Are you planning a camping trip to Benton with your dog? We've got you covered. Finding pet-friendly campgrounds in California is easier than ever. Each pet-friendly spot offers quick access to one or more of Benton's most popular destinations.
Easy access to fishing, a marina and boat rentals make June Lake Campground a favorite spot for both families and anglers. The facility sits in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in close proximity to the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake. The town of June Lake offers the convenience of shopping and dining, while the surrounding land and lakes provide ample outdoor recreation opportunities.
Campers have no problem staying busy and enjoying the outdoors. Fishing for rainbow and Alpers trout, canoeing, boating and walking are just some of the activities available around the lake. Numerous trails lie minutes away, an obvious draw for hikers, mountain bikers and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. The Fern Lake Trail, a short drive away, leads into the scenic Ansel Adams Wilderness. Skiing is a major winter pastime in the area. A drive along the June Lake Loop results in expansive views of rugged mountain peaks and several lakes.
Campsites are located in a mixed aspen and pine forest above the eastern shoreline of beautiful, 257-acre June Lake. Many points in the campground have views of the surrounding 11,000 and 12,000' peaks. The campground's elevation is 7,600 feet. Many species of wildlife call the mountains home, such as black bear, mountain lions, mule deer, pine marten, pika and numerous fish and birds.
Mono Lake and its many activities are minutes away. Hikers can access the scenic Ansel Adams Wilderness via nearby trails, and Yosemite National Park is a great day trip. Ansel Adams Wilderness Yosemite National Park
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
$30 / night
Convict Lake Campground is situated near Convict Lake amidst the beautiful scenery of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lake and surrounding national forest provide many opportunities for family fun, outdoor recreation and relaxation. The campground and nearby resort offer many amenities for a convenient and enjoyable camping experience. The facility is located between Mammoth Lakes and Bishop, California, near Mammoth Airport.
The eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains are known for exceptional trout fishing. Anglers can cast a line for rainbow and brown trout in the creek or lake. Power boats are limited to electric motors on the lake (six horsepower or less). The area's majestic scenery and variety of trails draw in hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian enthusiasts. The 3.5-mile Lake Trail can be accessed from the campground, and many other trails are in nearby John Muir Wilderness.
The campground sits at an elevation of 7,500 ft. and provides gorgeous views of the lake and the dramatic mountain scenery. Convict Creek runs through the campground, and the 167-acre Convict Lake is about 100 yards away. Shrubs and low vegetation fill in the landscape, though tall aspen and cottonwood trees grow along the creek. The area is abundant with wildlife, including black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, pine marten, pika and many species of fish and birds.
Visitors can explore the magnificent John Muir Wilderness, which stretches for 100 miles along the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a land of lofty snow-capped mountains, deep canyons and vast expanses of glacially-carved terrain, and offers extensive hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails.
$30 - $33 / night
$33 / night
Located near Mammoth Lakes, Crab Cooker Hot Springs is one of several hot water springs in the area that are suitable for soaking in. The pool consists of a manmade cement tub with water piped in from a mineral spring about 30 feet away. Though the water at the source is too hot to bathe in, or even to touch, the tub has been outfitted with a valve that allows for the control of hot water.
Crab cooker is located on land that is owned by the LA Department of Water and Power, which forbids camping. However, camping is permitted on nearby public land.
Mammoth Mountain RV Park offers full and partial hook-up sites, tent camping and cabins in the beautiful alpine town of Mammoth Lakes, CA. Mammoth Mountain offers an impressive 175 different campsites to choose from, including 49 full hook-up sites, 105 partial hook-up sites, 17 tent sites, 2 group tent sites, and 2 cabins. The park is ideally located near sightseeing, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, shopping and much more!
$35 - $80 / night
East Fork Canyon is in a beautiful wooded section of Rock Creek Canyon, near Lower Rock Creek. Anglers, hikers and photographers enjoy this scenic location in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The facility is large and accommodating, with several loops of campsites.Opening and closing dates for the season are dependent on weather.
Rock Creek and other waterways in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains are known for their exceptional trout fishing. A catch from the creek may include brook, brown, rainbow and stocked Alpers trout, while anglers in the backcountry are treated to populations of golden trout. The area's majestic scenery and challenging trails are an obvious draw for hikers and mountain bikers. There are several trails in and around Rock Creek Canyon, some of which meander around high-elevation alpine lakes.
This beautifully wooded area is dense with pine and fir trees, with aspens that turn golden and shimmer in the fall. Sitting at an elevation of 8,900 ft., East Fork offers views of the taller mountain peaks that surround it. The campground is adjacent to the clear, cold and cascading Rock Creek, which originates in the John Muir Wilderness and runs for 22 miles through the bottom of Rock Creek Canyon. The area is home to abundant wildlife, including black bear, mountain lions, mule deer, pine marten, pika and many species of fish and birds.
