Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Toms Place, CA

Near Toms Place, Hwy 395, Bishop, Mammoth, Rock Creek Lake and Mosquito Flats trailhead. Sites along Rock Creek. Sites numbered in the 100’s closest to the creek.

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.

Camped here as a last resort because everywhere else in the area I wanted to camp was filled up. We used this campground primarily as a base to explore other areas such as Rock Creek and Mammoth. Was here in August and the campground was maybe only half full so it was pretty quiet and felt kind of secluded. There are trees throughout the campground but they're smaller trees that don't always provide the best shade. The sites that are closest to the creek seemed like the best because there were more larger pine trees and you could see and hear the creek a lot more. This campground is pretty close to 395 so we could hear trucks and loud cars at night, so I recommend sites that are farther in at the south end of the campground. Overall the campground is really well maintained and the bathrooms are clean and stocked. I would camp here again if I had to, but it's definitely not my first choice. There just isn't much to see/do without driving for a bit, and this area, while it has its charm, is not as aesthetically pleasing compared to nearby campgrounds. Firewood and provisions are available down the street at Toms Place.

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

Sites are moderate sized with bear locker, picnic table and fire pit. Campground has flushing toilets, sinks. Campground is close to curry village where showers, pool, market and pizza are available. Campground is near happy isles, where the trailheads for vernal falls, Nevada falls and half dome begin. Great camping spot to see Yosemite valley! Also is pet friendly.

This camp ground is smaller relative to some of the other camping options in the area, but still well maintained. It is close to the road but still quiet. Each site has a table, fire ring, and a food storage locker. There are two vault toilets. Bring your own water. You cannot reserve sites ahead of time.

If you want to experience the Yosemite area with your dog, camping in the Inyo National Forest is a great option, because dogs are allowed to join you anywhere you go in the area, as long as they are leashed or well trained to verbal commands. Since the Yosemite NPS does not allow dogs on trails, these national forest campgrounds are a better pet-friendly alternative.

If you like fishing, there are great fishing spots at the nearby stream and lake.

Because this campground is actually a part of the national forest, you can stay here for up to two weeks, in addition to the two week maximum enforced for camping within the NPS limits. So in total you could can stay in "Yosemite" for a month by combining camping at this site (or other nearby national forest sites) with camping inside the park, which is why we stayed here for a long rock climbing trip.

On the east side of Yosemite Valley, it offers a convenient spot to rest after exploring and enjoying all the activities the area has to offer. Is crowded, but each spot is equipped with fire ring, food storage, picnic table, parking spot and flat, shaded spots for your tent.

Advantages: car camping, good for families, pets are allowed, bathroom and potable water nearby. Shuttle bus is pretty close too.

Disadvantages: Crowded, have to book a lot of time in advanced, distance between campsites is short.

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.

Easy parking & plenty of space to spread out. Dog friendly! Bathrooms are clean. super close to the Half Dome and Vernal waterfall trailheads.

Visited Black Rock last weekend with our two dogs. Had great luck fishing and there were only 2 other camping groups out there as well, very peaceful and quiet. If camping near the water, be cautious as water rises quite a bit at night.

4th of July weekend was warm and a little buggy but this campground is strewn with little streams and one of our favorite places so far. Bathrooms were incredibly clean and trash was empty even on a holiday weekend.

the seven lakes hike is nearby and amazing but difficult. Dog friendly is also a plus.

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!

Camp Edison is a great campground, super clean! Shaver Lake is so beautiful! We try to get a campsite next to the water. We also reserve a boat so we can explore the lake. We went for the first time a couple years ago and it is now an annual trip that we plan on taking for life, it's that fun! Great for family and friends. Bring the dogs. Enjoy!