Kelty Meadow Campground - Office — Hotel in Oakhurst

I'm teetering between a 2 star review or a 3 star review here. On the one hand, this campground is beautiful, private, and gives you that right amount of seclusion that you need. There's a creek and waterfall in the campground itself. They have drinkable water here as well near the restrooms. They also have dumpsters throughout the campground, so it's convenient to throw your garbage away at the end of the night. The campsites have enough spaces for 2 cars, and the restrooms here are pretty clean for what it is. They're private, peaceful, quiet, and very spacious. All of them have fire pits and a picnic table. Add to that, it's located only 1.5 miles from the entrance of Yosemite, do the Mariposa Groves are only 3 miles away. ||||The problem we ran into, as you can read from the various other reviews, was the camp host. She is exactly as everyone described: unfriendly, unhelpful, strict, and straight up crazy. Think: Eva Braun. Or better yet, the female version of Hitler. She has the hearing of a bat and can hear everything you say. No joke. Her sonar ears can hear whispering from a mile away. We could tell straight away that she was gonna be a buzz kill. Literally a buzz kill. We were somewhat buzzed on the first evening of our arrival (alcohol is allowed here, though her demeanor would give you the impression that it isn't) when she made her rounds and finally landed her broom on our campsite. We were not being belligerent or anything and were just playing "Catchphrase," which did get us all excited and made us laugh a lot. We were told we were too loud even though quiet time wasn't until 10 PM and it was only 9:15 PM at that time. We were also told there were too many of us as 6 is the maximum amount of people on the site and no visitors were allowed, so our 7th friend was told to leave. There was an instant sobering effect amongst all of us. Whatever alcohol we consumed just evaporated from our pores and into thin air. Yes, just like that. Apparently the sound of laughter and people having fun is an unwritten rule that is strictly prohibited on this campground. ||||We immediately went to bed after dropping our friend off at the general store. The camp host went even so far as to point her flashlight into the car to make sure our friend was gone. The security guy physically came to our campsite after lights out and informed us that we were allowed to drink still but we just had to be quiet. Yeah, thanks for that, buddy. We're already all sober and not in the mood. ||||Imagine being anxious every time you passed the camp host on the way in and out. Imagine wanting to run away anytime you're talking to a group of more than 6 people and see the camp host approaching. Imagine whispering amongst each other because Big Brother can hear your every word and sneeze. That was us all Labor Day weekend. Lights out,...

Cons:||- Do NOT Google driving directions, it will take you to the campsite office which is nowhere near the actual camp grounds...make sure you have the GPS coordinates. Pro tip, download the map to your phone...once up there, there's is zero cell reception||- The roads are pretty twisty, you have to get off the main road onto a dirt road which isn't the best. Seems a lot of ppl complain about it, yes, it's bad but I did it with my Prius V without issues. There were ppl with motor homes and campers at the site as well. ||- Get ready for tons of dust...yeah it's camping, expect your feet/shoes to be brown the whole time||- I assume you already know about the vaulted toilets and no running water...there's a creek so technically there's running water :)||- Mosquitos...got 2-3 bites, not terrible, been through worse||- There's a dumpers near the camp entrance and trash bins located between camp sites. The trash bins are pretty small and can take 3-4 trash bags. They empty them out twice a day but will fill up fast.||- Finding your site - there's a map at the entrance numbered 1-12 which do NOT coincide with reservation numbers "FS2-30". It says "Look for your name at the campsite". There's a 3ft post with a clip and a piece of paper approximately the size of a post-it with your last name and reservation days. You'll more or less have to do a lap and look for these signs to find your site. If you arrive late at night...well good luck.||||Pros:||- Huge camp sites that are well spaced out. There were 4 or 5 other groups...we almost never heard or saw them. ||- Picnic tables, fire pits, and some had BBQ pits. ||- Tons of dead or try wood for fire...having said that pine burns pretty fast but great for roasting marshmallows||- Kids loved it. 3 families total, 5 kids ages ranging 5-7 (2 boys 3 girls)||- Couple of hiking trails, not much to see other than cows and cow poop||- Mostly shaded...we went in the middle of July, it was in the low 90s which was cool for that time of the year but since since we're under the trees it was very comfortable. It does get chilly at night...bring a good sleeping bag or 3-season tent.||- The creek is pretty accessible, there are areas dam'ed up by fallen trees which create a little pool. Great place to fill up shower bags. ||- It's about 30 mins to Bass Lake and close to Yosemite||||Spent two nights there and the kids had a great time, having spacious and shaded camp sites is a major plus. This was my first time camping without running water or flushing toilets so that was a little rough. I'll likely never do that again, at least not with the wife and kids. If you're prepared and know what you're getting into...

We stayed as a couple, RV camping, in campsite #1 at Kelty Meadows. There was no campground host present during our one-night stay in June, 2016. Three other parties were in the campground that evening, but it felt like we were the only ones for miles -- and we loved that about Kelty Meadows.||||The space itself is absolutely beautiful. The meadows are green and full of wildflowers, the "Fresno Dome" overlooks one of them (cool rock feature), and a creek runs through the area. The campsites are enormous (probably why the cost can get so high here). We had a great campfire and enjoyed the night, eating and drinking in the serenity that only a campground so remote can provide. The other parties were quiet -- or if they were making noise, they were far enough away that we couldn't hear them. We could barely see the glow of the other campfires.||||The reason we cannot give a five-star rating is because of the vault toilets -- they were quite dirty and smelly -- and because of the lack of running water. We were able to get the water we needed for drinking and teeth brushing/face washing because we had our hiking water filter...but other than that, we thought Kelty Meadows was wonderful. You just need to be prepared for what you're getting into! This place if perfect for people who like to be far away from the crowds. This is particularly refreshing if you're visiting Yosemite, because you will likely be contending with crowds for most of the day, so it's nice to be alone with the peace and quiet in the evening. You also cannot expect the amenities of a national park campground here...no running water or flush toilets or showers, so pack...