Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Thompson Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.19888, -118.95893
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 Thompson Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,611 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Thompson LakeNIFC · 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 Thompson Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater5 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- ShShower13 mi
- DDump20 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- FFuel21 mi
- HHardware21 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- EVEV fast charger27 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
- PPropane50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Thompson Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,611 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.19888, -118.95893
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Thompson Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureThompson Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townMono Hot Springs · ~9.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~5.0 mi
- FuelShell · ~28.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.2 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~19.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicMammoth Hospital · ~30.7 mi
- HardwareYoung's Shaver Lake Hardware · ~20.8 mi
EV charging — from Thompson Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger26.7 mi straight-line E — Southern California Edison (SCE) - Fleet - Bishop · OpConnect · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 22 within 50 · 144 within 100 · 386 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.2 mi — Mammoth Lakes, CA - Old Mammoth Road - Tesla Supercharger, Mammoth Lakes
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO32.9 mi — CalTrans - Bishop, Bishop
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)30.2 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 405399 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Thompson Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFlorence Lake · ~5.4 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFlorence · ~5.4 mi N · USFS
- RestroomDutch/Hidden · ~5.4 mi N · USFS
- RestroomVoyager Rock · ~6.2 mi S · USFS
Open Thompson Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Thompson Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Summit Lake~0.2 mi
- East Lake~3.8 mi
- Dusy Camp 3~4.8 mi
- Dusy Creek Camp 1~4.9 mi
The unit that manages Thompson Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Thompson Lake are set by Sierra National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Thompson Lake
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 Thompson Lake
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 — Thompson Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →Camping with a dog →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 →