Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Benton, CA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Benton, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Discover great camping spots near Benton, reviewed by campers like you.
$33 / night
"As I walked in to the head office, that situated in the entry of the camping grounds. I Lady greeted me with the biggest smile. I paid $36 for the cover. I got to choose wherever I wanted to camp."
"If you enjoy beautiful views, a campsite near the Owens river and fishing then this will be a paradise for you."
"Views on the other are rolling fields / foothills with lots of cutie vocal Moo Moos and Alkali Lake! You can see other hot springs in the distance. No shade. Lots of flies and red ants."
"I went here solo camping with my dog in may 2021. Great little spot. Pretty busy on the weekends though. It was also crazy windy which I think cooled off the hot spring a bit."
$35 / night
"It’s just a short drive from the highway and Mammoth Airport. The campground is very popular with a mix of reserved and non reserved sites."
"We recently stayed for 3 nights in July at convict lake. The lake is gorgeous and offers fishing, no wake boating sports, mountain biking and hiking trails."
"Arguably the most popular hot springs in the Mammoth and Lake Crowley area, this BLM managed area sees a lot of traffic, but is well worth a visit!"
"Quarter mile walk to the springs. Two different pools and very warm and clean! You can camp whenever you like. Pack trash in and out. They had a little out house too."
$33 / night
"Lots of greens surrounding the area. Good for groups.. if you get neighboring sites. all campers around here were very respectful."
"In a little gorge type area so it blocks some of the wind and right next to a creek which sometimes has small trout and hiking trails."
$35 - $80 / night
"Pet friendly which is a plus. Be mindful it’s bear country so wonderingl around at night not so wise lol"
"Walking distance to town. Great walking paths. Choose to camp under the shade of the pines on a dirt pad or in the clean, parking lot style section.
This place never lets us down."
"Great access to mount Whitney trails and close to lone pine in case you gotta restock."
"We kept driving father down multiple dirt roads and eventually found a big open area where we set up camp. This spot was very sandy and we would've been stuck without 4wd."
$35 / night
"The bathrooms are very clean and probably the nicest I've seen in California (in the Eastern Sierra). Our site was a short walk to the river and it was very quiet."
"It was neatly tucked away and was very peaceful."
$32 / night
"We were really tucked away from neighbors and were very close to the lake and bathrooms. We went in August and it was perfect weather, warm days and cool nights."
"We really enjoyed June Lake Campground! Stayed there for one night on our way out of Yosemite. The drive around the lake is beautiful and there are multiple camping areas."
"Watch your dog’s paws.
Decent cell reception for ATT and Verizon, not great, but usable."
"Access to trails. Wonderful views. Sites are
spaced apart to where it feels like you’re the only one in the area."
LegendMy group had a blast at this campground! We were really tucked away from neighbors and were very close to the lake and bathrooms. We went in August and it was perfect weather, warm days and cool nights. I am interested in what other campgrounds have to offer, but would definitely come back here and recommend! We also loved that it was pet friendly and an easy drive to everything wanted to see between Mammoth & Yosemite.
GuideBeautiful overall, great access to many back country inlets and lakes. A wonderful place to witness one of the many Yosemite thunder and lighting storms. If you can leave your pet at home you will have a better time, the majority of lakes and trails in the Yosemite area do not allow dogs, some are leash restriction such as campsites. If you're heading up to lake Tenaya the pups can't go.
LegendThis camp ground is smaller relative to some of the other camping options in the area, but still well maintained. It is close to the road but still quiet. Each site has a table, fire ring, and a food storage locker. There are two vault toilets. Bring your own water. You cannot reserve sites ahead of time.
If you want to experience the Yosemite area with your dog, camping in the Inyo National Forest is a great option, because dogs are allowed to join you anywhere you go in the area, as long as they are leashed or well trained to verbal commands. Since the Yosemite NPS does not allow dogs on trails, these national forest campgrounds are a better pet-friendly alternative.
If you like fishing, there are great fishing spots at the nearby stream and lake.
Because this campground is actually a part of the national forest, you can stay here for up to two weeks, in addition to the two week maximum enforced for camping within the NPS limits. So in total you could can stay in "Yosemite" for a month by combining camping at this site (or other nearby national forest sites) with camping inside the park, which is why we stayed here for a long rock climbing trip.
TravelerIt’s a small campground just next to the lake so the place is nice. But spots are very small so you don’t have a lot of space and you live with your neighbors, no choice. Impossible to find the host and we had to go to another campground to pay! Flush toilets, drinkin water, pet allowed, nothing for your dish, No showers. Nice but not one of the best place to stay
GuideGreat place to spend the night while traveling threw. No frills but clean ! Great price , Nice people and quite. Pet friendly which is a plus. Be mindful it’s bear country so wonderingl around at night not so wise lol
TravelerSmall campground with 5 sites, fires and pets are allowed. You get a lot of day hikers and backpackers coming through, but it is fairly quiet and very friendly. Plenty of hiking trails! Campsites are also fairly large.
LegendRANGER REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce at Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsites, Ansel Adams Wilderness, CA
CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsite, Ansel Adams Wilderness
Backcountry camping often offers great hiking, epic scenery, serene solitude and otherwise missed sights. Depending on location, backcountry campsite locations can offer their own challenges, whether through the permitting process, preparation of gear and meals, logistics, or difficult terrain…but the trade offs can pay out big dividends.
