Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Tahoe National Forest

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

RANGER REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce at Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsites, Ansel Adams Wilderness, CA

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsite, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Backcountry camping often offers great hiking, epic scenery, serene solitude and otherwise missed sights. Depending on location, backcountry campsite locations can offer their own challenges, whether through the permitting process, preparation of gear and meals, logistics, or difficult terrain…but the trade offs can pay out big dividends.

Leaving behind the din of packed campgrounds…getting unplugged from electronic encumbrances…relaxing beside an untouched alpine lake where the only sound you hear is the whir of dragonfly wings as they dart about.

Only a set number of backcountry permits are issued daily, so crowds and impact remain minimal to nonexistent.

Permits are necessary for all backcountry overnight stays in the Inyo National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits

Whenever backcountry hiking/camping in California, do yourself a service and go online https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5139009 and take the California Campfire Permit test to acquire your certificate and possess it when in the backcountry.

Several ways to get to Gladys Lake exist…

1. John Muir Trail (JMT) thru-hike permits NOBO or SOBO

2. John Muir Trail section hike permits

3. Wilderness Permits Day hike permits

You could enter from Reds Meadows and follow the JMT north to Gladys Lake…or better from Agnew Meadows and follow the Shadow Creek Trail (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=21272&actid=51 ) up and around Shadow Lake and then south on the JMT past Rosalie Lake to Gladys Lake. Each access trail has a daily quota…such as Shadow Creek, which has a daily quota of 30…18 secured through reservation and 12 walk-ups. So if you are choosing to walk-up, have some flexibility of starting days.

We had a JMT SOBO permit acquired six months in advance through the NPS permit lottery. But next visit, I will likely enter through Agnew Meadows via day permit.

Most hikers will stop and camp at Rosalie Lake, which is a wonderful option and a much larger lake. Some would suggest a more picturesque lake than Gladys Lake…but that is all in the eye of the beholder.

August of 2018 saw little precipitation and the winter snowfall was below expectations, so lake water levels were lower and surrounding shoreline not marshy or soggy. Which made for dry and mosquito free conditions.

The effects of local forest fires did cover surrounding mountain views during certain times of the day, and brought with it a bit of lung burning and eye stinging. Early morning and late evening hours brought clearer skies.

Be forewarned that seemingly every backcountry campsite brings with it a steep uphill slog, but worth it. Gladys Lake is at 9600 ft elevation.

I believe there was one other camper at Gladys Lake the night we stayed…but we neither heard nor saw them. It was a perfectly peaceful evening!

Amenities? Well, no showers…no toilets…no water spigots…no electricity…no picnic tables…one lonely stone fire ring but open fires are not permitted. No cell service or WiFi…no general store or local grocery store. However, Gladys Lake water was refreshing both to wade and drink (filtered). You are surrounded by fragrant conifers that buffer sound. A perfectly peaceful location to relax and dream.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti With Meat Sauce

https://www.mountainhouse.com/

As a frequent user of Mountain House freezes dried dinners, and being a creature of habit, I often settle into a couple favorite meals and don’t deviate to new offerings. Mundane and boring?…perhaps.

But…after winning $100 worth of Mountain House meals through an early season TheDyrt.com contest… and with my daughter as my hiking buddy, I selected several different meals to avoid mutiny.

One of these meal pouches was Mountain House’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.

I admit, I was a little suspect as to how freeze-dried spaghetti with meat sauce would taste, but we were both very pleased with the sauce flavors, seasoning and the amount of meat in the sauce. The only thing I would add is a couple slices of toasted garlic bread.

If the next rotation of Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce was easily located in our bear canisters, we would’ve likely had a second helping…but sadly, it was not.

