Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Brandy City
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.54355, -121.02391
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 Brandy City
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,619 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Brandy CityNIFC · 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 Brandy City · Tahoe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail6 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- ShShower15 mi
- WWater16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- AAir-up22 mi
- DDump27 mi
- PPropane40 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 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 — Brandy City
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,619 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.54355, -121.02391
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Brandy City · Tahoe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCherokee Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCal-Ida · ~1.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~9.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.4 mi
- GroceriesLa Porte General Store · ~9.9 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~21.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicSierra Nevada Memorial Hospital · ~21.8 mi
- HardwareSierra Hardware · ~10.5 mi
EV charging — from Brandy City · Tahoe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.4 mi straight-line S — CEC CORRIDOR GRASSVALLEY DC2, Grass Valley, CA · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 52 within 50 · 321 within 100 · 802 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)21.4 mi — CEC CORRIDOR GRASSVALLEY DC1, Grass Valley
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.3 mi — Expanding Light, Nevada City, CA (at an inn) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Downieville River Inn & Resort - Tesla Destination, Downieville, 10.4 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 201220 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Brandy City · Tahoe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCarlton · ~2.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCal Ida · ~2.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFiddle Creek · ~2.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIndian Valley · ~3.0 mi SE · USFS
Open Brandy City elsewhere
Other camps near Brandy City
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Shenanigan Flat~2.0 mi
- Carlton~2.1 mi · fee
- Cal Ida~2.2 mi · fee
- Cherokee Creek~2.2 mi
The unit that manages Brandy City
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Brandy City are set by Tahoe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Brandy City
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Brandy City
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 — Brandy City
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →