Old Shady Rest Campground, Mammoth Lakes, CA

Old Shady Rest Campground is located in the Mammoth Ranger District, Inyo National Forest (4 hrs 24 min northeast of Clovis, CA) with an elevation of 7,811 feet. There are a total of 45 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of May to the end of October. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 18 and 58 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. There is a fee of $28.00 per night. Some amenities include dump station, swimming, flush toilets. Activities include biking, boating, ohv trails nearby, fishing, horseback riding, hiking trails, floating sports, rock climbing.

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Campsite Reviews (112)

4.4 out of 5

5 star		57%
4 star		25%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		4%

@LeeD4958851 · Camped on Oct 15, 2024 at Campsite #45

Nice quiet atmosphere.

@TroyC9461459 · Camped on Oct 3, 2024 at Campsite #16

The camp hosts were the BEST. They went above and beyond to make sure our experience was unforgettable. Thank you VERY MUCH for all your help and hospitality. Love this place, and will definitely be back.

@WalterW8162229 · Camped on Oct 1, 2024 at Campsite #16

Well spaced sites - clean vault toilets - plenty of options to hike & explore. Nice campground - close to town. Suggest a spot as far from the main road as possible; could hear a little traffic at site #16 - a good spot against the 'greenbelt' but open to the wind.

@KeithJ4436314 · Camped on Sep 27, 2024 at Campsite #21

I have camped in the Mammoth area about 15 times in the past 20+ years and well over 100 times for thousands of nights overall in my life. I love the opportunity to visit and see so much in the Mammoth area. Old Shady Rest campground is well maintained. Site 21 was clean at arrival and the bathrooms were clean. The campground host is very friendly.However, I will not stay at this campground again. We had made the reservations for this site about 30 days in advance and the campground was full for the first 2 nights (of 3 nights). There was a large motor home in the space immediately next door and I could see a generator sitting behind it within 25 feet of our "campsite". Before setting up, I went down and asked the campground if we could move, as we were using tents. Unfortunately, no place to move to. We set up our tents at the far side of the campsite.Each night, the generator was on from about 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and from about 7:00 am to 9:00 am each morning. The first night we were sitting around the campfire completely unable to talk without literally shouting. My ears hurt from the noise. We all went to bed about 9 pm. Even with ear plugs and a stocking cap covering my ears, I was unable to block out the noise. He moved the generator the next day and we think a tree blocked some of the noise, but it was still unpleasantly loud.The host indicated the rules allow a generator to operate between 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. The loudness of THAT generator was also excessive. No rules on limiting the loudness. Whether it is the concessionaire or the Forest Service that sets that policy, it needs to be changed. They could also segregate tent campers from RV campers.The proximity of this campground to the main street in Mammoth, also brings with it plenty of traffic noise. At least once each night, I was awakened to extremely loud vehicles on the roads.As I stated, I will not stay at Old Shady Rest Campground again.

@KenB1241900 · Camped on Sep 17, 2024 at Campsite #51

We visited Old Shady Rest in September 2024, a small group of tent and RV dry campers. As to the negatives, there are no hookups, and you can hear some street and construction noise from the Town of Mammoth Lakes. While the camp hosts were good and friendly, they didn't seem to be eager to enforce the generator quiet hour.The good news is that the campground was well-maintained, the bathrooms clean, and the sites were not close together except for a few that seemed to be that way by design for people who wanted to camp together. Some sites were downright super large. In some other campgrounds, they could have fit 4-5 sites in the same space. Campers could walk, bike, or drive into town for every supply needed and many restaurants. The number of local natural wonders are plentiful. Hikes and bike rides straight from the campground. The municipal park, Shady Rest Park, is also near. It's all near, so yes, it's not a wilderness camp, but under the trees filled with birds, campfires, and meals being prepared on the fire ring grills, it's a pretty good place to get to all the wilderness surrounding you.

@PatriciaS93400 · Camped on Sep 10, 2024 at Campsite #22

Site 22 is quite long and pretty level. It's very private on the north side. Campground was very quiet while I was there.

@DanielM5313297 · Camped on Sep 9, 2024 at Campsite #16

Excellent Camp Host. Sites are well spaced. Covered with trees.

@DuaneP77967965 · Camped on Sep 2, 2024 at Campsite #16

Loved this area. Very quiet and lots of trees. Cell was good too.

@JohnK6536193 · Camped on Aug 11, 2024 at Campsite #8

Camp host was very nice and helpful.

