Agency-listedUSFSFree
Bear Canyon
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 34.24084, -118.13279
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 site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. 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 Bear Canyon
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,466 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bear 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 Bear Canyon · Angeles National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- LLaundry3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- PPropane5 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- EVEV fast charger5 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- AAir-up8 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- DDump28 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Bear Canyon
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,466 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
34.24084, -118.13279
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Bear Canyon · Angeles National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBear Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townAltadena · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.0 mi
- FuelExxon Mobil · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGLava Propane · ~28.6 mi
- Dump station~27.7 mi
- GroceriesBo's Altadena Market · ~3.3 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~4.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicHathaway-Sycamores · ~3.6 mi
- HardwareThe Home Depot · ~6.8 mi
EV charging — from Bear Canyon · Angeles National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger5.4 mi straight-line S — City of Pasadena - Robinson Park (at a parking lot) · POWERFLEX · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 5 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-06-06 · hours: 24 hours daily; pay lot · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach308 within 25 mi · 769 within 50 · 1083 within 100 · 1332 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)6.7 mi — Pasadena, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Pasadena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.2 mi — LA CANADA HIGH LCHS STATION 1, La Cañada Flintridge, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: Mon: 12:00am-7:15am, 3:30pm-11:59pm; Tue: 12:00am-7:15am, 3:30pm-11:59pm; Wed: 12:00am-7:15am, 3:30pm-11:59pm; Thu: 12:00am-7:15am, 3:30pm-11:59pm; Fri: 12:00am-7:15am, 3:30pm-11:59pm; Sat: 12:00am-11:59pm; Sun: 12:00am-11:59pm
- Pricing at the fast chargerFree (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 396353 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bear Canyon · Angeles National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMillard · ~1.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHaramokngna · ~1.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSwitzers · ~1.9 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRedbox · ~1.9 mi NE · USFS
Open Bear Canyon elsewhere
Other camps near Bear Canyon
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bear Canyon Trail Camp~0.4 mi
- Mt. Lowe Trail Camp~1.6 mi
- Millard Trail Camp~1.8 mi
- Oakwilde~2.8 mi
The unit that manages Bear Canyon
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bear Canyon are set by Angeles National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bear 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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Bear 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 — Bear Canyon
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Camping with a dog →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 →