Agency-listedUSFSFee
Saddlebag Lake Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.96451, -119.27081
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Saddlebag Lake Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 10,183 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Saddlebag Lake CgNIFC · 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 Saddlebag Lake Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- DDump8 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- +Urgent care23 mi
- HHardware28 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- PPropane45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
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 — Saddlebag Lake Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
10,183 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.96451, -119.27081
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Saddlebag Lake Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townVirginia Lakes · ~5.5 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~7.3 mi
- FuelChevron · ~8.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~8.4 mi
- GroceriesTuolumne Meadows Store · ~7.8 mi
- PharmacyVons Pharmacy · ~28.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicYosemite Medical Clinic · ~22.6 mi
- HardwareHigh Country Lumber (Ace Hardware) · ~27.9 mi
EV charging — from Saddlebag Lake Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.7 mi straight-line E — Lee Vining, CA (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 17 within 50 · 159 within 100 · 647 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO34.9 mi — GF4EVA RUSH CREEK DC, Groveland
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.9 mi — Yosemite National Park - Tuolumne Meadows (at a public site) · RIVIAN_WAYPOINTS · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 391225 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Saddlebag Lake Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSaddlebag Lake Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomTrailhead Group Cg (At Saddlebag Lake) · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomSaddlebag Lake Th · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSaddlebag Lake Day Use · at this camp · USFS
Open Saddlebag Lake Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Saddlebag Lake Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sawmill Walk-in Campground~0.5 mi
- Sawmill Walk-In Cg~0.6 mi
- Junction Campground~2.1 mi · fee
- Ellery Cg~2.3 mi · fee
The unit that manages Saddlebag Lake Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Saddlebag Lake Cg are set by Inyo National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Saddlebag Lake Cg
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-22: $30 per night, single site, plus $10 per vehicle per night for each additional vehicle. Bear boxes are provided and their use is required. Mono Basin Ranger District. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo/recreation/saddlebag-lake-campground.
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 Saddlebag Lake Cg
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 — Saddlebag Lake Cg
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →First-night troubleshooting →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 →