Looking for an adventure where you can explore Big Pine and then fall asleep in your tent? Finding a place to camp in California with your tent has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your California tent camping excursion.
Families, friends and special interest groups enjoy Bishop Park for its access to prime fishing and its serene setting on Bishop Creek. The group campground one of the most popular facilities in the Bishop Creek Area. The campground is located near Inyo and John Muir Wilderness areas, with access to several trailheads, glaciers and lakes.
Bishop Park is an ideal setting for horseback riding, wildlife viewing, hiking and fishing. Tent sites back onto the creek, allowing anglers to fish from the comfort of their campsite. The stocked stream contains rainbow, brown, brook and Alpers trout. Similar fishing opportunities can be found just upstream in Intake Lake II.
Bishop Park, in the Inyo National Forest, extends along the North Fork of Bishop Creek. It is shaded by aspens, cottonwoods and Jeffrey and lodgepole pines. The Inyo National Forest is home to many natural wonders, including Mt. Whitney, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
A nearby resort provides limited groceries, fishing supplies and Internet access.
$85 - $94 / night
North Lake Campground is situated among the trees and adjacent to the north fork of Bishop Creek. It is a lovely campground - all 11 campsites have shade among the tall Jeffery and Lodgepole pines. Three of the sites are very short walk-in's. The remainder have small parking spots at the sites. The road to North Lke is partially paved and partially gravel and is narrow and winding. Trailers and RVs are prohibited. In the spring and early summer, mosquitoes can be an annoyance.
$20 - $25 / night
Mountain Glen is a small campground along Bishop Creek on the way to South Lake. 5 campsitesites. This intimate campground is tucked in the aspens and willows next to the creek and makes for a perfect one night stay in preparation for a backpacking trip or a week long respite from city life.
$25 / night
Table Mountain Group Campground is located 18 miles southwest of Bishop, California, along the South Fork of Bishop Creek. Here, the creek has bountiful trout to please anglers. Nearby glaciers and lakes make for incredible scenery and wildlife viewing is excellent. With over 2 million acres, the Inyo National Forest is home to many natural wonders, including Mt. Whitney, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
Located near John Muir Wilderness, the area offers access to several trailheads for hiking and horseback riding. Less than a mile up the road is the trailhead for the Tyee Lakes Trail, highlighting epic views of the Inconsolable Range and the peaks that surround South Lake.
The campground sits adjacent to Bishop Creek among a variety of conifers like Jeffrey pine. Situated on Table Mountain, the campground is part of the White Mountain Ranger District. This district alone boasts he Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, numerous 14,000 foot peaks, ancient glaciers and pristine lakes.
Take the John Muir Trail into the John Muir Wilderness and be swept away by excellent views of Devils Postpile.
$90 / night
A small, quiet campground just below Rock Creek Lake. 11 campsites.
Canyon View Group sites are located in Cedar Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California. Cedar Grove is located on the South Fork of the Kings River at an elevation of 4,600 feet. This is a TENT ONLY Group Campground. No RV's or Trailers allowed.
Cedar Grove provides some of the best trails in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, especially near Roads End. Nearby the Kings River offers excellent trout fishing. Horseback riding is also available. Expect warm days and cool nights in the area.
The group sites are located in a cedar and ponderosa pine forest at the bottom of the third deepest canyon in the contiguous United States. The Cedar Grove area's glaciated valley features towering cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, and the powerful Kings River, whose canyon gave the park its name. Two prominent rock formations, North Dome at 8,717 feet and Grand Sentinel at 8,518 feet, rise 3,500 feet above the canyon floor. Many species of wildlife inhabit the canyon as well.
For facility specific information, please call (559) 565-3792.
Boyden Cave, Hume Lake, Grizzly Falls, Mist Falls, Zumwalt Meadow, Roaring River Falls, Sequoia Groves and numerous hiking trails abound in the area. The Cedar Grove Visitor Center offers ranger-led programs including nature and wildlife presentations as well as ranger-led hikes. The Crystal Caves are about a two and a half hour (72 miles/116 km) from the campground. Reserve tour tickets in advance on Recreation.gov.
Payment in full will be charged to your credit card upon completion of the reservation. A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Additional fees will apply for late cancellations. For group campsites: All modifications must be made at least 14 days prior to scheduled arrival date to avoid additional fees. For group campsites: All cancellations made within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date are considered late cancellations and will incur the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. If your campsite remains vacant for 24 hours after your arrival date it will be cancelled and made available on rec.gov.You will be charged for the first night's campsite fee and a $10 cancellation fee, all other fees after that will be refunded. Recreation.gov policies apply to all reservations, cancellations, refunds and date changes. Call (559) 565-3792 if you will be arriving 24 hours after your arrival date so your site won't be cancelled.
$50 - $60 / night
The 10,500-acre Jennie Lakes Wilderness is a lovely mixture of lakes, meadows, forests, and streams. Mostly above 7,000 feet in elevation, this wilderness contains scenic variations of alpine and sub-alpine forest of White & Red Fir, Lodgepole Pine, Western White Pine, Jeffrey & Ponderosa Pine, with an abundance of wildflowers in the Spring and Summer. The summit of Mitchell Peak is the highest point at 10,365 feet. Four trailheads access 26 miles of trails within the wilderness. Several of these trails also connect to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's enormous backcountry.
