Gull Lake and June Lake
For many years, my husband Garth and I have traveled the western states in our little 24-foot motorhome, along with our golden retriever Chase (and occasionally our cat!). In this and subsequent RVCYOB articles, I’ll share with you our experiences, our opinions on the best campsites to reserve, clever camping gear and gizmos, tried-and-true hacks, secret hikes, camp recipes, camping with pets and kids, things to avoid, and things you won’t want to miss. I hope you’ll enjoy traveling with us.
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!
For many years, we’d heard about June Lake. Friends said camping there was wonderful, with lots of things to do—and that the scenery was, well…, typical of the Sierras—alpine astounding. We’d heard the same about Convict Lake, so we decided to string those two together and go see for ourselves. As we planned the trip, we added Gull Lake and Silver Lake because…why not?
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 between two lakes—June Lake at the east edge of town and smaller, quieter Gull Lake at the west edge of town. The surrounding 12,000’ granite peaks are spectacular. You can easily walk through town from one lake to the other—½ mile. Both lakes have marinas that rent boats of all kinds, including paddleboards. Scenic 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, where we saw this hysterical sign:
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. Mountain biking? There are many trails of varying degrees of difficulty including June Mountain Ski Area. 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 the 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.
Campgrounds in the area are typically open mid-April through mid-October. You have many camping choices. We spent the first several nights across the street from Gull Lake at Golden Pine 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. If you have a water dog, this is the place to be!
There’s another private 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 $30/night. There are only 11 coveted campsites, with #7-11 being on the water. RVs 25’ max, dry-camping, toilets, water, no dump station but, at the time of this writing, apparently you can dump ($) at Oh Ridge Campground. Reserve at www.recreation.gov up to 6 months in advance.
Along the south side of June Lake, is a popular little campground mostly tucked in the aspens, called June Lake Campground. The June Lake marina is right next door, and the campground sits right at the edge of town, so it’s an easy walk to both. There are no hookups or dump station, but there’s water, plus clean bathrooms with flush toilets (no showers). You’ll find showers at the marina (tokens). The camp road is narrow in places and most of the campsites are tight. Big rigs may have trouble. Nightly fees are $30. Reserve 6 months ahead at www.recreation.gov and carefully note the size of the site. Check out photos of the sites at www.campsitephotos.com .
For the last few nights at June Lake, we moved to the far end of June Lake itself. We stayed at the popular Oh Ridge Campground, inexpensive dry camping in scrub and scattered pines sitting 100’ above the lake. Not all sites are shaded. Only a few have a lake view. Check out sites 1, 2, 6-20, 27-31, 157-162. If you can, get primo campsite 27! 162 is a good one too. Sites 6-10 have a short, steep driveway section before it levels out. The campground has water fill-up stations and a dump station ($). The camp roads are great for kids on bikes. Star gazing is amazing. It’s a half-mile walk, bike ride, or drive down to the lovely sandy beach below where there are a couple of parking lots ($). The second lot you come to 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. The beach sand is made out of eroded, sharp granite, so extended running and play can be hard on paws. And like you, your dog has to get used to the low humidity and altitude. Nightly fees for Oh Ridge are $36. Reserve 6 months ahead at www.recreation.gov .
The beach at June Lake is broad and sunny. When the lake level is low, two things happen—the beach grows even broader, and it’s possible to walk a narrow path all the way around the lake, with a small bit of bouldering. There are more people in and on this lake than on smaller Gull Lake. The water is shallow—great for kids. There are nice, clean bathrooms. If you want to hang out on a beach, this is the best place at both lakes to do so.
I hope this has convinced you to start building your itinerary for your own “Lake Trip.”
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!
