Urgent! Guaranteed Open Campground in the Sierras

[cheese cheese]

Hi All -

My friend just hurt her back and so no more backpacking this weekend (we were planning to go around the Loch Levens areas off of 80). All reservable campgrounds are full. Can someone suggest a guaranteed "open" campground in the Sierras. We're happy to go anywhere since we're limited to car camping now.

I was thinking Clark Fork around the Sonora Pass might be a good option.

Thanks in advance!
Chi

[AlmostThere]

No guarantees.

My family used to go up Sonora Pass all the time and just find a pullout -- or wander out the forest services roads and find a place with a fire ring. We car camped all the time in Eagle Meadow and Long Valley -- the roads are going to cross creeks, but the water should be low enough. No designated campground out there, but beautiful and we would find petrified wood in the dried up runoff stream beds around the valley.

[MountainMinstrel]

I was thinking Clark Fork or that general area too. Bear in mind that if you don't use a formal campground you will need a fire permit.

[AlmostThere]

There is the usual fire ban with the drought -- fires only permitted in the designated campgrounds. Or, funnily enough, in designated wilderness areas, aside from the usual elevation and permanent bans -- can't car camp there, of course.

Just checked -- fires only in designated day use and campground areas, nowhere else. But you'll need the permit for the stoves.

[dave54]

It's called dispersed camping. Set up camp anywhere you want. A few limitations. No open fires. Need a fire permit for stoves.
Leave a clean camp and no cutting vegetation or making a road into your campsite.

[mursey]

Do you have 4wd and clearance?

[Wandering Daisy]

Be prepared to disperse camp, but I suspect you can get a campsite in a campground, other than Labor Day weekend. People cancel ALL the time. Campgrounds on the Sonora Pass highway do not fill up as much as those on I-80. There are also a ton of campsites and large campgrounds on the road to Loon Lake (off Hwy 50). We have always found a spot at Ice House Reservoir (it is pricy but very nice).