National Park Service · Kings Canyon National Park · CA

Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group Sites

5Heads up3 park alerts · 2 fires, nearest 5 mi
Wildfire
Land fire · 5.2 mi away · 20 acres · updated Oct 11, 2026
Wildfire
Wildfire Training fire · 25 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 15, 2026
Information
Weekday Traffic Delays on Generals Highway North of Giant Forest Due to removal of hazard trees along Generals Highway between Highway 180 and Giant Forest, there are traffic delays on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vehicles may experience delays of up to 30 minutes total. There will not be delays on…
Information
Fire Restrictions in Place Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect. Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited at all low-elevation campgrounds and picnic areas. Additional restrictions apply. Click "more" for details.
Information
Mineral King Road Construction Traffic Delays and Closures There are temporary daytime closures and traffic delays on Mineral King Road. A schedule of daily closures and delays can be found on our Road Construction webpage. Click "more" to go there.
Alerts: National Park Service alerts API · Oct 17, 2026
ReservableOut of season, no booking; January 20 opens May 20.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Sites
14All of them booked ahead
18 ftLongest rig
6,620 ftElevation
1,749 ftWater · an unnamed stream
6.7 miE of Squaw Valley, CA
45%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices

In the agency’s own words

Crystal Springs campground is centrally located in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in central California's rugged Sierra Nevada range. This mid-sized group campground is at an elevation of 6,500 feet. In addition to the 14 mid-sized group sites, there are 35 standard size campsite available for reservation on the Crystal Springs Campground page. Keep reading

Recreation

There are numerous recreation opportunities in the immediate area. From your campsite, you can hike to a Sequoia Grove that includes the General Grant Tree, the Nation's Christmas Tree and only living memorial to our military veterans. Hike to the beautiful Ella Falls, a 50 foot waterfall or to Panoramic Point for a breathtaking view of the high Sierras.

Facilities

Mid-size group sites are for tents only with paved and graveled parking areas. The 14 mid-sized group sites include 3 picnic tables, a fire ring, and 2 bear boxes. Flush toilets and potable water are available at the campground. Each mid-sized group site can accommodate 7-15 people. There are also 35 individual sites available for reservation through the Crystal Springs Campground page. The campground is located near Grant Grove Village, where you will find the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, a restaurant, gift store, Post Office and market. Nightly campfire programs are offered at the nearby amphitheater.

Natural Features

Crystal Springs campground is located in a mixed conifer forest of sugar pines, incense cedar, fir and sequoia trees. Summer days can be warm and dry with cool nights. Wildlife is abundant and includes black bear, mule deer, gray squirrel, golden-mantled ground squirrel, and a variety of resident birds, among many others. The dynamic landscape of the park evolves from geologic processes working over millennia to sculpt granite, marble and other forms of rock. Here in the parks are canyons carved by rivers and glaciers, towering rugged peaks and miles of underground caverns. Found throughout the park are thousands of lakes and ponds and miles of rivers and streams. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (559) 565-4357.

Nearby Attractions

Crystal Springs campground is within an hour's drive from the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, home of the biggest tree in the world, the General Sherman, and the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. Fishing is 30 minutes away at Hume Lake in Sequoia National Forest. The national forest also includes Converse Basin and Chicago Stump, where you can learn the history of logging in the area. The Crystal Caves are about a one and a half hour drive (39 miles/63 km) from the campground. Reserve tour tickets in advance on Recreation.gov.

Charges & Cancellations

Payment in full will be charged to your credit card upon completion of the reservation. A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Additional fees will apply for late cancellations. For group campsites: All modifications must be made at least 14 days prior to scheduled arrival date to avoid additional fees. For group campsites: All cancellations made within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date are considered late cancellations and will incur the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. If your campsite remains vacant for 24 hours after your arrival date it will be cancelled and made available on rec.gov. You will be charged for the first night's campsite fee and a $10 cancellation fee, all other fees after that will be refunded. Recreation.gov policies apply to all reservations, cancellations, refunds and date changes. Call (559) 565-4357 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.

