High Sierra Topix

Pushing backpacking plans to later in the year, I'm looking for some car camping recommendations for next week. I'm driving from Orange County and I usually hit the Eastern Sierra and I do not have a ton of experience on the west side of the Sierra. What are your favorite places with access to great day hikes?

I can't in good conscience say Yosemite, because the traffic there has been hideous. Far too crowded. You might check out the Great Western Divide out of Porterville -- the Camp Nelson area has campgrounds in the sequoias and some nice sequoia hikes to offer. Sequoia - Kings Canyon trails have a lot of waterways to cross and the melt will be crazy big for a few weeks, they have just reported another fatality due to drowning, so while I recommend it generally I have to say being willing to turn around for high waterways is important no matter where you go... but Mineral King would be great camping/day hiking. If by next week you mean including the holiday weekend -- i hope you are going up Tuesday - Wednesday, because all the campgrounds will be PACKED OUT by Saturday, potentially by Friday....

As much as I love Yosemite, every time I am in the valley I remember why I never stay there. I can't handle the crowds. I do love Mineral King, I have only stayed at Atwell once right before a backpacking trip. If we head up on Sunday the 26th I wonder if we would have trouble with grabbing a spot at Cold Springs. I was also tossing around the idea of the campgrounds in Cedar Grove but I have always been scared to drive that far and not get a spot.

You could always call the ranger station and ask what kinds of crowds they are getting. I know people have been going up there, but have not been myself yet.

Sunday might be perfect timing to go up and snag something at Mineral King.

@brandy -- If you're into dispersed camping (i.e. no amenities, and no crowds) check out the Forest Service roads off Highway 198 between Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. Road 13S09 (starting at Quail Flat) and Road 14S11 (going to Big Meadow) both have tons of great spots to pull over and car-camp. Plus you can day-hike up Buck Rock, day-hike into Jennie Lakes Wilderness, and/or go swimming in Hume Lake. All these area, except the higher parts of Jennie Lakes Wilderness, should be snow-free now.

Heads up on Cedar Grove. We went there over Memorial Day weekend and all spots were taken on Fri night. That hasn't been the case for me in years past, but this year two large campgrounds with hundreds of sites (Moraine and another near the park entrance) were still closed. If heading to Cedar Grove, check that those campgrounds are now open - they'll make a difference on site availability. We ended up disperse camping as the Flamingo mentions above. I liked not having camping neighbors and lack of facilities was easy to overcome.

Thank you all for the recommendations. I was able to grab a spot Friday-Sunday in Grant Grove and with the holiday coming up I feel much better about having that booked. Even if it's with hoards of people. My daughter may take the train up to meet me so I wanted to have something I could count on. As much as I loathe the valley crowds, I wanted to get in some day hiking in Yosemite and I snagged a spot there for Tuesday night. I'm sure I will be able to find somewhere in between the parks to rest my head on Wednesday and Thursday nights with all of your great recommendations. Thank you again!

I have to say that it feels strange to switch gears from backpacking to car camping, but I am excited to plan some great day hikes!