READER THE THE SIERRA SIERRA
VOL. XXVI, No. 29
Hometown Paper of the Eastern Sierra - Published Weekly
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www.TheSierraReader.com July 21– 27, 2022
Camping In Our Big Backyard 2022
By Christina Reed The Hired Pen
Enjoy less driving, and stay local at a Brown’s Town campground
Eastern Sierra, CA—The campground options are abundant with the “Brown’s Towns” in the eastern Sierra, and with five to choose from, the adventures are only limited by your wish lists. Traveling far distances is expensive nowadays, and depending on the fire restrictions and hazards, even national forests have been closed to camping in the past two years. However, Brown’s Towns didn’t close, and with all five campgrounds near amenities in a town nearby, it makes it more affordable to pull into a camping space and explore from a unique base. Brown’s Towns are seasonal, April to the end of October, and reservations are available, with the exception of Glacier Campground. Want to stay close to the ancient Bristlecone pines and Big Pine Creek? Try the Glacier Campground, at the intersection of US Highway 395, and State Route 168. First come, first served, no reservations, with a 14 day limit, with water, electricity, hot showers, restrooms, coin-op laundry, and shady places, this is a spot close to the highway and downtown Big Pine.
Brown’s Towns’ campgrounds feature RV and tent sites with electricity, water, hot showers, coin-op laundry, clean restrooms, and most of the five campgrounds are close to other amenities or have a store and cafe on site. Seen here is Millpond Recreation Area, where one of the five Brown’s Town campgrounds is located. Photos by The Hired Pen
Want to stay at a campground with tent cabins, and hot springs? Keough’s Hot Springs might be the campground for you. Keough’s Hot Springs was founded in 1919 by Philip Keough, and old timers remember summer time dances at the hot springs resort. The City of Los Angeles owns the property now, and the campground concession is a part of the Brown’s Towns. Keough’s Hot Springs is in between Big Pine, CA, and Bishop, CA. As you enter Bishop, from the south, you come to Brown’s Town campground, and its rustic western town, tall cottonwood trees, and grassy playground / picnicking area. This campground has 150 grassy, shaded sites for RVs and tents, electricity, hot showers, a coin-op laundry, a museum, and a cafe and store. The cafe features homemade pies, sandwiches, ice cream, beverages, and other deli sides. This campground is open from March 1 to November 30, and it’s a very popular spot for fall fishing trips. Close to downtown Bishop, and the Bishop Country Club and golf course, this campground offers a jumping off point for countless adventures. Driving north of Bishop, you come to Brown’s Town at the Millpond Recreation area. Inyo County’s park and recreation area is the perfect all-around recreation campground. There’s fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, no motor boats to worry about, a beach area, with big shade trees, and there are tennis courts, baseball fields, archery areas, playground, a disc golf course, horseshoe pits, a gazebo with tables and barbeques, and the Millpond Recreation Area’s
Millpond Recreation Area (six miles north of Bishop, CA) is a favorite hangout for locals during the summer time, with swimming and fishing (no motor boats), a disc golf course, softball fields, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and a playground. Brown’s Town campground at Millpond takes advantage of all of these recreational opportunities, with the Sierra Nevada mountains as the backdrop.
amenities can be reserved for special occasions. Brown’s Town at Millpond offers 72 RV and tent sites, with shade trees and McGee Creek flows through the campground, offering a cool place for the kids to play. There is electricity, water, hot showers, handicapped facilities, and a coin-op laundry, plus fish cleaning station. You can also store your RV or boat at this campground. This campground is open from March 1-October 31. Reservations are possible. Brown’s Campground on the Owens River, near Crowley Lake, is the fifth Brown’s Town. This campground has 80 or more RV and tent sites, RV storage, hot showers, coin-op laundry, a store, cafe, and fishing on the Owens River. This campground opens late in April and closes September 30, and reservations are available. This campground doesn’t offer the big shady trees or grassy areas, but the views are spectacular, and the fishing opportunities are the “reel lure” for this campground. SEE ON PAGE 13