Best Cabin Camping near Inyo National Forest

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Coldwater Campground, Mammoth Lakes, CA

A beautiful 77 site campground nestled in at over 9,000 ft in the Inyo National Forest of the Eastern Sierras.

Amenities: large sites, modern restrooms spaced throughout the camp (two unisex doors, includes one sink with running cold water, a flush toilet, and metal mirror), water spigots near the latrines.

Each site has a large picnic table, a fire pit with sliding cook grate, a double door bear cabinet and small paved parking pad.

We chose site 66, as it sprawled to s mountain stream, nestled in shaded pines, had a couple flat tent spots and was relatively close to restrooms and water.

No electric, no showers (nearby Twin Lakes Campground Store rents shower time at $7.00…one person per shower.

Coldwater Campground is a short drive from Mammoth Lakes, which has all you should need or desire.

The trails from the back of Coldwater Campground go up, up, up…but offer spectacular mountain views, glacier lakes, picturesque alpine meadows, waterfalls and cascades. A short drive and bus ride away are trails to Iconic Rainbow Falls and Devil’s Postpile, among other ridiculously beautiful mountain trails!

Mountain bike trails are innumerable…and the paved multi-use trails are stellar and travel for miles. https://www.visitmammoth.com/blogs/top-5-xc-mountain-bike-trails-near-mammoth-lakes

There are rentals nearby for every sportsman. This is the active person’s Mecca! Also close-by is Mammoth Ski area that offers the downhill mountain bikers absolute Nirvana, during summer months.

https://www.mammothmountain.com/summer/bike-park-overview/mammoth-bike-park/mammoth-bike-park

At $24 a night, this seems to be the standard rate for this region…and that without showers.

Note: Even during hot summer months, it gets chilly at night. August 6, it was 50 degrees at night. A 40 degree dip from the cloudless daytime temps.

It did not take long to fall in love with the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. I would not hesitate to camp here again, and am already planning a return visit.

It’s a 7+ mile hike to get to the high sierra camp. We went off season so the cabins were not set up but you can camp all around where the cabins would be. It was quiet, peaceful and ridiculously gorgeous! I could have stayed twice as long as we were there! There was also some snow on the trail and by where we set up camp. Highly recommend!

Stayed in a tent cabin, no bathroom. Very scenic and had a good time

Overall, the proximity to being in The Valley outweighed the negatives of our stay. 

While pricey for what it is, it IS at the far east end of Yosemite Valley with easy access to the Mist Trail. The tent-cabins are close to each other (3-8 feet), and we were woken by our neighbors our first morning (they were checking out early, and while quiet hours were 'officially' over, it was still 0730...and since it was during the heat wave, we hadn't gotten to sleep til well after midnight).

That said...we were expecting foam rubber mattresses on wooden plywood shelves for beds, but the bed frame, mattresses, pillows and Rumpl blankets were a nice surprise (the website stated there would be wool blankets). The towels and sheets were in need of some fabric softener though.

 It was HOT. Having camped in tent-cabins before (not Curry Village), we brought fans with us that helped cool things down in the evenings, but having fans [battery operated/ rechargeable (we had Ryobi rechargeable fans)] helped us out.

We couldn't figure out how to make the tent-cabin canvas window 'shades' to stay open- which was necessary because we needed the ventilation - we had brought along some binder clips that we were able to jury-rig to keep the canvas flaps over the screens open,  though. 

Showers and restrooms were adequately clean, and showers were hot…but nothing to write home about. 

We were surprised by the trash on the grounds near the cabins (where our nearest showerhouse was)-  in fact, a zip-lock baggie sat on the ground in the same spot for the three days we were there, before I picked it up on our way out. Additionally, on the grounds of the tent-cabins, we found several nails and other hardware on the ground.

 We were also surprised by the size of Curry Village, which isn't really discussed on the website. We were in tent-cabin 749 on the far east end, which was great until we had to walk to Camp Curry and/or the parking lot. We brought a wagon to carry our gear from the car to the tent-cabin, but once again, we've done this before, and we felt really bad for the folks lugging all their stuff without the benefit of a cart. Next time we'd bring bikes to help with the longish walk (400 meters? Maybe longer?) 

The food options were great! The pizza is fantastic, and it was nice having the ability to grab pizza/tacos/burgers as an option at the end of the day (cooking is not allowed in the camp, but we 'tailgated' with backpacking stoves and meals a couple of the days).

Backing up to the John Muir Trail all the way into the back country of the high Sierra is this Gem of a ranch. It has amazing amenities, such as cabins, tent cabins, developed hot springs, all meals included, toilets and running water, horses back tours/packing, backpacker resupply, and store. 

Getting there however is quite a feat. First you have to traverse a one lane road nearly 30 miles back into Florence Lake. Then you have to take a boat ride to the other side of the lake, and finally you have to hike 5+ miles to the ranch. It is all worth it for the sunning views, great food, amazing fishing, hiking, and all around experience.

