Best Glamping near Darwin, CA

Free, convenient, and a great view of the rolling mountains; what more can you ask for? We came in late to Death Valley one night in November, crossing our fingers that we would be able to find somewhere to camp without a reservation. Low and behold, right after entering the park we stumbled upon Emigrant! Just to the left of the main road, this campground is a simple gravel lot with about ten unmarked spots around the perimeter. It was pretty full and we took the last open spot. There is a path leading to a bathroom with flush toilets (!!!), a couple of picnic tables, and some dumpsters for trash disposal. If you're coming into the park along highway 190 from the southwest, this is a prime place to set up for the night.

This is a free campsite for tents only. However, several people brought in their car campers & just set up a tent. You can leave your tent in one of the 10 spots & travel throughout the park during the day but that is not best practice because then others will not have an opportunity to use a site as they come in for their 1st night. This has working toilets that flush & R kept well. There are multiple trash cans that are changed out.

While the ground is hard & filled with stones which make it hard to get a good stake in the ground, this is a good campsite due to location, it is free, & the amenities are quite nice given this. This is a 10 minute drive from Stove Pipe Wells (just SW of Stove Pipe) & you can get gas as well as general store stuff there.

I would advise you come early & get a spot. Many people arrived just before sunset & after dark but were not able to get a spot because this filled up so quickly. Do not be that guy at 10 PM circling the lot & spotlighting everybody.

Finally, while this has good bathrooms & drinking water available, you need to know that those facilities are located a bit off the side. You’ll have to walk, not far, to the structure to use them just so you know.

The site is well kept. Trash can we’re changed regularly. The restrooms are close and well kept. There is water as well. The view is great. Sites are small but it’s just Buddy (my dog) and I. It is a convenient spot to even just stop for lunch.

Am finding out that no free campground is con-free, but this one is great for the fact there are flushing toliets just across the street, there is a water source at the 10 spot campsite, garbage bins that are emptied regularly, and the people who fill up these spots daily seemed to all be courteous of their neighbors and keep lights and sounds down to a minimum at early AND late hours. No firepits, not much for privacy, all spots are very close together w/no trees, but there are tables, the road is very close but seldom traveled, the visitors center you pass just up the road states everyone must pay the entrance fee, but we never did! There is NONE-ZERO cell service here or around for at least 50 miles, for Boost network anyways, and gas was 4.37 for unleaded just up the road, so try to fill up in Beatty, which is a whole dollar cheaper per gal.

Campsite is at 2000 feet so cooler than bottom and way less crowded. Good biking up side roads.

limited sites, each with a picnic table, access to water and flush toilet. very nice spot and the higher elevation provides cooler temperature.

no one else was there when we arrived later in the evening though we only camped for one night at the end of summer. no one else ever showed up either. just a few cars drove by every now and then. we were exhausted so we just opened a couple windows to the car rather than set up our tent. toilets were within walking distance/next to the parking lot but closed due to bees. port-a-potties were available instead. at night, the stars were absolutely beautiful. it was pretty hot but by opening the car windows and using some battery powered fans, we managed!

We planned on staying here in our little Toyota Motorhome but when we arrived, we saw a “Tent Only” sign. The camp looked very clean and there were restrooms available.

I stayed 2 nights due to high winds in the area that were bouncing my little RV all over the hwy. Campground was a great place to use as a base to check out the area. I drove up and checked out the Mt Whitney trailhead and the view was incredible. Small little lake but quite a few campsites and they all looked to be relatively level. Also a designated tent area. Camped here in mid- May and it was pretty deserted. Had the place mostly to myself. 👍

We only stayed here for a night, enjoyed the water access and incredible sunrise views, did not enjoy the close quarters with other campers who were blasting music until the early hours of the morning. The site itself was clean and very easily accessible. Us and our dog enjoyed our time for the most part, though I would not stay here again and would recommend against staying here long. Unless you’re spending all of your time on the water, there’s little else to do. Even then, people were continually fishing in the designated swimming area, so you might get very little time to splash around and cool off depending on the courtesy of your fellow campers.

Because we had site 112, and it was March not July, and we could launch our canoe without any muss or fuss, and there were only a few other campers, I give this park 4 stars.  If we were here in July, well...we wouldn't stay here in July...period.  I can only imagine the crowds here after May 1.  This is a small lake and they limit the number of motorboats to 25, which is about 20 too many in my estimation.  Also, there is mandatory vessel inspection for mussels, and a $10 a day launch fee after May 1.  

So, timing is everything.  We had the lake to ourselves and we could launch our canoe directly from campsite #112.  The water is muddy, and much of the bank is not accessible from the water due to reeds, but the scenery looking at Mt Lone Pine, and Mt Whitney across the Alabama Hills is beautiful!

There was no check-in in March.  Reservations are online, and they will have your name on the post at the site when you arrive.  However, after May 1, you must have any vessel you are bringing with you inspected prior to entering the campground.

Each site will have a picnic table and fire ring and there are several water spigots throughout the campground where you can top off your tank.  However, most of the spigots do not have a nipple to screw on a water hose.  There are a couple that do.  There are also vault toilets and trash dumpsters throughout the campground.

The main downside to this campground regarding amenities is the lack of a dump site.  However, Boulder Creek RV Park just south on 395 will let you use their dump site for $25.   

The staff are very approachable and friendly and a couple of the maintenance guys even left us some cut firewood as they were thinning out the salt cedar trees.

The only demerits I give this campground in the offseason is the loud hwy noise from 395, which is inherent, and the small bits of trash that have become components of the sand.  Trash like broken glass, bottle caps, crushed aluminum cans, cigarette butts, dental floss applicators, etc.  Small stuff everywhere.  We spent an afternoon sifting through the sand, picking up trash around our campground, but it was really too big of a job for just 2 people.  Inyo County should organize a community clean up day where an army of volunteers with rakes can really go through the sand to pick up all of the debris.

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.

Troy Meadows is not as well-known as the campgrounds around Mt. Whitney, but it accesses the same Eastern Sierra wilderness. Frequented by OHV enthusiasts, this campground may not be as popular with tent campers, but the off-roaders are quite considerate, and their vehicles have never been an annoyance the many times that I have camped here. We choose the spots that are several hundred feet from the car parking area, down from the road, right on Fish Creek. You have to carry your stuff a couple of hundred feet down into the sites, but it's well worth it. Great hiking on Fish Creek, or, after a short drive, to Jordan Hot Springs.