Laguna Mountain Camping | Free BLM Campgrounds

We stumbled upon a Laguna Mountain camping opportunity that seemed too good to be true! This year we splurged and bought a national park annual pass and it has been wonderful already. But paying to camp inside of the national parks can really add up so we were stoked to find free camping near Pinnacles National Park! About forty minutes from Pinnacles, between Highway 25 and Coalinga is Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. And here you’ll find two developed BLM campgrounds that are unbelievably nice!

The scenery, ease of use, the provided amenities and the recreation opportunities really impressed us. Though we were looking for free camping near Pinnacles National Park we were thankful to have stumbled upon Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. The forty minute drive to Pinnacles wasn’t a deal breaker for us since we only planned to make the drive once or twice. Because we loved the Laguna Mountain campground and its surrounding area, we ended camping near Pinnacles National Park at Laguna Mountain Recreation Area for 12 days. So please read on to learn more about what you can expect!

Basic Info: Laguna Mountain Camping

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM; 14 day limit

Miles to Town: About 28 miles from King City, 41 miles from Coalinga, and 24 miles from Pinnacles National Park

Directions: From the east entrance of Pinnacles National Park turn right onto CA-25E for 12 miles. Then turn left onto Coalinga Road and follow this for 12 more miles. The sign for Sweetwater Campground will be on the left.

Solar: Good, some spots are more shaded and some are lower in the shallow valley.

Cell Service: None

Road Conditions: The road in is indeed paved but it is curvy, sometimes steep and full of pot holes.

Where to Get Water: There is no water at Laguna Mountain Recreation Area so fill up ahead of time. We refilled out water gallons at Pinnacles National Park Visitor Center.

Our Experience Camping at Laguna Mountain Recreation Area

To look for Laguna Mountain camping, we turned off of Highway 25 we followed Coalinga Road for about twelve miles. The road was paved and scenic, steep and curvy in spots, and there were plenty of potholes to dodge. The drive was slow going but not a bad drive. The sign for Sweetwater Campground is on the north (left) and the dirt road into the campground is short but steep and curvy.

There are six designated campsites in the Sweetwater Campground loop which is where we stayed. In addition to this campground, there is another similar BLM campground about a mile or so further up Coalinga Road called Laguna Mountain Campground. There are five camp spots here and the campground is equally as nice as Sweetwater Campground.

About Sweetwater Campground

The developed camp spots at Sweetwater Campground are big and far apart and are nestled into a hillside. Each spot is leveled, includes a metal fire ring with a grill top feature as well as a covered picnic table on a nice cement slab. We were living in luxury here!

The spots are huge and can accommodate anything from tents to buses. There is also one well maintained vault toilet at each of the campgrounds. Some of the spots are tucked into the oak trees providing shade and privacy, whereas others are more open and higher on the hillside. We chose a spot higher on the hill that was more open for better solar conditions and we had a beautiful view across the forested canyon.

During the week there was very little traffic but on the weekends the campground actually filled up (there are only six sites). According to the BLM website, dispersed camping in the surrounding area is allowed which is a good fall back plan. We also noticed a BLM Ranger making rounds as well as maintaining the restroom. The campground felt safe and was very clean and respected by the visitors.

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The views of the surrounding area were just great. The sunsets over the ridge across the way were beautiful every evening and not to mention the strikingly dark starry night skies. It was very peaceful during our stay with most of the noise coming from the wildlife. For instance we saw a lot of birds and lizards as well as a few deer. One particularly exciting wildlife encounter during our stay was the tarantulas! We saw three of them and we couldn’t help but just stand there in amazement as they crawled by. They looked like living, moving Halloween decorations!

Awesome Nearby Adventures

Though we came for the free camping near Pinnacles National Park we ended up really enjoying exploring near Sweetwater Campground! There are several developed and primitive hiking trails to choose from in the recreation area that lead to features such as a spring, a waterfall and a summit. You can read about our hike to nearby Laguna Falls here! And for even more Laguna Mountain camping options, there is also a BLM primitive campground accessible from the trail creating a nice overnight stop on a backpacking trip.

By the same token, even just walking up Sweetwater Road, accessed near Sweetwater Campground, was very enjoyable! In particular, Sweetwater Road is conveniently accessible from the campground and it is closed to vehicles. From the road you can look down over Sweetwater Campground as well as far out over the surrounding hills, ridges and valleys.

Further along Coalinga Road, past Laguna Mountain Campground, the road passes the Hernandez Reservoir. We found that you need to obtain special permission to access it so we didn’t get to check it out. Even further we came to a BLM fee area indicating an OHV area that continues for 18 miles to Gem Mine. We didn’t go the extra 18 miles but we thought that it sounded like an interesting adventure.

Thank you for following our adventures on The Lost Longboarder!

All in all, Laguna Mountain Recreation Area ended up being way more than just camping near Pinnacles National Park. This area is very scenic and peaceful with surprisingly awesome free campgrounds. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. In addition to our great camp spot we thought it was especially cool to see tarantulas in their natural habitat. While we were in the area, we also had a great time hiking to Laguna Falls and of course exploring Pinnacles National Park.

For more awesome boondocking spots with cool nearby adventures, check out these articles:

• Camping and Exploring at Fossil Falls
• Boondocking at Trona Pinnacles
• Free Camping Near Badlands National Park

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