Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Hit Mono Lakes Tufa towers at the south end. The Obsidian Piles just north of town. You can boondock out by some of the remote hot springs off of Benton Crossing rd south of Mammoth airport ( hang a right just after the 3rd cattle grate (real or Painted)). Take the Jeep up into the White Mountains. Breakfast at the Stove restaurant in Mammoth. Toms place lower rock creek...

Check these sites for possible fires in the area.

http://www.inciweb.org/

http://calfire.ca.gov/general/firemaps.php

Get maps and info at the visitor center on the highway as you go up from 395 into Mammoth.

Never been over that way. Not sure where the fires are either. However, I've read nice reports of camping in the June Lake area. http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/California/June_Lake.html

http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/June-Lake

DesertHawk wrote:
Never been over that way. Not sure where the fires are either. However, I've read nice reports of camping in the June Lake area. http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/California/June_Lake.html

http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/June-Lake

I second the motion. We've camped recently in the June Lake area and with the wonderful scenery/cool mornings, what's not to like?

Convict is really nice but often hard to get a spot particularly on the weekends. East fork is one of my favorite campgrounds in the area several miles up the road from Toms Place at 9000ft but it also fills up. McGee Creek in between both places tends to be less crowded. As far as i'm concerned there's no bad place in the Eastern Sierras. Even the big CG just outside Mammoth is nice with full hookups to get a respite from resource conservation. Main problem you'll encounter is getting the spot you like and avoiding the heat if you go south to Bishop and beyond.

As far as the fires they shouldn't be a concern as long as you aren't going over Tioga pass. Stay on 395 and you'll be good. Don't forget your fishing pole!

We stayed at Convict Lake in July and it was about 70% full. This is a good place to go with a camper as most of the spaces are very difficult or too small to accommodate a tow vehicle and trailer or a motorhome. There is good fishing in the creek near the campground as fish are planted here monthly. The lake is in a bowl so it could easily be an island in terms of wind borne particles from the fires. A secondary concern is having access to a major highway like 395 as the east-west routes could easily be closed off to all but fire fighting equipment.