This place is perfect for ppl that want to experience Yosemite and still have commodities. The cabins or tents provided are clean and have everything you need. Showers restrooms etc the food in the cafeteria is also good. Parking is good and easy and the location is close to many trails

aka Curry Village

My daughters and I have now stayed in both the canvas tent/cabin and a hard-sided cabin. Both provide comfortable beds with sheets and a warm blanket on each. (If you like fluffy pillows, bring one from home.) 

We stayed in the heated tent/cabin during a major snowfall and stayed toasty-warm. I’d give this place an extra star if we were able to boil water in the tents, so we could make our own warm food and coffee, but it’s not allowed. There are bear boxes to lock up any food you do bring. There are places in the valley to buy warm meals, but they really weren’t very good, especially for the price. 

The showers are warm and have good water pressure. They always had clean towels available, too.

However, Curry Village is packed with wall-to-wall people. Despite quiet hours, there seems to always be That One Guy who gets drunk, loud and obnoxious. On our last trip, That One Guy decided to yell obscenities in my daughters’ faces when they asked him politely to keep the noise down. It was 15min before quiet hours and it was obvious that most of the other guests (many with small kids) had gone to bed. Other than calling the front desk, there really wasn’t another option for “crowd control.” 

When I camp, I do prefer remote, quiet places away from crowds, but I did appreciate the convenience of Curry Village’s location. We really were in the heart of the valley with great access to the best hikes. All in all, we enjoyed our stays.

Tough drive, very narrow roads with steep drop offs. Scary drive in the dark. Its a thin road with 2 way traffic. Barely room to pass up on coming cars. Albeit a very scenic drive. This place is everything a wilderness seaker is looking for. Cozy village cabins, high uo in the mounatinous forest. Hiking trails leading to gorgeous lakes, hot springs tubs scattered around and across a clean chilly river. Secluded enough for bears to roam around likes its their hood.

Stayed here back in 2016 but havent been able to since. I loved this site! had pretty big bathrooms, there was a nice stream nearby where we saw a huge buck, there was a small cafe that served breakfast and a tiny window store that sold some essentials. Also had a few cabins you could rent that i’d like to look into. Overall great spot, I just wish they would reopen. I’ll definitely be back when they do!

Stayed two nights here in a 2 bed tent cabin. Slept 3 of us perfectly and was somewhat heated. Meaning the heater likes to turn it self off at times cooling the tent back down before kicking back in. The bathroom and showers were great for camping showers. The is a nice lodge style place to hang out plus great pizza place on site as well. This is a perfect place for those who like to camp but not fans of tent camping in cold snowy conditions. I will definitely return!

The location is perfect for all the Valley trails. There is a shuttle right outside. There are several campgrounds here. There is a space for tents and also a village of canvas tents for those who prefer glamping. For food there is a convenience store nearby, a restaurant and a pizza place.

TIPS:

Tent cabins are close together, you will hear your neighbors, bring ear plugs

Leave early, the trails get crowded very quickly

Lots of tourists so parking will be tight

Driving into Yosemite is horrible lately, especially into the Valley, CARPOOL!

Stayed here for a week. Great spot for the family while I worked. Plenty for the kids and family to do and a great location close enough to bike/walk to most stores on the east end of town. 

Our reservation said 50 amp partial hookups. But only the full-hookup sites have 50 amp. Partial hookups are 30amp with water, but the water access depends on the weather/season you're there in. We had to fill up with Fresh Water before we got to our site but it's in a convenient spot so not too big of a deal. 

It is a parking lot but there was plenty of space for us and our SUV. Pool and Laundry Mat/Showers were close as well which made things nice. Starbucks is a short walk away too if that's your jam. 

Great spot just make sure to call so there's no surprises with water/hookups etc. 

Amenities: Pool & Jacuzzi / Laundry Mat / Showers & Bathrooms / Dump Station / Playground.

Backcountry camping with several swimming spots, decent fishing and meals and hot showers! If you feel rich, this is a place for a big treat. Tent cabins with basic sleeping set up and a nice spot to sit around a group fire. The ranger talks can be a little much but easy to sneak off and enjoy the quiet. Food is fantastic and the folks who work there are super friendly. A nice loop is to walk in via Tenaya Lake, pass through the Mansfields and over to Merced Lake - a very doable 15 mile one day. Exit out through Happy Isles - about the same distance.

This place is good for giving non-campers a little taste of living in a canvas tent. It's not great if you are into camping and want to spend time in nature. The tent cabins are really close together so you def hear your neighbors domestic disputes, snoring etc. Walking around the area in the evening it is pretty magical feeling. +1 to whoever said to bring earplugs. Overall it does feel like a special place, and if I didn't love camping this would seem pretty sweet. Pizza place is always slammed do good for people watching. Support your local dirtbags and offer the climbers your leftovers :)

We stayed here March 2022.  We booked a heated tent cabin for 4 nights.  It had 1 double bed and 2 singles, a storage tower, 1 central electric light, and 1 electrical outlet - this is not advertised, but if you tell them you have a CPAP or other medical device needing an outlet, they will let you know that there is one in the heated cabins.  It was enough to power a power strip, charge our phones, and run said CPAP (LOL).  The beds were comfy and the linens were great.  We requested additional blankets as the comforter on the bed was nylon on both sides and kept sliding off the beds.  We were given old school wool blankets and they were great!  We did adjust the heat often as it would actually get too warm.  

