Atwell Mill Campground

Atwell Mill Campground is a 21-site, tent-only campground at 6,650 feet beside the East Fork of the Kaweah River in Mineral King. It sits in a former giant sequoia logging grove; second-growth sequoias, cedars and pines now grow around old stumps. The Atwell-Hockett Trail starts here, making the campground a useful base for Mineral King hikes. All sites require reservations.

The campground is 19 miles up Mineral King Road from Highway 198, about 1.5 hours from Three Rivers. The road is mostly unpaved, narrow, winding and deeply rutted in places, so allow plenty of time and avoid bringing a long vehicle. RVs and trailers aren't permitted in the campground. It closes for winter, usually from mid-October to early June; exact dates can shift.

Each site has a picnic table, fire ring with grill and bear-resistant food locker; store food and scented items in the locker. Vault toilets and potable water are seasonal, and water may be unavailable in spring or fall. There are no showers, electricity, cell service or internet. There is no camp store, ice or firewood for sale; NPS points to limited services at Silver City Mountain Resort 1.7 miles east and more services in Three Rivers, about 23 miles west.

Campground roads are uneven, and NPS lists no accessible campsites. Leashed pets are allowed in the campground but not on park trails.

Isham “Doc” Mullenix opened a sawmill here in 1873 during Mineral King's silver rush. A.J. Atwell bought it in 1886. In 1897, the Mount Whitney Power Company felled giant sequoias here, milling more than a million board feet for a flume over 30,000 feet long and Three Rivers' first hydroelectric station. The mill was dismantled around 1939; the old stumps and second-growth grove are the most visible traces. A piece of its iron steam engine remains near the meadow.