The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Inyo National Forest. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that California camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Inyo National Forest camping trip.
$35 - $80 / night
"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."
"Pet friendly which is a plus. Be mindful it’s bear country so wonderingl around at night not so wise lol"
$30 - $32 / night
"This was our first time here at June Lake RV Park. Easy walk to Gull and June Lake loop. Went to Bodie National Sate Park and Lee Vining.
The owner is very friendly and helpful."
"Here you are in the middle of the June Lakes Alps. Quiet campground with ample hiking opportunities close by. Adjacent marina lets you rent kayaks, paddle boards, or pontoon boats."
$30 - $40 / night
"We arrived late in the night, there is a sign with available places on the office entrance. Good restrooms. Dump Station and Hot water shower is free if you pay for Camping."
"Originally only booked two, but because of the recent fires in the Sierra Mountains, many people had cancelled and the park wasn't very full. So we added two more nights. "
$31 - $51 / night
"Place was very quiet, very dark at night. The stars were amazing. Campsites were a lil small but very clean and maintained."
$41 - $45 / night
"They offer many pull through spots and the back-in ones are located along the permitter of the park. A nice green area for your kids or dogs to explore. They even have a small pond out front."
"This location is very clean, close to town with full hook ups. Staff was very friendly! It is right next to a pretty noisy road but I think it's a good stop for the night 👍"
$39 - $65 / night
"Generally we camp in spaced out spots that are a bit more secluded.
I liked this campground from the standpoint of the kind folks running the place and working at the general store."
"Fun fishing around the area and actually caught a few out of the camp creek, which is footsteps from the sites. Full hookups."
"We booked this last minute over the phone, we were very impressed with the spot, next to the pool, clubhouse, fire pit."
"Cool summer nights near Bass Lake Recreational area so fishing and boating are a main attraction. Park is tight for big rigs, but can fit if careful. Pads are gravel and almost level."
$13 - $50 / night
"We stayed in the premium sites at this camp ground. Loved the hosts. They were wonderful to work with and very accommodating. The premium sites include full hook-ups — water, electric and sewer. "
"The campsite was 39 and it was right next to the bathroom. To leave with a 26’ travel trailer I had to pull out and back down another road just to exit the park."
$42 - $288 / night
"They have cabins, places to rent camp, laundry on site, a pool, 30/50 hookups. Pull throughs and water and sewer."
"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"
LegendThis camp ground is smaller relative to some of the other camping options in the area, but still well maintained. It is close to the road but still quiet. Each site has a table, fire ring, and a food storage locker. There are two vault toilets. Bring your own water. You cannot reserve sites ahead of time.
If you want to experience the Yosemite area with your dog, camping in the Inyo National Forest is a great option, because dogs are allowed to join you anywhere you go in the area, as long as they are leashed or well trained to verbal commands. Since the Yosemite NPS does not allow dogs on trails, these national forest campgrounds are a better pet-friendly alternative.
If you like fishing, there are great fishing spots at the nearby stream and lake.
Because this campground is actually a part of the national forest, you can stay here for up to two weeks, in addition to the two week maximum enforced for camping within the NPS limits. So in total you could can stay in "Yosemite" for a month by combining camping at this site (or other nearby national forest sites) with camping inside the park, which is why we stayed here for a long rock climbing trip.
LegendGood: friendly staff, hot showers, nice big trees, level sites, close to town Not Good: need to pay extra for shower and dump station.
GuideStayed 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.
LegendCAMPGROUND 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.
LegendCAMPGROUND 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.
TravelerWe have been coming to Camp Edison annually for the past 15 years and have never been disappointed. Each site has plenty of room and includes a picnic table and fire pit. It’s a short walk to Shaver Lake from virtually any of the sites, and several have a nice view of the lake. Fishing, boating, swimming or just picnicking on one of the many beaches surrounding the lake is a great way to spend your time. Some sites have full hook ups, but most have just electricity and cable TV, with water faucets nearby to fill your RV or use as needed if dry camping. There is a dump station on site and also a “honey wagon” that will come to your site and pump out your waste water, if you desire. Restrooms are clean and plentiful and each has a shower (25 cents for 2 minutes). The laundromat has come in handy several times, too. Camp Edison has great activities during the summer season including guided educational nature walks, both day and evening, as well as kids’ movies in the amphitheater. There is also a museum on site that offers activities and fun events like an ice cream social.
