Best Tent Camping near Keeler, CA

Not a pretty campground, just a gravel parking lot, but not crowded in winter when the weather is very pleasant. Can be very windy at night. Only $12/night. Walk to nice shops and restaurants. Bathrooms clean. Nice view of valley. Mostly RV sites. One row of tent camp sites with fire pit grills. If you have a roof top tent you’re considered an RV here so can’t use a tent site.

This was stop to be able to visit Manzanar Internment camp.

Tent sites are gravel and mostly level. They all have water, a table and fire ring. Trees are still young. Very close to Owens lake(within view).

We had a lot of wind that came blowing up the valley from the south. There is very little protection for the tent campsites. Almost killed the tent.

Hosts were very helpful in getting us situated despite the need to switch sites(too many people).

Free muffins and coffee in the morning! Nice pool and hot tub, as well as bathrooms and laundry facilities.

Easy access into  town for dinner or groceries.

If you’re looking to camp in California, Sequoia National Park should be one of your top destinations. They have cabin and tent camping. I have stayed in both. There are trails galore and GIGANTIC trees bigger than your car. This beautiful setting is worth visiting year round and I recommend camping during the less touristy times in early Spring and Fall. You are near lakes, waterfalls, and an array of bodies of water. I recommend coming up the back end up the park for an easier ascent rather than via the 198. The 198 takes you up a steep, but beautiful, hair pin turn ridden road. If you get car sick easily, take the route through Fresno.

Do yourself a favor and avoid campsite 008; this tent site is right next to the vault restrooms that have not been cleaned in ages…oodles of flies coming out of them and the odor carries into the tent site!! Also people have zero respect for quite hours; people were super loud and it was extremely upsetting and annoying!

The park is conveniently located within the park and is easy to get to. The RV section of the park basically consists of a large parking lot. The tent sites are on one edge of the parking lot. There really isn't any indication where one tent site starts and another ends. But there are fire rings and picnic table scattered about so everyone sort of claims the one closest to them. It can get busy at times so getting a site is definitely not guaranteed. The sunset is Death Valley is absolutely breathtaking. Also, since its so dry, consider leaving the rain cover off your tent to truly sleep under the stars!

This is a large open gravel lot w parking spaces. Fine for easy overnight near sand dunes. No privacy or shade trees. Best tent sites along back row.

Great for tent camping, but no pull-in or flat spots if you're sleeping in your vehicle. I slept in the equestrian campground since those were back-in sites, but if there are horses you're not allowed to do that. The hike to the base of Langley was great though!

Lodgepole Campground at Kings Canyon / Sequoia is a GREAT park to do some great family camping. It is clean, well laid-out and very well maintained. I had sponsored the Sequoia National Parks for many years because of how well they maintain the parks, campgrounds, facilities and how their interpretive programs are. Hiking through the Crystal Caverns is amazing. Must do it. It is QUITE A WALK down to the caves so give yourself plenty of time to do the walk down BEFORE you go on the tour. This way if you have little ones with little legs, they get a rest and can enjoy the tour.

The lodgepole campground is very close to The Village marketplace and makes it nice for "easy camping"- grabbing items that you may have forgotten or to pick up a nice treat. They also have showering facilities at The Village Marketplace as well. It makes it nice if you plan to tent camp for any period of time.

I have tent camped here over 20+ times in a 10 year span. I do not know if they have opened up the stables again however they used to have horseback riding trips that were fun to do.

A nice little river/stream runs though the campground and it makes it nice to have "mini adventures" without having to leave camp at all.

It was a very peaceful and calm campground on the I stayed in one of the yurts. It was very clean and there is a bunkbed with two full size beds and another separate full size bed. The bathrooms were also kept very clean. I didn’t get a chance to go hiking in the area, but there are trails nearby. There is no service but it is about a 5 minute drive from a cafe/store/lodge that has Wi-Fi. I was in site 28. Sites 6-10 looked amazing for tent camping.

We were gonna camp wild Rose (free campsite) but was feeling a lil cold in the mnts so came down to sea level for the warmth. Two nights tent camping at $14 a nite. Very windy but so is the rest of the desert. Spots in the front were quieter first nite, spots in the back seemed more popping off but still chill. Sadly the overpriced market / gas station seem to be the cheapest in the main stretch of the park so def gas up or buy stuff there and not at the oasis / furnace creek side of things .

