Agency-listedUSFSFee
Beardsley Dam
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.21078, -120.07511
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 Beardsley Dam
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,435 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Beardsley DamNIFC · 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 Beardsley Dam · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- PPropane4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- EVEV fast charger4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- ShShower4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- DDump27 mi
- AAir-up54 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Beardsley Dam
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,435 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.21078, -120.07511
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Beardsley Dam · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCold Springs · ~3.6 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~4.0 mi
- FuelChevron · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~3.5 mi
- Dump station~27.4 mi
- GroceriesCold Springs Market · ~3.5 mi
- PharmacyTwain Harte Pharmacy · ~15.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicTuolumne MeWuk Indian Health Center · ~19.2 mi
- HardwareTwain Harte Lumber / Ace Hardware · ~14.5 mi
EV charging — from Beardsley Dam · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger3.5 mi straight-line S — Cold Springs Market - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 25 within 50 · 427 within 100 · 1163 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS25.5 mi — Sierra Motors, Jamestown
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.9 mi — GF4EVA GROVELAND M DC2, Groveland
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.6 mi — The Lodge Christian Retreat Center, Mi Wuk Village, CA · CHARGELAB · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.55 per kWh (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 466125 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Beardsley Dam · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomBeardsley Dam · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChina Flat · ~0.7 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomBeardsley Boatramp · ~1.1 mi E · USFS
- Flush restroomBeardsley · ~1.1 mi E · USFS
Open Beardsley Dam elsewhere
Other camps near Beardsley Dam
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Teleli Pulaya~1.7 mi · fee
- Fraser Flat~2.9 mi · fee
- Meadowview~4.2 mi · fee
- Pinecrest~4.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Beardsley Dam
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Beardsley Dam are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Beardsley Dam
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. | Fee 2026-08-21: $30 per night, single site; $60 double. The page states this is a 2026 increase from the 2024-2025 rate of $25 single / $55 double. America the Beautiful, Interagency Senior and Access passes take 50% off the nightly rate for the one site the holder occupies, and the pass number must be written on the fee envelope; Interagency Annual and Volunteer passes get no camping discount. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/recreation/beardsley-dam-campground.
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 Beardsley Dam
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 — Beardsley Dam
What “dispersed” means here →Hot-weather camping →Bugs & critters →Off-grid communication →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 →