You really cannot beat the convenient location of this campground. It's right off the main road into Mammoth Lakes. The visitor center is next door to it for any outdoorsy related information needs that you may have. The campsites are fair big and roomy with enough space for multiple tents to set up . Limit of 6 people per site. A fire pit and table and bear resistant food locker. There are are flush toilets within walking distance. And should you need anything else that you forgot to pack, there nearby shopping. read more

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Review is for snow play area. Plenty of hills for sledding in the winter. Porter potty available.

25 dollars a night can't beat it, bear box , picnic table , plenty of shade , restrooms sort of close. There is faucets to wash dishes. No showers that was a bummer and the bathrooms are dark. You can go to the lakes and pay for a shower at twin lakes for 8 dollars. It's beautiful place , nice and shady , you can walk around , make fires, cook. You cannot beat the price think the camp spots fit one care maybe 2 cars. There's a camp host to show you what to do. People have pop ups , little rvs , you can do a lot here. Plus mammoth is down the street and the lakes. read more

Old Shady Rest Camground - Shady rest - Campgrounds Near Me

Friendly hosts, decent sized sites, very fair price. And literally across the street from downtown Mammoth Lakes.

Very convient location close to town with showers nearby (RV Park), Starbucks, gas station and so on. The campground also has a great internet reception (which could be good or bad!). Several restrooms are near the campsites. The campground is overall pleasant. A couple of huge negatives (which explains the generous three star rating). There is a restaurant nearby with live music from 10;00 PM to 2:00 AM. If you are there on live nights, you better enjoy the music, because sleep will be near impossible. The hosts are also very rude and borderline condescending. They lectured us as if we were little kids when we walked through a short service road, rather than act professionally. read more

We had a wonderful time here. The Camp Host was great...even helped us level our van since we forgot our levelers. Great location. The road noise was ok. The restrooms were clean. We will surely return! read more

Very nice place to relax and unwind, you can still hear sounds coming from the town but still it was relaxing for me

We stayed here June 13- June 17th and loved it!!! We got there on a Wednesday night.. set up our tents and made dinner. It's located right next to the Village and there's everything you need in town if you forget anything you can walk to the Mammoth visitor center. You have to take a shower in the RV park located across the street which was $8 when we went but they are nice granite bathrooms with individual stalls and men and women showers are separate with no time limit. The bathroom by our camp site didn't have any lighting at night though our campsite #24 was perfect we had 2 cars and we only brought 4 chairs but there was 5 of us so luckily the table was located right next to the campfire so we had enough seating. There was a water spout and bear box and trash can located pretty close to our site. It was a little weird driving in without having to check in though but they eventually come by and ask for fees if you have an extra car or anything. We bought firewood at Vons for around $7 a bundle. The ski resort is located only 14 minutes away and we went to wild willys hot springs. At night there were a lot of moths so be prepared for that but other than that everyone was super nice up there and it was a chill spot to camp at I'd go there again for sure only $22 a night $78 for 3 nights after fees. Also the weather we thought it would be freezing at night it said it would drop to the low 40s high 30s but we only slept with 1 blanket and we're fine. read more

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I stayed here for four days and really enjoyed it. There's stores, hiking trails and lakes nearby. The restrooms are clean and the campground staff are friendly. There are no showers on site, but across the main street there's an RV campground where you can go and take a shower for $8, which you paid for at the front desk. I will comeback to camp at this site. read more

Old Shady Rest Camground - Campsite - Campgrounds Near Me

This was a great campground. Prepare ahead. There is a dump station for $10. You can fill for $5 at the rv park across the street, but there is a fill up area in new shady or there are spigots in old shady but you will block the road. Camp host was great, bathrooms are flush toilets that are clean. This campground has an out in the woods feeling but is actually in town. It was built in the 50s which is cool and was totally peaceful. read more

Old Shady Rest Camground - Campgrounds Near Me

Beautiful in the winter definitely worth stopping at when there's snow. We took a sled and it was awesome. It was free to go in at tHaT timE of year read more

