REVIEW: Oh Ridge Campground
Oh Ridge Campground • June Lake, Inyo National Forest • Site 147 - Gull Loop.
Fees Vary
If there is full 4g wifi available is it really camping? Is something you’ll have to ask yourself when you pull off June Lake’s South Loop entrance to Oh Ridge Campground. Oh Ridge is a site you come to for one reason one reason only, June Lake. As blue as any Caribbean Sea and as crystal clear as water melting directly off a glacier this lake is beautiful. Surrounded by snowcapped Eastern Sierra Mountain peaks and a half dozen campgrounds June Lake is a popular spot for families and random travelers who spot it on the map. This is the kind of place a reservation goes a long way since they rarely have openings during the summer. That said, even if the sign says “Campground Full” stop and ask. They may just have one site left stashed away somewhere for you.
The camp has flush toilets and there is a camp store just outside the gates with survival amenities like ice cream bars, souvenir straw hats, maps, beer and pay showers. Each site comes equipped with a grill, fire ring with grate, bear box, patio table (in varying shades of disrepair) and flat to nearly vertical spot for your car, rv or tent. Every several sites has a wind shield wall. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to their placement, but if you can get one it sure comes in handy. The winds come in over the mountain range to your west in the early afternoon and get gusty.
Your views from your site will vary. You’ll partially see rocky mountain peaks in the distance and forested areas to the left and right. Scrub brush and green going up the hill behind you block any views of the road or highway. More immediately you’ll be looking directly at your neighbors SUV or RV or Tent or dog. There is little to zero separation. This isn’t a wilderness retreat.
But it is a great camp in the vacation with the family sort of way. The June Lake swimming area is nestled in the camp. There are kayaks and paddle boards to rent and the sun and scenery is incredible. For a week with your kids (if you have them) or a night passing through on a roadtrip this is a great spot. It is also within a half hour of the Eastern Yosemite Entrance at Tioga Pass making it a good location for exploring this side of Yosemite without risking not getting a site closer or in the park itself.
If you’re looking to interact with nature a little more privately and with a few less noisy plague infected chipmunks this might not be the place.
Oh Ridge gets 2 3/4 Tent Stakes of Awesomeness for location and incredible lake. It gets docked for privacy, wind and worn out sites. But really, location and lake will win out 4 out of 5 times.
Pro-Tip #1: Bring your tent down to the lake and set it up. It will help with the wind and the sun. Just be sure to stake it down.
Pro-Tip #2: Car or Van camping works well here because the ground isn’t great for tents. Rock and sand with a slant.
Pro-Tip #3: The back sites, Owl & Deer Loop, have better views but almost zero shade. Not worth it.
