Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Big Pine, CA

(My visit was in Feb. 2020) I drove in from Big Pine, it's not that bad of a drive, if you like rough roads. The drive in is no where nearly as bad as the road to the Racetrack. There are no facilities here, nothing, nada, zip, so be prepared. You are on your own as cell service is limited to nonexistent. The campsites are along the road so you can drive right up to the site. There are a few sites picnic tables and fire rings (BYOW).

Beautiful warm springs out in the middle of nowhere. The camping area can be crowded, and it can be hard to find spots, but it’s oh so worth it if you can. There are pit toilets, 5 different hot springs and plenty of stars. From Big Pine it is about a 3.5 hour drive, 40 miles of which is off-road. AWD or 4x4 is recommended, same with ground clearance. Just follow signs for Saline Valley Warm Springs as there are a couple of turns. It is a long journey out there, but definitely worth it.

Try to get a spot along the creek! Nice and quiet. Great fishing and hiking! Don’t miss hiking up the North Fork of Big Pine Creek to the upper lakes! Beautiful!!!!

My only complaint is other people are very rude. Untrained pets, music from other sites... the sites are far apart, but there is no vegitation to buffer the sounds of other people.

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.

Rv camped in winter. Not all loops open but there weren’t a lot of people there so it was ok. Lots of long rv spaces. Nearby exploring is plentiful

Remember pets on leashes on trails.

Great 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

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.

Campground has two access roads just north of Big Pine CA. The campground entrance is approximately 1 mile west of Highway 395. Take Baker Creek Road for a straight shot to the entrance and pay station kiosk. Most sites are located on opposite sides of A small creek that splits above the campground. Most sites have some type of fire pit and a picnic table and most have some shade. Bathrooms are pit toilets and in good condition. Access to the sites is not paved and on a slope. Sites very greatly by size and shape and some are uneven. Sites are $14 per night and can be reserved on recreation.gov, or walk in sites can be paid for at the kiosk with a credit card.

Spacious, out of the way site with incredible desert views and night skies. Access was easy in March ‘24 with maybe 10 miles of well graded gravel following an easy, mostly paved approach on Big Pine road. Dry, shadeless, remote, with maybe 5 groups camped along a mile of track.

Climb the dune, but try to avoid stepping on the plants holding it together. The views from the top are worth it. When I was there a few military jets flew low up the valley — continued access for training was evidently part of the deal for adding this valley to the park.

One bar of very intermittent AT&T service I would not rely on. There is one pit toilet. Bring everything else, including toilet paper.

This campground is on the way to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the Inyo National Forest.  (While the elevation is high compared to the valley, it can still be quite warm in the summer.  And bear in mind that the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest itself doesn't open for the season until the snow melts.)  While these are the White Mountains, it's more desert-y chaparral and brush than what you think of with a pine forest.

Sites here are mostly pretty private, with some shade and separation from the brushy vegetation.  This is a dry camp, so you have to haul in all of your water.  There are pit toilets.  It's about a 45-minute to one-hour drive to Big Pine, the closest town for supplies.

I was cruising up 395, wanting to see the Ancient Bristlecone Pines, but really thought they were still gonna be snow-bound.  In Big Pine, I saw it was OPEN...so up I went.  As a motorcycle traveler, 168 is some serious fun, but watch out for the 'tar-snakes'.  I arrived at this dry-camp, set up camp, then continued up the road to the Schulman Grove.  Absolutely Amazing.  And the little gem is that there is cell service at the magnificent vista point.  Back in camp, however, wonderful off-grid solitude.  The magic happened after dinner, while walking around the little vale, enjoying a cigar, I met a member to the White Mountain Astronomy Club.  With him was a 18" reflecting telescope.  I was invited back and saw amazing celestial objects (Leo Trio, several Messier galaxies & Ring Nebula)

Spent 5 nights at Azalea and had an absolute blast. The America the Beautiful access pass knocks the price down from $22/night to $11/night, so if you don't have it, get it! There were TONS of trails immediately accessible from most camp sites, and a short walk from the rest. Campground has potable water, flush toilets, sinks for doing dishes, dumpsters/recycling, and Verizon service was fair/good throughout our stay. Pets are allowed too! This spot is going in our favorites list for sure!

Diaz Lake Campground is right off HWY 395, has a small lake, picnic table, bathroom, and parking. Pros: easy to access, more like and in and out area. Accept pets. Flat surface. Lake can be a nice spot to hang out and watch the surroundings. Cons: too exposed to the highway an cars. Can be crowded and noisy. Relatively more expensive compare to other campgrounds in the area but not too much. In summary, this is a great place to go and sleep and then continue with your trip.