Warning
GeneralEXTRA VEHICLE FEES: One vehicle is included in your reservation. Any additional vehicles will be charged $10.00 per vehicle, per night and will be collected by the camp host.
About Old Shady Rest Campground
Number of accommodations: 45
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Report Incorrect Information
Help us improve by reporting any incorrect amenity information for Old Shady Rest Campground.
Rates, Sites & Availability
45 Sites Available
No sites found matching your criteria.
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Site Details
Select a site to view details
45 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (425)
What Guests Are Saying
Old Shady Rest Campground offers a clean, quiet environment with well-separated sites, making it ideal for camping. The campground is conveniently located near Mammoth Lakes, providing easy access to town and nearby hiking trails. While there are some construction activities and occasional noise from neighboring sites, many guests appreciate the friendly camp hosts and the overall peaceful atmosphere.
What Guests Are Saying
Old Shady Rest Campground offers a clean, quiet environment with well-separated sites, making it ideal for camping. The campground is conveniently located near Mammoth Lakes, providing easy access to town and nearby hiking trails. While there are some construction activities and occasional noise from neighboring sites, many guests appreciate the friendly camp hosts and the overall peaceful atmosphere.
Review Summary
Brennan C
VerifiedOctober 29, 2024 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
S’great
Lee D
VerifiedOctober 27, 2024 • Stayed at: 045, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
Nice quiet atmosphere.
Lee D
VerifiedOctober 27, 2024 • Stayed at: 045, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
Nice quiet atmosphere.
Troy C
VerifiedOctober 11, 2024 • Stayed at: 016, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
The camp hosts were the BEST. They went above and beyond to make sure our experience was unforgettable. Thank you VERY MUCH for all your help and hospitality. Love this place, and will definitely be back.
Walter W
VerifiedOctober 11, 2024 • Stayed at: 016, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
Well spaced sites - clean vault toilets - plenty of options to hike & explore. Nice campground - close to town. Suggest a spot as far from the main road as possible; could hear a little traffic at site #16 - a good spot against the 'greenbelt' but open to the wind.
Walter W
VerifiedOctober 11, 2024 • Stayed at: 016, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
Well spaced sites - clean vault toilets - plenty of options to hike & explore. Nice campground - close to town. Suggest a spot as far from the main road as possible; could hear a little traffic at site #16 - a good spot against the 'greenbelt' but open to the wind.
Troy C
VerifiedOctober 11, 2024 • Stayed at: 016, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
The camp hosts were the BEST. They went above and beyond to make sure our experience was unforgettable. Thank you VERY MUCH for all your help and hospitality. Love this place, and will definitely be back.
Keith J
VerifiedOctober 2, 2024 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
I have camped in the Mammoth area about 15 times in the past 20+ years and well over 100 times for thousands of nights overall in my life. I love the opportunity to visit and see so much in the Mammoth area. Old Shady Rest campground is well maintained. Site 21 was clean at arrival and the bathrooms were clean. The campground host is very friendly.
However, I will not stay at this campground again. We had made the reservations for this site about 30 days in advance and the campground was full for the first 2 nights (of 3 nights). There was a large motor home in the space immediately next door and I could see a generator sitting behind it within 25 feet of our "campsite". Before setting up, I went down and asked the campground if we could move, as we were using tents. Unfortunately, no place to move to. We set up our tents at the far side of the campsite.
Each night, the generator was on from about 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and from about 7:00 am to 9:00 am each morning. The first night we were sitting around the campfire completely unable to talk without literally shouting. My ears hurt from the noise. We all went to bed about 9 pm. Even with ear plugs and a stocking cap covering my ears, I was unable to block out the noise. He moved the generator the next day and we think a tree blocked some of the noise, but it was still unpleasantly loud.
The host indicated the rules allow a generator to operate between 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. The loudness of THAT generator was also excessive. No rules on limiting the loudness. Whether it is the concessionaire or the Forest Service that sets that policy, it needs to be changed. They could also segregate tent campers from RV campers.
The proximity of this campground to the main street in Mammoth, also brings with it plenty of traffic noise. At least once each night, I was awakened to extremely loud vehicles on the roads.
As I stated, I will not stay at Old Shady Rest Campground again.
