My wife and I visited Azalea Campground July 22nd through July 24th, 2011 (Friday-Sunday) for a quickie stay. We drove 8+ hours from San Diego, CA on Friday night and arrived at around 12:30 AM, rolling into the campground to the delight of 2 roaming deer. We selected campsite number 80 something (sorry, can't remember exactly). It was set up against a huge rock on the left and the dense tall grass and then forest on the right. All I can say is WOW, it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it. We were only there for 2 days and drove back Sunday evening another 9 hours but dang, this is GOD's country man, and we filled our two days with hiking and exploring and were barely even at the campsite. I will quickly share about the campsite and then more importantly about the area.

It's my opinion that it really doesn't matter which campground you stay at in this area. All the campsites are awesome. Of course some are a bit further away from the road and have certain amenities (Azalea had flushing toilets and sinks which were nice). Most of the sites are first come first serve that we researched before our trip. And I read that they are usually super crowded and have lots of families, ie Lodgepole, so if that's what you're seeking then you are set. However I like it a bit more private and separate. In other words, in our time at our site at Azalea, we rarely saw a car passing by, and we couldn't see any cars from our site. All we could see were the beautiful trees, and 1 distant tent. Granted there were probably hundreds of people there, we had our privacy. A nice touch. I recommend doing a bit of research before you go, and the key is to just get there earlier in the day so you can drive around and get the lay of the land, checking out a few sites if you like, and then choosing.

Or just take my recommendation that Azalea ROCKS. It does certainly rock for these reasons: mainly because it's it's SUPER CENTRALLY LOCATED to both Sequoia National Forest and the famous General Sherman Tree to the East and the (in my opinion) even more impressive King's Canyon National Park to the West, and it's 2 minutes drive from the General Grant tree (which is just as cool as General Sherman by the way), it's got flush toilets, is a bit more private (although it does have some sites that are closer to each other if you are going in a group and that is what you seek - I'm sure all the campgrounds have a mixture of each of these qualities, that's why it really doesn't matter where you stay, just get there early enough to find your special place...), Azalea is super close to the King's Canyon visitor's center where there's a restaurant, supplies, visitor center (get a map from here for free and ask them where to go, super helpful), and other conveniences, it's directly across the road from another campground that has pay showers (which we used one night - bring quarters 1 quarter per 3 mins).

We originally decided to visit this area of California to see the humongous trees which were super impressive and amazing, however we fell in love with King's Canyon National Park. I highly recommend a drive down into the canyon (deeper than the grand canyon), and a hike along most of the trails along the way, awesome Grizzly Falls right off the road, and be sure to drive all the way to the end to Mist Falls area. The drive is breath taking, with amazing views of a raging river right next to the road. If you are into hiking and relatively fit, I recommend hiking to Mist Falls (approximately 4.5 miles in (2 hours if you're hummin), and 2 hours out. It's a bit strenuous but very doable and not a difficult hike (we saw little kids walking it with parents). My wife and I are in are mid to late 30's and all we do is walk once a night for a few miles as far as exercise, and are relatively fit and injury free. It was a toughie on us but it was soooooooooooooooo worth it. Someone shared with us a secret about the hike, when you get to the sign that says Mist Falls, congratulate yourself with a pat on the back, however don't stop there. Keep hiking about 5 minutes up to another spot where you can catch a better view and take pics on a huge slab of rock (be careful it's a bit slick even when not wet), and then keep going about 5 minutes up the trail and keep your eyes peeled for a little tiny trail on the right about 15 feet long that leads out onto a rock that is literally a few feet from absolutely raging water falls, you can go out on the rock and enjoy the view, it's totally safe. My wife and I had lunch out there and just enjoyed the beauty of nature. The picture is from this view at the top of Mist Falls trail I speak of. Be sure to bring plenty of water and wear comfy shoes, hat, sunglasses, sunblock etc.

We drive down to Hume Lake on the way back to Azalea which was definitely worth it, and got an amazing burger at the little restaurant right on the lake. Great value and awesome taste, along with a milkshake!!!

I have to say that camping and hiking in "bear country" kept us a bit on edge, not to mention the rattle snakes, but as long as you're smart with all the precautions of keeping EVERYTHING THAT HAS A SCENT in the bear box at your campsite, and keep your eyes peeled, you'll be fine. We did see a rattle snake along the trail as well but don't let this stop you. Be watchful and enjoy the scenery and you'll be fine. I did read that if you have small children, walk close to them and put a little bell on their bag to alert any animals that you are coming. They're more scared of us than we are of them.

FYI, we drove up the 245 which was super windy and fun in our mazda rx-8, however wouldn't be fun in a truck for example. And we then drove back through Sequoia National Park down the 198 I believe it was which was a pretty drive. There was construction on the mountain that we had to wait for 20 minutes. You will be so impressed by the views here though that no matter what happens, you will enjoy yourself. Bottom line, you will LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this area of the world and be greatly rewarded. We are supremely grateful for having had the opportunity to experience Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. Enjoy!!!

this was the first camping trip with the family with an 8 and 10 yr old we camped out right in front of a grass area a family of deer were there every day about 3 feet away from us , it was a good chance for kids to see a part of wild life up close and personal, restrooms were clean and was a good chance for family to bond with out any TV, phone, DS, computer etc....

I stayed in the Azalea campground in October of 2008. I arrived late at night on a weekday and was surprised to see that hardly anyone else was in the whole campground! On one loop, there was only one RV, so I pitched my tent one of the other spots on that loop.

Since there was no one else within 150 feet of me, I had plenty of privacy and didn't worry that my snoring was too loud. Campground is close to Grant Village, so you have access to groceries and showers. Some of the places in the park that offer showers close around 6 pm, so you may have to adjust your schedule.

Did not see any bears in the campground, but saw several on the park trails. They ignored the people around them.

This park is a great, uncrowded alternative to Yosemite. So is Lassen.

My wife and I camped, and I know this may sound both difficult or extraordinary, and surely it was both, for over 110 days in the Summer of 2005. I can verify it. We became locals of Grant Grove area, and it all began, on June 2nd, 2005, at Azalea. The campground is a nice campground, and has a little of something for everyone. If someone likes to have a remote space, on unlevel ground, it's available here. If one prefers a space that is level, right by the bathroom and the parking lot, that too is available here. It was here that we had frequent visitors, in the form of the White headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus), both a male and a female, and, ostensibly, a mating pair. Similarly, at this same campground, we were regularly frequented by the Tanagers, both a male and a female, and again, they visited together. When we arrived, that Summer, there was still some small segments of snow remaining. The nights were cold and so were the mornings. As we eased into our epic Summer in the forest, Azalea was the place to begin. It is directly next to the majestic Grant Grove, just down the road and below. It is just above Sequoia Lake. Technically, the USFS has a 14-Day rule/ 30-Day Max rule, but we were allowed to stay. We obeyed the rules re bears and our bear vault without failure. Our camp was spotless and clean. We paid our rent space on time and in large blocks of 1-2 weeks at a time, usually the latter. There is a pizza parlor at Grant Grove that serves a delicious pizza and has ice-cold beer and other menu and drink items. It is (or was) on the other side of the actual eatery there, which is both expensive and touchy. We went to shower and do laundry at Lodgepole, down the road, and Sunday morning early is the best time to go in for that. You'll likely face no other person the entire trip to Lodgepole, except, perhaps, a lonely Coyote, as we did, bounding down the road, walking right by our stopped car as if WE were the miscreants. Azalea is a lovely campground. We preferred Sunset, which is next door, and it is where we finished our Summer. We did all of June at Azalea, and we did the rest of it at Sunset. We would absolutely recommend Azalea Campground to anyone.