Agency-listedUSFSFee
Caples Lake Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.70417, -120.05281
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 Caples Lake Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,828 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Caples Lake 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 Caples Lake Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery0 mi
- FFuel1 mi
- WWater8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- MMechanic13 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- PPropane15 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- DDump17 mi
- +Urgent care23 mi
- AAir-up42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 0 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 — Caples Lake Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,828 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.70417, -120.05281
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Caples Lake Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townKirkwood · ~1.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~8.1 mi
- FuelKirkwood Station · ~1.1 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~14.9 mi
- Dump station~17.0 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~0.1 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~14.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicCVH Primary Care Minden Village · ~23.1 mi
- HardwareDIY Home Center · ~14.5 mi
EV charging — from Caples Lake Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.6 mi straight-line N — South Lake Tahoe, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 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 reach10 within 25 mi · 46 within 50 · 354 within 100 · 1076 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS14.7 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO14.7 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)1.6 mi — VIP LOT STATION1, Kirkwood, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Kirkwood Mountain Resort - Tesla Destination, Kirkwood, 1.5 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 321149 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Caples Lake Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCaples Lake Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCaples Lake Boat Ramp · ~0.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCaples Dam Trailhead · ~0.7 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletKirkwood Lake Cg · ~1.9 mi W · USFS
Open Caples Lake Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Caples Lake Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Kirkwood Lake Cg~1.9 mi · fee
- Woods Lake Cg~2.6 mi · fee
- Martin Meadow Cg~3.8 mi
- Silver Lake Cg~4.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Caples Lake Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Caples Lake Cg are set by Eldorado National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Caples Lake 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
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 2026-08-26: $36 per night, single site; $72 double site. Eldorado National Forest publishes no recreation.gov listing for this campground. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/caples-lake-campground.
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 Caples Lake 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 — Caples Lake Cg
When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Picking a spot →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 →