BLM Dispatch #5 - BLM Campgrounds In the Eastern Sierra
One of the questions I hear most frequently from my Instagram community is whether there are actual campgrounds on BLM land.
It’s a great question because most people associate camping on BLM land with dispersed camping, the self-sufficient, rugged style usually done along roadside pullouts. Nearly all BLM land is open to this kind of camping, but I'll save those details for another newsletter.
But yes, there are hundreds of developed BLM campgrounds across the American West! And some of my absolute favorites are tucked in and along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, just a short detour off famed Highway 395.
So, let’s dive into my favorite Eastern Sierra BLM campgrounds — with images, links, descriptions, and a beautiful illustrated map from my book…
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BLM Dispatch #4 - Merced River Recreation Area
Whether you’re from California, Tokyo, or Spain, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the 145-mile Merced River — or at least seen it in pictures.
This is the river that tumbles over the iconic Vernal and Nevada Falls, forming nature’s iconic “grand staircase” in a little-known place called Yosemite National Park. :)
After cascading through lush meadows and evergreen forests, the Merced drops 3,000 vertical feet before leveling out at the BLM-managed Merced River Recreation Area.
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BLM Dispatch #3 - Elkhorn Ridge Wilderness
I’ve been thinking a lot about those landscapes we visit and never return to again.
The beautiful places and experiences that leave an indelible mark on us — a weekend of quiet, a friendship deepened, an unexpected run-in with flora and fauna. The places where we tested our fortitude on a long-distance hike, cast a fishing line, or sat around a campfire with a good drink and easy laughter. The places where we found connection — not just to the people we traveled with, but to the place itself.
And then we drive away, the landscape fading in the rearview mirror, and somehow, for whatever reason, we never return.
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BLM Dispatch #2 - Conglomerate Mesa
If you’ve ever driven along the southern stretch of California’s famed Highway 395, you’ve likely found yourself craning west, staring at the formidable peaks of the Sierra Nevada — perhaps imagining the clear alpine lakes just beyond the ridgeline.
But for those who turn their gaze east, a different landscape unfolds: stark desert mountains marking the transition to the Great Basin. This is where I’ve been looking for the past five years — wandering the Inyo Mountains, where two mesas rise like shelves along the range.
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BLM Dispatch #1 - Centennial Flats
This inaugural dispatch comes from Centennial Flats, California - framed in neatly between the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley.
I have explored BLM lands in the Mojave Desert too many times to officially count, but I put the rough number somewhere around ninety days. I have walked almost two hundred miles along the washes and trails, climbed the mountains, and bounced along the lonely roads, far enough and long enough to feel a deep kinship with the juxtaposed beauty and wild unpredictability of the landscape.
But I had never walked the desert in the rain.
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Welcome to the Forgotten Lands Project
For the past five years, I’ve been exploring, documenting, and writing about California’s BLM landscapes for my forthcoming book, The Enduring Wild, which tells the unique story of these lands through a collection of essays, photography, and illustrated story maps.
But some stories deserve more space.
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