Leaving behind the din of packed campgrounds…getting unplugged from electronic encumbrances…relaxing beside an untouched alpine lake where the only sound you hear is the whir of dragonfly wings as they dart about.
Only a set number of backcountry permits are issued daily, so crowds and impact remain minimal to nonexistent.
Permits are necessary for all backcountry overnight stays in the Inyo National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits
Whenever backcountry hiking/camping in California, do yourself a service and go online https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5139009 and take the California Campfire Permit test to acquire your certificate and possess it when in the backcountry.
Several ways to get to Gladys Lake exist…
1. John Muir Trail (JMT) thru-hike permits NOBO or SOBO
2. John Muir Trail section hike permits
3. Wilderness Permits Day hike permits
You could enter from Reds Meadows and follow the JMT north to Gladys Lake…or better from Agnew Meadows and follow the Shadow Creek Trail (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=21272&actid=51 ) up and around Shadow Lake and then south on the JMT past Rosalie Lake to Gladys Lake. Each access trail has a daily quota…such as Shadow Creek, which has a daily quota of 30…18 secured through reservation and 12 walk-ups. So if you are choosing to walk-up, have some flexibility of starting days.
We had a JMT SOBO permit acquired six months in advance through the NPS permit lottery. But next visit, I will likely enter through Agnew Meadows via day permit.
Most hikers will stop and camp at Rosalie Lake, which is a wonderful option and a much larger lake. Some would suggest a more picturesque lake than Gladys Lake…but that is all in the eye of the beholder.
August of 2018 saw little precipitation and the winter snowfall was below expectations, so lake water levels were lower and surrounding shoreline not marshy or soggy. Which made for dry and mosquito free conditions.
The effects of local forest fires did cover surrounding mountain views during certain times of the day, and brought with it a bit of lung burning and eye stinging. Early morning and late evening hours brought clearer skies.
Be forewarned that seemingly every backcountry campsite brings with it a steep uphill slog, but worth it. Gladys Lake is at 9600 ft elevation.
I believe there was one other camper at Gladys Lake the night we stayed…but we neither heard nor saw them. It was a perfectly peaceful evening!
Amenities? Well, no showers…no toilets…no water spigots…no electricity…no picnic tables…one lonely stone fire ring but open fires are not permitted. No cell service or WiFi…no general store or local grocery store. However, Gladys Lake water was refreshing both to wade and drink (filtered). You are surrounded by fragrant conifers that buffer sound. A perfectly peaceful location to relax and dream.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
https://www.mountainhouse.com/
As a frequent user of Mountain House freezes dried dinners, and being a creature of habit, I often settle into a couple favorite meals and don’t deviate to new offerings. Mundane and boring?…perhaps.
But…after winning $100 worth of Mountain House meals through an early season TheDyrt.com contest… and with my daughter as my hiking buddy, I selected several different meals to avoid mutiny.
One of these meal pouches was Mountain House’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.
I admit, I was a little suspect as to how freeze-dried spaghetti with meat sauce would taste, but we were both very pleased with the sauce flavors, seasoning and the amount of meat in the sauce. The only thing I would add is a couple slices of toasted garlic bread.
If the next rotation of Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce was easily located in our bear canisters, we would’ve likely had a second helping…but sadly, it was not.
In pairing down weight before our backcountry hike, I removed the contents from Mountain House’s original packaging and utilized a commercial vacuum sealer to make smaller, lighter meal packs as 11 days of food needed to fit in a bear canister. It worked, but the distinct drawback was not being able to prepare the meal in the resealable pouch. A pot was necessary to allow the freeze-dried contents to soak in the boiling water. So clean up was more extensive than it would’ve been by using the Mountain House resealable pouch. It was a trade off and we made it work.
If you are new to Mountain House freeze dried meals, directions are printed plain and simple on the pouch.
•Measure out the prescribed amount of water
•boil water
•open meal pouch and remove moisture packet
•pour boiling water in pouch and stir contents thoroughly
•seal pouch for prescribed time
•open pouch and stir contents
•serve and enjoy
It doesn’t get any easier.
GuideThis campground is a hidden gem. It is in the historic town of Benton hot springs and is adjacent to the Inn. There is a hot spring creek that runs through the campground and each of the 15 campsites have a personal hot tub filled with circulating water from the hot spring. Each campsite is unique and spacious.
LegendGeneral: 27-site RV park plus eight-room motel. Restrooms and laundry facility. Pets are allowed and the WiFi signal was decent.
Site Quality: All sites are gravel, back-in, and appeared level. A few in the rear of the park looked like they might be slightly skewed sideways. All are full hook-up, although we did not use the hookups. Our site (and several others) had nice birdhouses in the trees.
Bathhouse: Small but clean. Two stalls, one sink, and one shower. There is no additional cost to use the shower, but you are asked to keep it short to conserve water.
Activities: Close to the turn-off to Bodie State Park and also the town of Bridgeport. There is a horseshoe pit and large campfire area which I imagine would be in use during the summers when the park is full.
Be aware that you will hear road noise as this RV park is located on Highway 395, but it did quiet down later in the night. We normally do not stay in RV parks, but this was just an overnight for us and because there were only a few people there when we were there, our site felt more private. Becky, the owner, was very accommodating for our last-minute stay request.
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 Browns Owens River Campground with a 4.9-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Benton, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 152 dog-friendly camping locations near Benton, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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