Best Campgrounds near Little Lake, CA

This is a recreational area you can stay at for up to 14 days. It is also an off-roading area for sport bikes and the like so there are trails all through out for it. But all the campsites are pretty spaced out so you’ll have your privacy.

Plenty of spots right off the road. I drove in after dark and needed a place to sleep before I hit Death Valley. The wind was absolutely howling, but not too bad.

Grew up camping here growing up stores in the evenings a bear getting in the dumpsters time to time late at night, chilly early mornings catching trout and cooking them by lunch. Plenty of beginner trails and historical trees that seem have been there forever and always will be

Nice campground $10 half price with senior pass. No water or dump.

Great views all directions... Most sites are very close to level. Packed dirt roads around campsites in good condition. Picnic tables have pole to hang lantern. Good spacing between most sites. Dump station closed until May. Clean pit toilets in weather protected buildings. $10 / night... $5 / night with Senior Pass.

Nice views backing up to scenic rock cliffs. Clean pit toilets. Most sights have a little slope... used a few leveling blocks. Quiet... First come... first served... Compacted dirt gravel road in good condition $25 standard... $23 seniors.

This is BLM land camping in an OHV area that we used for an overnight. For this purpose it was great. A paved road leads to endless dispersed camping options in a beautifully rugged canyon. There were a few OHVs but we arrived late on a weekday and OHV traffic stopped altogether in the evening. Wind was a problem and made sleeping hard. We camped in a 24’ travel trailer with a high clearance truck. While not necessary, the larger truck was nice to have on the dirt portions. There are sites that would be accessible by car as well just be more discerning. Verizon was at 1 bar the whole time.

@ MM 48. There are about 3 dirt road pull offs in this area. The 2 on the south side are attainable with careful driving and 2 wheel drive. One site is visible by the road, the other crests a small hill and has limited visibility from the road. This one, which is on the 48mm is amazing. There are a couple sites on this road. The one on the bend on the other side needs a higher wheel clearance and carful consideration. It leads up the drive to a larger level secluded spot.

Just a couple miles from the Alabama Hills. $10 a night BLM campground. Vault toilets. Both water and dump station are closed 80+ sites and all have great views. But no shade.

This place was great!  It wasn't until I'd settled down from setting up camp that I realized I could hear the white noise of the creek.  It was terrific.  The site I had (see picture) was a little close to the road (50 ft?) which was the lamest part about it (well, that and the human doody and toilet paper I saw on a walk), but people from the road could only see parts of the campsite.  It was private, stunning country.  Parts of this place are like being on another planet.

There was some well hidden garbage in the bushes, but the space is big and flat.  We had 2 cars, 2 tents, and a big mat we laid out to minimize tracking dirt.  The sun was very strong, so bring a tarp so you can create some shade.

We walked a lot on the main road, but also on some trails.  Night was dark (not great for stargazing, though) and there were wee creatures stirring in the bushes. 

Things to see: beautiful flowers (including these funky low plants that remind me of the martians from Hare-Way to the Stars), incredible rock formations, hey look, the Eastern Sierras including Mt.  Whitney!  Town is maybe 12 minutes away, and the people there were extremely nice.  Visit the Movie Museum (it was about ~hour's worth of pretty interesting.)  2.25 hours north was the Japanese internment camp, Manzanar.  My ignorant ass thought I'd be bored after 45 minutes, but after 2.5 hours, we were still exploring it.  It's solemn, and incredibly educational.  I can't recommend it enough.

Back to the campsite:  go here.  There seemed to be plenty of campsites and all the ones we saw looked great.  Although some probably required a lift; my stock WRX couIdn't get to a really good one due to same sandy ruts, so, do with that information what you will. 

I would absolutely stay here again.

Please please respect the camp if you stay here, leave it better than you found it. (The litter gets bad in the summer.) It's absolutely gorgeous here. There's great access to the national forest and the little town of Kernville is so cute and friendly.

Boulder studded alpine environment with decomposed granite sands. Walk the roads first to avoid deeply rutted or too steep areas for your vehicle. I stopped my motorcycle to camp before the bad ruts and I’m glad I did. Avoid putting your tent on anthills.

Because we had site 112, and it was March not July, and we could launch our canoe without any muss or fuss, and there were only a few other campers, I give this park 4 stars.  If we were here in July, well...we wouldn't stay here in July...period.  I can only imagine the crowds here after May 1.  This is a small lake and they limit the number of motorboats to 25, which is about 20 too many in my estimation.  Also, there is mandatory vessel inspection for mussels, and a $10 a day launch fee after May 1.  

So, timing is everything.  We had the lake to ourselves and we could launch our canoe directly from campsite #112.  The water is muddy, and much of the bank is not accessible from the water due to reeds, but the scenery looking at Mt Lone Pine, and Mt Whitney across the Alabama Hills is beautiful!

There was no check-in in March.  Reservations are online, and they will have your name on the post at the site when you arrive.  However, after May 1, you must have any vessel you are bringing with you inspected prior to entering the campground.

Each site will have a picnic table and fire ring and there are several water spigots throughout the campground where you can top off your tank.  However, most of the spigots do not have a nipple to screw on a water hose.  There are a couple that do.  There are also vault toilets and trash dumpsters throughout the campground.

The main downside to this campground regarding amenities is the lack of a dump site.  However, Boulder Creek RV Park just south on 395 will let you use their dump site for $25.   

The staff are very approachable and friendly and a couple of the maintenance guys even left us some cut firewood as they were thinning out the salt cedar trees.

The only demerits I give this campground in the offseason is the loud hwy noise from 395, which is inherent, and the small bits of trash that have become components of the sand.  Trash like broken glass, bottle caps, crushed aluminum cans, cigarette butts, dental floss applicators, etc.  Small stuff everywhere.  We spent an afternoon sifting through the sand, picking up trash around our campground, but it was really too big of a job for just 2 people.  Inyo County should organize a community clean up day where an army of volunteers with rakes can really go through the sand to pick up all of the debris.

Been here several times to boondock with our SxS. It's good off summer due to heat, plenty places to camp, but absolutely filthy because no one in SoCal knows how to clean up after them selves. Trash, ammo, and broken glass absolutely everywhere.