Agency-listedUSFSFee
American Canyon
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 35.28254, -120.26797
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at American Canyon
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,692 ft.
Fire & smoke — around American CanyonNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from American Canyon · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery13 mi
- WWater16 mi
- @Mail20 mi
- FFuel21 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- HHardware21 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- LLaundry21 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- PPropane22 mi
- AAir-up22 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- DDump23 mi
- ShShower23 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 13 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — American Canyon
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,692 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
35.28254, -120.26797
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around American Canyon · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPintor's · ~20.6 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~21.5 mi
- Dump station~23.2 mi
- GroceriesMarina · ~12.6 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~20.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicKen Starr MD Wellness Group Addiction Medicine & NAD Therapies · ~20.7 mi
- HardwareWine Country Carpet Cleaning · ~20.7 mi
EV charging — from American Canyon · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.0 mi straight-line W — Conserv Fuel SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA · FLIPTURN · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach27 within 25 mi · 66 within 50 · 208 within 100 · 710 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)21.4 mi — Arroyo Grande, CA - West Branch Street - Tesla Supercharger, Arroyo Grande
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO21.2 mi — Marigold Center, San Luis Obispo
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.8 mi — 3031 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande, CA · LOOP · J1772 · 3 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted abovePlanned DC fast — J&R SLO Properties INC, San Luis Obispo, 20.9 mi · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · expected 2025-10-15 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 458329 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around American Canyon · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletAmerican Canyon · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLa Panza · ~4.8 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTurkey Flat Ohv Staging Area · ~6.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNavajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area · ~6.8 mi N · USFS
Open American Canyon elsewhere
Other camps near American Canyon
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- La Panza~4.8 mi · fee
- Turkey Flat Ohv Staging Area~6.5 mi · fee
- Navajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area~6.8 mi · fee
- Friis~7.7 mi
The unit that manages American Canyon
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at American Canyon are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — American Canyon
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about American Canyon
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — American Canyon
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Hot-weather camping →How to read this page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →