Best Cabin Camping near Big Pine, CA

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Big Pine Creek Campground, CA

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=20312&actid=31

As we traveled up Rt 395, along the Eastern Sierras, we searched for a campground offering trails into the wilderness…but also one with a shower, as they seem to be a rare commodity…and our last campground was primitive.

Reviews stated Big Pine Creek had showers and modern restrooms, so we drove through the night arriving at 7:00 Sunday morning…hoping for an available site. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

Turns out, the camper at site 2, beside the Host site, was packing up…so we claim jumped the site. Also turns out…after we paid $22 for the night…Big Pine Creek Campground does not have showers, nor modern restrooms.

So, to set the record straight…there are vault latrines and a river of cold glacier runoff of roughly 40F degrees. However, next to Big Pine Creek Campground is Glacier Lodge (they share the same entrance road and is privately owned)…and they will rent you a shower for $5/5 minutes. For that $5 shower, you can use the modern toilet.

Don’t let that run you off, though. We loved Big Pine Creek Campground. The sites are spacious and the backdrop is gorgeous. Not many campgrounds offer stellar trails into the Inyo John Muir Wilderness…more on that later. Mule deer roam between campsites, ground squirrels and magpies are everywhere. We also noted a resident lizard.

Most sites are somewhat tiered because of the sloped terrain. Site 2 parking pad was large enough for our SUV, but little else. You have a large bear resistant locker in front of a large fixed picnic table, situated on a large, raised, leveled pad that also has the fire pit. Up a few steps is the raised timber tent pad. Numerous large pines and smaller hardwoods populate the sites. Our neighboring site was visible with little obstruction, but was occupied by a delightful French family on holiday, that we enjoyed.

Big Pine Creek Campground is often filled with campers from all over the world and makes for interesting conversations.

Drinking water was a little walk. Last year’s winter had an avalanche destroy their water lines, so others were rerouted. No electric. Also, no cell service. Perfect for unplugging, relaxing and meeting your fellow campers.

There is a trout pond near the entrance that folks were capitalizing on. They were also fishing the creek. The glacier fed creek is cold…like 38 degrees cold. The trails…in a word…Epic!

The North Trail was incredible. We started late and only went to the first and second of seven alpine glacier lakes. The water is so emerald green, it’s surreal. We hiked out and back in 6.5 hours, taking an hour respite for a polar bear plunge in the near freezing lake. I was advised we missed the most beautiful third lake…also referred to as Emerald Lake. The North Fork Trail into The John Muir Wilderness does require permits for backcountry camping…an easy process and well worth it…https://www.recreation.gov/permits/John_Muir_Trail_North_Of_Devils_Postpile_Aa10/r/entranceEntryExitDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72203&entranceId=315543&permitTypeId=1009473747&entryType=1

Of note, along the way is Lon Chaney’s (of Frankenstein, Werewolf and Hunchback of Notre Dame movie fame) backcountry cabin. Lon Chaney would bring guests back by horse and mule train. Upon his passing, it was gifted to the parks.

One horse/mule train passed us on the trail, returning after they deposited their riders and goods out into the wilderness.

The host couple were very helpful and a joy to glean local and trail information from.

A wonderful campground to visit.

Backing up to the John Muir Trail all the way into the back country of the high Sierra is this Gem of a ranch. It has amazing amenities, such as cabins, tent cabins, developed hot springs, all meals included, toilets and running water, horses back tours/packing, backpacker resupply, and store. 

Getting there however is quite a feat. First you have to traverse a one lane road nearly 30 miles back into Florence Lake. Then you have to take a boat ride to the other side of the lake, and finally you have to hike 5+ miles to the ranch. It is all worth it for the sunning views, great food, amazing fishing, hiking, and all around experience.

We were planning to stay at Sage Flat campground on the road up from Big Pine, but didn’t like it so we continued on to Big Pine Creek CG and we were so pleased! They had 4 FCFS sites (sites 2-5) and we got site 4. It’s a nice site, but site 5 is really close. Someone took that site on our second night but they were quiet, fortunately. The creek is really pretty and the hike up to the lakes (lakes 1-5) is gorgeous. There are 2 beautiful waterfalls on the hike. The vault toilets were overfull and very stinky. There is a camp store at Glacier Point Lodge just a short walk up the road from the campground. You can get a 5 minute shower there for $7. No cell service but at the lodge you can get 24 hours of WiFi for $10. We stayed 3 nights and enjoyed it.

Sentinel was the only campground available for a visit to Kings Canyon and Sequoia. Be prepared for a LONG drive to get anywhere.