GuideI’ll start with the positive. If you need anything stores are close and entrance to Yosemite is 15 min up the road. Now for the negative. We have 29 foot travel trailer and we reserved a premium pull through spot. Although we could pull through the spaces were very tight and we just happen to get lucky that nobody was across from us as there is only in one way in and one way out. We were able to use other empty spot across from us to turn around. Had it been full we would have had a heck of a time getting out. One family came in last night and their spot was at the very end and they had to back all the way out of the park so they could back their trailer all the way back in. It is ridiculous. Our spot was also very hard to try and level our trailer. We never did quite get it leveled the way we would’ve liked. The bathrooms aren’t very clean and the “beach” is over grown and i wouldn’t really even let my dog in the stagnant water. Bottom line this place is not good for your larger travel trailers our size or bigger. Especially if you are in a spot like we had which was spot 34 or a spot towards the end. Maybe better spot near the entrance. Class c generally would have no problem.
GuideA small lake-side campground in Inyo National Forest, just outside Yosemite National Park’s Eastern entrance. First come, first served with so few sites (9-11) that you would think you’re staying at the lake alone! Overlooks Tioga Lake and Mt. Dana, at an elevation of 9,800 ft., so be acclimated. Only drawback is it’s close proximity to the road, but we barely noticed.
TravelerHighlands RV park is pretty cool. They offer many pull through spots and the back-in ones are located along the permitter of the park. A nice green area for your kids or dogs to explore. They even have a small pond out front. The spots are very well maintained, dirt sections and a concrete slab with picnic table. Due to Covid the facilities are closed, i.e. rek room, bathrooms, showers, however their onsite laundry was still available. At one end of the park they offer a fish station for your catch of the day. All in all it was a very well maintained park close to shops and restaurants. It was a little far to go from here to June Lake or Mammoth. We had a great trip, I’d definitely come back here again.
Explore the beauty of RV camping near Inyo National Forest in California, where stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures await.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need reservations for RV camping in Inyo National Forest?
Reservation policies vary across Inyo National Forest campgrounds. Lake George Campground operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so arriving early is recommended, especially during peak season. In contrast, Junction Campground does not accept reservations ahead of time, requiring campers to secure sites upon arrival. For guaranteed spots, particularly during summer months and holidays, consider private options near the forest like Mono Vista RV Park or McGee Creek RV Park & Campground which do accept advance reservations. Always check the Forest Service website for the most current reservation policies, as they may change seasonally.
Where are the best RV campgrounds in Inyo National Forest?
Mammoth Mountain RV Park & Campground is a premier option with a convenient location for accessing stores in town, plus family-friendly amenities. For a lakeside experience, Convict Lake Campground offers paved roads and sites in good condition with clean flush toilets and bear lockers. The campground is just 2.5 miles from Highway 395 with approximately half the sites suitable for RVs up to 24 feet. Other excellent options include Coldwater Campground near Mammoth Lakes and Lake George Campground, which offers both lakeside and more sheltered mountain-side sites.
What RV hookups are available in Inyo National Forest campgrounds?
Most Inyo National Forest campgrounds offer primitive camping with no hookups. Browns Campgrounds provides hot showers and has a dump station available, though these require an additional fee. For full hookup options, you'll need to look at private facilities like Highlands RV Park, which offers well-maintained sites with hookups and amenities including a green area and small pond. If staying at Mammoth Mountain RV Park, note that only the full-hookup sites have 50 amp service, while partial hookup sites have more limited electrical options. Be prepared to dry camp at most forest campgrounds by bringing sufficient water and using your RV's self-contained systems.
What are the RV length limits for campgrounds in Inyo National Forest?
RV length limits vary significantly between campgrounds in Inyo National Forest. At Coldwater Campground, the sites are generally large and can accommodate moderate-sized RVs, though specific length restrictions aren't mentioned in reviews. Wishon Village RV Resort, while not directly in the forest but nearby, can accommodate Class A RVs from 34' to 43' in length with tow vehicles. For larger rigs, private RV parks like Highlands RV Park or Crowley Lake RV Park near the forest boundaries typically offer more spacious pull-through sites. Always check the specific campground information before arrival, as many forest service campgrounds have limited options for RVs over 25 feet.
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