Island Park

About

Island Park Recreation Area occupies a prime spot on Pine Flat Lake, a 20-mile reservoir formed by Pine Flat Dam in 1954. Located where oak and pine forests merge in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, the area serves as a recreation hub at the western edge of Kings Canyon. The lake holds up to a million acre-feet of water fed by the Kings Canyon watershed and stretches 67 miles of shoreline. The campground provides roughly 97 sites across multiple loops, including overflow and two group areas. Most sites are non-electric, though 25 have 30-amp electric hookups and 5 of those include water connections. All campers have access to flush toilets. A boat ramp and fish cleaning station support anglers targeting smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, and rainbow trout. Group sites include a horseshoe pit and volleyball court. The quarter-mile Blue Oak Trail offers an interpretive walk accessible from the campground. Upstream on the Kings River, whitewater rafting runs strong in spring and early summer. Gates lock from 10 PM to 8 AM with no re-entry permitted.

Directions

From Fresno, travel east on Highway 180/Kings Canyon Highway to Academy Avenue. Turn left onto Academy Avenue, then right on Belmont Avenue. Continue approximately 20 miles; the entrance to Island Park Recreation Area is on the right. Belmont Avenue becomes East Trimmer Springs Road about 6 miles east of the Academy Avenue intersection.