Big Meadow (Stanislaus National Forest)

The location of Big Meadow Campground is excellent—beautiful forest setting, close to Hume Lake and great hiking trails. Our campsite was spacious and well laid out, with plenty of room to set up comfortably. However, a few issues really impacted our experience. First, the bugs were overwhelming, especially in the evening—mosquitoes and other flying insects were constant. You absolutely need stro... The location of Big Meadow Campground is excellent—beautiful forest setting, close to Hume Lake and great hiking trails. Our campsite was spacious and well laid out, with plenty of room to set up comfortably. However, a few issues really impacted our experience. First, the bugs were overwhelming, especially in the evening—mosquitoes and other flying insects were constant. You absolutely need strong repellent and protective clothing. My own handmade all-natural, organic bug-repellant bar lotion works excellent. Second, and more frustrating, our neighboring campers were extremely loud, laughing and chattering well past midnight. It went unchecked, and we didn’t see any campground staff around to enforce quiet hours. For a place that’s supposed to be peaceful, this was disappointing and made it hard to rest. Also, there is no potable water—you must bring your own. Overall, this campground has a lot of potential and the setting is beautiful, but the lack of quiet and bug control made our stay less enjoyable. Be prepared and maybe avoid weekends if you’re looking for a restful escape.

Pretty nice campground, plenty of space per spot. Decent bathrooms. Fires allowed in fire pits. Dog friendly. We were lucky enough to be fairly close to the bathrooms, some other camp spots within the same campground were pretty far away. The campground is comprised of several units of camp sites, that stretch for a few miles down this road. The meadow nearby is gorgeous. If you take the road furt... Pretty nice campground, plenty of space per spot. Decent bathrooms. Fires allowed in fire pits. Dog friendly. We were lucky enough to be fairly close to the bathrooms, some other camp spots within the same campground were pretty far away. The campground is comprised of several units of camp sites, that stretch for a few miles down this road. The meadow nearby is gorgeous. If you take the road further into the woods, it gets very curvy and elevated. Incredible views if you're willing to go down several miles of pretty wild road.