Keith J
VerifiedOctober 2, 2024 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
I have camped in the Mammoth area about 15 times in the past 20+ years and well over 100 times for thousands of nights overall in my life. I love the opportunity to visit and see so much in the Mammoth area. Old Shady Rest campground is well maintained. Site 21 was clean at arrival and the bathrooms were clean. The campground host is very friendly.
However, I will not stay at this campground again. We had made the reservations for this site about 30 days in advance and the campground was full for the first 2 nights (of 3 nights). There was a large motor home in the space immediately next door and I could see a generator sitting behind it within 25 feet of our "campsite". Before setting up, I went down and asked the campground if we could move, as we were using tents. Unfortunately, no place to move to. We set up our tents at the far side of the campsite.
Each night, the generator was on from about 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and from about 7:00 am to 9:00 am each morning. The first night we were sitting around the campfire completely unable to talk without literally shouting. My ears hurt from the noise. We all went to bed about 9 pm. Even with ear plugs and a stocking cap covering my ears, I was unable to block out the noise. He moved the generator the next day and we think a tree blocked some of the noise, but it was still unpleasantly loud.
The host indicated the rules allow a generator to operate between 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. The loudness of THAT generator was also excessive. No rules on limiting the loudness. Whether it is the concessionaire or the Forest Service that sets that policy, it needs to be changed. They could also segregate tent campers from RV campers.
The proximity of this campground to the main street in Mammoth, also brings with it plenty of traffic noise. At least once each night, I was awakened to extremely loud vehicles on the roads.
As I stated, I will not stay at Old Shady Rest Campground again.
Ken B
VerifiedSeptember 30, 2024 • Stayed at: 051, Loop: AREA OLD SHADY REST CAMPGROUND
We visited Old Shady Rest in September 2024, a small group of tent and RV dry campers. As to the negatives, there are no hookups, and you can hear some street and construction noise from the Town of Mammoth Lakes. While the camp hosts were good and friendly, they didn't seem to be eager to enforce the generator quiet hour.
The good news is that the campground was well-maintained, the bathrooms clean, and the sites were not close together except for a few that seemed to be that way by design for people who wanted to camp together. Some sites were downright super large. In some other campgrounds, they could have fit 4-5 sites in the same space.
Campers could walk, bike, or drive into town for every supply needed and many restaurants. The number of local natural wonders are plentiful. Hikes and bike rides straight from the campground. The municipal park, Shady Rest Park, is also near. It's all near, so yes, it's not a wilderness camp, but under the trees filled with birds, campfires, and meals being prepared on the fire ring grills, it's a pretty good place to get to all the wilderness surrounding you.
Location Old Shady Rest Campground
Address:
Mammoth Lakes, CA, 93546
United States
Latitude & Longitude: 37.6506 / -118.961
Elevation: 2377 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check out time
12PM
General
- Reserved Sites will be held until the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests. Please call the office at 760-934-5795 if you need to inform the campground of an arrival time greater than 24 hours after your arrival date, or if you will not use your reservation whatsoever.
- $10 charge for use of the dump station
- This is a high elevation facility; please use caution when traveling from lower elevations
- Be bear aware; keep all food out of site in approved containers or locked inside your vehicle and remove all food from area after eating; always keep a clean camp and do not feed any wild animals
- Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
- Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions may be imposed at any time due to hot, dry weather conditions, at which time campfires and charcoal fires may not be allowed.
- Only 2 pets per site allowed.
- Please Note: One RV with tow per single site or one vehicle per tent site. Most sites can accommodate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation fee. In accordance with standard industry practices, Inyo Recreation will assess an additional $10.00 extra vehicle fee per day for the second vehicle in each single family campsite, and on the third and fourth vehicle in any double family campsite, provided these vehicles are not joined to the first vehicle by a hitch and towed onto the site. In the case of motorcycles, the first two are considered one vehicle, and the third and fourth motorcycle are also considered one vehicle. No additional vehicle fees are collected for bicycles.
- Don't Move Firewood: Protect California's forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. For more information visit firewood.ca.gov.
- Click here for more information about Inyo National Forest
- PASS DISCOUNTS: You must provide your pass and photo identification upon check in. If you received a pass discount for which you were not eligible, you must pay the difference in price upon arrival.
Warnings & Advisories
Warning
GeneralEXTRA VEHICLE FEES: One vehicle is included in your reservation. Any additional vehicles will be charged $10.00 per vehicle, per night and will be collected by the camp host.
Nearby Campgrounds
Nearby destinations
Last updated: June 4, 2026
