Boondocking east of Mammoth Lakes in winter??
We just can't get enough of that cold weather camping -- DW is talking about heading out again during mid-December, and who am I to say no? We are wondering whether the Hot Creeks Hatchery/Benton Cro...
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I have camped several times in the area you're asking about, in winter and/or early spring.
If you're looking for cold weather you're going to find it there, as long as you're not too picky about how cold it gets overnight. On one trip it dropped below zero on me. Rather balmy for the Dakotas or Canada, but on a quick trip up from LA that can be quite a pucker.
As you know there is a lot of room out there and no restriction on boondocking, once you get past the DWP property near the highway. In that area I would go out Green Church (Benton Crossing) road past the animal hospital until a bit of a rise about a mile or so out, and look for a wide, well-travelled gravel road to the left. This road is just before Benton starts heading downhill.
Snowpack is not likely to be an issue in this area, even in heavy snow years. A major storm up at Mammoth doesn't seem to dump nearly as much out there, and I believe Benton is plowed frequently. And as I said this area is well travelled--disturbingly so, if you ask me. Based on the number of drive-bys I got, I would not leave a rig unattended out there for long.
As for the Hot Creek area north of the airport, the roads out there deteriorate quickly into rutty double track. I've driven there in the winter with snow on the ground, but I wouldn't camp there if a winter storm was expected. Lots of roads and lots of boondocking there, but too easy to get stuck, IMO.
As an alternative, French Camp NFS campground is open all winter (or at least used to be), down the road a bit. It's located right here:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/wintersports/recarea/?recid=20382&actid=31
It's actually quite nice there in the winter, but again, it gets a lot of creepy drive-throughs.
Another boondocking area to consider is the "Mammoth Lakes scenic loop/Dry Creek road" area. This road connects Mommoth Lakes to the 395 about 5 miles north of Minaret road. Except for the two miles closest to mammoth it is all open for boondocking. If it is a heavy snow year this is a VERY popular staging area for snow machiners, which means there will be noise. On the other hand I would have no issue leaving a rig here unattended.
You'll find rather varied terrain here with plenty of trees and truly sublime tent-camping sites about a hundred feet off the road. Bring a couple of snow shovels and expect plenty of excercise cutting out a spot to back in a TT--or maybe you'll find one pre-cut. This area would be my choice.
Good luck!
If you're looking for cold weather you're going to find it there, as long as you're not too picky about how cold it gets overnight. On one trip it dropped below zero on me. Rather balmy for the Dakotas or Canada, but on a quick trip up from LA that can be quite a pucker.
As you know there is a lot of room out there and no restriction on boondocking, once you get past the DWP property near the highway. In that area I would go out Green Church (Benton Crossing) road past the animal hospital until a bit of a rise about a mile or so out, and look for a wide, well-travelled gravel road to the left. This road is just before Benton starts heading downhill.
Snowpack is not likely to be an issue in this area, even in heavy snow years. A major storm up at Mammoth doesn't seem to dump nearly as much out there, and I believe Benton is plowed frequently. And as I said this area is well travelled--disturbingly so, if you ask me. Based on the number of drive-bys I got, I would not leave a rig unattended out there for long.
As for the Hot Creek area north of the airport, the roads out there deteriorate quickly into rutty double track. I've driven there in the winter with snow on the ground, but I wouldn't camp there if a winter storm was expected. Lots of roads and lots of boondocking there, but too easy to get stuck, IMO.
As an alternative, French Camp NFS campground is open all winter (or at least used to be), down the road a bit. It's located right here:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/wintersports/recarea/?recid=20382&actid=31
It's actually quite nice there in the winter, but again, it gets a lot of creepy drive-throughs.
Another boondocking area to consider is the "Mammoth Lakes scenic loop/Dry Creek road" area. This road connects Mommoth Lakes to the 395 about 5 miles north of Minaret road. Except for the two miles closest to mammoth it is all open for boondocking. If it is a heavy snow year this is a VERY popular staging area for snow machiners, which means there will be noise. On the other hand I would have no issue leaving a rig here unattended.
You'll find rather varied terrain here with plenty of trees and truly sublime tent-camping sites about a hundred feet off the road. Bring a couple of snow shovels and expect plenty of excercise cutting out a spot to back in a TT--or maybe you'll find one pre-cut. This area would be my choice.
Good luck!
