Ya-gub-weh-tuh Campground

About

Ya-Gub-Weh-Tuh Campground is a primitive BLM campground located in the San Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area, approximately five miles northwest of Auberry in Fresno County. The campground offers six walk-in tent sites, including double sites, on a first-come, first-served basis. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and fire pit, with vault toilets, drinking water, and garbage receptacles available on-site. The accessible campsites are reached via a primitive hardened path located close to the paved parking area. The gorge holds cultural significance as the ancestral homeland of the Dumna and Kechayi Native Americans, whose language provides the names for the trails and features throughout the area. From the campground, visitors have direct access to over 20 miles of multi-use trails shared by hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The popular Foot Bridge Trail leads one mile down to the San Joaquin River, while longer routes like the Pa'san Ridge Trail and Wuh-ki'o Trail offer more extensive exploration of the chaparral-covered uplands and oak woodlands. The campground sits at the main trailhead with gorgeous views of the Table Mountains. Day use hours run from 6 AM to sunset, with a 14-day camping limit. While reservations are not accepted for individual sites, the nearby Group Campground and Nuckahee Learning Center are available by reservation through the Bakersfield Field Office.

Directions

From Fresno, take CA-168 north. One mile after the town of Prather, turn left onto Auberry Road. Follow Auberry Road 2.9 miles through the town of Auberry and turn left at the Y onto Powerhouse Road. After 1.8 miles, turn left onto Smalley Road and follow it into the SRMA.