McCabe Flat Campground
Remember your outdoor ethics when enjoying your public lands. Please recreate responsibly.
Overview
The McCabe Flat Campground is one of three campgrounds in the Merced River Recreation Management Area. The campground is located 2.3 miles west (downstream) from the Briceburg suspension bridge along the Wild & Scenic Merced River. McCabe Flat Campground hosts one of the biggest sandy beaches in the area.
The Briceburg River Road runs along the historic Yosemite Valley Railroad grade that follows the Merced River. It is an unpaved dirt and gravel rough road with many potholes, but can easily be navigated with ordinary passenger vehicles traveling within the 15 mile-per-hour speed limit. Turn-outs are located all along the road. Loop turnarounds are provided in each of the three campgrounds.
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Know Before You Go
Camping
- Campsites are first come, first serve! Reservations are not available. There are 11 total campsites.
- A campsite is rented only after you've paid its fee on full, properly completed the pay stub and attached it to the campsite post, and occupied the site with your tent up.
- The camping fee is $10 per site per night. With an America the Beautiful pass, the fee is $5 per site per night.
- Each campsite has a maximum of eight people and two vehicles allowed.
- Quiet hours are after 10 p.m. No generators, loud music, etc. are allowed after this time.
- All campsites have a picnic table, fire grills and food storage lockers.
- No dispersed camping is allowed within the Merced River corridor.
- No potable water is available in the campground. You can obtain potable water across the Briceburg Bridge.
Facilities
The campground includes the following features:
- Vault toilets.
- Dumpsters.
- Recycling cans.
- Parking areas.
- Self-pay fee system.
- Designated swimming areas.
Campfires
- Seasonal fire restrictions apply.
- Campfires are allowed only in designated fire rings.
- No campfires on the beach!
Warnings
- Swimming is only recommended when the water is below 700 cubic feet per second.
- No lifeguards are on duty. Please wear a life jacket. The Merced River is undammed, and its flow changes dramatically through its course.
- Discharging firearms or fireworks is not allowed.
- Dogs are not allowed on McCabe Beach.
- You may not bring glass onto the beach areas.
- Amplified music is not allowed.
- We do not recommend crossing the suspension bridge with trailers or RVs longer than 18 feet.
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
The campground was originally constructed in the 1970s but improved in the early 1990s to meet ADA standards. As a result, the 10 individual sites and one group site in the campground all have accessible features, including two accessible vault toilets. Sites 9, 10, and 11 are all drive-up sites. At another campground within the Merced River Recreation Management Area, the Railroad Flat Campground, sites 24-29 all have drive-up parking.
Visitors park in a lot with a gravel surface; the distance away from specific campsites will vary. The campground contains accessible pathways made of crushed rock. However, there are no accessible pathways to the river. Dogs are permitted, but they are not allowed on McCabe Beach.
Each site within the campground has the following accessible features:
- ADA-compliant picnic tables with wheelchair access.
- Grills/fire rings.
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Activities
Geographic Coordinates
Directions
From the city of Merced, located on U.S. Highway 99, travel 40 miles east on State Highway 140 to the town of Mariposa. Then travel another 12 miles along Highway 140 to the Briceburg Visitor Center at the Wild & Scenic Merced River.
There are three developed BLM campgrounds along the Merced River between Briceburg and Bagby. The campgrounds are accessed by crossing the suspension bridge just past the Briceburg Visitor Center and heading down river along the Briceburg River Road (old Yosemite railroad grade). Trailers over 18 feet and large RV's are not recommended crossing the suspension bridge.
Fees
No day use fees.
Special Guidelines for Merced River Recreation Area Campgrounds During COVID-19
- Be prepared by bringing your own personal hygiene supplies, including soap, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer.
- Only one household per camp site (Maximum 8 persons).
- Only registered campers in developed campgrounds. McCabe Beach is for registered campers only during COVID-19 restrictions. (First come first served, on-site registration/payment only—no advanced registration).
- No group campsites. Site #13 will only allow 8 persons.
- Stay home if you are sick.