@HeatherS702716 · Camped on Jul 26, 2024 at Campsite #10

Camp host Don was fantastic, bathrooms were well maintained (Women's was missing a soap dispenser) but overall a great campground. There were a lot of people walking/running/biking the powerline trail behind our site, some with offleash dogs that did not recall well. Location was just out of town and very convenient.

@MarianADC06888 · Camped on Jul 15, 2024 at Campsite #21

Great campground, though deferred maintenance is becoming a problem. Pavement needs repair, bathrooms need new sinks and toilets, and a paint job wouldnt hurt.

@KevinR7055754 · Camped on Jul 14, 2024 at Campsite #2

We loved it here. Very convenient to town, bathrooms were clean, Camp hosts were friendly and helpful and were even on top of quieting people down after quiet hours. Other campers were friendly. Well be back again.

@WilliamH158481 · Camped on Jul 14, 2024 at Campsite #51

Great site right across from the restrooms.

@JeffreyD84C840 · Camped on Jul 8, 2024 at Campsite #15

Busy and right by town but very quiet. But I had to go to 4 different camp hosts to find the right one. Overall clean but a few bits of trash around

@CarolynB215464 · Camped on Jul 1, 2024 at Campsite #38

Site 38 and 40 are very challenging to back into with a trailer especially if there is another vehicle parked in the site across the road (site 37 I believe). In fact someone with a 20+ foot trailer has to approach going in the opposite/wrong direction as it's almost impossible to navigate backing in at the angle present if approached when campsite is on the driver's side. This is a reflection of my own experience and observing other people trying to back in. This should be noted in "The need to know" or spur description. Bathrooms and campground well maintained by alternating attentive hosts.

@ChristyR383991 · Camped on Jun 26, 2024 at Campsite #7

Old Shady Rest is an awesome spot. All the sites are large and spaced away from the neighboring spots. The lower numbers are better because they are further from the main road, but all are nice!

@SandyB8909652 · Camped on Jun 25, 2024 at Campsite #44

Fantastic camp post named Don. The entire crew was friendly and made her stay great.

@ThomasK9683795 · Camped on Jun 15, 2024 at Campsite #4

Beautiful area with lots of great hiking and scenery

@AndonLC525D0C2 · Camped on May 20, 2024 at Campsite #4

Awesome time up here. Always great, loved the grounds. Had a conveniently located spot at 004 located next to the bathrooms, trash cans, and camp host. Was well within everything youd wanna do in town from stopping at the grocery, tackle shops, or the mammoth village. Also great access to convict lake and surrounding lakes/creeks like twin, June, etc. Love it here and cant wait to be back again soon!

@SallyB1355610 · Camped on May 19, 2024 at Campsite #51

We didnt appreciate a camper across the road running his generator all day, especially even when they were not there!

@michaelk687828 · Camped on May 8, 2024 at Campsite #1

First few days of the season. All was clean, crisp and quiet. Had a great time.I can't wait to go back with the family as it warms up so i can enjoy the frisbee golf etc.

@TuoxinL392B4BE · Camped on Oct 13, 2023 at Campsite #49

Our group has made reservations for two sites, Site 50 and Site 49, both of which are fantastic. They are spacious and conveniently located close to the restroom facilities, which are both roomy and well-maintained. We have one car on one site, and two cars on the other. However, we were unaware of the need to pay for an extra car. Our reservation only indicated that each site could accommodate up to two cars, which is why we made an additional reservation since we have a total of three cars. As we were preparing to leave in the morning, the campground host or ranger, whoever manages the campground, approached us and charged $8 for an extra car at one of our campsites. I'm not really complaining, but it did catch us by surprise. It would be helpful if this rule were more prominently displayed for visitors when making reservation.

@DeannaH5556684 · Camped on Oct 5, 2023 at Campsite #2

Clean bathrooms and well-maintained campsite. We usually stay at New Shady Rest but it was closed. We were concerned about finding parking for a third car but ended up with only two, so that would be a consideration for the next time. Stayed one night on our way to backpacking and will be back!

@DanielG6266400 · Camped on Sep 20, 2023 at Campsite #24

Site 36 stated it was 25 feet, but more like 20. The boulders placed in the back of the site shortened it. Our trailer would not fit.We had to find another site which was nearly impossible to park our 22 foot trailer into because of the curve of the road and close proximity to trees. We then had to move to another site as it was reserved part way into our stay. The camp hosts were very helpful.

@EmilyL7699802 · Camped on Sep 19, 2023 at Campsite #32

This spurs in this campground are angled at odds with the direction of travel around the loop, which makes for very difficult trailer parking. In a further overt act of hostility the forest service has seen fit to line the road and sites with large boulders making it just that bit even harder to get your rig into your site as you navigate the impossible angles.

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