Big Pine Creek Campground — Hotel in Bishop

This is our secret getaway, stay out! 😉 Also, I'm not sure why anybody comes here because... (enjoy!)...

No running water. No flushing toilets. No electricity. No dump. No propane. Difficult, narrow, broken-down, pot-holed, roadway through camp with large bumps from tree roots which will toss around the insides of your RV and test your suspension. The road is a great place for your kids to lose skin. There is no space between tree trunks and the road through camp, and the scars on the sides of the trees serve as evidence. New RV driving not advisable. Extra-long rigs also not advisable. Your engine will overheat on the way up the mountain. Your brakes will smoke on the way down the mountain. It may be only a 7 mi road from 395, but plan on it taking 45 minutes or more in an RV... you will need to stop 1+ times to cool something off.

The pit toilets with questionable locking mechanisms, and scenic hole-in-the-ground charm, may also waft in your direction from time to time. Bears may attack your campsite, so use the bear boxes with intention. The bugs will get you. The chipmunks will throw things at you. The birds will steal your meal if you're not watching closely. Something new for this year, we were confronted by a 2-in diameter beetle, which we discovered in the dark around the campfire when it walked on my son's foot! According to him, the thing flew there.

Somehow, it's a little too hot in the sun to be comfortable during the day, and a little too cold at night to get a good night's rest.

Campers: It has rained here every single year I have visited this campground... including June, July, August, and now, September. Somehow, it's still dusty and dry.

The Creek, at this altitude, is about 2° above ice's melting point. After all, that's how the water got there.

Most of the best views are obscured by trees.

You can still see, hear, and smell your neighbor (well, at least their smokey campfire) from your campsite.

All things considered, $24/night is sorely overpriced. $8/bundle (5 pcs) for wood is a little steep too, but at least I didn't have to drag my own up the hill.

Get an oil change, coolant top off, and brake inspection before you visit this place.

Each individual site is unique in its own special way, and nature abounds.

Still beats dry, dusty, and hot Sage Flats at just ~1 mile earlier turnoff.

Lastly, I did not embellish, lie, or exaggerate about a...

Visited this campground last weekend and had a great time! We were at site 27 which was a great size with a lot of privacy and space for two cars. Site 27 had enough space for a huge 8 person tent that my sister brought for her, her husband and two dogs, as well as my own 4 person tent for myself and my wife. All tents are large, car camping style tents. We were close to the restrooms and also close to the entrance & camp host. There was a good amount of vegetation separating us and the only other site we were adjacent to so it was great! Really no negatives I can think of.

For the campground in general... PROS: very beautiful and remote. you definitely feel like you're in nature despite having other campers near you pit toilets were very clean with the cleaning schedule posted inside for everyone to see. It seemed like the restroom was cleaned every one or two days. picnic table, fire ring, and huge food lockers at each site firewood sold on site (bring cash!) beautiful creek runs right up against the campgrounds. good for fishing and filtering water SO close to north fork big pine trailhead. SO convenient to hike to Big Pine Lakes for a day hike

CONS: no potable water no water period, not even for washing hands no showers

TOSS UP: a decent 10 mile drive down mountain roads to get to town. Good in the sense that you're not very close to civilization, but bad in that you're not going to be able to get to services very quickly.

Overall, I would rate my experience here very highly, I would say 8 or 9 out of 10, and I wish we stayed longer. I really have no complaints, but my wife didn't like the vault toilets because she thought that they smelled. We also left one night early since a storm was coming and we didn't want to be stuck on the mountain in the...

Great for a short stay! At 7,600 feet, it was nice and cool over the 4th of July week. Site 17 has got to be the best site out there. Way in the back, secluded, a 11,800 foot mountain at our back and a rushing creek to the side, it was perfect! Direct sun briefly in the morning for about 45 mins, then shade until around 2-2:30. Then direct sun until the sun fell behind the adjacent mountain around 6:30. The site was small for our 12x15’ tent. A 12x12 would probably work.

A few close hikes nearby. First Falls was close. Second Falls and First, Second, Third lake are 3ish to 5ish hours one way.

Camp Host, Bob was super friendly and helpful. The camp store has ice, which is great because Big Pine is a 45+ min round trip. Items are over prices but to be expected given the location and difficulty getting items there.

We stayed with 3 small children, 3, 6, 7, and we found it decent for them. There is a very small playground there too.

We stayed for 5 nights, which was about a day too long for the kids only because after we hiked Second Falls we were out of hiking options for the area. They loved the creek and roaming around though.

I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in longer hikes to Second Falls or First, Second, or Third lake. I was disappointed to not be able to see the lakes but it was too far for the children. Two adults would or adults with older (teen) children would do well here with the longer hikes.

We took one day to drive down to Bishop, and Klondike Lake, both highly recommended. Definitely no regrets for booking this and...