Trumbull Lake Campground

Area:
Trumbull Lake Campground is right off the 395 highway and on the East side of the Sierras. The terrain is primarily mountainous and hilly. There are some long 6% grades so make sure your vehicle is ready especially in the Summer months where 100ºf weather isn’t unusual. The campground is between Bridgeport to the North and Mono Lake to the South. Each locations have amenities, but I haven’t seen a major grocery store at these locations. The is a major Walmart North in Gardnerville so if you’re coming from the North, take advantage if you need it. The area is typical Sierras, full of sage and pines everywhere. This campground is no different. It’s beautiful anytime of the year. The 100 acre lake is a big bonus. It’s quite the site to wake up to and sit on the shoreline throwing in a line or just watching the beauty.

Campground/Campsites:
The campsites are decent sizes, but the parking is moderately level. This goes both for tents and parking spaces for RV’s and trailers. I was in site 12 and I couldn’t see a level spot to put a tent, but only needed two leveling blocks to level the trailer in the parking slot. The sites seem shorter than listed on Rec.gov’s site, so be mindful when making your reservations. I couldn’t find a water filling station for my trailer, but there were plenty of water spigots throughout the campground. The roads are dusty gravel trails and wide enough to accommodate large rigs within the 35ft range. There were bathrooms available, but I did not have the opportunity to see/use them, so I cannot make any comments on it. The sites were taken care of, so it’s on par of most USF campgrounds. The group campsite can be heard throughout the campground if the occupants are loud. Fortunately, the group that was there when we were visiting adhered to the quiet hours.

Connectivity:
I got no signal from the campground. I have AT&T on my mobile device and a Verizon hotspot, both provided no signal. I also didn’t use my booster or mimo antenna. Signal can be attained with any boost at the main road to/from the campground.

Overall:
We really enjoyed this campground. We only stayed on the Trumbull Lake side. There are about 30 campsites on this side. Even when busy, it doesn’t seem crowded. We were there during the Labor Day weekend 2020 alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, so it may have played a role. The camp host, Kimo, was great and very helpful. The access to the lake is an easy walk from the campground. I would recommend this campground.

We stayed here for a couple nights and loved it! Half the sites are reserve only and half are first come first served. We pulled in on a Thursday afternoon and found a great site! Campground was full of very nice people. Lots of people fishing! There are three lakes within a short walk. There is a very nice l and well stocked ittle store and restaurant right next to the campground... quite the surprise when you consider how out of the way this place is. The prices were shockingly reasonable! We fished Trumbull and were successful... very tasty trout! The elevation is just about 10,000 feet so it may take a few days for some people to acclimate, but it is a beautiful place to camp!

We have stayed at Trumbull Lake several times and always had a great time. The campground is well treed and most of the sites are spacious and not crowded together. The lake is well stocked with trout so the fishing is very good whether your fish flies, bait, or lures and the scenery is hard to beat. We haven't been in the summer, just in September so the crowds are small. If you need a shower, beer, a meal, or just some basic supplies Virginia Lakes Resort store is just a 5 minute walk away (showers are $5 for 20min). We usually have one or two bars of cell service but this last time we had none (ATT).

This alpine campground is a little off the beaten path so we were able to get reservations fairly last minute. There is a sweet little lake hike from the campground and the best sites back up to the lake. Bodie Ghost Town, Mono Lake and Bridgeport are easy day trips.

The bear boxes are clean and spacious. Each site has fire rings and a large picnic table. The restrooms are pit but clean enough. Our neighbor caught his generator on fire, so it was a lot quieter after that.

There are chipmunks, deer and some sort of bird of prey instead of TV.