Glory Hole Recreation Area

We dry camped in the Big Oak Campground of Glory Hole Recreation Area while visiting nearby Columbia State Historic Park (a gold rush town), Calaveras Big Tree State Park and Ironstone Vineyards in late March 2014. We also shopped and dined at nearby Murphys, an adorable nearby town.

The views of the lake and rolling green hills couldn't be beat, even though the water in the lake is considerably lower than normal. There was no ready access to the water walking from the campground. We enjoyed the variety of birds in the park, and our kids got a kick out of the visits from the wild turkeys.

Though you can reserve campsites online, we didn't have a reservation but a very helpful staff person assisted us in finding a site for the four nights we wanted.

When we arrived on a Wednesday, the campground was quiet but by the weekend it was nearly full. The campsites are fairly well-spaced; each has a fire ring and picnic table. Because the RV parking area is quite narrow and on a slope, it was tricky to park our 30-foot travel trailer (in fact, it was the most difficult we've experienced in 10 months of full-time travel).

Though I didn't note the number of cellular bars we had, we had no problems with our AT&T or Verizon devices.

After leaving Yosemite we were looking for a campground out of the trees with a Verizon signal and found this recreation area. Sites are asphalt and most are large and well spaced, although many are very sloped. Luckily there was hardly anyone there so we didn't have any problem finding a level site with a view of the lake. Unfortunately with the drought there isn't much water left in the lake, which is probably why there were not a lot of people there.

There are no hookups but plenty of water faucets scattered around the campground, bathrooms are very nice with flush toilets and showers that cost 50 cents for 5 minutes. There is access from the campgrounds to about 10 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking. It is located just a few miles from Angels Camp, one of the old gold mining towns along Hwy 49, and an easy drive to other Gold Country towns and museums in the area.

We had an excellent 4G Verizon connection, just a few quiet neighbors, and saw lots of birds and wild turkeys. The rate is $22 but with the senior pass we paid $11. We really enjoyed relaxing there for a few days.

We were looking for a quiet place to stay after spending a couple weeks at crowded summer campgrounds. We found it at Glory Hole Recreation Area.

The lake is very low so there is no access to the lake from the campsites (unless you want to climb up and down the hill with very pokey grasses and snakes!) although there is a nice view. We felt it was easy to get level here and most campsites in our loop looked pretty level. There were just a few other people in the entire campground during our stay.

The ranger was present all days and said hi to us when we arrived. The gates are locked at night at 11pm with no reentry. There is recycling and water taps all over the campground that we used to fill up our tank. The dump was closed but signs stated you could get a voucher from the camp host to dump at another campground just down the road.

Although this was just a stop over for us from Yosemite to the coast, the area has a surprising number of things to do and we found it to be a nice surprise. The town of Angels Camp is small and quaint. Murphys about 15 miles away has 22 tasting rooms in town, cupcakes and ice cream shops! Columbia State Historic area is about 20 minutes away and is a living historical town from the gold rush days. It's free and worth a stop. I also read up on the Natural Bridges hike which goes through a cave but we didn't make it there.

Reliable unboosted Verizon LTE.

Big Oak Campground is one of two campgrounds at Glory Hole Recreation Area near Angels Camp. We wanted to check out the area and it made a perfect base camp. The campsites are laid out in a set of loops on the hillside above the lake with generous size sites and pads, many with lake views. The lake is nearly full with all that Sierra snow melt yet to come. The grass is green and lush, the oak trees are leafing and beautiful. Lots of fishermen on the weekends but fairly quiet during the week. The park ranger and campground host are regularly seen and the Sheriff makes regular runs through the campground. It feels very safe. The price we paid reflects our Golden Age Pass discount. Verizon cell service was steady and fast.

Several caveats for spring 2017. First, the Glory Hole Rec area sewer system was damaged in a winter storm. There is water available but the restrooms/showers are closed. Several portable toilets are in place. There are showers available down the road at the Tuttletown Rec Area.

Second, although it's an easy day drive to Yosemite NP via highway 120 you can't get into the valley at this time due to the washout on Big Oak Flat road. It's closed at Crane Flat and CalTran is not yet offering a projected reopening date.

Third, only a small portion of the Calaveras Big Trees State Park is accessible. The storm that took out the famous tunnel tree also destroyed most of the trails in the North Grove. The road to the South Grove and Stanislaus River is not yet open for the season.

We did a mid-week, shoulder season one night stopover and it worked out really well. The site we chose was fairly level with a minimal of leveling required. Check it was very easy. The ranger at the gate filled out the envelop for us, less the site number. He radioed ahead and the host came right by and greeted us. We decided to unhitch so we cold go back into Angels Camp to do some exploring. We stopped on a Thursday and there a number of first-come, first-serve sites to pick from. But many of the sites had reserved signs on for Friday night and the weekend. With the lake, you can tell things were going to become less quiet over the weekend. We were unable to check out the restrooms since they were closed for the season. We didn't do any hikes since we were there just one night and it was hot (at least by our standards - 93 degrees). Overall and nice stop. The price reflects Golden Access Passport discount.

Other reviewers did a good job of describing the campground.

We stayed here the Satuday after Thanksgiving and had many sites to select from. Restrooms were still closed but porta potties were available. Very friendly camp hosts with ranger and police drive throughs.

We will return with the kayaks and mountain bikes.

Husband and I have stayed here numerous times with a Sunday/Monday stay during winter months. Each time the campground was almost empty. Check-in is easy and camp host, Justin, is extremely friendly and helpful. Sites are mainly level and very clean. Besides boating, there are wonderful miles of trails to explore either on foot or bike. The campground is far enough away from towns, but close enough to Angels Camp or Arnold if one wishes to explore those historic towns. There are hiking trails around Arnold worth exploring too. It's always fun sitting at campsite watching the boaters heading back in the evening from their day's adventures.

Aside from the fact that this is quiet campground on a scenic lake, the big thing to know is that they currently have NO water. An ongoing issue with the water system means no potable water, no flush toilets, and no showers. Would have been a nice thing to know before we showed up with an empty water tank.

Aside from that small issue, we enjoyed a peaceful stay here in our grassy site with a lake view. We biked the trails, kayaked the lake, and gazed out over the water from our hammock.

We stayed 2 nights at the end of September in the Iron Horse campground. This time of year there are only a handful of boaters on the lake and in the campgrounds at night. I'd guess it was 75% empty and the Big Oak campground almost completely empty.

The back in sites are asphalt, flat, and deep (50-60 ft) with plenty of elbow room between sites. There are a few pull-through sites also. No hookups, but plenty of sun to charge batteries if you have solar. Little or no shade in any sites.

Justin the camp host was very friendly and even offered free firewood. Great time of year to stay there as the weather was in the low 80s. No bugs and very quiet.

Very nice campground on the lake. The boat ramp is just around the corner and the historic gold towns of Angels Camp and Sonora are about 15 minutes away. Sites are paved back in's of various length. Our 40' 5th and TV pretty much filled one of the largest sites.

As mentioned earlier, still no water so the restrooms and showers are closed.