What the agency tells you

Rule

If your campsite remains vacant for 24 hours after your arrival date it will be cancelled and made available on rec.gov. You will be charged for the first night's campsite fee and a $10 cancellation fee, all other fees after that will be refunded. Recreation.gov policies apply to all reservations, cancellations, refunds and date changes.  Call (559) 565-4357 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled. Upon making a campground reservation: Site occupants agree to follow ALL campground rules. Failure to comply may result in a fine. You are responsible for your guests.

Rule

Campground Rules and Regulations:   • Food Storage- You are in an ACTIVE BEAR AREA. Black Bears are active day and night. When not in arms reach, you must properly store all food, drinks, scented items, coolers, and equipment used to prepare food, inside provided food storage lockers. These items must be stored day and night. Food storage locker dimensions are 28" high x 33" deep x 47" wide.   •Site Occupancy Limit- Maximum of 15 people and 4 vehicles per site if they all fit on the parking pad (some sites will not) in letters A-N. No RV’s or trailers. Reservations can be made in advance to accommodate a larger group size in another campground.   • Check-In and Check-Out is at 12 NOON- Please be prepared to show a screen shot (limited cell service) or printout of your reservation confirmation email upon arrival to the campground. Campsites need to be vacated (vehicles and occupants) by 12:00 NOON.   • Parking Pad- Vehicles must be parked with all four wheels on pavement. Vehicles that do not fit on the provided parking pad must be parked in overflow parking areas.   • Quiet Hours 10pm to 6am- Music, talking, and generators should not be audible beyond your immediate campsite. Unreasonable noise is prohibited any time of day.    • Generator Hours- 9am to 9pm.   • Fire Restrictions- Check current fire restrictions at nps.gov/seki.  Fires must be attended.  DO NOT build additional fire rings. Glass, aluminum, and food are prohibited in fire rings. Firewood is sold locally. Dead and down wood may be gathered for your campfire. Logs must fit within the fire ring. Chainsaws are not allowed. Fires must be extinguished completely with water and be cool to the touch before leaving your campsite or going to bed.   • Tents- Pitch tents only on tent pads or within campsite boundaries.    • Dogs/Pets- must always be kept crated, caged, or on a leash no longer than six feet. Pets are allowed in campgrounds and picnic areas. Pets may not be left unattended. Pets are not allowed beyond 100 feet of public roads or parking areas. Pets are not allowed on any Park trails.   • Preserve Natural Resources- Injuring plants or trees by cutting, breaking, or attaching nails or other hardware is prohibited. Driving off pavement is prohibited.   • Bicycles- Helmets required if under 18 years of age. Bicycles are not allowed on any park trails.    • Trash Disposal- Please keep your campsite clean. Place all litter/trash in bear proof campground trash dumpsters. To prevent bears from getting trash please DO NOT forget to lock or relatch the dumpster. Do not leave cigarette butts, bottle caps, confetti or litter on the ground.   • Water Disposal- Do not dump grey-water on the ground or at the water spigots. Bring a tub to wash dishes or to collect shower water. All grey-water must be disposed of at the restrooms, dish sinks, or at a RV dump-station. Used water must not be allowed to run onto the ground.   • Propane Tank Disposal- DO NOT leave in the park. We are unable to recycle your used propane tanks. Please take them home with you and dispose of them properly.

Rule

Tire Chains may be required at any time. Be prepared at any time of year for a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. Check Road Conditions at nps.gov/seki.    Vehicles longer than 22 feet (including trailers) are not advised between Potwisha Campground and the Giant Forest Museum. Visitors with vehicles over 22 feet in total length hoping to visit the Giant Forest or camp at Lodgepole and Dorst Creek Campgrounds are advised to enter via the northern, Highway 180, entrance to these parks.   Dangerous Rivers!  Many drowning victims were playing near rivers. Rivers present a far greater danger than lakes or pools. Surfaces may look calm, but strong currents often run below. Be cautious walking near rivers as rocks can be slippery. Getting out of a cold, swift river is often impossible.    Falling Objects- Don't linger under dead, cracked, or broken branches. Run if you hear cracks or snapping from tree roots, trunks, or branches (know that sometimes there is no sound, and very little time to react). Report falling branches or trees to a ranger.   A California state fishing license is required to fish in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and Sequoia National Forest lakes and streams. Fishing licenses may be available at National Park and National Forest markets.

