FREE CAMPGROUNDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

LONE PINE,

UPDATE: this just in...... one of our readers
wrote that it now costs $5.00 per night to camp at the
BLM "Tuttle Creek Campground." Not too bad you think?
Wait a while and you will see a price increase. It is
like paying rent to live in your own home after you
have finished paying off the mortgage, after all this
is on PUBLIC LAND that belongs to you and me!

Whenever I hear that name, my mind's eye sees a
lonely pine tree in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.


Sierra Nevada

I imagine that, when early travelers would ask for directions to
the western part of Death Valley they were told to look
for that "lonely pine tree" and then to turn east.
Over the years the mouthful of "Lonely Pine Tree"
must have become simply "Lone Pine"

It's just an idea that came to me while I was on my
way to this picturesque and friendly town along US highway 395.


Mount Whitney

Lone Pine is the gateway to MOUNT WHITNEY.
At 14,496 ft. it's the highest mountain in the continental U.S.A.
and part of the Sierra Nevada range.
The summit can be reached via a very strenuous trail eleven miles
long and with many switchbacks.
Only the fittest among us should go for the summit.
Of course one can also hike this trail part of the way.
Keep in mind that you do need a wilderness permit to hike this trail
which you can get at the Ranger Station in Lone Pine.

The trailhead is at the end of Whitney Portal Road.
For more information write to the U.S. Forest Service
P.O.Box 8, Lone Pine, CA. 93545 or call: (760) 876-7200.


Alabama Hills

In the past the ALABAMA HILLS were a favorite film location of the
directors who made those early Westerns. Hopalong Cassidy,
the Lone Ranger, Gene Autry, (the list goes on) were no strangers
in this town.
Even now movies and commercials are still filmed here.


Hardware Store

"If you don't find it here,......you don't need it!"
would be the perfect slogan for this hardware store
where the merchandise is literally hanging from the
rafters. No picture taking is allowed inside the store.
When I asked permission to take a photograph I was told
that management is afraid that people would come in,
take a snapshot during the day time, only to come back
at night to get the real merchandise.
A little far fetched? Anyway, when in Lone Pine, go take
a look at the True Value Hardware Store. It's the closest
thing left to the old gereral store in the wild West!

SHOWERS:
A few doors north from the hardware store you'll find
KEN'S BARBER SHOP where you can get clean for $4.00
and for that price, Ken even throws in the towel!

SANITARY DUMP STATION:
Across the highway from Diaz Lake campground, 3.5 miles
south of town is a dump station at the Boulder Creek
RV Park. It's the only one in this area and costs $5.00

There is a coin operated LAUNDROMAT in town.
One is right across from Joseph's Supermarket.

All up and down Main Street, which is Highway 395
going through town, you'll find different kinds of
eating places. From coffee shops to restaurants and
even a Carl's Jr at the Arco station
Antique/gift shops, bars, a couple of service stations
complete the "Down Town" area.



Guard House

MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Located 12 miles north of Lone Pine, Manzanar was once
home to the Paiute and the Shoshone Indians.
After that, roughly between 1910 and 1935 this area was
an important agricultural part of the Owens Valley,
the center of apple and pear orchards.

What really put Manzanar on the map was when it became
the Manzanar War Relocation Center where people of
Japanese ancestry were interned during World War II.
Not much is left of this camp that at its heyday
housed 10,000 people.
The guard houses, some foundations, rock gardens,
a fruit tree here and there are the only reminders
of this era.


Little Pine Village

Five miles to the north from Manzanar, in the town of
Independence,CA. you'll find a large collection of
photos, paintings, drawings and artifacts about Manzanar
at the EASTERN CALIFORNIA MUSEUM.
Here you can also visit Little Pine Village,
a reconstructed town from around 1880. The buildings
are relocated from elsewhere and restored.
Among these structures are a blacksmith shop and
an assay office, complete with period furniture.
The museum is open from 10 til 4 Wednesday thru Monday.
Closed on holidays. For information call (760) 878-0364


Courthouse

While in Independence, take time out to look at the beautiful
courthouse. You can't miss it, it's located right on the 395.

Tuttle Creek Campground

Tuttle Creek Campground

Here is proof that the best things in life are FREE!
After visiting several campgrounds in the area I have found
that this FREE campground is by far the very best.

Run by the BLM it has 85 spaces with plenty of room in between them.
Many sites have shade trees and all are equiped with picnic tables,
fire rings and/or BBQs. There are pit toilets that are kept very
clean and water faucets along the access roads.
Because the water is not tested, it is not a good
idea to use it for drinking.

What makes this campground so special however is the creek.
It runs over the full lenght of the campground and many of the
campsites are built so close to the edge of it that you can easily
hear the water rushing over the boulders when you are in your rig.
It's very soothing, especially when you're in bed at night.


Tuttle Creek

The fishing is excellent but make sure that you have a fishing license
which you can buy at several locations in town.
An old timer told me that he knows of one site where you can park
so close to the creek that you don't have to leave your camper to fish.
"Just drop a line right out the backdoor," he said
How true? I don't know.

Behind the bulletin board at the entrance is a book exchange where
some nice people have left a few books and magazinesfor others to read.
There you also find a deposit box for your donations.
PLEASE BE GENEROUS!
You may specify how you want your money to be used, campground
maintenance, watering the trees, or any other thing that's
important to you. The thrash dumpsters are also in this location.

DIRECTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION:
From down town Lone Pine go WEST for about 3 miles on Whitney
Portal Rd, turn LEFT on Horseshoe Meadow Road, before you've
driven less than 2 miles, you'll see a dirt road on your right
that leads to the campground.

The campground is open from March to October and there is
a 14 day stay limit.
For more information call (760) 872-4881

Diaz Lake Campground.

Diaz Lake Campground

Two miles south of Lone Pine, CA. right off highway US 395 is
a very nice campground run by Inyo county.
It is open all year. Not FREE but at $ 7.00 p/night a true bargain.

Built around a lake that was created by the earthquake of
March 26, 1872 you'll find 200 spaces, many of them pull-thru
and shaded by very large trees.
Picnic tables, fire rings and toilets are available.

If you like peace and quiet, go to the very end of the campground
and try to stay away from the lake. Often the speedboats and the jet
skis are very noisy. One advantage is that they don't run at night.

The fishing is good however you do need a fishing license.

Pets are welcome and must be kept on a leash at all times.

In the center of the park is what looks like a group camp with spaces
very close together.
On a previous visit (I had to "stay-'n'-pay" here, it was too early
in the season to camp at Tuttle Creek), a jamboree of the Boy Scouts
of America was starting to assemble on the day that I was leaving.
Only people with reservations were allowed to camp. That's why it may
not be a bad idea to call ahead of time and reserve a space.
The telephone number is: (760) 876-5656

Whitney Portal Campground.

At the end of Whitney Portal Road, 13 miles west of town,
via a paved road, is this nice campground managed by the
Inyo National Forest Service.
Not free, $ 11.00 p/n. Holders of Golden Age and Access Passports
pay half of that amount.

Built in a canyon with lots of trees, each camp site has its own
picnic table, fire ring and/or BBQ. No hook-ups, water is available
and the flush toilets are impeccably clean.
Forty spaces, some of them pull-thru, max.length 30'.
Here too, as in all the other campgrounds we've seen, the fishing is
excellent.
For information and reservations call (760) 876-6200.