Dardanelle Campground

Located at the confluence of Eagle Creek with the Stanislaus River about 23 miles east of the Pincecrest Ranger Station along the Sonora Pass Highway is Dardanelle Campground. 

The campground sits on a flat just across the highway from the popular Dardanelle Resort, with 28 sites set on a couple paved loop roads. One loop contains smaller spots for car camping, and the other loop has slightly larger parking areas for RVs and trailers. Each site is pretty basic, with a picnic bench and fire ring. The draw here is the views, as the flat gets a fair amount of sunshine with the mountain slopes at a short distance away, along with nearby proximity to the Dardanelle Resort where visitors can find a restaurant and bar.

Between sites 8 and 10 is a set of stairs that descends a short way down to the Stanislaus River as well as Eagle Creek. You can often spot people fishing this area, and the river is calm enough and deep enough to wade into during the late summer months. 

The campground is very no frills. All sites are available strictly on a first come, first served basis. Dardanelle Campground is usually open from April through October, however the seasonal open dates varies depending on winter conditions when the highway is closed.

Originally operated as a US Forest Service campground, the site is currently managed by the Dodge Ridge Corporation. Water is available from several spigots placed throughout the campground, though there are no showers. A couple vault toilets serve the campground. There is no day use parking inside the campground at all. And there is no cel phone service.