in northern California. The campground affords breathtaking views of the surrounding Stanislaus National Forest.
Campground may open earlier and close later on a first come first serve basis as weather (snow level) allows. This information will be posted on this page as soon as it becomes available.
The current dates for reservations have historically allowed for comfortable camping, but please take into consideration the high alpine location when making a reservation. It is possible to have snow, rain, mud, and overall cold/wet conditions any time of year.
Recreation
Lake Alpine provides a wide variety of recreation opportunities. Hike, bike, or ride a horse on Bear Valley, an accessible trail that winds along the lakeshore to the community of Bear Valley. It connects with the historic Emigrant Trail, the route pioneers once traveled via covered wagon to settle in California.
Interpretive programs are offered by Forest Service rangers during the summer months.
Facilities
Campsites with room for up to 6 people, 3 tents, and 2 vehicles per campsite. Picnic tables, campfire rings, toilets are available. Hot showers and laundromat available at nearby Lake Alpine Lodge. No electricity or hook-ups. Pets are welcome. Firewood, camping and fishing supplies, food, and apparel is available in the general store at Lake Alpine Lodge.
Natural Features
Lodgepole Campground is situated on a large, flat plain, not far from a creek. It sits at an elevation of 7,290 feet, within the Stanislaus National Forest in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. The forest lies between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite and boasts gorgeous views of snow-capped peaks and California's Great Central Valley.
A wide variety of wildlife makes its home in the area, including marmots, squirrels, coyotes, deer and many birds.
Nearby Attractions
A restaurant, bar, general store, and boat rentals can be found at nearby Lake Alpine Lodge. The immediate area is suited for forest and wilderness recreation. A short car ride away is Big Trees State Park, Grover Hot Springs, Mercer Caverns, Mountain Adventure Seminars, and the wine country of Calaveras County.
Amenities
Phone: 209-753-6350
Is (Lake Alpine) Lodgepole Campground fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches (Lake Alpine) Lodgepole Campground in CA for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching (Lake Alpine) Lodgepole Campground for cancellations is the paid part.