I created this campground "buisness" on yelp just to write my review. My husband and I finished a wonderful 5 day, 4 night trip to Mammoth and Old Shady Rest was our campground and home base. http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Old_Shady_Rest_Campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73735 We picked this campground over Convict Lake, Lake Mary, Twin Lakes, and Coldwater because it was the last campground with a site that matched our trip dates. We were disappointed with our limited choices of having to stay at either Old Shady or New Shady Rest because there weren't any showers on the campground itself and no pretty lake view. But after our trip, we are SURE GLAD we stayed at Old Shady Rest spot 28. Our spot 28 had lots of shade, a lot of room in between our neighbors, and restrooms a short walk away. PROS of Old Shady: - Somewhat secluded as it's tucked away from the busy 203. - Plenty of water spigots. - Flat throughout (no hills to hike). - Shade, shade, shade, a huge plus during the summer. - Clean well-maintained bathrooms. - Less crowded than Mary Lake, Coldwater, and Twin Lakes. (We took day trips to the other campground to see what we missed out on and didn't find much). - Less bugs/gnats than the other above campgrounds. - Lots of room between camp sites for privacy and quietness. - Less vehicles in and out (less dust). - Shady Rest Park was just up the street and had swings and baseball field. - Dogs allowed. What we found visiting the other popular campgrounds: Convict Lake - There was no shade. Coldwater - Lots of rocks, hilly, restrooms far away. Lake Mary and Twin Lakes - Too many people, lots of bugs, and lots of cars in and out. Mammoth RV tent sites - Lots of traffic in and out. Crowded. The other campground also had sites that were closer together so there is less privacy. CONS of Old Shady: - Lots of RV's that produced generator noise. It was tolerable to us since it kind of just drones in the background. No generators were allowed after 10 PM. - Showers off site. We drove a short distance across the street to Mammoth RV and paid $6 to shower. - Occasional emergency vehicle sirens heard from the busy 203. - Lots of ants. But it's camping. Also FYI, we didn't really know the different from Old Shady vs. New Shady. We randomly chose Old Shady. But now we know New Shady seems closer to the 203, seemed to have less shade, and had more campsites. If my husband and I ever were to camp in Mammoth again especially during the busy Summer, we would choose Old Shady Rest again in a heartbeat. Also just a tip, I would buy a fly bag trap to help with the bugs and buy mosquito coils to repel mosquitos. This helped alleviate our typical bug problems and allowed us to just sit, relax, and enjoy. read more

"Old" is the clue that you may want to look into "New" Shadyrest across the street. USFS removed dozens upon dozen of trees from Old Shadyrest, which definitely reduced the "woodsy camping" feel. Additionally the stumps were left at @ 3-4 inches high, perfect for tripping over (especially kids wanting to play). Campsites and all belongings are now exposed to passers by on Sawmill Rd or, your site will be next to fence line with buildings and noise. Some of the water spigots shown on the map no longer exist, and although the camp hosts, parked in "prime sites" have water hookups, there is no waterline splitter for paying campers to use. We drove RV up from LA with 1/3 water only to find that after leveling out the nearest spigot was @ 70 yards away and using it would block the road. So we had to put the sliders back in, pull up levelers and drive off lifts to leave the campground to get fresh water across the street.Even tent campers have a long distance to carry water. The wooden campsite tables and benches are in serious need of scrapping and paint. At 2:15 in afternoon our 4 year old ran from the table as a bear approached and ate his sandwich. Scary happening midday!! read more

Old Shady Rest Camground - Camp table in need of facelift - Campgrounds Near Me

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This was a great campground. The sites were all a nice distance apart. We stayed in site 10 had tress behind us. The restrooms were close and well maintained and always clean. The campground was also very quiet and we had a wonderful stay. read more

I have a family with 4 young girls and would stay here again. I appreciate the space between site and the shade. Only wished they had showers. read more

My two teenage daughters and I stayed for five nights in site 50. We pitched two four person tents in a reasonably level location near the table without any obstructions. The site has many tall pine trees that provide a nice combination of sun and shade. The bear-proof container was really large, useful and close to the table. I would definitely camp at Old Shady Rest again. I do agree with most of what the other reviewer have stated regarding Old Shady Rest. Additionally, New Shady Rest is just across Saw Mill Cutoff road and is basically similar to Old Shady Rest. However sites are generally closer together at NSR, but still more privacy than many other places I have camped. Update- the cost of showers at the near by trailer park has raised to $10/person. PRO's- Close to clean flushing toilets with real mirrors Close to water Very large and spacious site far from neighbors Perfect for tent camping Very quiet if not camping during a holiday weekend CON's- Forget this site if you have a RV 200 FT from Saw Mill Cutoff road Make shift jogging path 2/3 distance between road and table Water is marked very good elsewhere in campground but at this site (consult map) read more

A great campground with lots of room between sites. Walking distance to town and a short drive to Lake George/Mary/TJ/Barrett where the hiking is beautiful. Hosts are very helpful. They could easily fit a bunch more sites in here but have decided not to. Got a walkin site without a problem. Will for sure stay here again when we are up in Mammoth and only $22 per night (July 16). read more

We were disappointed when we first arrived and realized we were across the street from town, but the campground exceeded our expectations and the proximity to town was never an issue. We arrived on a Thursday, late afternoon. The camp host stopped by as we were finishing setting up to welcome us, apologize for closing the closest restroom to repaint the floor, and let us know about the local bear activity. Fortunately, we were expecting possible bear activity already, and were adhering to the recommendations for packing everything that might be taken or mistaken for food into the bear box, because just before 9 pm a 400 pound black bear (apparently named Sid by the hosts) ambled through our site. We stood together and made noise and never really felt threatened, but we certainly kept a watch out the next two nights while we were there. Sid is one big bear - his back was higher than the top of the picnic table. We were in site 14, with no close neighbors. The bathroom was close (when re-opened the next morning). The camp hosts were great, the facilities clean and well maintained. We knew about the lack of showers going in, so it was no surprise, it just needs to be taken in to consideration when selecting a campground. read more