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RV Camping in Your Own Backyard:Gull Lake and June Lake

From the BookShelf Writers

The BookShelf Writers consist of four Estero Bay women who have been writing and critiquing together for over five years. For more samples of their work, please visit www.the bookshelfwriters.com

Each issue, this column will feature one of the BookShelf Writers: Debbie Black, Catherine “Kiki” Kornreich, Judy Salamacha and Susan Vasquez.

July 17, 2024

The article author’s golden retriever, Chase, thinks Gull Lake is the best camping spot ever. Photo submitted.

By Debbie Black

This is my second article chronicling our “Lakes Trip” when we camped at Convict Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake and Silver Lake off Hwy 395 on the backside of the Sierras—one of our all-time favorite trips!

Need an alpine fix? You’ve heard how beautiful June Lake is, right? Please treat yourself and plan that autumn trip right now. Skip July, it’s buggy month!

The town of June Lake (elev. 7600’) is laid-back, with lots of dogs, no parking meters or signs with rules. It’s a small, quaint, walkable town, sitting comfortably between two lakes—Gull Lake and June Lake, surrounded by towering mountains. You can easily walk through town from one lake to the other—½ mile. Both lakes have marinas that rent boats of all kinds and paddleboards. Hiking trails are everywhere, from easy to challenging. It appears that dogs are okay on the trails. Walk the easy, pretty, 2-mile loop trail around Gull Lake. Find the trailhead to the left of the library on Granite Ave. Tennis? Basketball? Shuffleboard? Find all three at beautiful Gull Lake Park. Check out equipment for each at the Gull Lake Marina. The park also has a fun play structure for the kids and across the street at the library is outdoor seating to use their free Wi-Fi. Fishing? You bet! From shore or from a boat, on both lakes you’ll find trout of all kinds: Rainbow, Brown, Brook and Cutthroat. Shopping? Have fun exploring all the cool little shops. Ernie’s Tackle has lots of interesting things and is dog friendly. Eats? If you get tired of camp food, try June Lake’s cozy coffee houses, or the ice cream parlor, brew pub, bars or delicious restaurants: American, Mexican, pizza, and popular Epic Café. Walk to June Lake Brewery (no dogs), grab a couple of their tasty, canned brews and a delicious lunch from the food truck to eat there or take back to Gull Lake Park for a picnic. Cell service? Excellent for most carriers. 

There are many camping choices. We spent the first several nights across the street from Gull Lake at Golden Pines RV Park, tucking our little Class C motorhome between trees in campsite #20. Nightly rates are $65-$85 for full hookups, with laundry and showers. We loved our stay there and its proximity to Gull Lake. We walked daily to the marina, where our golden retriever Chase practiced her dock-diving skills (see photo). If you have a water dog, this is the place to be! There’s another RV campground in town (June Lake RV Park) but it’s farther from Chase’s beloved dock. Also close to the Gull Lake Marina is the wooded, rustic Gull Lake Campground along the water’s edge for just $30/night. There are only 11 coveted campsites, with #7-11 being on the water. RVs 25’ max, dry-camping, toilets, water, no dump station. Open Apr-Oct. Reserve at www.recreation.gov. 

At the far end of town, alongside June Lake, is June Lake Campground in the aspens. The road is narrow and the campsites tight—for shorter rigs only. You can easily walk to the June Lake marina or to town. 

For the last few nights at June Lake, we moved to the far end of June Lake itself. We stayed at the popular Oh Ridge Campground, inexpensive dry camping in scrub and scattered pines sitting high above the lake. It’s a half-mile walk, bike ride, or drive down to the lovely sandy beach, 100 feet below. The campground has water fill-up stations and a dump station. The camp roads are great for kids on bikes. Star gazing is amazing. Reserve at www.recreation.gov. 

There are a couple of parking lots down at the lake. The second lot has spaces big enough for RVs. If you have a dog, go to the first parking lot and park along the road. On the beach, keep your dog north of the restrooms. Remember, the beach sand is made out of sharp granite—extended running and play can be hard on paws. And like you, your dog has to get used to the low humidity and altitude of your alpine adventure destination.

Stay tuned for my next article on Silver Lake, and then husband Garth will share specific fishing info about all these lakes in the article after. Until then, Happy Camping!

For extended articles, go to debbienobleblack.com/rv-camping-in-your-own-backyard.

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