Campvue

Reviewed: Dec 5, 2025

4 out of 5

I'll start with my usual point, which is that in the video snippet above, you'll see my yellow REI Base Camp 4 tent, thus proving that I spent the night at another one of our great national park campgrounds. Just trying to build my street cred! Site 53 is at the top of a hill, and at the edge of the mountain the campground sits on. Site 53 is on the inside of the road across from the sites that have some amazing expansive views down the mountainside, but if you were lucky like I was, the people across the street were no-shows, so I spent a lot of time hanging out across the road taking in the views. Main point, this section of the campground has the best scenic views, in my opinion. As for site 53 itself, I'd rate it as above average for this campground. As a tent camper, I appreciate a nice level site, and some room to breathe from neighboring sites. 53 is flat, and sits far enough away from its closest neighbor to make it not awkward, but its also not the most private site ever. But not bad. The only gripe I have is that there's a public water spigot basically in the site, meaning you'll have fellow campers dropping by throughout the day to use it. It didn't bother me that much to be honest, but something to be aware of. Site 53 does not get much shade from the surrounding trees however, so it is pretty exposed, but luckily its pretty cool up in these mountains. You're very close to some food and fuel options inside the park, so makes this a comfy place to be. And you're poised between the scenic drive down into Kings Canyon as well as Sequoia National Park, so a very strategic location. If you watch the whole campground drive thru video, you'll note that there are many campsites here that are extremely close together, so 53 is a good example of one that is a little better spaced out than others. Normally this would be a three star campsite review if I examine it as standalone, but opted to go for a four because 53 is better than many other sites in Sunset Campground. I could see potential for a sour experience if the neighboring site ends up having a rowdy group, but lucky for me, there was a courteous family next door, so no issues like that. If you're shopping for a good campsite in Sunset that is more level than many others, and you are in a tent and want a little more room to breathe than a lot of the other sites, 53 is a safe choice and you likely won't be disappointed with it.