Agency-listedUSFSFee
Big Silver Group
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.88012, -120.36086
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 Silver Group
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,947 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Silver 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 Silver Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- ShShower3 mi
- DDump4 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- PPropane19 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- RxPharmacy19 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- AAir-up28 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 Silver Group
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,947 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.88012, -120.36086
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Big Silver Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townPollock Pines · ~15.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~1.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.6 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~19.0 mi
- Dump station~3.5 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~4.6 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~19.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicGastroenterology Clinic · ~25.5 mi
- HardwarePollock Pines True Value Hardware · ~14.4 mi
EV charging — from Big Silver Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger12.3 mi straight-line SW — Pollock Pines, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach12 within 25 mi · 100 within 50 · 389 within 100 · 1081 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS14.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO14.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. L2, Pollock Pines, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 326660 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Silver Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Silver Group · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAzalea Cove Cg · ~0.5 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWench Creek Group · ~0.6 mi NW · USFS
- Flush restroomWench Creek Cg · ~0.8 mi NW · USFS
Open Big Silver Group elsewhere
Other camps near Big Silver Group
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Azalea Cove Campground~0.5 mi
- Wench Creek Group~0.6 mi · fee
- Wench Creek Cg~0.8 mi · fee
- Yellowjacket Cg~1.6 mi · fee
The unit that manages Big Silver Group
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Silver Group are set by Eldorado National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Silver 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 2026-08-24: GROUP site -- the posted figure buys the whole unit, not one pitch. Eldorado's page carries a fee block reading only "$50 - 50 people", while recreation.gov listing 233768 -- the reservation channel that same page directs you to -- charges $145 per night for the group unit in its current season (29 May - 6 Sep 2026). Budget $145 and treat the $50 as stale. Interagency Senior and Access passes are NOT accepted for group units here. Sources: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/big-silver-group-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233768.
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 Silver 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 Silver Group
What “dispersed” means here →The town run →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 →