0
Pull-thru
USFSInyo National Forest · California
Coldwater Campground - Inyo NF (CA)
Overview Coldwater Campground is located high in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains near the town of Mammoth Lakes, California.
Sites74all reservable
Elev.8,944ft
Comf.Jun-Sep4 months
Max rig43 ft
Electricnonesites
From Fresno2h08real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 8,944 ft, Coldwater Campground - Inyo NF (CA) has a 4-month comfortable window (Jun-Sep). Winter nights average around 17°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 74 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 16 named hiking routes, 15 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
Jun-Sep
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
92%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Jun 22
Last spring frost; first fall frost Sep 24.
46°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Fresno
96 mi
2h08
02
Sacramento
197 mi
4h23
03
San Francisco
244 mi
5h25
04
Los Angeles
323 mi
7h11
05
San Diego
459 mi
10h12
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 3.5 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 74 SITES
Color byShow only
74 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
74
Sites
★ The standout
Site 021
AREA COLDWATER CAMPGROUND · shaded.
To neighbor
178 ft
Max rig
30 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
16
Trail segments
321
Peaks
15
Viewpoints
6
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
3.5 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.