Join the fun near Big Creek. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Big Creek is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Big Creek, CA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"After accidentally driving to this location following the directions of another reviewer for the “Yosemite Boondocks” campground across 41 (which we never found) we were very happy with this location."
"Great location, close to Yosemite Park which allows you to sleep for free. the spot was clean, impressive camper vans were present and they were parked on the tarmac. lots of pitches, vans can be placed"
"If you enter from the Tamarack trail head and go down Rock Creek Rd its easy to get to the overlook tower."
"The landscape is rocky so you will need to be careful when setting up your tents and also be aware of any fire dangers or restrictions in the area."
"Nestled amongst trees right on the edge of Yosemite. Was quite busy when I was there but managed to find a quiet spot tucked away & private."
"Here is the correct location. You can take a dirt road from this parking lot in order to camp in the woods.
Dropped pin https://goo.gl/maps/2gskCbuY8XRMD82x5"
"Campground Review: Marie Lake, John Muir Trail
Marie Lake is nestled 99 miles into the 220 mile John Muir Trail, JMT, if you're heading Southbound."
"After Marie Lakes we had a very short 300 foot climb up and over Selden Pass and then a long decent past Heart Lake, Sallie Keyes Lakes (where the traditional Indian wood flute was being played) and a"
"About 200 feet further a little area that you can pull off. I’m driving a 170 wheelbase extended Sprinter and had a little difficulty to get in. Anything larger will be difficult. But great spot."
"Super convenient free camping between Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. A park ranger directed me here when all the campgrounds in the park were full."
"Got here on Sunday - plenty of spots to park the camper van both Sunday and Monday. Multiple turn offs on the Scenic Loop road to camp at. No bathrooms, water, electricity, or fire rings."
"As you drive along this road, every 10 seconds you will pass a dirt road. Each dirt road has multiple campsites!"
Guide4x4 or high clearance coming in. Long dirt road with dips and rocks. Water only flowing in winter months. Lots of tent camping spots along with 8 back in spots. Really amazing views 360 degrees. No service with Verizon.
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.
GuideWas a great place to stay. Plenty of shade for you, plenty of sun for you solar panel. Load road, you camp near the side, but it's not heavily trafficked even on the weekends. They are many spots nearby. Some really pretty of you walk and camp. Most are car accessible and has amazing views! Totally recommend
GuideWhat a brilliant place! Nestled amongst trees right on the edge of Yosemite. Was quite busy when I was there but managed to find a quiet spot tucked away & private. Bumpy roads around the actual camping area but manageable in a camper van. Actually saw a few big rigs here too. Only negative was the biting bugs which were everywhere & hungry but didn’t spoil the evening, just wish I’d taken bug spray or a citronella candle!
LegendThere are a ton of spots to camp along Owens River Rd. All the spots closest to 395 were taken when we went in late September, but we found this spot that I've marked here that was easily accessible in our 26ft Motorhome. Owens River Rd itself is paved, but the offshoots are hit or miss so take it slowly and proceed at your vehicle's ability.
This particular spot was nice and big and is probably suitable for any size rig. The pavement on the road heading in was partly washed out but we were easily able to drive around the pits. See video - it's long but I recorded us leaving the spot and showed the pits in the road.
Good cell reception, very quiet, very little traffic.
No amenities, no toilets, no trash service. Area was clean! Hopefully it stays that way.
RangerYou can get maps for this area at some of the information boards at the beginning of the dirt roads, they also have an app that will show you all the roads in the area. What’s nice is the map color codes the roads so that you know what your vehicle is capable of driving on. Some of the roads can get a bit rough, so make sure you know your vehicles limits. Once you get out there, enjoy! It’s so beautiful and quiet. Please make sure you pack in and pack out your trash, there are no services for that. Also, be aware of fire restrictions!
ScoutGot here on Sunday - plenty of spots to park the camper van both Sunday and Monday. Multiple turn offs on the Scenic Loop road to camp at. No bathrooms, water, electricity, or fire rings. Pretty dispersed but close enough to downtown. Would go back!
ScoutWe boondocked in Inyo National Forest just last weekend, September 27-29, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. The location was incredible, there were fellow boondockers around, but not too close, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. There is no water on site that we found, but we knew that going in. Our rig was 58' long and we had no issues getting in or out. We enjoyed Jeeping on the trails in Inyo National Forest, and we enjoyed the peace and quiet. We will be back.
ScoutMay 2023- We happened upon this place through "the dyrt" and what a hidden jewel! We camped right next to the stream and stayed one night and it was peaceful and far away from any highway. The road becomes dirt and while bumpy in places, our class B van with low clearance did fine going slow. The creek was 40 feet from our spot, running well (Spring of 2023 after record snowfall) and the dog loved playing it it. We arrived 1pm and there was just one other vehicle. By evening there were about 7 more vehicles but they dispersed. We camped at the first turn off where you'll see the Forest Service Sign. You can continue further on the bumpy road and there are other sites along the way, which I can't speak about as we did not go there. BE CAREFUL as there are two camps with same name. The one we stayed at is just west of Bishop. There is another "Mc Gee Creek Forest Service Campground" west of Lake Crowley which looks great, but I've not been there.
Dispersed camping near Big Creek, California, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the freedom of camping away from traditional sites. With stunning landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities, this area is perfect for adventurers seeking solitude and beauty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Big Creek, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Big Creek, CA is Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site with a 4.5-star rating from 40 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 67 dispersed camping locations near Big Creek, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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