Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Laurel Ponds
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.61768, -118.87826
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Laurel Ponds
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,125 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Laurel PondsNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Laurel Ponds · Inyo National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower2 mi
- WWater2 mi
- DDump2 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- LLaundry5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- EVEV fast charger5 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- OOutfitter5 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- +Urgent care31 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Laurel Ponds
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,125 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.61768, -118.87826
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Laurel Ponds · Inyo National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLaurel Effluent Pond (water) · nearby
- Nearest townWhitmore Hot Springs · ~3.7 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~2.2 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~2.1 mi
- PharmacyVons Pharmacy · ~4.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicMammoth Hospital · ~5.0 mi
EV charging — from Laurel Ponds · Inyo National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger5.1 mi straight-line W — Mammoth Lakes, CA - Old Mammoth Road - Tesla Supercharger (at a municipal building) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 129 within 100 · 396 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS5.2 mi — Mammoth Lakes, CA, Mammoth Lakes
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO32.1 mi — CalTrans - Bishop, Bishop
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.0 mi — Mammoth Lakes, CA - Old Mammoth Rd - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 321156 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Laurel Ponds · Inyo National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletConvict Lake Loop Th · ~2.1 mi SE · USFS
- Flush restroomConvict Lake Cg · ~2.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSherwin Creek Cg · ~3.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSherwin Lakes Th · ~3.7 mi W · USFS
Open Laurel Ponds elsewhere
Other camps near Laurel Ponds
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Convict Lake Cg~2.3 mi · fee
- Mono County~2.8 mi
- Sherwin Creek Cg~3.3 mi · fee
- Mono County~4.7 mi
The unit that manages Laurel Ponds
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Laurel Ponds are set by Inyo National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Laurel Ponds
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Laurel Ponds
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Laurel Ponds
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →