Camp Observer1 of 4 photos
Atwell Mill Campground
Overview
The Mineral King area features the highest elevation campground in the parks. At 7,500 feet (2280 m), it is only open during the summer months. It takes approximately 90 minutes to drive the long narrow, winding, largely unpaved road that leads to the area and its two campgrounds. RVs and trailers are not recommended on Mineral King Road and are not permitted in campgrounds. Mineral King is not connected to the rest of Sequoia National Park by roads.
Recreation
Trails to alpine lakes and mountain passes begin nearby.
Facilities
The campground is situated along the East Fork of the Kaweah River in a once logged sequoia grove. Atwell Mill campground contains 21 sites. The Atwell-Hockett Trail begins here. The campground has no sinks and no flush toilets, pit toilets only.
Natural Features
Hikes into the backcountry out of Mineral King will give visitors an ever deeper understanding of the beauty and uniqueness of Sequoia National Park. Hike to alpine lakes and over mountain passes, or climb a peak.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (559) 565-4404.Nearby Attractions
There are limited services at Silver City Resort, 1.7 miles (3 km) east of the campground. More extensive services can be found in Three Rivers, 23 miles (37 km) west of Atwell Mill Campground (approximately 1.5 hours away).
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.
- 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. Call (559) 565-4404 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.
Camp site features
Across 19 camp sites:
- Fire pit: all 19 sites
- Pets allowed: all 19 sites
- ADA accessible: 1 of 19 sites
- Longest rig: 20 ft
- Largest party: 6 people
Fees
* ENTRANCE FEES APPLY in Mineral King -buy your pass ahead of time.
* CAMPING FEES: $32 per night for Regular Camping and $16 per night for valid lifetime Access Pass, lifetime Senior Pass, and annual Senior Pass. No other passes receive reduced rates.
* 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. Call (559) 565-4404 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.
Directions
Atwell Mill Campground is located 19 miles (31 km) from Highway 198 on Mineral
King Road, which turns off in Three Rivers, and 6 miles (10 km) before the end
of the road. It is an approximately 90 minute drive. **The road is primarily
unpaved, narrow, winding, and deeply rutted in places. It is not advised for
longer vehicles, especially recreational vehicles. No RVs or trailers are
permitted in the campground.**
Stay Limit
Check in from 12 PM, check out by 12 PM.
Reviews
Ratings (70)
5 stars
46
4 stars
12
3 stars
6
2 stars
3
1 stars
3
Scott U
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 12A
Reviewed a day ago
Ran into Ranger Julie on Atwell-Hockett trail
She is a true asset to your organization
Wealth of info regarding trail conditions
Our trip was cut short due to fallen trees on tar gap trail that impeded our progress into Hockett. She booked us 7-23 nite @ Hockett atwell campground from trail.
She gave us OK to stay nite in Sequoia grove.
Truly wonderful camping experience
Mariana R
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 13
Reviewed 7 days ago
The campground is very nice great for families with kids. The hiking trail that takes you to the river is amazing!! The only complaint is the road to get there could be dangerous. Drive safely if you go there make sure your car is good conditions.
John M
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 17
Reviewed 7 days ago
In July, the temperature was perfect. Most campsites had a lot of shade, which was important to us. My son, wife, and I had the great fortune of seeing a bear and a deer in the campground. While it was a bit tense to see the bear, it could not have cared less about us.
The campground is also very close to Silver City and the Sawtooth trailhead, which we drove up to a couple of times to hang out. It was well worth it.
We could not have pick a better campground.
Phyllis "Kayti" B
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 12
Reviewed 9 days ago
So lovely! The road out is only for the BRAVE. But it was epic. Green verdant areas between the trees, not many people, very primitive and lovely. Can't wait to go back. Site 12 is right in front of the outhouse so... wish I had chosen a different spot as it was a bit stinky. Flies and mosquitos, as you would expect.