For facility specific information, please call (760) 935-4012.
For campers interested in local events, Mule Days are held in nearby Bishop over Memorial Day weekend, and the Mammoth Jazz Jubilee is hosted in Mammoth in mid-July.
$30 - $33 / night
Grandview Campground is nestled in low hills covered with Pinyon and Juniper. A large open area in the middle of the campground gives a truly grand view of the night sky. The combination of 8,600 foot elevation and no intrusive city lights make this a popular site for star gazers and astronomy groups. Campers are asked to minimize their use of generators and lights so everyone in camp can enjoy a peaceful night of stargazing. Grandview is also the nearest campground to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, just 5 miles to Schulman Grove. The campground has 23 sites spaced on two loop roads. Most sites are flat and sandy with ample shade. Each site has a table, fire ring, and parking for one or two vehicles. Firewood sources are limited. Do not collect wood from live or standing trees.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services, such as trash removal, tables, or toilets. There are extra responsibilites and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Most of the land in Inyo and Mono counties is publicly owned. Dispersed camping (camping outside of designated campgrounds) is allowed throughout much of the area. If you plan to backpack into a wilderness area to camp, you will need a wilderness permit, issued at Inyo National Forest visitor centers. If you wish to camp outside of developed campgrounds/sites, there are a few things you need to know:
Land Ownership: The three major land-owning agencies in the Eastern Sierra are the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the City of Los Angeles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most Forest Service and BLM land. However, camping is prohibited on land owned by the City of Los Angeles.
Maps: Anyone planning a dispersed camping trip should invest in a copy of the Inyo National Forest map, which depicts land ownership as well as roads, streams, trails and other features. The map also shows “restricted use areas” where dispersed camping is not allowed.
Restricted Use Areas: Certain high-use recreation zones, including those along paved roads leading into the mountains, are not open to dispersed camping (see Inyo National Forest map). Dispersed camping is not allowed in the following areas: Horseshoe Meadow, Onion Valley, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek, Rock Creek, McGee Creek, Convict Lake, Mammoth Lakes, Reds Meadow Valley, June Lakes Loop, Lee Vining Canyon, Lundy Canyon, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and any research area.
Owens River: All land along the Owens River is owned by the City of Los Angeles, and is closed to camping.
Length of Stay: On Inyo National Forest land, you may camp up to 28 days per six months on any one ranger district (there are 4 ranger districts on the Inyo –Mt. Whitney, White Mountain, Mammoth, and Mono Lake). Always check with your local ranger station.
Locating a Dispersed Campsite: Look for an area at the end of a spur road or a pullout that is clear of vegetation and has a hard, compacted surface. These sites might have a primitive fire ring. Stay on established roadways; do not drive off-road to camp. Try to select a campsite at least 100 feet from lakes and streams.
Campfires and Fire Permits: If you plan to build a campfire or use a barbeque or camp stove, you must obtain a campfire permit from a Forest Service, BLM, or CalFire office. You must have a shovel and a container of water (for drowning the fire). Clear an area least 5 feet wide all the way around your fire ring down to mineral soil. During times of high fire danger, camp fires are prohibited; always check with the local fire office or ranger station for fire restrictions.
Guide
Lovely campground. Nice creek sounds and beautiful large trees. Couldn't get a hold of host and sites aren't very private. Otherwise really solid choice for location, amenities (bear lockers were great) and maintenance.
Guide
We found a great campsite at the Aspen Grove Campground off of Hwy 120 close to the east entrance of Yosemite. Our campsite had a running waterfall with pine and aspen trees. Each campsite includes a table, fire pit, and bear box. There is no potable water and it only has porta potties. Cell service is poor but we used out Starlink with no issues, which also will not work if your campsite is in the pine trees. We would stay here again.
Scout
Pull into a spot and relax while you listen to the creek, close to the road easy access
Legend
Just here to tell folks the road is already closed but there are a couple small pull offs.
Traveler
We stayed in site #17, it was pretty private as we didn't really have anyone around us. The bathroom was clean and the site itself was well maintained. Firewood was for sale at the camp store or through the hosts. Gets super cold at night! Showers were available at the camp store as well as laundry.
Traveler
We arrived late in the night, there is a sign with available places on the office entrance. Good restrooms. Dump Station and Hot water shower is free if you pay for Camping. Laundry is available as well. Paid for 1 night with electric and water hookup 52 $. Only Cash.
Traveler
This was such a beautiful spot. It was our first night on our trip, and we knew we had to find a spot sooner than later. We drove through the campground to find a wonderful spot right by the creek. A day user was just leaving, and they said it was the best spot for fishing. The attached parking was uneven, but we found a few rocks that helped even us out. The spot is a bit windy as it is in kind of a canyon, but it died down as the sun went down.
I have T-Mobile and had absolutely no scerive until we got back on the 395.
There is a small vault toilet that was near the site, and I don't know where they buy their toilet paper, but it was quality stuff. There is a bunch of signage inside the vault stating the area is bear territory, and we needed needed to be bear aware.
Traveler
We spent 1 night and was hoping to spend another except for an unexpected rainstorm that brought of course rain and high winds. It is a windy area as it is in a canyon, but it had settled after the sun went down, and we were able to build a beautiful campfire. Our site was very large and it might have been a group site but there was only 1 post on the site. The vault toilet was just across from the campsite. The site was quite private and had a small walkway down to the stream where you could fit maybe 4 or 5 chairs and just enjoy the endless stream. I have T-Mobile and I had absolutely NO service.
TravelerAs night approached, we had to find a campground. We were also looking for something maintained but scenic which this campground was. There are no actual views of the lake from the camp ground that we saw, but some of the sites have a stream flowing through. Even though it was late in the day (5-6pm) and the campground was basically all reserved, we did find a few open spots that you could pay for at the pay station. Each spot has a nice parking spot big enough for a small trailer. Not all spots were leveled, but we did find one that was leveled enough that we didn't need to make any additional adjustments. They all had fire pits, table, and bear lockers. All in all, it's a great campground. I want to mention there is a restaurant close by, but expect to pay upwards of $100 for a meal. It might be best to bring in your own meals. I have T-Mobile, and I was able to get a text or two, but I had absolutely no service until we got back to the 395.
Traveler
No camping happened. Campground closed when we checked on October 16th, 2034. Maybe next time.
Guide
We made an extra camping trip during Fall this year. We usually spend July up near Lee Vining, but we wanted to see what camping in October was like. Getting to Upper Sage isn’t tricky, it’s just very inconspicuous. You drive up Hwy 395 to a little town called Big Pine. It’s about 15 miles before Bishop. You turn left on a little residential street that takes you buy cute little homes of Big Pine. You’d swear you made the wrong turn. Then, you’ll continue on this worn little road for a few miles. It goes up quickly. Again, it seems you’re on the way to nowhere. After about 7 miles up, you’ll see the canyon with trees and campgrounds. It’s really pretty. Almost to the end of the road you’ll find Upper Sage Flat. We camped in sites 2 and 4. Both were real nice and next to the creek. The bathroom is close but not right next to your site. There’s only one bathroom so it’s nice to have it so close. As it turned out, there might have been 4 sites taken up, but that’s all. We had the place to ourselves. If you like to fish, the sites 14-19 are perfect. There are some beautiful hiking trails nearby, especially the Big Pine Creek Trail. The campground is paved, which is nice for bikes. Also, right up the street a little is Glacier Lodge, a place where you can rent little cottages. It’s old and looks worn, but it’s clean, looks taken care of, and they even have a little store. We only stayed for 3 days but they were wonderful. James the CG host was FANTASTIC! He pretty much doesn’t bother you and just asks you keep it clean and don’t get out of control. He was so nice we supported him by buying wood. He says he makes more with recyclables, so recycle when you’re there. All in all, we had a wonderful time and the CG was well worth it, in October at least. If you decide to do some Fall camping, Upper Sage Flats will not disappoint you.
Scout
Pulled in here since the sun was setting and we wouldn’t make it to lone pine. Nice off road trail with some scattered sites.
ScoutWe were exploring Yosemite high country and wanted a place to park and sleep. I passed the place I found on here and before I could turn around, I saw this big area. It is sandy, so be cautious of that when you park. I have a Subaru so it’s not an issue.
Scout
Parked overnight in the RV on the same road as the hotspring on a Wednesday night had no problems. 2 other vans were next to us
TravelerThis camp is small, but amazing. RVs are not prohibited according to the attendants who we ran into, but they have a sign saying so since the space is tight. If you have a big trailer you can easily get stuck. Class B easily works well. There are only about 8 sites, no formal host on site. We got lucky and got site 5 which was spacious and right on the creek. Sites are kind of close together. We came the weekend the aspens turned end of September and it was completely full. There’s a cool little abandoned road trail between this camp and patchers that is a nice morning stroll for any dogs. We didn’t run into anyone in the morning.
Traveler
No reservation campground. I came on a Wednesday the last week of September and took the last site which happened to be the handicap site that become available at 3:00 because it was not yet taken. However, this situation only allows for a one night stay which was fine for me since I just needed a place to crash that night. Had I wanted to stay longer, I could have easily jumped over to other sites that became available in the morning. This campground cleared quickly in the morning and there did not appear to be many multi night guests but rather people needing a place before or after traveling the Tioga Pass. Arrive early (before 9AM) and you will probably get a site.
