Camp at Lone Pine Campground

The Lone Pine Campground is located 6 miles west of Lone Pine California, and 7 miles east of Mt Whitney Portal. The campsite is nestled next to Lone Pine Creek, which is the perfect place to fish for Sierra Nevada trout. The campground sits at 6,000 feet and in clear view of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48. During our three night stay, we saw mule deer and plenty of rabbits. Each site has a bear vault because of bear activity in the summer.

The campsite has plenty of trails leading to Tuttle Creek, Whitney Portal, Hiking to Meysan Lake, and the Mt. Whitney trailhead. Just south of the campground are the famous Alabama Hills. We recently used Lone Pine Campground to stage for our Mt Whitney climb. During winter the road is closed not only to vehicle traffic but also pedestrian foot traffic, so you have to hike the lone pine trail to Whitney Portal. We started walking up the road to save us time and the road construction crew came down and threatned to call the cops, so if you walk the road up to the portal, do it on a weekend or after 5pm. If you take the trail from camp to the portal, it adds about 8 miles and 2000 feet to your hike but it is still well worth it.

The campground offers restrooms and water, but no showers. During the summer you can drive to the Whitney Portal for showers.  The website says there is no water during winter but we were able to still get water in march. There are 42 sites for RV's, tents and even groups. During the summer you can reserve sites for 22 dollars a day. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recare...During the winter the sites are free and are a first come first serve policy. You can stay for up to 14 days. The campsite also allows pets.

I highly recommend reserving site number 9! It is close to the camp host where you can buy firewood, close to the bathroom, water, and creek for fishing. But the best part is the old wood stove with cooking top built into a stone fire ring at the site. (pictured) It was the only site I saw with this very cool and classic piece of camping history. All the other sites have the modern fire rings. Located in Owens Valley, the site gets very hot during the summer and very cold during the winter. Don't forget the camera and make sure to get up early for those breath taking Sierra Nevada sunrises.