Scout
Was going to stay at the truck stop overnight , till I opened up the dryt app and found this campground that was only 5 miles away. There was only 3 other campers there. Easy pay with kiosk pay station with credit card. There was also an artisan well for amazing water and a stream running thru camp
Guide
Mountain side relatively flat dirt area to park. Has a sizable fire ring for the cold nights! Absolutely magical to sit next to the creek listening to the roaring waters! Much needed after the desert!
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
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.
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.
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.
Ranger
Spot#106. Unlevel, but most in this area are not level.#107 not bad. Some loops have no bathrooms so be aware of where you reserve. Good trails to village and grants tree. Crystal springs campground adjacent has more trees, more shade.
Foodie aside: Lodge across the road had market with chocolate milk for $1.60 per 2p. Almost out of beer after holiday weekend. We had Readywise mango sticky rice with for dinner, yum! Added butter and salt, but recommend cut back on water in Readywise direction so use <175 cup Dog approved.
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.
Scout
Beautiful views!
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!
Traveler
This park is in the middle of nowhere but a fabulous view of the Sierra Nevada's. I had a problem when I pulled into my site getting shore power from the electrical hook up. But I went to the office and I was moved immediately to a better site with a good hook up! Quiet, clean and well landscaped for the desert surroundings
Guide
Great spot and so much less crowded than Yosemite. Bathrooms are not so great
GuideStayed one quick night here. The entire campground is very mildy hilly and many sites are sloped. A decent area to stay and short drive to see attractions and trails. The bathrooms were the most unattractive part. There didn’t seem to be a check-in process. I just showed up to the site I paid for, not sure if I was supposed to check in somewhere. It would have helped to have a map
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
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
Ranger
Camped here before hiking Mount Whitney the following day. Think we got one of the only sites with a “tree,” but the grounds were well maintained and area was quite. Enjoyed camping here.
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.
Guide
I pulled in here looking for a campsite on my way up to mammoth. I was able to find a pretty dope spot surrounded by rocks, and nowhere near any other campers. I was legit, alone.
Great place to pull off and sit on a rock to watch the sun set over the mountains. Shade was minimal, but if you hide between the rocks like they do in that scene on the fire planet in Riddick you’ll be alright til it cools off.
Scout
Great campground as base for hikes or just to chill and enjoy the river. We had no cell reception - good to be really off for a little while. Only the restrooms where a little disgusting - experienced that differently in other NPs.
Traveler
Quiet place on dirt, not really levelled but fine for a night and easily accessible with any car.
Legend
Still 4 stars, more accurately 3.5 stars. We were under the trees this time instead of on the asphalt parking lot slab. All dirt, dirt back in site, dirt camp site accessed by a dirt road. Expect lots of dust. Bring all your campsite mats, you will need it. We backed in pretty deep to the site as not to run into our neighbor, My long shore cord had to be stretched to get to the power box. The water and sewer fine. Why these boxes are so far back almost into the next site is puzzling. Upon leaving, the access road is totally blocked by vehicles lined up for the dump station. If you want to avoid this, leave early. Not really sure if there will be a third visit.
Legend
I think the coordinates for this campground are off, it's located closer to 36.563093,-118.279422
We hiked Mt Whitney from the portal campground in two-days, with one overnight at trail camp. Even with the permit system, the campground was packed, it was hard to find a spot for our tents. We arrived to the campground around 4pm, so I would suggest starting the hike earlier (we started at 10am) if you want a better spot. Another downside of how many people go through the campground, was that it smelled like pee in a few areas, and I was very disappointed to see people had left trash and even wagbags.
The 360 view around the campground is magnificent, and it is breath-taking to see the sunset and sunrise. Don't expect to sleep much in-between though, because you're sleeping on rocks, and hikers start/finish at all hours on the trail that's a few yards away from many of the tent spots.
ScoutExploring Alabama Hills on Movie Flat Road is like stepping onto a film set straight out of a Western movie. This iconic location in California has been the backdrop for countless films, thanks to its stunning rock formations and dramatic landscapes. If you're planning a visit, make sure to check out Castle app for an interactive and personalized travel guide that enhances your experience with custom itineraries and insights tailored to your interests. Whether you're a film buff or an outdoor enthusiast, the combination of real-world exploration and digital tools can make your adventure in the Alabama Hills truly unforgettable.
Scout
Last minute decision to camp near Lone Pine. The site has a machine that takes cards now - super convenient. The breeze helped cool the temperature quickly, and the creek sounds great! Mostly quiet tonight, maybe a third full.
Guide
We stayed 2 nights, went fishing and had a blast. No electricity or water. Showers are old-you have to buy shower coins for 6 min of hot water. But the river, fishing and view is gorgeous. Most campers have a generator for power but it has to be turned off at 10pm.
TravelerI recently had the pleasure of staying at Kellie’s, Brown's Owen River Campground, and it was an absolutely fantastic experience! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm hospitality and a beautifully maintained campsite. The facilities were spotless, and the scenic views were breathtaking.
Kellie has created a perfect blend of comfort and nature, with plenty of activities for all ages. Whether you're into fishing, hiking, or simply relaxing by the river, there's something for everyone. The attention to detail and the friendly atmosphere made our stay truly memorable.
I highly recommend Brown’s Owen River Campground to anyone looking for a peaceful and enjoyable getaway. We can't wait to return! Five stars all the way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Big Pine, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Big Pine, CA is Bishop Park Group (Ca) — Inyo National Forest with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Big Pine, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 49 tent camping locations near Big Pine, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