Kathleen K
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 16
Reviewed 25 days ago
Atwell campground. No RVs or generators, tents only. Making it quiet as the sunsets
Charles B
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 03
Reviewed a month ago
What a lovely, well managed and clean experience. Truly a peaceful and beautiful place to be. The camp sites were ample in size and well spaced. I can't wait to come back and spend more time day hiking the locale area.
Kevin C
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 14
Reviewed a month ago
Great spot! Was close to water access and not too far from bathroom. Ground was a bit slanted, but we still slept just fine. Chevy Malibu handled the drive in no problem.
Eric H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 09
Reviewed a month ago
Small campground where the sites are close together but each site seemed to provide just enough privacy and quiet to make it an ideal escape. My wife and I did a 30 mile gravel ride that took us down to the Big Shady Campground, through the Mariposa Grove, down to Wawona, and back up to the campground.
Jill V
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 04
Reviewed a month ago
We love camping at Atwell Mill. It is very primitive -- a pit toilet and a few water spigots. The campsites are large. The campground is usually quiet. It is beautiful in the campground and there are good trails nearby for hiking. The 1 1/2 mile hike to the footbridge on the Hockett Meadow Trail is wonderful. Just remember that you have to hike 1 1/2 miles back up that steep trail!
Jay H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 17
Reviewed a month ago
Site 17 was flat, spacious, had a fire ring, was delightfully secluded, yet close to water access. The campground is off the grid, yet accessible. Recommend a Timber Gap or Monarch Lake hike from Mineral King as a local outing. Enjoy!
Georgie R
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 07
Reviewed a month ago
Nice campground with “bathrooms”, however the drive was so scary in my opinion. Do the drive during the day!!! We would have 100% turned around if it was already dark, lots of turns on a slide of the cliff for 1.5 hours. Campground was nice though! Unfortunately I hated the drive more than I loved the campground so I wouldn’t go back.
Ernest R
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 02
Reviewed 7 months ago
The campground was very peaceful and pretty secluded and quiet. The hike to falls and meadow were beautiful and not at all hard. Facilities were clean and the campgrounds too were very clean. Space between campers was welcome as your neighbors were not as close as in some campgrounds. The only exception to the experience was the drive up to the camp site. In the dull light either morning or late evening it can be a little nerve wracking on the winding road.
Isabel A
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 15
Reviewed 9 months ago
I loved the campsite. Clean, the bathrooms are pretty decent. Very peaceful. I recommend a semi high clearance vehicle to get to the campground unless you wanna drive really slow and not damage your car. Definitely a semi long drive to get to the campground. As long as you’re prepared it won’t matter. Beautiful views along the way. There was a decent amount of wasps hanging around so beware! If you love trees and peace this is it. Someone did steal my campfire wood while I slept and used my fire pit. First time it has happened. I left early because of it. But I would come back. Absolutely no service at the campground and along the road to get there so fill up!!
Macarena B
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 12A
Reviewed 9 months ago
Great camp site, clean, deep in nature, excellent vibes
Brett H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 20
Reviewed 9 months ago
Camp ground is beautiful. Site 20 is great. Your neighbors are 30yrds away in both directions. The road to get their is long and terrible but they are working on making it less terrible (still just as long). Never had so many rangers stop by to check in and make sure everything was ok. Mary rules with an iron thumb but is a peach. I'd go back again. I'd just make someone else drive that road in their own car.
Destiny W
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 20
Reviewed 10 months ago
Honestly if you are going to sequoia national park to explore and sight see the park I would not recommend this campsite. The road to get to it is extremely dangerous and should not be a 2 way road, and the campsite is extremely far away from the sight seeing of the park you actually have to leave the park and reenter taking 2 hours just to see the trees. My boyfriend and I ended up not staying here bc of this, we decided to just abandon this campsite and find one closer to everything. If you are looking to be secluded and don’t care to sight see maybe this campsite is for you but like I said the road is extremely dangerous.
