Photos by Patrick Wilkes
If you’re like me, you like camping in sites either surrounded by vegetation or far enough away from your neighbors that you can’t hear them snoring at night. You may laugh, but when I camped at Death Valley several years ago I could hear the guy next to me producing a nocturnal sawmill all night long.
To stop this from happening again, my husband and I looked at virtually every campsite in National Forest Service campgrounds in the Mammoth Lakes area (not to mention every campsite in the Eastern Sierra).for our Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy book. So we know all the Mammoth Lakes camping hot spots. In this blog post, I’ll show you which campgrounds in the Mammoth Lakes area have the largest selection of campsites with the most privacy. And I’ll describe one idyllic campsite in each campground.
Twin Lakes Campground
View from Twin Lakes Campground
Not to be confused with the Twin Lakes area near Bridgeport, California, Twin Lakes Campground at Mammoth Lakes is divided into two sections. The upper section closest to the entrance is in a grove of lodgepole pines with no understory. It lacks privacy, with spaces jammed together. To reach the really good spaces in the lower section of the campground, drive across a bridge that crosses a stream between the two peaceful, grassy lakes. Impressive cliffs tower over one of the lakes. The spaces in the lower section of the campground are under the lodgepole pines (less private) or in the willows (more private). Although there is a lot of commotion in some parts of the lower campground, you can carve out your slice of serenity here, in one of the more private spots.
One Of Our Favorite Campsites at Twin Lakes
#64 Privacy Rating: A+ Reservable? Yes. Visit recreation.gov for reservations. A beautiful spot, completely surrounded by willows, pines, and greenery. The only neighbor in sight is across the road, but thanks to the abundant vegetation surrounding #64 and the fact your neighbor across the street is far away, it feels like you’re in a world all your own here. As a bonus, you have a view of a mountain ablaze with rust-colored rock.
Which Other Campsites In Twin Lakes Campground Have The Most Privacy? Read Our Book Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy To Find Out.
Sherwin Creek Campground
A large campground spread out under the Jeffrey pines and aspens with Sherwin Creek running alongside it, Sherwin Creek Campground is a combination of quiet camp spaces and sites that are in the middle of a hub of activity. A lot of the campsites here are really close together. However, in certain parts of the campground there is more understory intervening between campsites. In other parts, the understory is lacking. You can find a campsite with privacy here, but you have to really look for them.
One Of Our Favorite Campsites at Sherwin Creek Campground
#22 Privacy Rating: A+ Reservable? Yes. Visit recreation.gov for reservations. A spacious site on a forested cul de sac, #22 sits by itself with no neighbors visible on any side. The site is sandwiched between two hills. Behind, pine trees are visible as far as you can see. The spot also boasts plenty of shade. Definitely one of the best campsites in the campground.
Which Other Campsites In Sherwin Creek Campground Have The Most Privacy? Read Our Book Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy To Find Out.
Coldwater Creek Campground
Squeezed between Mammoth Creek and Coldwater Creek in a lodgepole pine forest, this campground has only a smattering of understory. There are a lot of sites here that are closer to the campground road than we like to see. Even so, many of the campsites are well-spaced from each other. We found some campsites here we really liked.
One Of Our Favorite Campsites at Coldwater Creek Campground
#29 Privacy Rating: A+ Reservable? Yes. Visit recreation.gov for reservations To reach this shady site under the conifers, you’ll trek up a small hill, where the picnic table and fire pit are perched above the campground road. There are no neighbors to the immediate left or behind and the neighbor to the right is completely out of view behind a hill. #30 is right across the street, but both #29 and #30 are back from the road, so your across-the-street neighbor isn’t breathing down your neck. You also have a filtered view of mountains through the trees.
Which Other Campsites In Coldwater Creek Campground Are The Most Peaceful And Private? Read Our Book To Find Out.