In pairing down weight before our backcountry hike, I removed the contents from Mountain House’s original packaging and utilized a commercial vacuum sealer to make smaller, lighter meal packs as 11 days of food needed to fit in a bear canister. It worked, but the distinct drawback was not being able to prepare the meal in the resealable pouch. A pot was necessary to allow the freeze-dried contents to soak in the boiling water. So clean up was more extensive than it would’ve been by using the Mountain House resealable pouch. It was a trade off and we made it work.

If you are new to Mountain House freeze dried meals, directions are printed plain and simple on the pouch.

•Measure out the prescribed amount of water

•boil water

•open meal pouch and remove moisture packet

•pour boiling water in pouch and stir contents thoroughly

•seal pouch for prescribed time

•open pouch and stir contents

•serve and enjoy

It doesn’t get any easier.

I went here solo camping with my dog in may 2021. Great little spot. Pretty busy on the weekends though. It was also crazy windy which I think cooled off the hot spring a bit.

Super easy to get to, to get into and get out of. There was a Safeway within walking distance as well as a pub and a casino. Only thing strange was they asked our dogs not to pee on the grass.

Spacious rv and trailer sites, with water and electric but no dump station. That would be a plus if they added the dump station or sewer hookups. Lots of trees for shade, a small creek runs through the site. Hot showers and clean restrooms. Laundry is available on site as well. Nice place to stop for a night or two. We stopped here for one night with our kids and two dogs in a 26 foot trailer.

This campground was a great place for our family to hang out and hike for three days. So many cool trails lead right out from the campground and they’re cool with dogs too (on leases of course)! The camp host-Gary, was friendly, enjoyed his safety speech and helped us get acquainted with the grounds. You can walk to Devils Postpile (about 4 miles) from this campground. Only downside is that there is zero cell service!

Not sure else what you'd come here for. Great rock climbing across the 395, but PVR is mostly for the float tubers. There is an awesome little wild trout section where you can get a hold of the colors of the sierras, otherwise the reservoir is a steep sided sketchy lake. Don't bring your dog. The land kinda just moves around as you approach the sides, whole area is marked enter at own risk by LADWP. Bring sunscreen, year round it gets deathly hot out down here. The sites are well distributed around a creek.

There is Pleasant Valley Campground, and if you cross the street and drive a little bit in you can get to Pleasant Valley Pit. This place has no shade, no trees, but amazing view of the Sierras. Dogs are allowed. Bathroom available. And is only 2$. This place is also close to other attractions like hot springs, Happy Boulders area and local hikes.

You will find mostly two groups of people: rock climbers and fishers. Around 20 min drinking from Bishop, it makes a convenient place to relax from your recreational activity or road trip. Sunsets are amazing.

We stayed here for four nights.  Full hookups are nice, easy and clean.  We did not use the bathrooms or showers due to the pandemic.  The check-in staff was very friendly and informative and nice.  The spaces are a little bit too close together, but on pavement with a picnic table at each site.  Trash disposal available as well as a small area to take the dogs for their business.  There are a lot of amenities in the campground.  Even a fish-cleaning area for those who like to fish in the many local lakes and streams.  The park is located on the north side of town.

As is with most of the camping in the area, summer months are pretty hot and dusty, and this campground does not offer much shade unfortunately. Very popular with RV campers. All sites are first-come, first serve. There are vault toilets, and water is available March 1st to October 31st. In terms of scenery, the view of the eastern Sierras is stunning! Dogs are welcome throughout the area as long as they are leashed. Depending on the weather, the wind can get pretty intense here, so if you have flexibility for your camping dates, check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. Sites are pretty well spaced out, so you can expect a pretty quiet and private camping experience.

We camped here with a group that had two trailers and a large RV. We decided to camp further away from the lake (towards the back of the campground), as there were less people and it was more quiet and secluded. The year-round folks and the crowds tend to camp closer to the lake. They were strict about dogs being on their leashes. We love to fish here, both on shore and in a boat (def bring your boat if you have one). The views are insanely gorgeous!!! Bring water toys for the kiddos. The small beach is perfect for hot days. Be sure to put food and garbage away before bed- we had a bear come visit!!

