Know Before You Go

Camping

• Campsites are first come, first serve! Reservations are not available. There are 11 total campsites.
• A campsite is rented only after you've paid its fee on full, properly completed the pay stub and attached it to the campsite post, and occupied the site with your tent up.
• The camping fee is $10 per site per night. With an America the Beautiful pass, the fee is $5 per site per night.
• Each campsite has a maximum of eight people and two vehicles allowed.
• Quiet hours are after 10 p.m. No generators, loud music, etc. are allowed after this time.
• All campsites have a picnic table, fire grills and food storage lockers.
• No dispersed camping is allowed within the Merced River corridor.
• No potable water is available in the campground. You can obtain potable water across the Briceburg Bridge.

Facilities

The campground includes the following features:

• Vault toilets.
• Dumpsters.
• Recycling cans.
• Parking areas.
• Self-pay fee system.
• Designated swimming areas.

Campfires

• Seasonal fire restrictions apply.
• Campfires are allowed only in designated fire rings.
• No campfires on the beach!

Warnings

• Swimming is only recommended when the water is below 700 cubic feet per second.
• No lifeguards are on duty. Please wear a life jacket. The Merced River is undammed, and its flow changes dramatically through its course.
• Discharging firearms or fireworks is not allowed.
• Dogs are not allowed on McCabe Beach.
• You may not bring glass onto the beach areas.
• Amplified music is not allowed.
• We do not recommend crossing the suspension bridge with trailers or RVs longer than 18 feet.

Accessibility

The campground was originally constructed in the 1970s but improved in the early 1990s to meet ADA standards. As a result, the 10 individual sites and one group site in the campground all have accessible features, including two accessible shared vault toilets. Sites 9, 10 and 11 are all drive-up sites. At another campground within the Merced River Recreation Management Area, the Railroad Flat Campground, sites 24-29 all have drive-up parking.

Visitors park in a lot with a gravel surface; the distance away from specific campsites will vary. The campground contains accessible pathways made of crushed rock. However, there are no accessible pathways to the river. Dogs (including service animals) are permitted, but they are not allowed on McCabe Beach.

Each site within the campground has the following accessible features:

• ADA-compliant picnic tables with wheelchair access.
• Grills/fire rings.