Drought brings early opening of Pinecrest Campground

The dry, warm weather means people can already pitch their tents at one of this area’s most popular campgrounds.

The Pinecrest Campground has opened several weeks early, with more than 100 sites available.

“In a typical year, there would still be a foot or two of snow there,” said Sean Waterman, spokesman at the nearby Dodge Ridge Ski Area.

Dodge manages this and eight other campgrounds in the Highway 108 corridor under a contract with the Stanislaus National Forest. Usually, this comes after a full season of skiing and snowboarding, but the drought put a quick end to winter sports this year.

The Pinecrest Campground has spaces for tents and recreational vehicles. Normally, reservations are needed, but that will not start until May 8. The fee is $23 per night.

The campground is a short walk from Pinecrest Lake, one of Tuolumne County’s biggest draws for visitors, many of them from the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The lake is partially through its annual filling, although the drought might keep it from reaching capacity. Visitors can fish in the lake and walk the trail around the perimeter.

“The weather has just been so nice,” Waterman said, noting highs expected near 70 this weekend, “so it’s a good excuse to go out and do some camping and fishing.”

The Pinecrest Marina will open April 24, a day before the start of river fishing season.

Pinecrest Lake is on the south fork of the Stanislaus River and part of a hydropower system for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. It also stores water for the Tuolumne Utilities District, which supplies most county residents.

Most other national forest campgrounds remain closed, but the lack of snow means early access to many trails and day-use sites.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Drought brings early opening of Pinecrest Campground."