Convict Lake Campground
Convict Lake
Convict Lake Campground is a ten-minute drive from Mammoth Lakes. If you have a lot of activities planned in the Mammoth Lakes Basin it’s not as convenient as actually staying in one of the campgrounds in the basin itself. But it has a huge selection of campsites with privacy. This really is Mammoth Lakes camping at its best. Sunken down below Convict Lake Road, Convict Lake Campground has a large selection of private spaces nudged in between the willows and aspens. Convict Creek meanders past some of the campsites. Other spaces sit out in the sagebrush. Although you can’t see Convict Lake from the campground, many campsites have views of 11,812-foot Laurel Mountain, with its swirls of multicolored rock, and 12,268-foot Mount Morrison, with its ancient dolomite and marble slopes. From Convict Lake Road, looking down into the campground, I would never have guessed there would be so many spaces with privacy here.
One Of Our Favorite Campsites at Convict Lake Campground
#16 Privacy Rating: A- Reservable? No. First-come, first-served. Aspens gather around the picnic table, tent pad, and fire pit, shading the site and making it feel as if you’re sitting in an outdoor room. The space to the right is close to #16’s driveway, but a thick forest of willows hides about 80 or 90 percent of the view. Plus, your parked vehicle will help obscure your neighbor from sight. You can also see site #14 to the left, but the aspen forest in between does a good job of cancelling out much of the view. Behind the campsite, aspens merge with the meadow. You can see the picnic table from the campground road, but the table’s location in the aspens means you won’t feel overly exposed.
Which Other Campsites In Convict Lake Campground Have The Most Elbowroom? Read Our Book Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy To Find Out.
The Best Mammoth Lakes Camping
These four campgrounds have the largest selection of private campsites in the Mammoth Lakes area. Lake George Campground does have one site with privacy. So does Old Shady Rest. But Lower Twin Lakes, Sherwin Creek, Coldwater Creek, and Convict Lake Campgrounds all boast the greatest number of Mammoth Lakes camping sites that don’t bump right up against their neighbor. Or sites that are surrounded by vegetation. There are also some sweet sites in some of the campgrounds near Devil’s Postpile National Monument, near Mammoth Lakes. We show you exactly which campsites in these campgrounds are the most private in Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy: Your Guide To The Most Private Campsites Near Mammoth Lakes, Tuolumne Meadows, Death Valley, And Beyond.
You Might Also Like. . .
How Bishop Got Its Name And Other Eastern Sierra Place Names
Is The Eastern Sierra The Pie Capital Of The West?
11 Best Campgrounds To View Fall Foliage In The Eastern Sierra
I Love The Eastern Sierra is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We will only become an affiliate for books we have read or written or products we have used in order to make sure we are only recommending the best quality products. Participating in the Amazon affiliate program allows us to raise extra funds so we can continue to provide you with great free content about the people and places of the Eastern Sierra.
I lived in Mammoth Lakes 415 years when somebody would ask me what it’s like to live there., I always said it’s like camping all the time personally I like Sherwin Springs campground it’s not on your list I don’t think or the backside of Crowley is nice. Anywhere off of Deadman Summit is great as well. They’re free and Nobody messes with you. Needless to say I love my eastern Sierras.
Hi, John. Great points. I have not heard of Sherwin Springs Campground. Did you mean Sherwin Creek? We did include that in our blog article.
You’re right. There are some nice spaces by Deadman Summit. We looked at all of them for our Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy Book. The two challenges are that Each campground by Deadman Summit only had a few campsites at most with any privacy. But if you can get one of those spots, they’re great campgrounds.
And People may have to put up with some OHV noise there, though, since they’re popular with OHV drivers. And for people who want to be close to the Mammoth Lakes Basin they are more of a drive.
When I lived in Mammoth I worked at Norco Goodyear on Main Street and had a band callEd the heart of gold band. We had a generator and through huge parties at Laurel Springs and played all night long. Those were the days.
The Deadman area used to be very nice, but the last few years it has gone down hill a bit. Since it is one of the last “free” areas, it has gotten more popular. There are two or three great sites in there, but there always seems to be some yahoo that moves in for the entire summer. They will bring in a big 5th wheel, stake tarps, stack massive stores of wood, and stay for a month or two. The biggest problem these days is the drought. The fire restrictions have really put the hammer down on primitive, dispersed camping. I can completely understand why, it is just a bummer. Hope we can get back to normal soon.
