Best Campgrounds near Bridgeport, CA

This is full wilderness camping off the main road between hope valley and the blue lakes. I had no problem getting in with my 30ft bus towing a jeep but the road is steep and winding for about 7 miles to the pull off. There were a lot of other campers for Labor Day weekend but the rest of the time there was no one around. Jugs of water can be filled at the campgrounds about 5 miles in each direction. PLEASE NOTE: There are prolonged climbs to get here (up to about 8% grade) but my bus did fine. Slow and steady and you’ll be fine. Also WATCH THE WEATHER! Rain can cause spots of the road in to get washed out a bit and deep puddles can appear. There are loads of rocks and fallen trees around to fill in holes if needed. If you’re moderate to high clearance rig you’ll be fine just be mindful. The Blue Lakes are just down the road for swimming, boating, kayaking etc and lots of amazing 4x4 trails. Rivers for fishing and endless hiking and biking. Elevation is 8300ft so definitely a bit high. The trees help with the air however. Not nearly as tough as the high desert of Utah (Zion or Brice) but just take it easy if you’re not used to high altitude.

Lake George was the perfect camp spot for our 4 night stay. It is first come first serve. We stayed in site 14 - the mountain side or tree side is better because it’s not windy at all! All the spots with lake view are very windy and it can be cold even in the summer! The bathrooms are super clean and have real toilets. No showers though! There is lots to do in the area and Lake George isn’t nearly as busy as Lake Mary/ Pine City camp. Although there is day use areas and it can be busy with fishing. Lots of wildlife in the area, so use the Bear box and keep food in containers. Even the chipmunks, birds, and mice will get into your stuff. I saw chipmunks trying to break into tents. This site is small RV/Trailer friendly - we stayed in our truck camper. This is NOT for big rigs or class A RVs. Also no hookups but they have a water spyket. Beware of elevation if you are not used to it - it’s at a whopping 9,250 feet and I was sick for 2 days. It’s $34 a night and quiet hours are 10pm-6am. Generators are aloud just not during quiet hours. Bring your paddle board or kayak and hit the water! It’s so beautiful here.

I spent a week here, making it worthwhile to unload the electric pop-up camper (w/ electric jacks) from my truck.  My canopy @rear (facing west) was very welcome, as the dead scrub offers absolutely NO shade.  It was charred from a recent burn, making for excellent campfires!  The cab-over cantilever @front (facing east) also gave shade in the late afternoon heat!  I brought two additional tanks of water, allowing for refreshing showers in this arid desert environment.  

From Navy Beach Rd, I drove 3/4 miles east on FS-1N54, until I crossed into Inyo NF territory, @ a juncture.  After another 1/2 mile on E Shore Rd, I found a clearing suitable for my camper, @1/2 mile from the shore.  In another 3 miles, there is a very nice cul-de-sac turn-around, which, @50' x 100', looks large enough to accommodate a half-dozen vehicles.  In another 5 miles, you cross from USFS into a local tract of land.  While BLM territory surrounds the entire lake, it is more than 1 mile away from shore.  Beware of very soft sand I encountered beyond my campsite.  Some sections were like 'quicksand', forcing me to air-down to 15 PSI.  It challenged my 'Limited Slip' Tundra, so an AWD car could get in serious trouble.  The only people I saw were in two jeeps that passed-by my camp, backtracking out 1/2 hour later.  From my bed, I heard (but did not see - new moon) several animal visitors.  They only come out at night...  

In spite of the seclusion, my camp was actually quite close to main roads, so I spent a lot of time out sight-seeing.  I was also close enough to Navy Beach to launch my kayak @sunrise, when the water is dead-calm.  Ocean-type squalls can flare up with no warning, because of the wide-open desert terrain.  I got a permit to camp on Phoe Island from a Ranger @Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center.  However, after he showed me photos of squalls & told of numerous drowned kayakers, I thought better of it...