Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Mammoth Lakes, CA

A big campground in Mammoth Lakes, with 77 sites in total. It can be a pretty popular sport during the summer, so you may want to make reservations or call ahead just to make sure. But it has water and flush toilets, but the down fall is no showers. Each site has a picnic table, firepit ring, and a two-locker bear storage. The campground varies in privacy so just be aware you will see and most likely hear your neighbors. There is no electric either at this campground. It is $24 a night which isn’t bad but with no showers seems bit pricey.

This campground has some great hiking trails in it, we took the Meadows trail and it did not disappoint with beautiful scenery and rivers. It also is right down the road from Mammoth Lakes which has plenty of restaurants if you are needing some non-camping cuisine. There are trails all over this area, that it would take you while to hike all of them. This is also a very popular mountain biking area during the summer with trails everywhere. During the winter it is a booming ski/snowboard town.

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.

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.

This is a very functional Campground and super convenient to Yosemite and the Mammoth Lake area. Staff is friendly, grounds are tidy and bathrooms/showers are clean. Really enjoyed it.

Beautiful overall, great access to many back country inlets and lakes. A wonderful place to witness one of the many Yosemite thunder and lighting storms. If you can leave your pet at home you will have a better time, the majority of lakes and trails in the Yosemite area do not allow dogs, some are leash restriction such as campsites. If you're heading up to lake Tenaya the pups can't go.

If you're camping here, you're going to see beautiful lakes and a giant waterfall that's just a short walk from any campsite. However, be prepared to be right on top of each other, without a lot of space.

The bathrooms have flushing toilets and running sinks, so they don't stink and aren't terrible to camp next to if you have to. (Site 11 was the only one left the second time I stayed here, but there was no bathroom smell).

This is a great campsite for backpackers getting to Mammoth lakes and acclimating to the altitude before setting off.

I stayed here for 3 nights while section hiking the Pacific crest trail & everyone I came into contact that worked at reds meadoow was extremely helpful and polite. there's a restaurant (diner food) that's open 8am - 6pm (check hours) & also a general store that sells all your camping needs. there was also a free shuttle from Reds Meadows to mammoth mountain ski lodge where you can catch a bus into Mammoth lakes.

campground has multiple concrete buildings with toilets & running water as well as bear boxes & fire pits. also a steam depending on time of season.

Absolutely loved it here minus them saying they’re were rats with diseases. Watch out with your pets. Otherwise it was an absolutely gorgeous place

We spent a total of 6 days out in the Inyo national forrest, outside of mammoth lakes. There are hot springs scattered through out the forrest. Clothing optional. If your clever and or smart enough to find them your in for a real treat. The driving can get rough on some of the roads but for the most part our mini van handled it well. We met all kinds of people in different springs while camping. It was great fun.

The dispersed camping is all over the place. No amenities. Well a hot spring is the ultimate amenity if you ask me. Carry in carry out. Use only existing fire pits. Good luck on the hot spring hunt.

Cheers!

Tuffs is a great little campground located about 200 yards from Route 395. It's located in a small ravine so you don't hear any traffic noise. There are a variety of spot that include non-shade and shaded. The best feature of the park is the little stream that runs thru it. I saw a few people fishing but don't know if there's any fish in it. Tuffs makes a great stop over on your way to Lake Tahoe or Mammoth. Lake Crowley is also a few miles up the road. 

Water is available along with pit toilets. There are no showers. Firewood is available for $7.

Cell: Good AT&T

Sprint: Roaming

It was our first time camping in Mammoth Lakes and arrived without reservation at the campgrounds near Lake Mary and Lake George. After driving around we ended up picking site 24 at Coldwater Campground. The other campgrounds were packed, and the sites felt pretty tight. Coldwater was less crowded and the sites had plenty of room. Site 24 was near the stream with lots of flat areas to pitch tents, bear locker, fire pit and picnic table. The campground host was great and very welcoming! We purchased our wood on site for $7/bundle which was consistent with the prices in town. I would highly recommend staying here if you want some peace and quiet while camping. It was walking distance to Lake Mary and several trail heads.

Lake Mary is Located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains roughly 2.5 miles south south-west from the village of mammoth lakes. The campground itself is very large with plenty of Amenities Including 2 small stores / Marinas pokonobè and Lake Mary. Both locations offer simple amenities and treats as well as fishing supplies and bait. Also available at both locations are kayak, paddle board, fishing and pontoon boat rentals by the hour or full day. We payed 15.00 to launch our own boat at the pokonobè marina marina and beached it next to a tree closer to where we were staying. This is very active bear country. We personally had a bear this trip with her two baby cubs rip the fish off the stringer connected to our boat as we unloaded our gear. So be cautious! The campground itself straddles the road with several loops, some offering access to the lake. All campsites included a fire ring, bear box and picnic tables. Restrooms, water and trash receptacles are located in each area throughout the campground. There is a wonderful bike path winds its way through the lodgepole pines up and around lake Mary, all the way up to horseshoe lake or down to the twin lakes basin all with breathtaking views along the path. There’s even a free trolly that runs during the summer that you can ride around the lake basins or all the way into the village or town of mammoth for some extra fun! The fishing at lake Mary is fantastic! Rainbow, brook and brown trout are stocked regularly attracting anglers of all ages. No Swimming is permitted in the lake. There are several hiking trails in the area offering a wide range and variety of terrain and fun for all ages. I would highly recommend this campground to anyone looking to explore the mammoth lakes area and beyond!

Great place to spend the night while traveling threw. No frills but clean ! Great price , Nice people and quite. Pet friendly which is a plus. Be mindful it’s bear country so wonderingl around at night not so wise lol

This campground is just outside the main part of Mammoth Lakes, CA. You have to go on a paved then gravel road to get there. It is secluded, and you would never know that you are 5 mins. away from a Vons or all the hubbub of the town. There is a cute Creek, Sherwin Creek, that runs past the whole camp. You can here is all night, which my husband and I liked. The sites are clean and spacious. There are walk-in tent sites and RV sites. There are bear boxes at every site, and must be used!

We had a big thunderstorm come through, and it wasn’t that bad because the campground is protected by hills along side it.

We absolutely loved it at Sherwin Creek, and are looking to go back next summer!

After driving around every overcrowded campground in mammoth lakes we were lucky enough to find this campsite on Dyrt. It had many open spots even in July with beautiful views of nearby mountains. Close walking distance (about .5 miles to a mile depending one where your site is) to a lake and a hiking trail up to devils postpile. We also went to try the hot spring there at night but it was so hot you had to bring up buckets of water from a nearby creek to use it, we heard it is better in the early mornings. Also there are a lot of bears in the area and they are relatively comfortable around humans, one walked through our site and other campers sites while we were there so make sure to keep all food and items that may have scent in the bear boxes provided and not in your vehicle or tent!