California's Highest Drive-To Campground Is An Uncrowded Hidden Gem On A Lake Just Outside Yosemite

Yosemite is one of the most mythic places in the Americas, famed around the globe for its sheer-cut granite mountains and soul-satisfying hiking paths that serve as iconic natural wonders. It's unquestionably one of the must-see, must-do corners of the Golden State, magnetizing nearly 4 million visitors each year. Thing is, most people stick to the small, 7-mile section of the Yosemite Valley, where booming crowds of visitors mean lotteries for hiking permits up peaks like the Half Dome. Don't forget that the renowned valley area is but one part of the vast Sierra Nevada mountain chain that includes oodles of hidden gems, one of which happens to be California's highest-altitude drive-to campground at Saddlebag Lake!

Set at 10,000 feet above sea level amid the high peaks of the Eastern Sierra, the site is encompassed by the Inyo National Forest and sits under 5 miles from the Tioga Pass Entrance to the Yosemite National Park. But this is a world away from the bustling trails of the Yosemite Valley. The campground is closed all winter because the access roads from the nearest town — Lee Vining — are snowed in, and there's space for just 20 campers at any one time when the site does open for the season.

What's more, this portion of the Sierra Nevada is utterly wild, raw, and untouched. Saddlebag Lake Campground is located right on the edge of — you guessed it! — Saddlebag Lake, which itself hides under an amphitheater of serrated peaks. Tioga Crest looms to the northeast and Mount Conness, the summit that marks the eastern boundary of the Yosemite National Park, towers to the west.

Camping at the Saddlebag Lake site promises to be an experience like no other. This is the highest drive-to campground in the state of California and is certainly among the highest-altitude places to pitch a tent in the whole United States — the Cripple Creek KOA in Colorado comes close at 10,000 feet up, and the Horseshoe Meadow Area camp, also 10,000 feet above sea level, also within the Inyo National Forest, is another contender.

Even the trip into the Saddlebag Lake Campground will be one to remember. You can either drive straight through the heart of the Yosemite National Park on the legendary and underrated scenic route known as Tioga Road, crossing 47 miles of quintessential Sierra Nevada landscapes, including the riparian flower fields of the Tuolumne Meadows and countless granite mountains. Or you can divert off the jaw-dropping route of Highway 395, which is rated among the most scenic byways in the USA, and arrive via the 120, diverting onto a dust track for the final ascent to the campground.

There's parking on-site and 20 marked out pitches that are suitable for tents and small RVs. The campground is more rustic than the popular spots down on the western side of Yosemite — think basic vault toilets and potable water; no showers or RV hookups. It's located just off the shore of lovely Saddlebag Lake itself, amid pockets of fragrant pine woods and within easy reach of some enticing trailheads.

The lakeside location in the heart of the Eastern Sierras makes Saddlebag a real draw for two types of adventurer in particular: those who like to hike and those who like to fish. Of course, both groups will have to hold off until the warmer months, since the campground itself typically doesn't open until mid-June, and the access roads into this part of the Inyo National Forest won't be passable until the snowmelt.

When the snowpack does clear, there's fun to be had by the bucket load. Hikers can go easy, with the 3.9-mile loop that rings the whole lake. Or they can go heavy, opting for the 7.5-mile romp through the Twenty Lakes Basin, a section of the Hoover Wilderness that's home to a series of reflective mountain lakes and big granite massifs framed by wildflowers. One Tripadvisor reviewer summed the latter up as "the best, easily accessible Sierra Nevada scenery in the state! As good as anything in Yosemite, but free and without the hordes of people!"

When it comes to fishing, Saddlebag Lake is perfect for chasing the elusive golden trout, which only exist in high-altitude lakes like this. There's access to multiple fishing points via the loop trail around the shoreline. Alternatively, you can rent a boat from the Saddlebag Resort to get out to the less-busy fishing locations deeper in the lake.