Some road noise but beautiful big sky at night.
Pit toilets
No cellular service
Traveler
Lovely and quiet. Plenty of open spots mid week September. The lake sites go fast but 35 and those on the eastern perimeter are very spacious with sunrise views over the cliff. Most of the campers seemed to be into fishing and frequented the lake with poles and even non motorized watercrafts. The trail head to Virginia Lakes is just off the west side of the camp with ample fishing as well.
Pit toilets
Portable water
No cellular service
Traveler
This was an amazing find, there’s only maybe 1 spot that wouldn’t require AWD it gets to be somewhat deep sandy/gravely roads after that. But otherwise, close to the lake, beautiful, and peaceful.
I have ATT and had plenty of service here.
GuideStayed one night on the way to Yosemite. Nasty snow rainy day. Restrooms and showers clean. Laundry good. Park needs some TLC. Unlevel sites. Cable had terrible connection. Wifi very weak.
Legend
This is our 3rd time staying here and we love it every time. There were only a few other campers here when we stayed the week before Christmas and there were plenty of spots open. Even when it’s busy, it seems like you can always find something. We love it here. So peaceful and absolutely quiet. Lots of rock climbers come in for the day and leave in the afternoon.
Something we hadn’t noticed before were all the goatheads, everywhere. Watch your dog’s paws.
Decent cell reception for ATT and Verizon, not great, but usable. Easy drive to Bishop for supplies, and the free dump & water fill at the Speedway at the other end of town is really nice.
The road in is fairly washboarded, but manageable. The road along the back side of the stone “wall” has gotten worse since we were here last. Parts of it are really rutted and washed out. Hopefully they are fixed at some point, not sure I’d feel comfortable driving our class c on it as it is now. Luckily there are plenty of spots out off the main road so we didn’t need to drive down that road this time.
Saw the rangers go by a couple of times during our 2 night stay here. One stopped and took notes and took a picture of our rig- glad to see that they’re tracking people and enforcing the 14 day limit!
Ranger
We were looking forward to our first stay near June Lake. Oh Ridge was ok. We were in the Rabbit loop, site 57 with a partial mountain view. The sites are very close together with little privacy. Flush toilets in the loop were clean. From the nearby squirrel loop one can walk to June lake. No hiking near the campground. However we drove off in the morning and hiked the Parker Lake trail. If you only want to fish or do lake activities this campground may be ok for you. It was not our thing.
Traveler
Beautiful waterfront spots adjacent to Bishop creek, toilets, showers, fish cleaning station and these days most importantly WIFi especially if going with teenagers. Everything you need to have an enjoyable experience, even with teenagers.
Traveler
Great spot. There were quite a few people out but it was also labor day weekend, I still had no issue finding a spot and there were more sites available. Amazing stars and great hot spring.
Traveler
The campground was big yet still quite. We came up on a Thursday and got a first come spot. There are plenty of restrooms and water faucets throughout the campground to fill up.
Most of the camp sites seemed pretty uneven so come prepared.
No wildlife sitings during our stay
Guide
Incredible views of the mountains and alpine lakes from the highest campground in California (10k). Primitive camping with vault toilets, incredible campground host, potable water, firewood for sale. Accessible via a gravel access road, might be challenging to traverse for anything bigger than small trailers/RVs. Best campground I’ve ever been to!
RangerI had always wanted to camp in the Inyo national forest. Oh ridge was on my list and I was able to finally make the trip. It was a hefty drive from the Central Valley but the views were stunning. The mountainous route was sketchy but arriving to June lake was amazing! Our campsite was awesome, site 6 in bear loop. You can see the lake perfectly from our site. There’s bathrooms and an easy short drive to the town. From our site we drove down to June lake which was short and easy. You could technically walk but I don’t recommend it if you don’t like walking uphill. The lake is cold but beautiful!
GuideMost sites here looked to be closed off from eachother, and fairly private but was unpleasantly surprised to find that I had reserved one of the least private sites available (48)
The campground was quiet and reached below freezing temperatures each evening but hit 80-85 by peak sun.
The bathrooms were well stocked and clean, and campers were responsible with bear safety.
Every night around 6-7 pm a UPS truck would come tearing through the campground Atleast double the limit and sometimes driving against traffic on a one way road.
If you're looking for a great place to camp with your furry friends near Benton, California, there are several options that welcome pets and offer a variety of amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Benton, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Benton, CA is June Lake Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Benton, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 148 dog-friendly camping locations near Benton, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
