Valley Oak Recreation Area

209-881-3517

17968 COVERED BRIDGE RD
OAKDALE, CA 95361

Notice

Fire Restrictions - June 1st - September 30th

White Gas ONLY

No Wood Burning or Charcoal permitted.

May 1, 2026 – Oct 1, 2026

Location unknown

No source publishes coordinates for Valley Oak Recreation Area, so it won't appear on the map or in a search by area.

Overview

Valley Oak Campground is part of the park system scattered along the lower Stanislaus River within the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The environmental campground boasts quiet, peaceful tent sites situated next to the river’s edge. The scenic recreation areas and river access points are popular for activities such as rafting, picnicking, hiking and much more. Stanislaus River Parks is often referred to as the “string of pearls” since they serve as charming, quiet oasis running through a number of small towns and cities.

Recreation

The campground offers an excellent base camp for exciting recreation opportunities. The park boasts walking and hiking trails, picnic areas and river access points for fishing and boating.

Facilities

Valley Oak Recreation Area Campground is one of three reservable campgrounds in Stanislaus River Parks’ system. Its primitive amenities include vault toilets and non-potable water near the campsites. Each campsite contains a picnic table, fire ring, and a lantern holder. Campers park their vehicles in the front lot and walk approximately one-quarter (1/4) mile to their campsites.

Natural Features

The campground scenery is a pleasant mix of Fremont cottonwoods, Valley Oak and the occasional elderberry bush, offering excellent shade with dispersed rays of sunshine. Nearby, grasses, shrubs and seasonal wildflowers fill the open spaces.

Wildlife is also plentiful in the park with mule deer, acorn woodpeckers, scrub jays, foxes and squirrels among lots of other fauna.

Nearby Attractions

Within a short 15 min drive, campers can explore the historic town of Knights Ferry, rich with history of the gold rush era. Within the historic district, lies Knights Ferry Recreation Area, home to the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River and a National Historic Landmark dedicated in 2014. The park boasts walking and hiking trails, picnic areas and river access points. Visitors can learn about the area when they visit the Knights Ferry Visitors Center, which contains a small museum highlighting local, natural, and cultural resources.

Visitors have a unique opportunity to make reservations with local rafting companies to journey down the Stanislaus River. During the summer months, rafters can enjoy guided and self-guided floats down the lower Stanislaus River. For thrill seekers, the fall season brings perfect flows for advanced white water in the Goodwin Canyon.

Fall also brings thousands of Chinook salmon returning to the Stanislaus River to spawn, completing and beginning their lifecycles. Onlookers, can view the spawning salmon from several river access points along the river.

Charges & Cancellations

Contact Recreation.gov for changes or cancellations.

Camp site features

Across 11 camp sites:

Fire pit: all 11 sites
Pets allowed: all 11 sites
Group sites: 1 of 11 sites
Largest party: 20 people

Fees

Individual Sites: $20 Group Site: $50

Directions

From Oakdale, California, take CA-120 W/N Yosemite Avenue northwest. In 1.3 miles, Turn right on Rodden Road and continue for approximately 5.4 miles, then turn right into Valley Oak Recreation Area. Proceed past the park entrance until you reach the parking lot. From Sonora, California, take CA-108 West. In approximately 30 miles turn right on Landcaster Road. In 1.7 miles, turn right on to Orange Blossom Road. In 0.6 Miles turn left onto Rodden Road. Continue on Rodden Road for 2.5 Miles and then turn left into Valley Oak Recreation Area. Proceed past the park entrance until you reach the parking lot.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

10 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Luke O

Site:

Reviewed a month ago

Great campground right in the river. Bring your own tp and minimal bugs. Also no potable water. Lots of shade and water stays very cold due to the source

Carlee D

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

We have been camping here for 16+ years and love the location. Be prepared to haul all your gear in a 1/4 mile with cargo wagons or an e-bike with a cargo trailer. The campsites were very clean, we did not have any issues with raccoons, and the daily garbage pickup was a massive help for our group of 25. Craig was our best camp host yet and went out of his way to help us get settled for the weekend. One recommendation would be to put out the bee traps in the future. We had a lot of bees after our food this year, so we used food tents to help keep them at bay.

Mailee W

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

I love this location for the price. It’s along the water with lots of trees. The camp ground manager was very helpful and attentive. If you can do without a shower and short walk in, it’s lovely. The walk is about the length of 4 blocks from the parking lot.

Heather Jean D

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

The camp host was all that was good about this campsite. There was no potable water and this was never mentioned in any of the information provided. Additionally, when camping confirmations were provided they did not include the address of the park, making life just a little bit harder. The campsites were all very close together with no delimitation of where one starter and where one ended up when we arrived the neighboring group had set up their group of chairs in the only flat part of our camp site.

Naomi G

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

Did not use this reservation because it appeared that the site was actually closed to camping - although Recreation.gov allowed me to reserve a spot, all the campsites showed non-reservable for my date when it came time to leave for the trip. No way to contact the campground manager, as the phone number given is for an Army Corps office which is not staffed on weekends. We did a day trip instead.

Lynn H

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

All the campsites were dirty snd unkept. The bathrooms were less than desirable and all the trash cans were full. We ended up camping in the front where the camp hosts usually have their camp.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve Watch

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in August, when about 11% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 6 years of reservations.

Camp Sites

No map for this site

No source publishes coordinates for Valley Oak Recreation Area, so it can't be shown on a map. Its official page and park are listed above and may have the detail needed to find it on the ground.

Camping