Camping near Independence, California

Camping near Independence, California includes 2 public campgrounds on record, 1 reservable and 1 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Grays Meadow Campground, is 5.4 miles from Independence in a straight line, and all 2 are within 15 miles. Another 20 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Independence.

Onion Valley Campground

noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.

Camping near Independence at a glance

Public campgrounds: 2 (2 National Forest)
Getting a site: 1 reservable and 1 first-come
Cost: Lowest posted fee at Onion Valley Campground: "Single Site: $31 per night"
Distance from Independence: 5.4 miles (Grays Meadow Campground) to 8.4 miles (Onion Valley Campground) in a straight line; 2 within 15 miles
Elevation: 9,178 ft at Onion Valley Campground (the only one on record)
Campsites: 29 across the 1 campground that state a count
RVs: 1 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 25 ft (Onion Valley Campground)
Drinking water: 1 of 2

Distances are straight-line miles from Independence's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.

Grays Meadow Campground Independence · National Forest · 5.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $34 per night

Onion Valley Campground Independence · National Forest · 8.4 mi · Reservable

Sites: 29
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $31 per night

More campgrounds within 30 miles of Independence

Grays Meadows, 6.4 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Inyo.
Goodale Creek Campground, 11 miles from Independence in a straight line , BLM , reservable (Site: $5 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Lone Pine Campground, 16 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $34 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Whitney Portal Campground, 17 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $34 per night); listed under camping near Lone Pine.
Lone Pine Group Campground, 17 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Lone Pine.
Whitney Portal Group Campground, 17 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Lone Pine.
Whitney Trailhead Walk in Campground, 17 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $24 per night); listed under camping near Lone Pine.
Tuttle Creek Campground, 19 miles from Independence in a straight line , BLM , reservable (Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Sage Flat Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Clyde/glacier Group Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Inyo.
Palisade/glacier Group Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Inyo.
Upper Sage Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Big Pine Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $26 per night); listed under camping near Inyo.
Big Pine Creek Campground, 24 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Inyo.
Moraine Campground, 25 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Park Service , reservable ; listed under camping near Fresno.
Sheep Creek Campground, 25 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Park Service , reservable ; listed under camping near Fresno.
Canyon View Group Sites, 26 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Park Service , reservable ; listed under camping near Fresno.
Sentinel Campground, 26 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Park Service , reservable ; listed under camping near Fresno.
Cottonwood Lakes Walk in Campground, 26 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $11 per night); listed under camping near Lone Pine.
Cottonwood Pass Walk in Campground, 27 miles from Independence in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $22 per night); listed under camping near Lone Pine.

Things to do near Independence

Public land and water within 30 miles of Independence, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

Manzanar National Historic Site, a National Park Service unit whose mapped point is 8.1 miles from Independence; its entrance fees, current alerts and fire restrictions, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Georges Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 9.8 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Goodale Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Taboose Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Owens River, below Tinnemaha fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 15 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, a BLM unit whose mapped point is 16 miles from Independence; its camping rule, field office, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Tinnemaha Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 16 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Lone Pine Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 17 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Tuttle Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 19 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Diaz Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 20 miles from Independence; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Independence

Nearest emergency room

Southern Inyo Hospital

501 E Locust St, Lone Pine, CA, 17 miles from Independence . (760) 876-5501

Next nearest: Northern Inyo Hospital, 150 Pioneer Ln, Bishop, CA, 38 miles , (760) 873-5811.

In an emergency, call 911.

Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .

Groceries: Shell convenience store · 2.2 miles · (760) 878-2172 · Hours Mo-Su 06:00-22:00
Whitney Portal Store convenience store · 17 miles
Summit convenience store · 17 miles
Fuel: Valero fuel station · 2 miles
Shell fuel station · 2.2 miles
Shell fuel station · 17 miles · (760) 876-1035 · Hours 24/7
RV dump station: Lone Pine Mobile Oasis service point · 22 miles · (760) 876-4120
Laundromat: Lone Pine Laundromat laundromat · 18 miles · Hours Mo-Su 07:00-21:00

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Independence: propane, potable water fill, pharmacy, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.

Common questions

Where can I camp around Independence, CA?

2 public campgrounds are on record near Independence. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Grays Meadow Campground (5.4 miles) and Onion Valley Campground (8.4 miles). 1 is first-come, first-served with no reservations and 1 books through Recreation.gov.

Is there free camping near Independence, CA?

Not at a developed campground: each of the 2 public campgrounds on record near Independence charges a fee, listed in the table.

Where can I camp with an RV near Independence, CA?

1 campground near Independence takes RVs: Onion Valley Campground. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Lone Pine Mobile Oasis, 22 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).

Where can I go tent camping near Independence, CA?

Onion Valley Campground lists tent or walk-in sites on record.

Where can I camp near Independence with drinking water?

Grays Meadow Campground has potable water on record.

Where is the nearest emergency room to Independence, CA?

Southern Inyo Hospital, 501 E Locust St, Lone Pine, CA, is 17 miles from Independence in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (760) 876-5501. In an emergency, call 911.

Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California .