Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
California Lake Dispersed
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 45.32992, -115.82810
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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 California Lake Dispersed
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,257 ft.
Fire & smoke — around California Lake DispersedNIFC · 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 California Lake Dispersed · Payette National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- +Urgent care24 mi
- FFuel24 mi
- GGrocery24 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- @Mail24 mi
- ShShower31 mi
- MMechanic32 mi
- HHardware32 mi
- EVEV fast charger32 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- WWater38 mi
- LLaundry43 mi
- DDump52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 38-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 24 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 32-mi run (and back).
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 — California Lake Dispersed
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,257 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
45.32992, -115.82810
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around California Lake Dispersed · Payette National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCalifornia Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townWarren · ~8.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesRiggins Whitewater Market · ~24.5 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from California Lake Dispersed · Payette National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger31.9 mi straight-line SW — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 2 · 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 16 within 100 · 78 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)31.9 mi — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 1, McCall
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)32.2 mi — Shore Lodge, McCall, ID · Blink 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 325581 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around California Lake Dispersed · Payette National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLake Creek Dispersed · ~5.3 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJeanette · ~5.5 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBurgdorf Campground · ~5.9 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomBurgdorf Cabin · ~5.9 mi SW · USFS
Open California Lake Dispersed elsewhere
Other camps near California Lake Dispersed
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lake Creek Dispersed~5.3 mi
- Marshall Mountain Wilderness Study Area~5.4 mi
- Jeanette~5.5 mi · fee
- Burgdorf Campground~5.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages California Lake Dispersed
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at California Lake Dispersed are set by Payette National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Secesh Summit at 6,530 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 727 ft lower than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — California Lake Dispersed
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 California Lake Dispersed
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 — California Lake Dispersed
Winter vs summer roads →Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Reading your camp 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 →