Are you in need of a campground near Keeler, CA? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Find the best campgrounds near Keeler, CA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"The trail head camp ground was very nice and well maintained. Vault toilets and fresh water with plenty of access to bear boxes to properly store your food."
"get acclimated to higher elevation prior to your Sierras backpacking trip. restrooms and bear lockers are provided. use them as there is a lot of bear activity. cover any odorous items in your vehicle."
$6 / night
"This is a walk-in campground designed primarily for the backpackers who use this as a jumping off point for trips."
"Tent pads and fire pits and bear boxes. Vault toilets and a water spigot. Trails to multiple peaks and passes all from this alpine valley."
"It was a convenient place to park, because you drive right up to the trailhead, and there are trash cans, bear boxes, and vault toilets."
"We didn’t camp here, we spent the day backpacking to check out spots for a future trip. We have a trip planned to come back next year for a week and backpack this whole trail. It’s so beautiful!!"
"Homestake Dry Camp is just that, a dry camp. There was a porta-potty (would hate to be the poor guy that has to service it), but no water as the name implies or tables. "
"It's about a 6.5 mile hike in and is above 10,000ft elevation. Took us about 3 hours to hike to Cottonwood Lake #5, going at a leisurely pace. Some people do the Mt."
"Permit needed for overnight camping at lone pine lake. Get this at ranger station, to the right , just as you enter lone pine."
"Guitar Lake is a beautiful spot to stay at no matter which spot you pick!"
"Not that busy only had some construction vehicles driving by in the morning they are doing some construction up here currently"
"The dirt road dead ends at a large spot with easy turn around. There are off shoots of the main road to other camp spots, but we didn’t venture down to any of those."
"limited sites, each with a picnic table, access to water and flush toilet. very nice spot and the higher elevation provides cooler temperature."
"This is a free campsite for tents only. However, several people brought in their car campers & just set up a tent."
GuideLovely campground! Stayed with a small group at site 35, which is a large site with a parking area that can fit 3 cars/SUVs. We set up 3 large tents, 2 hammocks, plus a lot of cooking equipment, and still had room for more! There's a trail that leads down to the creek right from the site, which we used each day to cool down in the water. Very dog friendly- our group's pups enjoyed themselves too. Vault toilets are clean and the toilet paper was abundant. The price of $17/night (plus$5 for additional cars) is very reasonable. Used a bit of the non-potable water and came prepared with lots of drinking water from home. Was a pleasant temperature in the high 80s with a regular breeze.
Now for the downsides…it was extremely buggy;. Even with multiple types of bug spray and a Thermacell, we got bit by mosquitos and various flies all throughout the day. Plus, there are really big beetles that flew on us at night. Wish we had a big bug net over the picnic table or other areas, but at least the hammock was covered. There were also noisy neighbors- one group had a bunch of ATVs they started riding at 8am, and another was shooting guns. No cell service, but that was expected, so we brought satellite devices for emergencies.
ScoutThis is a walk-in campground designed primarily for the backpackers who use this as a jumping off point for trips. There are campsites spread around the meadow with picnic tables and bear boxes.The campsites are spread well apart under the pines. The parking encircles the large, flat meadow. The area is just gorgeous. It’s a great spot to get away from summer heat at 10,000 feet. Vault toilets, water spigots. Lots of hiking.
LegendBeautiful small campground at the foot of the mountains, easily accessed from the small town of Independence and about 45 min drive north to Bishop.
Campground is currently open (March), but in winter operation mode. No water, no host, no firewood, and no fees. Campground open date is April 25, not sure when winter season starts. Price is $25 when open.
There are toilets but they are closed at this time and there are porta potties instead.
There are trash bins that are unlocked, but the website says that there is no trash service during the winter season so be prepared to pack out your trash if needed.
Each site has a picnic table, a fire ring, and a bear box. Some sites have a cool rock oven/stove. Each site has a unique configuration, some being more private and surrounded by brush, and some more out in the open.
A really nice small creek runs behind the campground.
We arrived on a Monday in late March and had the entire place to ourselves for a night. The next day several other campers showed up.
Cell service is very iffy, especially for Verizon and T-Mobile. AT&T mostly had 1-2 bars of 4G. However, just a few miles down the road on the way to Independence there is excellent service from all carriers.
Really nice campground. $25 seems a bit high but this would be a great place to stay while exploring the surrounding mountains.
LegendThis 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.
GuideCold 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.
LegendThis is a primitive campground with several site locations. It was a very long, winding and narrow road to get there. There is a river near the entrance and it is covered in giant sequoia trees throughout. The park offers a picnic table, bear box, and a fire pit at each campsite. They have also made benches out of fallen trees which was really neat. There's a porta house nearby, fairly clean but I've seen nicer. There is no water or hookups. Perfect for needing a simple place to sleep while visiting Sequoia National Park.
LegendBeautiful campground for $24/night. It is popular during the summer months, so if you want to reserve a site for the weekend, make sure to reserve online well in advance. Sites are pretty nicely spaced out and almost all sites have shade. The lsites are not as close to the river as Brush Creek campground, but still closer than Fairview, which is down the road.
Facilities. There are vault toilets. Both trash and recycling collection bins are available (not the case for nearby day use areas or dispersed camping). Each site has its own campfire ring and picnic table.
Dogs allowed throughout the forest as long as they are on leash.
Activities in the area:
LegendGeneral: 81 BLM sites within the shadow of the eastern Sierras. All are first come, first available with a 14-day limit, but we had no problem finding a choice of sites on a Monday in early April around 12:30 pm. You can’t beat the price of $10 ($5 with a Golden Age Pass)! Surprisingly good cell coverage (Verizon)! The views of the mountains are awesome!
Site Quality: Gravel and most looked level. No hookups of any kind. A fire ring (with grill), lantern hook, and large concrete picnic table complete the site.
Toilets: More than an adequate number of vault toilets sprinkled throughout the campground and at least the one by our site was clean and had hand sanitizer.
Activities: We spent our day exploring nearby beautiful Alabama Hills (about a 10-minute drive from the campground), driving out Movie Road, and taking a few short hikes.
Just several things to note (but they did not detract from our stay):
1. since our site was near Tuttle Creek, the mosquitoes came out in droves at dusk,
2. you will hear (but not see!) a steady sound of fighter stealth jets from Edwards Air Force Base flying overhead from about 8 am to 8 pm) and
3. There are gnarly speed bumps on the road into the campground. Other than that, the unpaved road is well-maintained.
I wish we had planned to spend another night here!
TravelerThis primitive campground is amazing! There were hardly any people and some fellow campers told us it wasn’t even crowded on Memorial Day weekend. It’s near the end of a well-maintained but VERY windy & narrow road (takes about 1-1.5 hours to go 20 miles) and the Mineral King ranger station/most trailheads are about 15 minutes further. The campground is full of sequoias and giant stumps and just beautiful. They have bear boxes, nice firepits, picnic tables, potable (I assume, wasn’t specified) water, and vault toilets. The bathroom did have a major fly infestation in early summer but it didn’t bother us. We loved the seclusion and hikes! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend driving there just for the campground, but would highly recommend spending some time in the area and hiking. They have the biggest marmots I’ve ever seen! The lodge in Silver City (between the two NP campgrounds) has a little store, restaurant, and extremely overpriced ice, but bring your own food with you since it’s rather hard to get back to society. Even if you don’t hike, drive to the end of the road and check out the mountain/waterfall views. $12/night
Nestled near Keeler, California, tent camping offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of the Eastern Sierra. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy diverse amenities and activities.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Keeler, CA is Cottonwood Pass Walk in Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 6 reviews.
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