Great site to get to after a short (semi difficult) hike. If you want to head off into other parts of the backcountry (or are coming back) this is a great calm and serene area with fantastic scenery. The lake isn't too cold if you want to rinse or just cool off. Plenty of tree coverage for both some shade and to hang your food. Plenty of flat smooth areas to set you your tent (or a group of tents). Campsites can be right by the monarch, giving you a fantastic view at night or first thing in the morning.

Cold Springs campground is a must for camping in Mineral King. Remote, but not too remote and great for kids. Closed in winter due to snow. Usually open late May through October.

Getting to this campground takes a little patience. It is about 45 min drive from SR-198 on Mineral King Rd (partially paved/dirt), but with a couple small pull offs with water falls and Sequoias along the way. You can also stop at Silver City, a small cabin resort that offers a hot meal, some supplies, and paid showers, that is located about 15 minutes down the road from the campground.

To access the campground, you drive across a bridge and locate the camp site that you want (first-come, first-served). Tent camping only. There is a drop box for camping fees and the ranger does a walk-around daily.

The campground road is a loop. There are sites located along the East Fork of the Kaweah River from which you can climb down into the River. In spring, some river sites have some flooding because of rain and runoff. Note that the water is COLD, even in summer.

Vault toilets and potable water are provided. No cell service, but they do have a pay phone you can use. Be sure to bring all the supplies you need. Firewood is a must, and each site has its own fire ring. Keep food in bear boxes. I have seen bears there, but not every time. Also be wary of marmots.

Great access to many different hiking trails of varying difficulty. 100% Recommend.

Campground Review:

This campground lies about 10 miles to the west of its namesake town, Lone Pine in the Owens Valley to the east of the Sierra Nevada range.  It is a very popular campground to use as a base camp for climbing Mt. Whitney especially if the Whitney Portal CG is full. which was the case when we were there.  If you can't get a reservation or walk in site at Lone Pine CG, then Tuttle Creek, and the Alabama Hills would be your closest places to camp if you're not planning on climbing Mt. Whitney.

Now on to the actual campground!  Now since this is a few miles from the actual trail head to Mt. Whitney it has more RV camping sites than tent sites.  Campsite range in price from $25-$65 for single tent sites, RV sites, and 1 group site, respectively.  Each campground has a large bear proof box to store all of your food and  smelly items in addition to a picnic table and a metal fire ring.  The campground had potable water spigots and vault toilets spread throughout.  You could also purchase firewood from the camp host, which is recommended due to the possibility of spreading pests.

To list all of the activities you can do in this area would take a book so I'm just gonna touch on some of the things we did!  Our main goal for the trip was to try and summit Mt. Whitney by the Mountaineers Route.  We got pushed back however due to hard route finding and soft avalanche prone snow.  We ended going around 10 miles but the regular hiking trail is 13 miles one way!  After getting beaten down by the mountain we were able to eat some great food at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant which had Americana and diner food. 

Since we stayed at this campground in the middle of June the temperatures weren't too hot but I would really try to camp higher up at the portal if you plan on coming here in July or August as it could be really hot and there wasn't a ton of shade.  Also be doubly sure to book your campground ahead of time as I doubt there will be any sites if you show up after 3 or 4 without a reservation.

Product Review:

Being a Ranger for the Dyrt allows us to test and review gear from time to time!  This time we were testing out the Adjustable Neck Gaiter from Eclipse sun protection.  This was honestly one of my favorite pieces of gear I've been able to test for the Dyrt!  

Pros: 

• Simple design that replaces $100's of sunscreen in it's lifetime! (never washes out)
• Is multi functional and can be used as a gaiter, headband, buff, and so much more!
• Super lightweight and doesn't need to be reapplied or leave you greasy
• It is super cheap and includes a Velcro strap to adjust to smaller neck      

Cons:

• The only flaw I could find was the sewing along the neck was a little weak and I ripped it slightly before realizing I needed to be a little more delicate pulling it on

Other than that one con I would say this is an amazing product that helps keep you from spending 100's on a temporary sunblock and helps keep all those nasty chemicals out of nature, the waterways, and the oceans!  I definitely think we'll be trying out the sleeves for fishing as my fiances arms can get pretty burnt sometimes.

