Agency-listedUSFSFree
Big Springs Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.74880, -118.93971
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 Big Springs Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,286 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Springs CgNIFC · 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 Springs Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- DDump7 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- AAir-up8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- ShShower11 mi
- +Urgent care35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
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 Springs Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,286 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.74880, -118.93971
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Springs Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townMammoth Lakes · ~9.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~2.0 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~7.1 mi
- GroceriesShell · ~7.2 mi
- PharmacyVons Pharmacy · ~7.7 mi
- HardwareHigh Country Lumber (Ace Hardware) · ~7.6 mi
EV charging — from Big Springs Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.3 mi straight-line S — Mammoth Lakes, CA (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 129 within 100 · 459 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO40.3 mi — CalTrans - Bishop, Bishop
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.9 mi — Mammoth Lakes, CA - Old Mammoth Rd - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — The Village Lodge at Mammoth - Tesla Destination, Mammoth Lakes, 7.2 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 456552 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Springs Cg · Inyo National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Springs Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Highway rest areaCrestview · ~2.0 mi SW
- Vault / pit toiletGlass Creek Cg · ~2.7 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletObsidian Flat Group Cg · ~3.8 mi W · USFS
Open Big Springs Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Big Springs Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Glass Creek Cg~2.7 mi
- Obsidian Flat Group Cg~3.8 mi
- Lower Deadman Cg~4.3 mi
- Bald Mountain Springs Cg~4.3 mi
The unit that manages Big Springs Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Springs Cg are set by Inyo National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Springs Cg
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 Big Springs Cg
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 Springs Cg
What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Fire rules & restrictions →Gear & rig loadout →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 →