Our family had just completed a week of camping outside of Bishop and we were finally on the drive back to our own comfy beds.  The kids were slowly nodding off, Ryan and I sat in the front seats - silent and exhausted.  It was at this moment when Ryan asked if I wanted to drive by Trumbull Lake Campground.  This was the campground I fell in love with sight unseen.  I mean, I had seen each of Ryan's 360 photos of the campsites but I had never actually stepped foot on the ground there or seen what the surrounding forest looked like.  

I loved this campground for two reasons - endless activities and a resort down the road with showers and food.  

As exhausted as I was, I had to say yes.  

Trumbull Lake Campground is located south of Bridgeport in the Eastern Sierra.  This high mountain campground backs right up to the first of 10 small Virginia Lakes.  Some of the campsites have beautiful partial lakeside views.  All of the sites are shaded well by the dense forest of lodgepole pine and aspen.  The majority of sites are medium-sized and well-spaced from each other.  Parking spurs and the camp road are dirt.  

The campground itself is surrounded by towering peaks and glacier-carved cirques.  Although the campground doesn't have a shower, Virginia Lakes Resort is just down the road with showers and grocery supplies.

What to Bring:

• Hiking shoes
• Fishing pole
• SUP/kayak/canoe
• Binoculars

Click here to view our to-scale campground site map and 360 photo tour.

In the Reviews:

Trumbull Lake Campground is rated 5/5 on Yelp and Campendium.  Digby's Doghouse review raves, "the lake is well stocked with trout so the fishing is very good whether you fish flies, bait, or lures and the scenery is hard to beat."   You can check out his full review by clicking here.

Activities:

• Non-motorized boating
• Fishing for rainbow, brown and brook trout
• Miles of OHV trails
• Spectacular hiking - you can hike (or horseback ride) through the Virginia Lake Trail which leads you into the Hoover Wilderness and even parts of the eastern side of Yosemite.
• Horseback riding - there is a pack station with horses available down the road for this scenic ride.
• Little Virginia and Big Virginia Lakes, just across the road both have unimproved launch ramps for boats.
• Bodie Ghost town
• Bridgeport and Mono Lake are easy day trips
• Hot springs just outside of Bridgeport

Favorite Sites:

• 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 27, 29, 31, 36