Big Pine Canyon

Location

INYO
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Policies

Check-in

2:00 PM

Check-out

11:00 AM

Max stay

14 nights

Pets

Allowed (per listing)

About

Big Pine Canyon Recreation Area sits up the canyon from the town of Big Pine, roughly nine miles west off Highway 395, and is dominated by glacier-sculpted walls and high alpine lakes. The two group sites Clyde Glacier Group Site and Palisade Glacier Group Site are set along Big Pine Creek, with views that orient you toward the Palisade Crest and the glaciers that give the valley its name. Hikers use the North Fork Trail to climb past waterfalls and through Jeffrey pine, manzanita and sage up to the chain of Big Pine Lakes at about 10,000 feet, where Palisade Glacier looms above; the South Fork Trail leads toward smaller glacial tarns fed by Norman Clyde and Middle Palisade Glaciers and the high 14,000-foot peaks of the Palisade Crest. Anglers will find creek and lake fishing nearby, and rock climbers use the steep, glacier-carved canyon walls for technical routes; a commercial pack station and a nearby resort offering a general store, pay showers and pond fishing are close enough to be useful staging points for multi-day trips into the John Muir Wilderness. The campground itself is explicitly for groups there are two total sites and is set up to handle larger parties rather than individual drive-up campsites. One site accepts both RVs and tents, while the other is tent camping only; Clyde Glacier's standard group site lists capacity for up to 25 guests and includes paved parking with two 35-foot and six 20-foot spaces, and Palisade Glacier's paved group site is also licensed for up to 25 people but is tent-only. Both sites provide campfire rings and grills. Specific fees, reservation requirements, seasonal openings and road conditions aren't listed here, so plan ahead by checking current conditions and reservation options with the Inyo National Forest office before you go, especially if you'll bring a large vehicle or need access in shoulder seasons.