How to camp in Mammoth in the spring

Roughing it style, a springtime Eastern Sierra camp guide.
Convict lake, Hot Springs, Twin Lakes, and E-Bike travel hacks. Read on for more!

Happy St. Patricks Day to all!
It is cold and snowy in Tahoe today, but as we’ve seen, this has been a very mellow winter. With warmer temps and being already a quarter through the year, most of us are dreaming of camping and outdoor adventures and preparing for these adventures now!

Spring in the Sierras brings the promise of adventure and good times but also harbors a few unknowns that are easy to anticipate. Read on to see our top three things we like to do in the spring in the sierras.

EASTERN SIERRA SPRING ADVENTURES

Spring is a great time of year because it brings the promise of a new start and a new adventure. Coming from our previous lives working at ski resorts, spring and fall have always been a landmark time of year for us because we could take trips and leave the basin for a bit. 

One of our favorite places to go to relax has always been the eastern sierras outside of mammoth lakes. Honestly, it’s one of the best places to go to camp, relax, vacation and adventure and it’s only a couple hours down the road from Tahoe. 

It has a little bit of everything for everyone, from hot springs and hiking to fishing camping and boutique dining depending on where you go. Below you will find our favorite springtime activities and general locations for a perfect trip in the eastern sierras.

To start with, let us say that we love Lake Tahoe and believe that it is one of the best places you can be to relax in. However, living here you get a little stir crazy so leaving for a bit to recharge is always needed. When the snows start to melt and the temps go into the 40’s or 50’s (warm for spring anyway) we like to pack the car and head out for a bit. 

Our favorite place to go in the eastern sierras is the Bishop/ Mammoth lakes/ June basin region. It has tons of wilderness, almost no cell service and every day is an adventure. We camp out of our Tundra, so we like to go to either BLM land outside the airport or there are two campgrounds in the mammoth area we love.

First is Convict Lake Campground for its views, fishing, and hiking. Second is Twin Lakes Campground, for many of the same reasons as Convict but with the added bonus of bike paths for use of our e-bikes!

CONVICT LAKE

If you stay here, be sure you bring a fishing rod and hiking shoes. One thing you must do, even if you aren’t an avid hiker, is you have to hike AROUND Convict Lake. It’s a fairly mellow hike with amazing views and great picnic spots along the way. 

Also, while you’re here, treat yourself to happy hour at least at convict lake’s restaurant which boasts a great wine list and local brews along with amazing fine dining that would make you think you are in a foreign country instead of 8000+ feet above level in the mountains. 

When we camp here, we always take a day to hike into the upper regions and fish so we recommend you try that as well. 

TWIN LAKES CAMPGROUND

If you like to car camp and chill in the woods but want to be able to get into town for fun and activities, then this is where you need to go. 

Twin Lakes campground is just up the valley in Mammoth and sits at the base of a waterfall and right on two beautiful bodies of water that eventually cascade into a small river heading out into the Mammoth valley. 

There are fire rings for every site and a boutique restaurant right across the water featuring seasonal dishes and happy hour cocktails. 

We really like coming here because once we set up camp, we can take the e-bikes around the MILES of trails mammoth offers specifically for bikes and hikers and allows access to the smaller lakes and trailheads in the area. 

After hiking around, we really like to take the bikes into town for dinner, maybe grab a couple things for the campsite and enjoy the small town vibes of mammoth before we ride back up and make a fire and rack out for the night.

BLM CAMPING

If you are more of the adventurous type like we are, then just outside mammoth is TONS of BLM land that you can camp on. We recommend doing your research in advance and downloading some offline maps because there is little to zero cell service in these areas. 

BLM camping comes with a few perks, like free campsites, beautiful wild country and if you do it right, access to the hot springs that are dotted throughout the caldera of mammoth basin. 

If you do decide to rough it and camp on BLM land, please bring what you need and remember your “pack it in, pack it out” rules. Respect the region and wilderness and leave it better than when you found it. 

Before we go, I wanted to share with you Ashley’s top three things to do in this area in the springtime! Save these for later!

ASHLEYS PICKS!

1. Hot springs – Ash likes to wander and find hot springs in the area but when there are none readily available, she likes to use hotspringslocator.com to find places to go and relax. With the advent of social media, many of these places have become easily found and very popular so be patient and remember to visit responsibly. 
2. Hiking – Her favorite hike is the Convict Lake Loop that is mentioned earlier. It can be found on AllTrails and is a great hike for almost everyone. 
3. E-biking around the trails of Mammoth. From dinners in town to riding up to smaller lakes for swimming and fishing, Ash loves to take the e-bikes all around to check out new places!

As the snows thaw and you start to plan your adventures, we highly recommend going to the mammoth region. In the spring, it still gets cold so prepare for that at night, but the places you’ll see and the memories you’ll make there will be worth it!

We hope to see you out there!
Slainte!