Mono Lake South Dispersed

Stop here after coming over the mountain through Yosemite needed a place to camp on the east side before we headed home. Very different place the ground is very soft with pea gravel like granite pine trees and pine cones had to use four low with the Jeep to pull our teardrop back in to camp spot. The camp spot that's marked on the app was taken so we turned right and left the hill and found one back further in the trees

Great lil spot. Had a really nice campfire with a view of the lake. Recommend having 4wd or AWD since the road gets sandy and there are signs warning you to have 4wd.

It can be challenging in this area to find a spot to camp in winter, but this fits us just fine. Wood-lined paths, lake views, and quiet nights. Just watch out for horse droppings!

Easy to get to the first several potential spots, even with a low clearance vehicle (Prius) and a great view of the lake from a distance. Pretty quiet spot with a few other campers in the area but spread out enough to feel quiet and private. Low but available T-Mobile cell service, enough to text and leave this review

Feels secluded but isn't. Great spot. Pack in/out.

Nice view of Mono Lake and Mountains, lots of shady spots under pines, main entry road hard pack gravel, soft sand gravel mix off road. Mostly sloped some level spots. Lasts years fire burnt to edge of camping area but most trees not burnt. Can be hot and dusty in summer winds.

My first time seeing Tulfas, couldn’t believe this beautiful lake we had all to ourselves. Lots of goose poop by the beach part but such is life. Beautiful everywhere we saw, we followed directions below they worked fantastic, there were only 2 pull out spots we found, we continued past them to a turnout that wasn’t for camping but was great to park while the baby napped and dad and older one followed the trial to the beach. A must stop so gorgeous.

Here are the coordinates of my screenshots where we entered following the super helpful directions below

37.94304° N, 119.10238° W

Is hard for tents placement the sand is mixed with ashes … really quiet amazing night sky really far walk from lake , overall something to see what forest fires can do …

What a view! Very close to the Tufas (a must see). Dispersed camping on gravel/sand so we stayed near the road, in the middle of ponderosa trees. Sunset was gorgeous, peaceful place my kind of camping! Camping in nature!!

Great location, with a beautiful sunset! Very private. Directions: turn right off the 395 on to Picnic Grounds Rd. Then hang a right on to Test Station Rd. (You should be heading East.) Drive about two miles and you will see a pull off.

We stayed here for a single night while on a road trip, the drive in along CA-120 was beautiful. We drove west along the southern shore on Test Station Road, and then north along Forest Rd 1N44 to get to the site we stayed at, the roads were in good condition and easily manageable in our SUV.

We stayed at the first site we came to, not wanting to cross the stream that feeds the lake since it was running a little high when we arrived.

The site was very nice and nestled in behind some trees, it was close to 1N44, but we only saw one other vehicle (in the morning while we packed up) so it felt more remote than it actually was.

The walk to the lake shore from the site was probably a half mile or so along the road for the boat launch. We watched the sunset there and view of the lake was and surrounding mountains was absolutely stunning.

I would recommend this site and its a great place to stay near Yosemite. Lee Vining is the nearest town and no more than a 10 minute drive.

All around Mono Lake is USFS and BLM land that is open for dispersed camping, as long as you stay above the 1941 water line (you will see signs marking this line, which is fairly close to the lake). Note there are multiple pull out areas and forest service roads to stay in along Hwy 120 east just be mindful that the entire area is sand, as some vehicles may get stuck.

The road into these spots is quite sandy and narrow in some places, but we did fine in our 26' Class C. There is a very large previously burned area with charred remains of plants and trees but it made for some interesting eerie photos. Very quiet place with amazing views and stunning night sky. There are no amenities so bring water and pack in and pack out all trash. Nearby are various hikes and other roads to the range of craters in the area and the tufas along Mono Lake.

We stayed there on a Monday night and did not see anybody else around, other than a truck that drove past our camp spot in the night.  Very quiet night.

Good cell reception from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Note that Google Maps said that Hwy 120 is closed Oct through May and would not direct us to this area via that road, but the road was open in April 2021, probably due to the mild winter.  Check Hwy 120 conditions for yourself because without it you miss out on so much beautiful area to explore.