The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
El Portal , CALIFORNIA

Sweet Oaks winery campgrounds has 16 sites available for both tent camping and RV’s (no hook-ups). It’s pretty close to grocery stores and big box stores just in case you forgot some gear/supplies. They have a beautiful well-kept property with super-clean restrooms (no showers). They do have a water hose for you to fill up your tanks or Jerry cans. They didn’t allow campfires due to high fire danger though. You’ll have to bring your own fire pit setup if they ever allow them in the future. It was a beautiful walk around the vineyards but there are also hiking trails nearby. It’s off a road suitable for road bikes but there are also mountain bike trails nearby. They have equestrian activities also available for guests. We were able to get our tin top Eurovan to fit on one of their tent sites which offered a beautiful view of Temecula valley. The wine tasting room was closed due to the pandemic but you can order wine online and they will deliver to your site. One more thing, we counted about 8 hot air balloons as we had breakfast!

You should stay here for several days.

I stayed at a super campground on a forest road turn off. There were a couple of other spots taken, but it was off the beaten path and very quiet. I was able to watch the sunset from some rocks across the road. Very nice for a quiet night of solitude and hearing there wind through the trees while falling asleep.

This campsite is gorgeous - it is located within a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. The host was wonderful and helpful and the campsites are very well spaced.

This location does not have hook ups, I could not find showers, and the bathrooms were not the greatest (no hand soap, very cold… not the worst though:).

I did get two bars on my phone (T-Mobile). This is a perfect place to stay if you like a little more seclusion and less bells and whistles! The best part was the view!

We’ll go back. Kaiser Pass was a bit of an adrenaline rush. It took 2 hours to drive 18 mikes on a one lane road that is not in good repair. But WORTH it! The campground is nice, walkable and level. The dispersed area is always open, though you need a 4WD to access. The s emery is great. Doris lake is pretty, with several cliffs to jump from ranging all sizes up to 60” feet. The hot springs and mud baths are great!

The road in was an adventure. The last 18 miles over Kaiser Pass took 1.5 hours. A sub-par road surface little bigger than one lane in many places made transit.. interesting. However, the views were incredible, and once we arrived, the campground was awesome. No hook ups (RV usage prohibited and likely not possible over Kaiser Pass), but 50-ish sites for reservations, a few cabins, and a very large dispersed area for free camping (4WD or hike in). There were a dozen hot springs and mud baths peppered around a couple acres on the south side of a very pretty, clear, cold stream. Plenty of people fishing. Several trails to a few alpine lakes, and great swimming and cliff jumping at Doris lake. We did take our Eurovan there, and saw a Vanagon. Mostly trucks and keeps. Though, there were a few small 2WD cars there too. Awesome trip, we will likely return.

These sites are well maintained and include fire pits, bear lockers and close access to restrooms, water and dumpster. Tree cover helps keep it cool. You are very close to mammoth lakes and devils postponed and rainbow falls. The drive in features great views of the mountains n the distance.

I am a tent camper and I was there in Oct/Nov when I came through to look at the fall colors.  This was a good staging site to go up and down the June Lake Loop for the colors.  I am a tent camper and at this time of the year it is COLD.  Most of the folks were in RVs.  I was right across from the lake and this is a pretty site.

Good place to fish and kayak and there is a rental of all things water down the road.

You need to pick your site here as a tent camper.  Many of the sites are really for RVs but there are good sheltered tent sites as well. The southern lopop has the best tent ites. A majority of the sites are in the open meant for RVs.  Sites have your table and fire ring and restrooms are close by.

Access to a boart launch as well.

My wife and I took a trip up for just the weekend. The drive is pretty interesting once you get to the single lane road. We didn’t stay in the campgrounds but we did get to experience the dispersed camping. If you go up to Mono Hot Spring and don’t have a reservation there are plenty of campgrounds both before and after the main mono hot spring campgrounds.

There’s a store and a burrito shop in Mono Springs. The store has a decent amount of supplies. Due to Covid-19 the burrito shop is closed but the store is still open.

Dog friend which is huge for my wife and I sense we take Teddy (our dog) everywhere with us. They have water bowls for the pups and an area outside the burrito shop to tether your pups at.

After driving around every overcrowded campground in mammoth lakes we were lucky enough to find this campsite on Dyrt. It had many open spots even in July with beautiful views of nearby mountains. Close walking distance (about .5 miles to a mile depending one where your site is) to a lake and a hiking trail up to devils postpile. We also went to try the hot spring there at night but it was so hot you had to bring up buckets of water from a nearby creek to use it, we heard it is better in the early mornings. Also there are a lot of bears in the area and they are relatively comfortable around humans, one walked through our site and other campers sites while we were there so make sure to keep all food and items that may have scent in the bear boxes provided and not in your vehicle or tent!