Quaking Aspen Campground

We were lucky to get a campsite at this location. We grabbed one of the only non-reserved spots in the campground (site #29). The campgrounds are clean, in the thick of trees and relatively secluded from other campers. Our site was great, however we had to share a Bear Box with our neighbors who were in a Yurt. The Yurt prices are $88 a night and they are pretty cool. I think they have bunk beds and a double bed in each Yurt. The campground also has vault toilets and running water at the spigot. As of now, you can collect your own firewood near your site and we had enough wood to last us three nights. A great place to camp. No power hookups or dump.

No cellphone service. If you need to be "connected", we suggest going up the road to the Ponderosa cafe/store where they have wifi. The password as of today was, "nostreamingplease". Do them a favor and purchase something if you use the wifi. If you want to make a cellphone call, drive over to Dome Rock (about 2 miles down the road) and you will be amazed that you will get almost 4 bars!

We suggest the Needles Hike to the Lookout Tower (see pictures). It's about a mile down the road from the campsite (drive to the end of Needles Road). Beautiful hike and stunning views. The drive in can be sketchy, so we recommend a high clearance vehicle.

Enjoy. Relax. Discover.

Quaking Aspen is a wonderful National Forest campsite set at over 7,000 feet. We camped here in a 26 foot travel trailer and we barely fit. I would not go bigger, or you simply wont be able to get around the narrow roads in camp. Water is available near the bathrooms, but not at every individual site. Bring a jerry can.

The physical setting is absolutely beautiful, and there are so many things to see nearby, including the Trail of 100 Giants, and Dome Rock. The area was heavily damaged in the 2021 Wind fire so please expect that of the surroundings (the campground area was spared).

Make sure to stop at the Ponderosa Lodge for a drink and some food, it is excellent and only 2 miles away.

Please note, there is no gas (either gasoline or propane) so make sure you get it in either Porterville or Kernville on your way up. Also, we came in from Porterville on 190 it is an extremely windy (in some places single lane) road and I would not recommend you do it at night.

Spectacular!