Lodgepole Campground has more than 200 campsites, with accommodations for both tents and RVs. Situated at an elevation of 6,700 feet, the campground is shaded by adult pine and fir trees -- the nearest sequoia grove is about two miles away -- along the scenic Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. Each campsite includes a picnic table, campfire ring and bear-proof food storage locker. Depending on your preference, you can choose between walk-in tent sites, drive-in tent sites, RV sites and standard campsites, which are open to both tents and RVs.
All of the campsites at Lodgepole Campground are non-electric, and no hook-ups of any kind are available. The campground has potable drinking water and modern restrooms with flush toilets. Lodgepole Village, located about 1/4-mile from the campground, has groceries, camping supplies, pay phones, a gift shop and post office. You can also find laundry facilities, coin-operated showers and an RV dumping station at the village.
Sequoia National Forest is so vast that it's impossible to explore it all in a single visit, but Lodgepole Campground can serve as an ideal base camp while you venture out into the surrounding forest. The area around the campground has 40 miles of hiking trails, including the fairly easy Tokopah Falls Trail, which follows the course of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River and leads to a 1,200-foot waterfall. With a current California fishing license, you can also fish for trout in the river. Giant Forest Grove, which has some of the largest sequoias in the park, is about two miles from the campground, and you can also visit Moro Rock, an enormous granite dome that is accessible by trail and offers panoramic views of the western half of the national forest.
Campsites can fill up quickly at Lodgepole, especially during the summer months, but you can reserve a site by phone or through Reserve America. Lodgepole Campground is open from early May through the end of November, but exact dates vary from year to year. Running water is generally shut off in the campground in mid-October, then turned on again in mid-May.