We really enjoyed June Lake Campground! Stayed there for one night on our way out of Yosemite. The drive around the lake is beautiful and there are multiple camping areas. We stayed on a weeknight in October, so had no trouble getting an open spot without needing a reservation. The fall foliage was very pretty. Campsite was nice, large and level and tucked into the trees, so felt private and secluded. Some spots were right adjacent to the water as well. No showers, bathrooms with flush toilets. Drinking water and wash station were available.

Short walk into town with a couple of restaurants and shops. We had some beers at June Lake Brewing company which was just a short walk away -highly recommend stopping in there. Dog friendly, very nice place with good beer! I would definitely stay at June Lake again.

May 2023- We happened upon this place through "the dyrt" and what a hidden jewel! We camped right next to the stream and stayed one night and it was peaceful and far away from any highway. The road becomes dirt and while bumpy in places, our class B van with low clearance did fine going slow. The creek was 40 feet from our spot, running well (Spring of 2023 after record snowfall) and the dog loved playing it it. We arrived 1pm and there was just one other vehicle. By evening there were about 7 more vehicles but they dispersed. We camped at the first turn off where you'll see the Forest Service Sign. You can continue further on the bumpy road and there are other sites along the way, which I can't speak about as we did not go there. BE CAREFUL as there are two camps with same name. The one we stayed at is just west of Bishop. There is another "Mc Gee Creek Forest Service Campground" west of Lake Crowley which looks great, but I've not been there.

This is our 3rd time staying here and we love it every time. There were only a few other campers here when we stayed the week before Christmas and there were plenty of spots open. Even when it’s busy, it seems like you can always find something. We love it here. So peaceful and absolutely quiet. Lots of rock climbers come in for the day and leave in the afternoon. 

Something we hadn’t noticed before were all the goatheads, everywhere. Watch your dog’s paws. 

Decent cell reception for ATT and Verizon, not great, but usable. Easy drive to Bishop for supplies, and the free dump & water fill at the Speedway at the other end of town is really nice. 

The road in is fairly washboarded, but manageable. The road along the back side of the stone “wall” has gotten worse since we were here last. Parts of it are really rutted and washed out. Hopefully they are fixed at some point, not sure I’d feel comfortable driving our class c on it as it is now. Luckily there are plenty of spots out off the main road so we didn’t need to drive down that road this time. 

Saw the rangers go by a couple of times during our 2 night stay here. One stopped and took notes and took a picture of our rig- glad to see that they’re tracking people and enforcing the 14 day limit!

Fall color and camping in the Sierra is what we we were after. This gem of a campground did not disappoint on the color and its location made it easy to explore the Mono Lake area since there's no camping in that area.

• Beautiful aspens with rushing river surrounded by high peaks. Lots of fishers were taking advantage of the river. 

• Sites are very close and pretty small. There were a few sites that accommodated the few Class C and larger travel trailers that came through, but the turns in the loops were tight. Less experienced drivers might be challenged. 

• Many (most) sites are not very level and/or sloped. 

• Super quiet and dark at night. Star gazing was amazing. 

• Bears are very active. One camper had their car window broken and door frame bent because they had left something in the front seat. Another camper told us a bear walked through her site while she was sitting near the campfire but was easily scared off. 

• Not a lot of hiking without getting in your car but the dirt road connecting to the other campground (Big Bend) wasn't busy so served as a good walking trail to exercise our dogs. 

• Good location to access Lee Vining (groceries, fuel, restaurants, laundry) and explore the phenomenal Mono Lake area. 

• Water available but at a central spigot at the entrance. 

• No Verizon cell service but good signals down the road at the Mobil station and excellent free wi-fi at the Mono Lake visitors center both in Lee Vining. 

Nice little first-come campground. It was almost full by 4 pm each night we were there. We'd consider it again but only in shoulder season. Getting a spot in peak season seems challenging.