ONION VALLEY
Inyo National Forest, CAOnion Valley sits at the end of a mountain road at 9,200 feet, where lodgepole pines and aspens frame views of the eastern Sierra peaks. It's a launching point for John Muir Wilderness trails and a retreat for those who want to sleep beside a creek with serious mountains overhead. Expect bears, cool nights, and trailhead traffic during peak hiking season.
Campground Details
- 🏕️Total Sites
- 29
- 💵Fee per Night
- $31
- 📋Reservations
- Reservation Required
- 🏔️Elevation
- 9,200 ft
- 📍GPS
- 36.77472, -118.34556
- 🌤️Best Seasons
- spring, fall
- 🐾Pets Allowed
- Yes
- 📞Phone
- 760-937-6070
- 🗺️Address
- CA
Amenities
The Camp
Twenty-nine sites spread along Onion Valley Road near its terminus, each with mountain views and the privacy that comes with primitive camping. You're sleeping beside a creek with lodgepole pines and aspens providing cover, surrounded by the high country landscape of shrubs and seasonal wildflowers. Every site includes a picnic table, fire ring, and vault toilet access, but the real amenity is the setting—towering wilderness peaks in every direction.
Bear-proof food lockers aren't optional here; they're required. Black bears frequent the campground, along with the full roster of Sierra wildlife: mountain lions, mule deer, pine martens, and pikas. Firewood is available on-site, which matters when you're camping above 9,000 feet and evening temperatures drop even in summer.
What to Know
Reservations are required for this $31-per-night campground, and the location explains why it books up. You're positioned at the trailheads for Kearsarge Pass, Robinson Lake, and Golden Trout Lakes—direct access to John Muir Wilderness and routes into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Spring and fall are the official seasons, but that high elevation means checking conditions before you commit.
The creek and nearby Robinson Lake offer fishing for rainbow, brown, brook, and Alpers trout. Onion Valley Road puts you at trail's end literally, which means less through-traffic but also means this is where the serious hikers and equestrians (the campground welcomes horses) stage their wilderness trips.