Vanessa T
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 02
Reviewed a year ago
The camp was amazing and had beautiful views!! The hikes were exquisite!
William H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 03
Reviewed a year ago
Peaceful location. Great place to stay before hitting the many trails in the area.
Jason B
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 04
Reviewed a year ago
Stayed one night prior to backpacking. Nice campsite for three small tents
Mohammed A
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 06
Reviewed a year ago
Well maintained campsites. Wish music was a bit lower
Gabriela C
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 09
Reviewed a year ago
Its a beautiful place. The drive up can be rough and not for everyone. Definitely not staying as long as we did next time (a whole week) We had to make a short 15 minute drive to silver city to shower and buy ice and water. To wash dishes we had to wash in a container and dump the water in the toilets per the park rangers. The drive to Sequioa is about an hour and 45 mins but took us over 3 hours because it was a Friday. The drive to the hikes to the lakes are about half an hour from camp. Overall very grateful for the experience.
Abdul W
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 09
Reviewed a year ago
When you make an online reservation, no maps are provided and Apple Maps stated that I’m 11 hours away. Horrible experience and customer service. Took 5 hours to arrive there and then the road was closed on the way back. Ruined the plans.
Sarah H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 04
Reviewed a year ago
Quiet, clean, and beautiful. We were in site 4 and there was room to park our minivan and pitch our four person tent, and room for the kids to play left over. Close to gorgeous trails into Sequoia groves.
Eric V
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 07
Reviewed a year ago
Quiet campground in a grove of tall trees. Beautiful and close to some of the best hiking in the park.
Austin A
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 15
Reviewed a year ago
campground was very clean, the location was serene, but make sure you are prepared for skeeters in the summer and the lengthy drive up to the site
Travis K
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 05
Reviewed a year ago
It was a thrilling ride up the side of the mountain to get to this site, but camping under the trees was wonderful. Be sure to save your reservation information because there's no phone service of any kind.
David H
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 21
Reviewed a year ago
I was in campsite 21. There was plenty of shade in the site. At the time I was there in (last week of May) it was nice weather the whole time (around a high of 75 degrees). There was only one other person in the campground so it was always quiet. Bathrooms were clean and the trash cans were empty. I guess that comes with being one of only two sites being used. The areas around Mineral King were awesome to visit. Lots of wildlife in the area if you just take the time to look. I would Definity stay there again.
Randall W
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 09
Reviewed a year ago
Big drive to get there. Construction has the road closed from 10am to 4pm, so plan accordingly. Also give your self a lot of time since the road is narrow and windy. The camp sites look like they are mostly intended for tents since they are not very level. But we had two vans and one truck and we made due. But being up there was really great. We did a 6 mile (round trip) hike in the morning, and then drove up to the end of the road. Checked out the Silver City store. All in all worth it.
Christopher K
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 11
Reviewed 2 years ago
I stayed 2 nights in site 11. No issues with the campsite. It was easy to get into. Good shade after 2pmish. This spot is set into the hill a bit so if you need a big flat area this isnt the one.
Joan R
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 07
Reviewed 2 years ago
Spacious campsites in an incredibly beautiful and majestic grove
Helena K
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 02
Reviewed 2 years ago
It is a nice campground, where it is lovely to camp. The road is a bit close though, so not that quiet, but plenty of space and nice people camping there. Toilets were okay and we had a nice time in the nature.
William T
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 17
Reviewed 2 years ago
Generally nicely laid out camp sites with good access to water and toilets. tent areas tend to be large but often slope. Easy access to hike to sequoia groves.
