Coldwater Campground

Friendly host. Decent sized, clean bathrooms with flush toilets. Walking distance to duck pass. Arrived in the dark but found site pretty easily.

We loved our site. It wasn’t too close to other sites, although you could see them. We loved having the creek across the road. The campground has nice access to hiking trails, and Lake Mary. It is outside of the bustle of town, but close enough to conveniently get what you need.

Use the bear boxes. USE. THE. BEAR BOXES. Our neighbors lost a jar of peanut butter and a Trader Joe’s bag of food.

Campsite is clean, gorgeous and close to a million and one recreational activities. Host is friendly. Fire pits have grills on them. We were at site 16, which is super close to water, restrooms, and both Mammoth Creek and Coldwater Creek.

It was my first time in Mammoth and it did not disappoint! Our campsite was right next to the creek which made for a very peaceful & serene stay. The nights got down to the mid 20’s days were mid 60’s. Lots of trails in every direction from easy paved to more rugged terrain in the mountains. Tons of lakes to kayak. Definitely recommend and will be coming back.

Awesome campsite with lots of space! The bathrooms were the best I’ve seen camping before. Tons of gorgeous hikes near, old mines, lake Mary & twin lakes only a 5-10 min drive.

Great campground clean restrooms nice lakes 👍

Fun campground to hang a hammock and go for a hike or trail run! 

We were there in August and it was great! Not over crowded and the views were incredible! We ran to Arrowhead Lake which was beautiful! Walkers and runners will both enjoy this trail! 

Don’t forget to yourself to a delicious Burger and drink 15 mins away at Mammoth Brewing Company!

We've been coming to the Mammoth Lakes area for years with our travel trailer.  This time we left it at home and took the tent.  We've never stayed in this area before and we were definitely surprised how nice this campground is.  We stay here on a Saturday night after doing some hiking int he Rock Creek area.  This place had everything we needed for an overnighter.  The campsites a spacious and there are quite a few near the creeks on either side of the campground.  I would recommend this place to anybody looking for a nice place to stay while visiting the area.  We will definitely be back.

It was our first time camping in Mammoth Lakes and arrived without reservation at the campgrounds near Lake Mary and Lake George. After driving around we ended up picking site 24 at Coldwater Campground. The other campgrounds were packed, and the sites felt pretty tight. Coldwater was less crowded and the sites had plenty of room. Site 24 was near the stream with lots of flat areas to pitch tents, bear locker, fire pit and picnic table. The campground host was great and very welcoming! We purchased our wood on site for $7/bundle which was consistent with the prices in town. I would highly recommend staying here if you want some peace and quiet while camping. It was walking distance to Lake Mary and several trail heads.

A big campground in Mammoth Lakes, with 77 sites in total. It can be a pretty popular sport during the summer, so you may want to make reservations or call ahead just to make sure. But it has water and flush toilets, but the down fall is no showers. Each site has a picnic table, firepit ring, and a two-locker bear storage. The campground varies in privacy so just be aware you will see and most likely hear your neighbors. There is no electric either at this campground. It is $24 a night which isn’t bad but with no showers seems bit pricey.

This campground has some great hiking trails in it, we took the Meadows trail and it did not disappoint with beautiful scenery and rivers. It also is right down the road from Mammoth Lakes which has plenty of restaurants if you are needing some non-camping cuisine. There are trails all over this area, that it would take you while to hike all of them. This is also a very popular mountain biking area during the summer with trails everywhere. During the winter it is a booming ski/snowboard town.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Coldwater Campground, Mammoth Lakes, CA

A beautiful 77 site campground nestled in at over 9,000 ft in the Inyo National Forest of the Eastern Sierras.

Amenities: large sites, modern restrooms spaced throughout the camp (two unisex doors, includes one sink with running cold water, a flush toilet, and metal mirror), water spigots near the latrines.

Each site has a large picnic table, a fire pit with sliding cook grate, a double door bear cabinet and small paved parking pad.

We chose site 66, as it sprawled to s mountain stream, nestled in shaded pines, had a couple flat tent spots and was relatively close to restrooms and water.

No electric, no showers (nearby Twin Lakes Campground Store rents shower time at $7.00…one person per shower.

Coldwater Campground is a short drive from Mammoth Lakes, which has all you should need or desire.

The trails from the back of Coldwater Campground go up, up, up…but offer spectacular mountain views, glacier lakes, picturesque alpine meadows, waterfalls and cascades. A short drive and bus ride away are trails to Iconic Rainbow Falls and Devil’s Postpile, among other ridiculously beautiful mountain trails!

Mountain bike trails are innumerable…and the paved multi-use trails are stellar and travel for miles. https://www.visitmammoth.com/blogs/top-5-xc-mountain-bike-trails-near-mammoth-lakes

There are rentals nearby for every sportsman. This is the active person’s Mecca! Also close-by is Mammoth Ski area that offers the downhill mountain bikers absolute Nirvana, during summer months.

https://www.mammothmountain.com/summer/bike-park-overview/mammoth-bike-park/mammoth-bike-park

At $24 a night, this seems to be the standard rate for this region…and that without showers.

Note: Even during hot summer months, it gets chilly at night. August 6, it was 50 degrees at night. A 40 degree dip from the cloudless daytime temps.

It did not take long to fall in love with the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. I would not hesitate to camp here again, and am already planning a return visit.

Cold water campground is located in the Lake Basin area of Mammoth lakes California. This HUGE campground is nestled above lake Mary between Coldwater creek and Mammoth creek which run on both sides of the campground. This campground is seasonal so you'll want to make sure if camping in early season that it is open. The campground is well maintained with gorgeous tall pines throughout. At the top of the campground there are several trail heads that lead to the upper lakes and Duck Pass. You do not need a permit to hike these lakes for day hikes but if your hiking out of the campground and over duck pass you will need to acquire a specific permit for the trail you will be hiking. There is fantastic fishing if you can make the rigorous hike to Hart lake or even Arrowhead with several more to choose from. Take plenty of water. I would say the mammoth lakes area is almost a fisherman's paradise with creeks and lakes galore. The beauty of the sierras is always worth a visit. This campground is wonderful and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a base camp to explore mammoth. The facilities were great and they are everywhere. Each campsite is equipped with picnic table and Bear Box for food storage. You'll want to Make sure that all food products or anything that smells delicious is stored in the bear box (especially out of your car). This is a Very Very active bear area. We had a bear steal the fish right off our stringer docking the boat at lake Mary. She and her two cubs and had no problem approaching us walking past and going straight to the boat where this fish was and she was not deterred by our shouts or bear bell. Overall Amazing campground with plenty to do. The town of mammoth is also just a few miles down the road and always wonderful to visit any season.

Nice cozy spot, people are friendly, the sound of rushing water around us, lots of trees, lots of shade, clean restrooms and cool hosts. Friendly people. The trees and location definetly regulate the hot temperatures really well. We spent time here just to eat, and sleep, as the scenery and adventures are around the camp. We stayed close to the camp host at camp 71, who was definetely helpful when it came to a lack of resources.... (toilet paper). Campsites, are pretty close to each other and not much for privacy. Fire rings, and bear lockers are provided, but are kinda close to each other. Overall, just a good rest spot for the adventures around. Which is gorgeous this time of year.