Agency-listedUSFSFree
Caballo
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 34.86870, -119.22619
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 Caballo
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,916 ft.
Fire & smoke — around CaballoNIFC · 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 Caballo · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- MMechanic4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- PPropane16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- WWater18 mi
- +Urgent care20 mi
- DDump20 mi
- OOutfitter29 mi
- ShShower37 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, 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 — Caballo
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,916 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
34.86870, -119.22619
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Caballo · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSantiago Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townStauffer · ~12.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelDon's Gas / Market · ~16.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.2 mi
- GroceriesMountain View Mini Mart · ~13.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicWest Side Family Health Care · ~22.7 mi
- HardwareOjai True Value Hardware · ~29.6 mi
EV charging — from Caballo · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.8 mi straight-line NE — DC CORRIDOR TEJON RANCH DC1, Lebec, CA · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach6 within 25 mi · 114 within 50 · 661 within 100 · 1186 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO19.8 mi — DC CORRIDOR FRAZIERPARK DC1, Lebec
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.8 mi — DC CORRIDOR TEJON RANCH L2, Lebec, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports 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 201226 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Caballo · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCaballo · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCampo Alto · ~2.8 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletValle Vista · ~6.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChula Vista Trailhead · ~6.8 mi SE · USFS
Open Caballo elsewhere
Other camps near Caballo
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Toad Springs~0.6 mi
- Marian~0.9 mi
- Campo Alto~2.8 mi · fee
- Sheep Camp~5.0 mi
The unit that manages Caballo
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Caballo are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Caballo
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 Caballo
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 — Caballo
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Getting unstuck →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 →