My husband and I are planning to take a camping trip this summer in the Sierras - late June. We are thinking about Kings Canyon - we camped at Sequoia NP several years ago, but didn't explore Kings Canyon, so that is on our list of places to go. I am interested in other ideas as well, so right now I am brain storming - for this and future trips as well.

We are looking to tent camp for 5 or 6 nights - someplace good for relaxing in and around camp, preferably near a lake, river, or stream, and with interesting and scenic places close by. Swimming is nice, but not necesary. We like easy to moderate hikes, checking out places of historical or geological interest, easy mountain biking, neat little towns, and my husband is into photography.

Campground amenities - I want flush toilets close by and showers in the vicinity for a trip of this length. Other amenities I could take or leave, although it is nice to have a small store someone nearby.

And recommendations are greatly appreciated.

We camp a lot especially in the Sierra's. have you considered the Mammoth area? McGee Creek is pretty amazing near Mammoth. It is a bit exposed & can be windy. Excellent fishing & hiking. There are great places to camp within Mammoth too. www.recreation.gov and www.reserveamerica.com Convict lake is another nice spot but also exposed (not a ton of tall trees)
Have a wonderful time.

Thanks for the recommendations. We've never been to the Mammoth area so I will definitely put that on our list of possibilities.

If you make the Tioga Pass Loop try to make a stop at Whoa Nellie Deli:http://www.whoanelliedeli.com/
GREAT food!

Check out my profile pic. It is of the mountains at McGee Creek. Great views there.

At Kings Canyon, I've only camped in the backcountry (backpacking on the John Muir Trail), so I can't help there. But I think Mammoth Lakes might be just the place. Here's a webpage with information on the campgrounds, and where to find showers!

http://www.visitmammoth.com/camping/

Note that you can reserve a site at Twin Lakes and there are showers right there at the store. We've stayed on Twin L. at the lodge, and it is nice. The higher lakes are a bit more scenic, so I'd look at Coldwater CG as well. The ones at Lake Mary and Lake George are non-reservable.

There is lots of good hiking in this area, but altitude is a significant factor. As for moountian biking, you'll find all levels on Mammoth Mountain itself.

The area is full of geologic wonders---a mix of vocanic features (including active vents on the mountain), hot springs, stunning granite peaks, and the basalt columns at Devil's Postpile. And Mono Lake, which is very interesting. For history, there's the ghost town of Bodie.

I wouldn't call Mammoth itself a "neat little town"; it kind of sprawls all over and is full of ski condos. But the area is one of our favorites.

We recently watched the episode of California's Gold that featured Devil's Postpile, which piqued our interest. Maybe we will have to head over to the eastern Sierra this summer. It's ok if the town of Mammoth isn't neat and little - we don't need a place that meets all the criteria. But it is helpful to know what to expect. Like we wont find ourselves sitting on the porch of the general store eating ice cream or anything

I think I never considered Mammoth before because I always just thought of it as the place where snobby southern CA people go skiing. We lived in Ventura for awhile when I was a kid and there were a bunch of snobby kids at my school who were always going on about spending Christmas break in Mammoth. I think it may be time to get past that perception and check out what the area has to offer.

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Actually, you might if you camp up at the lakes---it is a very different atmosphere from the town. Very rustic, and very different from the ski season.

I'm trying to remember if they have ice cream at the general store at Twin Lakes. . . along with the bait, fishing lures, and ice.

Hi november_moon,
We have been camping at Twin Lakes nearly every year for the past 20 years. Make a reservation if at all possible. The campground fills up really quickly now that they take reservations for 1/2 of the sites. The waterfall should be beautiful in June. There is great hiking and day trip driving all up and down the 395 highway.

You can get that icecream, as well as basic groceries, ice and showers, at the store at Twin Lakes and take a leisurely stroll or bike ride through the campground. It's a beautiful spot to camp.

Devil's Postpile is very interesting. It is at a considerably lower elevation than Mammoth and you will need to take a shuttle down to the site. From there you can hike to the Postpile or the waterfalls. There was a fire there several years ago so there is not much tree coverage down at the Postpile so be sure to bring hats and water. It is a bit warmer down there than up above at the campgrounds. There is a small store down there so you can have an icecream down there too if you want.

If you like fishing you can rent a small row boat at the lakes and fish for a few hours. It's just a great place to kick back and relax.

Have fun,
Michele

So, you are really talking about car camping, right? Not backpacking.

Yes, car camping not backpacking.

And you can rent bikes at Tamarack Lodge, a few hundred yards from the Twin Lakes campground. WE rode up to Horseshoe Lake. What a spooky place---but geologically and biologically "interesting".

Kings Canyon is stunning! The road there parallels a running stream -- very beautiful. We kept on stopping and saying wow -- beautiful mountains, lakes and streams. Much easier to find a campsite. We went during July 4th weekend once, and didn't make any reservation but able to find a decent campsite with plenty of empty ones surrounding it. Also did a 6 hrs hike up a mountain--sorry, been a while so don't remember all the names. But I'd definitely recommend you to check out Kings Canyon.

There are nice campgrounds both in Grant Grove and down in the Canyon at Cedar Grove. There are coin showers in each village. Campsites are relatively easy to find before the July 4th weekend if you come during the week. Both Azalea and Sunset campgrounds near Grant Grove are at a higher elevation than the ones in the Canyon and will have cooler temperatures which would be a good thing at the end of June.