The campsite was amazing!!! You are nestled by the river and under beautiful big trees. The site was spacious with a picnic table, fire pit and bear box.

The restroom is dated, but it’s a flush toilet and running water, which is a gift. They do have a sink to clean dishes.

I found it to be pretty quiet. Most sites were dark shortly after sunset. A lot of people were up and out early in the morning. So many amazing hikes and walks to do within the two parks.

I stayed here May 10-12th with my two dogs. I chose a site right along the creek which was wonderful to fall asleep to the sounds of rushing water. Many sites are quite spacious and offer a sandy area for tent set up. Most sites have a picnic table, fire pit, & metal bear box for food storage. Vault toilet available that were surprisingly clean. Camp host was friendly and had firewood on site available for purchase for $8/bundle. The website lists nightly rate as $21/night but when I arrived the sign had been updated to $23/night. This was the perfect basecamp for some day hikes up Big Pine Creek Trail to some beautiful blue lakes.

Our campsite is in the upper area which is nothing more than a paved parking lot with allocated space. At the end of the site are the water & electric hook-ups, a fairly full fire ring and a very small 4 person picnic table. There is a wooded section that is featured on the website.

The pros of this place are its location on the bike path, across from the visitors center, and on the edge of town for easy access. The sinks/toilets/ are mostly well-maintained. The cons are the dirty (mud) shower stalls, standing muddy water in men’s shower room, and the office & camp store are closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays - and this is peak season!! We won’t be coming here again.

For what this campground lacks in bathhouses it makes up for in one of the most spectacular hikes I have ever been on. This is a pretty remote campground tucked away in the Muir Wilderness, you will not have service and will want to bring in all the supplies you will need. Aside from that it is a great little oasis. Campsites vary with privacy and you will notice that the ones that have the most privacy are usually reserved for as long as possible. They only have pit toilets and a water spigot. There is a little camp shop where you can buy a hot shower for $6, a bit steep and not all that great but if you are in need of a shower that’s the place to go. The deer roam all around the camp ground so be on the lookup for them strolling through your camp. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, tent pad, and bear box.

The Big Pine Lakes or as the locals call them “Lake 1, Lake 2, Emerald Lake, Lake 4 etc.” But these lakes deserve a name because they are absolutely breath taking. While we stopped at Lake 2 believing this was actually “Emerald Lake”, we were still not disappointed with the unreal colors that these glacier lakes have. The hike up was a bit strenuous and you are in the open hot sun for a while so wear sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses to protect yourself but take this hike because it is 100% worth it.

Lodgepole is a very popular camp ground in the Sequoias. There is a river that runs through the camp ground that is easily accessed and made for a lot of fun during our visit. The lodge offers many accommodations including food, laundry, visitors center, and shuttle access. The camp sites we stayed in were only for tents and included fire pit with grate (needed to be dug out a bit) and picnic table. Bear box on each site and additional shared boxes in walking distance for additional storage. Water and bathrooms within short walking distance. This is a busy campground and I find that it's hard not to get to know your neighbor. We were very fortunate to have other kids our daughters age by us however I can see how this could be inconvenient for some. Rangers patrol sites often and lots of wildlife in area. We enjoyed our stay and felt that it offered great access to both parks and enjoyed the trails that led directly from the campgrounds.

Getting there: A long drive on windy roads behind people generally doing 10mph under the speed limit. Take your time because you sure wont be able to rush. Once inside the campground the road looks more like a lunar landscape with more potholes than pavement. Campsites: The group campsites are fairly spacious and easily fit 15 of us, they are rated to hold 20 people but that might be a bit of a squeeze. All the campsites provide 3 picnic benches, 3 bear boxes (not enough so be weary of how many coolers you have), and only one fire pit with grill grate. Trying to get 15 people around a single fire pit and still within range of the warmth was a major issue. There are shared restroom areas with full plumbing and potable water through the campsite. This campsite was also really, really far away from most of the stuff we wanted to do, I would NOT stay at this campsite again. WARNING: The rangers here are asshats. They were constantly patrolling and searching for a reason to write us a ticket (-1 star). They gave us 3 warnings the first day of our stay for BS nit picky reason (we don't want to put our shit in the bear bin when we are sitting around snacking on it you dick). The Park: Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park were nice but everything you want to do is at least an hour drive each way on windy roads. Kind of a pain. What to do: Go out on some hikes, there are a ton of trails. Go see the giant Sequoias, either General Sherman or General Grant. Go explore some caves, they are awesome.