This campground is sparse in amenities and full of the beauty of the eastern Sierras. The sites are really optimized for car or tent camping, but will also work for a small trailer. We have a 13 foot vintage travel trailer and she fits anywhere, but not all of the slabs were level or easy to back into. The sites are large and most of them have a pretty view, or an interesting rock formation.  They are spacious and there is plenty of room from your neighbors.     
We went in July and there were no attendants on site, and they are all first come first served. You put your fees (cash or check) in an envelope at the entrance and tear off a flap to clip at your site while you are there, as well as a hang tag for your vehicle. Its $17 per site and I think an additional $7 per extra vehicle The toilets are vault toilets, and there are water taps every few sites but the notice said that the water was not potable until boiled for 5 minutes. There are no showers, and no trash bins - you pack your trash out.
There is no cel service - we had none until the bottom of the 9 mile grade where you start the climb 30 miles away. There is a general store that has ice and drinks about 35 minutes / 9 miles from the campsite towards Kennedy Meadows, and Grumpy Bears retreat about 2 more miles down the road that has food and a bar. Both the general store and Grumpy Bears have a decent wifi that you pay for. I used the 2 hours for $2 and that was enough to get messages out and catch up.

The only gas for sale that I saw was at the general store, and it was expensive, but nice to know its there. There is a trash dumpsite on the turnoff before Grumpy Bears.

We stayed for 5 days and I could have stayed much longer!

This is a really cool little campground near the entrance of Sequoia National Park. The sites are tent only, so no hookups or anything like that. Pretty nice sites though, a lot of space. I think there can be fire restrictions in the summer since it can get so dry, so just be aware of that. As far as places go, it wasn't too pricey. I think we paid about $20 a night. There are bathrooms with running water, and the sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Each site also has storage lockers for your food, so be sure to lock it up in order to keep the bears from getting into it.

As for stuff to do around here, you obviously have to check out the trees. Go look at General Sherman and all the other Sequoia trees. They're so amazing and honestly it humbles you a little. Also check out Moro Rock Trail. The view from the top is amazing. You'll also probably see a fair amount of wildlife while you're hiking around, so be careful of the bears. Out of all my trips to California, I've seen the most bears here in Sequoia. They are super cool creatures, just keep a respectful distance and of course don't feed them.

It would have been a good site for a tent but we are traveling with a roof tent. Our site was a bit uneven with no way to level it. Otherwise the site was good. The area is popular so it was a bit crowded but not overly noisy for the number of people. There is access to the river for a cooling dip. Bring bug spray.

CA was on lockdown (01/2021), but remote camping was allowed far enough off paved roads. We set up a tent about two miles from Stovepipe Wells on the Mosaic Canyon Road just before the trailhead. Could see some lights from State Route 190 but not much else. Nice view of the Mesquite Dunes upon daybreak. The ground we stayed on was rocky, but no problem once we set up the air mattress and tent. Gorgeous views upon waking up.

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 really love Death Valley very much clean camping ground even that time we was very hot for tent we camping there for one night we love it 🥰

Its a literal parking lot. Lots of RVs and pop ups when I was there. There was a campground host and flushing toilets, dumpsters, recycling, a bin for Coleman fuel can recycling, potable water, walking distance to a village with supplies and a gas station. The lot is gravely, but pretty level and tents are comfy.

Bonus is the parkinglot format was an unobstructed line of site to anywhere and I didn't have to worry when my small child wanted to be independent and make 18 million bathroom trips all by herself.

I went in Feb and it was warm enough for a mesh top tent and stargazing (no privacy, but an amazing view).

There was a duststorm that blew in on the second day from Mesquite Dunes and it took out all the literal tents while I was there. I was grateful for MREs so I could cook inside my car.

Gonna be real - moving all my gear to the front seat led to disaster in the form of a drained battery the next day, but it was easy to get a jump start.

Possibly the best possible experience for a first time camper with a 5 year old.

2 spots available on the road. This spot requires 4wd. High clearance not needed with careful driving. Beautiful small road with a few bolted rock climbs. Spots are marked with a sign with a tent symbol and a camp fire ring. I can’t wait to come back. Amazing!