Grays Meadows

I love the Inyo National Forest for camping adventures. The national forest is expansive, encompassing over 2 million acres in the Eastern Sierras in California and a small portion of Nevada.

This past summer, we had the opportunity to camp out at another Inyo campground: Grays Meadow. The campground has both the Upper and Lower sections, and is situated near the flowing Independence Creek in Onion Valley at the base of the Eastern Sierras, with Mt. Whitney in full view from the campground.

The campground has 31 campsites, with several of those- including site 46 where we stayed- bordering the creek. The grounds are shaded by oaks in many parts, and the views are amazing. The campsites each have a bear lockers, fire pit, and a picnic table. There are vault toilets which are kept clean by the camp hosts, who stay at the upper grounds.

Grays Meadows is popular among outdoor enthusiasts for its close location to the Sierra peaks as well as the John Muir Wilderness. It is open seasonally- from April-October. If you miss camping here this year, campsites will open up for the 2024 season on November 24. It is well-recommended as a home base for nearby adventures or as a stop on your Sierra trek.

Some things to consider:

Cell service is rather spotty as you head away from U.S. 395 and toward the mountains. My carrier is Verizon and I was able to catch a signal for calling and text. My LTE was pretty spotty; I had to stay in a certain location at the edge of my campsite to get cellular data and even then it was slow.

The campgrounds are not far from services, but it is a drive. The town of Independence and the Inyo National Forest Visitor Center are about a 15 minute drive. The Fort Independence Travel Plaza, which has the less expensive fuel, is about a 10 minute drive.

I did appreciate being in ‘the middle of nowhere’ enough to relax and not worry too much about work and every day life. And at about 3 hours from the Greater Los Angeles area, it was a relatively easy drive for access to many happy trails.

For more information and to make reservations, visit recreation.gov.