Tents and rigs

Sites
14 · 14 tent-only, 14 group
Hookups
None
Longest rig
18 ft
Paved pads
11 of 14
Accessible sites
1
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Flush Toilets - seasonal
Drinking water
Yes
Bear boxes
Yes
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Waterfall, Lake, River, Creek
Horseback riding
Hotel/Lodge/Resort Privately Owned
Ranger programs
Night sky · 829th darkest of 1,201 in CA
Bortle 4
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. On January 20, 2027 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through May 20, 2027.recreation.govAdd to calendar (.ics)
Sites, a night, from$50From the rate schedule matched to 14 of its 14 sites. National Park Service publishes no campground-level rate we can read.derived by CAMPANAC
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

We’ll write once, when the season that starts Thu, May 20 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 19

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service
Sites, a night, from$50
Derived by CAMPANAC from the rate schedule matched to 14 of its 14 sites. National Park Service publishes no campground-level rate for this campground that we can read, only per-site rate templates its own record matches to each site’s own type.
Group area, a night$50
These are next season’s rates, May 20, 2027 to Sep 8, 2027. The campground is between seasons now.
ENTRANCE FEES APPLY : Check Entrance Fees & Passes - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S.
National Park Service) for details.
CAMPING FEES : Group sites are $50.00 per night flat rate. 50% Senior Pass & Access Pass discount rates DO NOT APPLY for mid-sized group sites.
If your campsite remains vacant for 24 hours after your arrival date it will be cancelled and made available on rec.gov.
You will be charged for the first night's campsite fee and a $10 cancellation fee, all other fees after that will be refunded.
Recreation.gov policies apply to all reservations, cancellations, refunds and date changes.
Call (559) 565-4357 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s nothing to add the $8 booking fee to. We won’t total a receipt with a number missing from it.
If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

“A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Additional fees will apply for late cancellations. - For group campsites: All modifications must be made at least 14 days prior to scheduled arrival date to avoid additional fees. - For group campsites: All cancellations made within 14 days of…” · this campground’s own terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

14 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 14 mapped sites
60 ftbetween you and the next site, typically
Least roomF 40 ftG 40 ftA 43 ft

All 14 sites

14 of 14 sites located
Group14
Aerial · Esri World Imagery
SleepsUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 14 of the 14 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.

Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesAgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft43 ft2,204 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesBgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft43 ft2,167 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesCgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft86 ft2,171 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesDgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft72 ft2,085 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesEgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft72 ft2,085 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesFgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ftyes40 ft1,851 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesGgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft40 ft1,883 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesHgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft60 ft1,636 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesIgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft60 ft1,627 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesJgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft107 ft1,520 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesKgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft89 ft1,592 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesLgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft43 ft1,654 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesMgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft43 ft1,653 ft$50
Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group SitesNgroup tent only area nonelectric18 ft149 ft2,073 ft$50

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Tonight52°Clear
Saturday65°Sunny
Saturday Night49°Clear
Sunday63°Sunny

NWS forecast for Wilsonia, CA

Typical weather

Typical October night 39°F, day 63°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical February night 25°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: GRANT GROVE, CA (USC00043551), 0.5 miles away and 40 ft lower

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless
Kings River52,999 acres · 8 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Who answers for this land

Tom McClintock, official portrait

Crystal Springs Campground Mid-Sized Group Sites is in California’s 5th congressional district. Its representative, Tom McClintock (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: National Park Service publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: Wilsonia, CA, 0.4 mi NNW (a census designated place). Straight line.