Corinne T
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 16
Reviewed 2 years ago
The campground is located in a beautiful spot. The sites are big enough. But there is a major problem: there no shower in the campground. You have to drive 1 hour to find one. It’s a problem for a several days stay.
john g
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 20
Reviewed 2 years ago
Never showed up to the campsite due to the road to get there. If you plan to camp near Sequoia stay somewhere else. The road is a single lane pothole hell with a speed limit of 10 miles per hour that spans 20 miles. Without traffic that’s an hour and a half of driving each way. There are sketchy temporary bridges that make you wonder if you are cheating death for a bit of nature. Even if the campsite was the most peaceful place on earth, you better be prepared to just go there otherwise you’re spending a lot of time just to get in and out. I venture to guess most people that reserve a spot here never actually show up once they see the road.
diana c
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 21
Reviewed 2 years ago
Site 21 is the best site as it is at the end of the loop, large, flat and lightly shaded with its own water tap and trash cans. It is also the farthest from the restrooms. As this is a tent campground we noticed a lot of sites were not exactly level, this one was.
Won J
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 06
Reviewed 2 years ago
Great campground nestled in a beautiful grove of sequoia trees. Very accessible water source and clean restroom. Only drawback was that there were a lot of people, which took away from feeling like you are truly out there in nature.
Tammie P
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 14
Reviewed 2 years ago
The access road is not for the faint, as it twists and turns for 19 miles along a scenic path and across a beautiful bridge, as well as a scary temporary one. But WOW the drive takes you into a grove of sequoia trees and then the small remote camp ground let’s you sleep amongst these gentle giants and ghosts of past trees that were cut down when the old mill was there. Definitely a beautiful part of the park that everyone should experience.
Bruce B
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 12
Reviewed 2 years ago
Nice campground, very quiet, near the trailhead.
Mikhail N
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 19
Reviewed 2 years ago
Amazing campground. Everything is very clean and well maintained. Space is big enough to accommodate one large tent for up to ) people because the space is on a bit of a slope. Will definitely be back!
Jaymee R
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 21
Reviewed 2 years ago
We liked this campground a lot because it was small, isolated, and had a water spigot at every campsite. It was very quiet and peaceful, although difficult to get to because of the narrow winding road that is a bit dangerous when meeting other cars. I don't recommend driving it in a Prius. When inside the campground, one of the roads has a big root sticking up, so make sure to take the first left past the bathrooms unless you have high clearance. The bathrooms at the campground are pit toilets that aren't cleaned very often. They smelled awful, and someone kept refusing the shut the toilet lid and close the door when they were finished. The next morning it was full of flies. We also had someone pull up to the trailhead next to us and camped for free while everyone else had to pay.
John P
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 07
Reviewed 2 years ago
Nice and clean. Tent site could have been a bit more level.
Douglas F
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 11
Reviewed 2 years ago
Stayed 3 nights here @ site 11. This is a small, uneven site - but for 1 or 2 people it is perfect for a small tent and peace / quiet. I really enjoyed my stay here, the restroom is super close, along with water. No neighbors - very private.
Douglas F
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 17
Reviewed 2 years ago
Only stayed one night @ site 17. One of the better sites - this dead end cul de sac has the best ones at Atwell - large and neighbors only on one side. Clean pit toilet a short walk away.
Thomas C
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 21
Reviewed 2 years ago
Beautiful campsite with sequoias and other conifers all around. Quiet and peaceful (site 21 was shady and private). The drive from the main road to the campsite is long, steep, and winding. It's approximately 2 hours each way (and it's an additional hour to the Giant Forest Museum). The flies and mosquitos were out in force as well. Overall, it's a great campsite but a pain to get to. Our 2-wheel drive sedan with low clearance was able to get up the road just fine- it's paved almost the whole way but has potholes.
c d
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 19
Reviewed 4 years ago
No campsite map on web. First come first serve was much better.
Richard M
Loop:Atwell Mill
Site:Site: 17
Reviewed 4 years ago
I had a very enjoyable stay at Atwell Mills campground. The area was beautiful, the late season crowds were low, and bathroom was very clean and odor free.
Popularity
Busy · 79%
Busiest in July, when about 79% of sites are booked. Based on 1 years of reservations.
