Agency-listedUSFSFee
Big Meadow Group
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.41592, -120.11133
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 Big Meadow Group
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,539 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Meadow GroupNIFC · 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 Big Meadow Group · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- OOutfitter5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- PPropane18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- DDump32 mi
- +Urgent care32 mi
- AAir-up44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — Big Meadow Group
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,539 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.41592, -120.11133
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Big Meadow Group · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBear Valley · ~5.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~3.4 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.9 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~17.8 mi
- GroceriesBear Valley General Store · ~5.1 mi
- PharmacyMeadowmont Pharmacy · ~18.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~16.9 mi
EV charging — from Big Meadow Group · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.8 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 reach2 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 391 within 100 · 1138 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS34.7 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO34.7 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.7 mi — VIP LOT STATION 3, Kirkwood, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Bear Valley Lodge - Tesla Destination, Bear Valley, 5.1 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 Big Meadow Group · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Meadow Group · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Meadow · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSand Flat · ~1.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSpicer (Snowpark) · ~2.0 mi NE · USFS
Open Big Meadow Group elsewhere
Other camps near Big Meadow Group
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Big Meadow~0.3 mi · fee
- Hells Kitchen Campground~1.6 mi
- Horse Gulch Campground~2.6 mi
- Stanislaus River~3.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Big Meadow Group
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Meadow Group are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Meadow Group
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 2026-08-20: $100 per night for the group site (this is a group campground, not a single site). America the Beautiful pass discounts do not apply to group reservations. recreation.gov's 2026 season lists the same $100. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/recreation/big-meadow-group-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 Big Meadow Group
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 — Big Meadow Group
What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →Leave no trace →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 →