Free camping near Independence, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Independence, CA there are 44 camps: 32 free, 6 fee, 6 unpriced. The closest is Grays Meadow Campground, 5.4 miles south-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is BLM dispersed camp #6 — Inyo County, CA, 13 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 34 on the BLM; 9 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Meadow Campground | 5.4 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Independence | — |
| Onion Valley Campground | 8.4 | Unpriced | Independence Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Pines | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #6 — Inyo County, CA | 13 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 5.5 mi to Whitney Portal | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #5 — Inyo County, CA | 13 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Whitney Portal | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #9 — Inyo County, CA | 13 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #7 — Inyo County, CA | 13 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #8 — Inyo County, CA | 13 | Free | — | 4.4 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #11 — Inyo County, CA | 14 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #10 — Inyo County, CA | 14 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #13 — Inyo County, CA | 14 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #12 — Inyo County, CA | 14 | Free | — | 4.2 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #2 — Inyo County, CA | 15 | Free | — | 2.9 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #3 — Inyo County, CA | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #14 — Inyo County, CA | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Inyo County, CA | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #7 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Inyo CountyDave slept here | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #6 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Lone Pine Campground | 16 | Fee | — | — | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #5 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #4 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #3 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #10 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #2 | 16 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #12 | 17 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #9 | 17 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Whitney Portal Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #8 | 17 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Whitney Portal Group Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 0.4 mi to Whitney Portal | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #11 | 17 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #13 | 17 | Free | — | — | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA | 17 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Whitney Trailhead Walk In Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Movie Road | 17 | Unpriced | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 18 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 18 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 18 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Inyo Mountains Wilderness | 18 | Unpriced | — | 0.9 mi to Beveridge | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #4 — Inyo County, CA | 18 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Bishop Field Office | 21 | Unpriced | South Fork Lubken Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Sage Flat Cg | 24 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Big Pine | — |
| Palisade/Glacier Group Cg | 24 | Free | Big Pine Creek (stream) | 7.7 mi to Big Pine / Tovowahamatü | — |
| Big Pine Cg | 24 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Big Pine | — |
| Salt Tram | 25 | Unpriced | — | 8.4 mi to Keeler | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Independence, CA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.