By:
Submission
Island Park Recreation Area is the place to go for campers looking for lots of exciting water activities at Pine Flat Lake. The area has plenty of campsites plus two group sites and a day-use area for boaters.
Pine Flat Lake spans 20 miles in length with 67 miles of shoreline. The lake, formed in 1954 with the completion of the Pine Flat Dam, is used for flood control and irrigation as well as a recreation oasis for the area. Wildlife spotting opportunities include bobcats and red-tailed hawks.
Boating, jet skiing and fishing are some of the most popular activities at the lake. Anglers can find small and large-mouthed bass, spotted bass and rainbow trout.
Families enjoy strolling on the Blue Oak Trail, a quarter-mile interpretive trail that's accessible from the campground.
Most campsites are non-electric, but 25 sites have electric hookups, and five of those sites have water hookups. There is one site that meets accessibility standards and is available as first come, first served. Day-use visitors have access to a boat ramp and vault toilets. All campers have access to flush toilets.
Group campground reservations include the use of a horseshoe pit and volleyball court.
Pine Flat Lake is situated where oak and pine meet in the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's in Kings Canyon at the western edge of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
At full capacity, the lake holds a million acre-feet of water, which is fed by the Kings Canyon watershed.
From the campground, head upstream on Kings River to find superb whitewater rafting in spring and early summer.
Scenic drives through Sierra National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park never cease to impress visitors.
From Fresno, California, travel east on Highway 180/Kings Canyon Highway to Academy Avenue. Turn left onto Academy Avenue, and then turn right on Belmont Avenue. Continue traveling for approximately 20 miles; the entrance to Island Park Recreation Area is on the right. NOTE: Belmont Avenue becomes East Trimmer Springs Road approximately 6 miles east of the Academy Avenue intersection.
This place was amazing! The view was so beautiful and the campsite was great. The set up of the campsite had a decently clean picnic table, campfire set up and campsite spot for you tent. There is also a fish cleaning station that looks pretty decent as well. Pet friendly and bathrooms are not bad at all. Stayed for two nights and walked around the whole campsite. Great fishing spots too. There is one store down the street called The I Forgot Store, or something like that. They have wood, fishing stuff, ice cream etc. Pretty convenient. Definitely will come back here to take advantage of the kayaks. Definitely recommend.
Great park. Gorgeous view from our site. There are off road trails and a pretty beach just down the hill, and the bathroom facilities are simple but clean (they had one shower in the one i went into). We went in December and the park was nearly empty. There are fire rings as well, and the site we were in was huge!Some of the sites are pretty unlevel, but ours was fine. The campground is also dog friendly as long as they are leashed. Just a note, There are some sharp turns to get to the park that might be difficult to navigate if you have a bigger rig/rv, but we made it fine with our 35ft camper. Well definitely be going back.
Park rangers are just over paid Karens and Darens. There’s a younger guy that does nothing but hear himself talk. Egotistical and bad for business. Why don’t you go clean the tinderbox that is California national parks or make sure camp sites have firewood. Waste of money this guy. Watch yourself out there never know when an over zealous ranger with a stick up his a$$ will drop by to complain that you are having fun. Other than that beautiful place to be good place to hike camp and fish. If you like to plink with BB guns, I’ve been told by other rangers that as long as there is no one in the other camp sites to have fun but be aware that not every ranger is as good as the last.
Stayed here M-F about two weeks ago with my son. Gorgeous views and really clean campsite (#21 is the site to get if you’re tenting it). Park volunteers were super friendly. Not sure how it is on weekends, but we were one of only 3 campsites occupied the entire week, so it was very peaceful. Bathrooms have showers, but make sure you use the one that keeps the door closed. The bathroom/shower at top of hill left doors open so about a million bugs lay dead on the floor. Not a dealbreaker, though. The other bathroom was surprisingly clean.
Will definitely camp here again!!