As we visited in the off season, not all of the amenities were available (pool, restaurants), but it didn't bother us at all.  The guest lounge was often crowded and we only spent one evening in there.  Showers and toilets were very clean.  It was still fully booked when we went, but the grounds are quiet are people were very respectful of the park rules.  

This was a great central location to do Yosemite.  We woke up under Half Dome every morning, did the Mist Trail, Vernal Falls trail, and Lower Yosemite Falls trail.  Doing it in the off season was awesome as the number of additional people not actually staying in the park was very small.

Reservations are hard to come by...we reserved in January for March of the same year and got lucky.  Book through the NPS as other sites charge additional, unnecessary fees.  We also recommend packing in food.  There are bear lockers to store it.  Dining in the park is provided by Aramark and is average at best.  We took a trip outside the park to dine in a nearby city and had a wonderful dinner. 

Overall, we would definitely stay here again and again!  It was very peaceful and comfortable.

Yosemite Valley is pure magic and Half Dome Village is no exception. It’s definitely more “glamping” than camping and the tents feel like cabins and are very close together. Bathrooms are nice and there’s a store, bar, cafeteria, coffee shop and pizza place to take care of your needs. It does have a bit of a party atmosphere at night as folks from other campgrounds gather at the bar/pizza spot but the tent area was pretty quiet (save for me hearing someone peeing outside my tent one night...). Dark at night, bring a headlamp or flashlight.

Biggest complaint is the price. Location can’t be beat but it’s so expensive for canvas tents that aren’t super clean and are smushed together. I love Half Dome Village but next time will probably camp elsewhere and shuttle in for pizza and beer.

    I agree the road out is pretty scary I don't advise trailers but I have seen them while driving in. It is one lane and you must pull out for opposing traffic. But definitely one of my most favorite places in the Sierras. The views are amazing, I recommend giving yourself extra time to stop and get out for the views a few times on the way in. 

   Once in the campground/resort area there are two separate loops to camp in as well as cabins to rent and a small dispersed camping area there is also a general store, bath house, and small Cafe that are all seasonal since the road is closed most of the year. So open and close dates vary depending on snow. You can get firewood, drinking water at the store but it can be a little pricey, so I recommend bringing your own. The baths/showers are usually included for anyone paying for a campsite, but this may have changed. It is very cheap for day use persons to use the showers though. The sites are all very nice and surprisingly private though some are pretty close together. All provide a firepit, table, bear box, and parking space. I love that there are bear boxes at such a remote place! There are vault tiolets and dumpsters for trash. The river runs along one side of the campsites so about half of the sites are on the river. Bring extra bugspray for these sites as you are close to the water. 

     Most important if you made it this far reading 😅😂 there are multiple NATURAL HOT SPRINGS!! There are several different pools located across the river from the campgrounds. They are all over the hillside and range in temperature from lukewarm to bath water to Hot. They also pump the natural mineral water to the bathhouse for the showers! The springs are the main reason to come out and camp. There are also tons of hiking trails and other lakes in the area including 2 thermal lakes and tons of breathtaking views. I highly recommend this place. 🏞🏕

Also: I have not personally stayed in the cabins or dispersed camping area only the paid sites along the river, but I have been here several times and have seen them. There is also a corral area for horses so I'm not sure if that qualifies it as an equestrian camp but there is a spot for the horses.

We stopped here to eat dinner and since the sign said campground, of course, I inquired further. Not really a campground but what the owners called an outdoor experience. 

There are two covered wagons but since they were both occupied, we could not see inside of them. They have a double bed (linens provided for an extra cost) and no heat. There is also a five-room motel and 12 cabins, some of which have kitchenettes and some without. 

The bathhouse was small but clean. The trout project was interesting (Started in 2006 to improve Bridgeport area fisheries. The family that owns the Settlement continues to hatch and raise trout specifically to plant in Virginia Creek as a thank you to the anglers that support them. It is a non-profit that is supported by people eating in their restaurant and staying on their property). There is corn-hole, a horseshoe pit, and a fish cleaning station on-site as well as a Tesla charging station! 

The settlement is located directly on Virginia Creek on Highway 395. We’ve stayed in a variety of accommodations but never a covered wagon – it would definitely be a unique stay but would have to be when it is warmer!

This is a great campsite if you have an Rv or trailer. Close to the lake plenty of activities in the area

Boats jet ski rental fishing etc

Perfect campground to get away for the weekend. Almost every time I have been here we see lots of deer. Nice hiking trails, beautiful scenery.