Potwisha Campground
5Heads up3 park alerts · 2 fires, nearest 14 mi
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- OpenThe agency lists it open
- A night
- $32From, per site
- Sites
- 4037 on recreation.gov
- Season
- Year-roundOpen year-round
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices
In the agency’s own words
Potwisha Campground, located along the Generals Highway in Sequoia National Park, offers convenience for visiting the many attractions in the park. The campground is situated along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, just four miles from the park entrance, in the Sierra Foothills. For more information and trip planning please see our website at www.nps.gov/seki . Keep reading
Recreation
There are numerous opportunities for fishing and hiking near the campground. The Marble Falls trailhead is situated adjacent to the campground and several other trails are a short drive away. Access to the Kaweah River is just a short walk across the street from the campground.
Facilities
Potwisha Campground is open year-round to tents, RVs, and trailers. Reservations are required for all sites year-round. Site #39 and site #40 are suitable for wheelchairs. Picnic tables, fire rings and food storage lockers are provided at each site. Flush toilets, drinking water and an amphitheater are available within the campground. A free dump station, open year-round, is located across the highway from the campground.
Natural Features
The Foothills consist of the lower elevations of Sequoia National Park, where the grassy valley floor gives way to granite peaks. Oaks, chaparral, and river canyons are plentiful here in an area with more biological diversity than the conifer forests and High Sierra combined. Winters are relatively snow-free and mild; summer is characterized by hot and dry weather. Wildlife is frequently seen in the area, including the American Black Bear, mule deer, and bobcats, as well as numerous bird species. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (559) 565-3714.
Nearby Attractions
Potwisha Campground is located within a 45 minute drive from the Giant Forest, home to the largest trees on Earth. Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow and the Congress Trail are also located in the Giant Forest area, as well as numerous other opportunities for exploration in Sequoia National Park. The Crystal Caves are about an hour's drive (18 miles/29 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. All cancellations made between midnight on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival are considered late cancellations and will incur a $10.00 cancellation fee and will also forfeit the first night’s use fee. Cancellations for a single night’s reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply.
What the agency tells you
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. 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.
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. • 6 Person Limit- There is a maximum of 6 people per campsite. If you exceed this number, purchase 2 sites and spread your group and equipment out evenly between campsites. This is to preserve the natural resources and minimize noise levels. Reservations can be made in advance to accommodate a larger group size at a group 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- Fire Restrictions may be in effect during the summer! Check current fire restrictions at Fire Restrictions - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service). • 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.
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
- 40 · 3 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 49 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- 2
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Not allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Bear boxes
- Yes
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Meadow
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Visitor center
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 795th darkest of 1,201 in CA
- Bortle 3
Full this Saturdayread 16:53 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 37 sites on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday. 22 are free on Wed, Oct 21. read 16:53 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 18
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $32 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Additional fees will apply for late cancellations. - All cancellations made between midnight on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival are considered late cancellations and will incur a $10.00 cancellation fee and w…” · 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
recreation.gov availability, read 16:53 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
40 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 37 mapped sitesAll 40 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 37 of the 40 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| POTWISHA | 01 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 95 ft | 562 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 02 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 55 ft | 617 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 03 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 687 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 04 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 49 ft | 645 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 05 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 81 ft | 731 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 06 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 60 ft | 721 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 07 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 60 ft | 781 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 08 | type not stated | 24 ft | 757 ft | |||
| POTWISHA | 09 | tent only nonelectric | 39 ft | 94 ft | 787 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 10 | tent only nonelectric | 21 ft | 36 ft | 716 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 11 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 36 ft | 704 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 12 | standard nonelectric | 21 ft | 91 ft | 608 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 13 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 57 ft | 462 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 14 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 92 ft | 375 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 15 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 69 ft | 321 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 16 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 82 ft | 214 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 17 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 72 ft | 273 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 18 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 72 ft | 202 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 19 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 56 ft | 252 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 20 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 56 ft | 199 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 21 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 73 ft | 279 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 22 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 73 ft | 217 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 23 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 65 ft | 290 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 24 | tent only nonelectric | 13 ft | 65 ft | 340 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 25 | standard nonelectric | 39 ft | 78 ft | 390 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 26 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 57 ft | 617 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 27 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 57 ft | 644 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 28 | standard nonelectric | 39 ft | 56 ft | 604 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 29 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 56 ft | 553 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 30 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | 47 ft | 535 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 31 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 47 ft | 579 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 32 | standard nonelectric | 37 ft | 44 ft | 520 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 33 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 44 ft | 564 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 34 | type not stated | 34 ft | 507 ft | |||
| POTWISHA | 35 | standard nonelectric | 16 ft | 82 ft | 535 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 36 | type not stated | 31 ft | 406 ft | |||
| POTWISHA | 37 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 69 ft | 380 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 38 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 57 ft | 449 ft | $32 | |
| POTWISHA | 39 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | yes | 67 ft | 476 ft | $32 |
| POTWISHA | 40 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 56 ft | 497 ft | $32 |
25 of 40 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Buckeye Flat CampgroundSequoia National Park · 2.1 mi
Wolverton Stock CampsitesSequoia National Park · 5.8 miAuxiliary DamSequoia National Park · 6.6 miChamise Flat Dispersed CampgroundSequoia National Park · 6.6 miOld Goldledge CampgroundSequoia National Park · 6.6 miSouth Fork RecSequoia National Park · 6.6 miPotwisha Campground is easily accessed from Visalia, California, and Highway 99.
Follow Highway 198 east from Visalia for 36 miles, until you reach the Ash Mountain Entrance Station. The campground is located 4 miles beyond the entrance station on the left, or north, side of the road. Please visit our website for more specific driving directions, as well as area maps.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Three Rivers, CA
Typical weather
Typical October night 53°F, day 79°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 38°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
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.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
Potwisha Campground is in California’s 20th congressional district. Its representative, Vince Fong (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 4
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The office that runs itKings Canyon National ParkNational Park Service unit
- The member who votes the moneyVince FongU.S. Representative · California’s 20th district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAdam B. SchiffU.S. Senator · California
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAlex PadillaU.S. Senator · California
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.
Subject Hold back a share of sites at Potwisha Campground for campers who drive up
To the National Park Service, Sequoia National Park: I tried to camp at Potwisha Campground in California and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 37 of the 40 campsites the agency files at Potwisha Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 37 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Potwisha Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at Potwisha Campground as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked. Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one. Sent about Potwisha Campground (Sequoia National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California
Dear Vince Fong, I’m a constituent in California’s 20th district. I tried to camp at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 37 of the 40 campsites the agency files at Potwisha Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 37 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Potwisha Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Potwisha Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Potwisha Campground (Sequoia National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California
Dear Adam B. Schiff, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 37 of the 40 campsites the agency files at Potwisha Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 37 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Potwisha Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Potwisha Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Potwisha Campground (Sequoia National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California
Dear Alex Padilla, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Potwisha Campground, Sequoia National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 37 of the 40 campsites the agency files at Potwisha Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 37 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Potwisha Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Potwisha Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Potwisha Campground (Sequoia National Park, California) via campanac.com