Mile marker 5.8 on Hwy 4, between Dorrington and Bear Valley.
5,000 ft
Camp Connell is essentially the Camp Connell General Store, founded in 1928 by Jack and Noreen Connell at 4036 Old Hwy 4. It's a grocery, a Chevron, a cafe, and a 1.48-acre Beer Garden with a stage along San Antonio Creek.
Camp Connell sits at about 5,000 ft, two miles east of Dorrington and a few minutes before the road starts climbing toward Bear Valley. The town and the store are the same thing. There's no Main Street, no downtown, no second stoplight. There's the General Store, the Chevron pumps out front, and the Beer Garden out back.
The store's address is 4036 Old Hwy 4 for a reason. Hwy 4 was realigned in the 1960s to make room for the new Bear Valley resort and Big Trees Village, and the old road still runs through the property as the store's two driveways. The Chevron has been pumping gas since 1928, which makes it one of the oldest continuously operating Chevrons in California. The post office moved into the store in 1934 and became Camp Connell Station.
Summer is when the Beer Garden earns its keep. Live music on Saturday nights, crowds that can run up to a few hundred, kids in the grass, dogs under the tables, San Antonio Creek running behind the stage. In the colder months the music moves indoors on Fridays. Check campconnellgeneralstore.com for the current lineup before you make the drive, because cadence shifts with the season.
StarDogs plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Grover Anderson & the Lampoliers plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Jill Warren plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Mountain Crew plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Jimbo Scott & Yesterdays Biscuits plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $10, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Like what you see? Get this in your inbox every Thursday.
Hired Gunn plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Brian Jirka Project plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Hwy 4 Blues Band plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
Blowbacks plays the beer garden at the Camp Connell General Store, part of the 2026 summer concert series. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast.
The act for this beer garden night at the Camp Connell General Store is still to be announced. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Cover is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. They're pouring Sierra Nevada beers, with wine, wood-fired pizza, and a s'mores bar available for purchase. Bring your own chairs and get there early. Seating fills up fast. Check back for the lineup.
One email Thursday morning with what's coming up in Camp Connell and the rest of the corridor. No spam, no ads.
The Camp Connell General Store is the town. It has groceries, a Chevron station, a cafe, beer and wine, and a Beer Garden out back with a stage along San Antonio Creek. Live music runs Saturday nights outdoors in summer and Friday nights indoors in winter. Beyond that, you're either heading west to Arnold or east to Bear Valley.
Saturday nights in the outdoor Beer Garden during summer, and Friday nights indoors during the colder months. Lineups change week to week, so check campconnellgeneralstore.com for the current schedule before you commit to the drive.
About 15 minutes east of Arnold on Hwy 4, and roughly 15 minutes west of Bear Valley in summer. Two miles east of Dorrington. In winter, factor in chain control above Arnold and slower speeds.
Yes. The Chevron has been operating at the General Store since the store opened in 1928. It's frequently described as one of the oldest continuously operating Chevron stations in the state. The safer phrasing is "one of the oldest," not "the oldest."
Hwy 4 was realigned in the 1960s to accommodate the new Bear Valley resort and the Big Trees Village development. Portions of the old highway still cross the store property as its two driveways, which is why the address stayed as 4036 Old Hwy 4.