Thanks, Jason for the great info on the Deadman area campgrounds. They would probably not be our first choice either, just because of the OHV noise. Big Springs campground has the OHV staging area right next to the campground so that one in particular might get noisy. But for people who have OHVs, they are convenient to all the dirt roads in the area.
Any of these handle a 38 foot with 4 slides?
Hi, Brenda,
The maximum vehicle length for #22 at Sherwin Creek is 40 feet so you should be good there.
#29 at Coldwater Campground has a Maximum Vehicle length of 38 feet so that site might also work. #54 at Sherwin Creek is also a nice spot that we mentioned in our Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy book with a pull-through and it has a maximum vehicle length of 50 feet.
In Lower Twin Lakes campground, the site I mentioned (#64) won’t work for you since it has a max vehicle length of 29 feet. #33 would be a better choice for you at that campground. It’s a sweet spot in the willows and it accommodates 42 feet.
#16 at Convict Lake I’m not 100% sure of the max length but my memory is that the driveway isn’t really long so that site is better for a truck camper, tent, or camper van. A lot of the sites at Convict Lake Campground that are suitable for larger motor homes or RVs don’t have as much privacy.
As far as slides, I’m not 100% sure. You could ask recreation.gov about slides when you make a reservation just to be safe.
Kim
Last time I camped Mammoth’s Twin Lakes was in 74! It was mid June and my memory is of a half full campground. It was very nice. That said, I’ve been at one eastern sierra campground since 1996 including last week: Trumbull Lake. Best sites 11, 6, and 2. Never dissapoints. Not exactly Mammoth Lakes area (30 minutes further on 395), but for a slower pace, private, family friendly, fisherman/hiker’s dream, it’s the best. There is a trailhead right at Site 2 that takes you up Virginia Pass trail. A short walk to the lodge offers food, supplies, showers, expert fishing advice, and boat rentals on Lower Virginia. Amazing. Bridgeport, Lee Vining, Tioga Pass, June, Mammoth, all easy drives for day long excursions.
Hi, Brian. Yes, Trumbull Lake Campground is really nice. It was one of our favorites, too, when we were researching our Eastern Sierra and Death Valley Camping With Privacy Book. Three of the sites we chose as having the most privacy were #5, #35, and #38.
Has anyone camped at North Lake campground near Bishop at the end of September. I know the campsite is walk in only but was wondering if I arrived on a Thursday, do you think I would be able to get a spot with it being Fall Color season.
Hi, Sean. If North Lake Campground is still open at the end of September (and it may not be) I don’t think you’re going to have any problem finding a space. At that time of year, North Lake Campground is going to be very cold at night, which would discourage a lot of people from staying there. It won’t be as popular as Sabrina Campground, which closes the last weekend in September usually. Not every space in North Lake Campground is walk in. Space #1 is a really nice space and it’s a drive in campsite. On a Thursday at that time of year, whether you stay in North Lake or Sabrina Campground (if North Lake is closed) I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding a spot. If the rest of the campgrounds in Bishop Creek Canyon have closed for the season you can always camp at Bitterbrush, which stays open all year. 4 Jeffrey might also still be open at the end of September for First-Come, First-Served campers. And you probably know this but it could snow at that time of year, so watch the weather.
I’d have to go with Lee Vining, June Lake, and Creek Canyon. I usually stay for 3 days with my family with a rented-out RV. I usually wait for just as the lean season starts so I could get a little bit more quiet.
Yes, Joe, those areas have a lot of great campgrounds. For this blog post, we limited our selections to the Mammoth Lakes area, but we really found a lot of good campsites with privacy in the areas you mention when we were researching our Eastern Sierra And Death Valley Camping With Privacy book.
You might want to let people know which sites do or do not have bear boxes.