Agency-listedUSFSFee
Dardanelle
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.34220, -119.83329
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 Dardanelle
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,757 ft.
Fire & smoke — around DardanelleNIFC · 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 Dardanelle · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- LLaundry15 mi
- PPropane17 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- MMechanic28 mi
- HHardware29 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- DDump41 mi
- AAir-up56 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — Dardanelle
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,757 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.34220, -119.83329
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Dardanelle · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townStrawberry · ~13.8 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~4.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~14.0 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~17.4 mi
- GroceriesKennedy Meadows Store · ~5.2 mi
- PharmacyMeadowmont Pharmacy · ~29.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicHealth Clinic · ~24.2 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~28.6 mi
EV charging — from Dardanelle · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.4 mi straight-line SW — Cold Springs Market - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 29 within 50 · 359 within 100 · 1079 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS22.6 mi — Walker Country Store, Coleville
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO36.7 mi — GF4EVA RUSH CREEK DC, Groveland
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)26.8 mi — VIP LOT STATION 3, 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 — Bear Valley Lodge - Tesla Destination, Bear Valley, 14.1 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.55 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466125 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Dardanelle · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDardanelle · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomBrightman Flat · ~1.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletColumn Of Giants · ~1.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPigeon Flat · ~1.5 mi E · USFS
Open Dardanelle elsewhere
Other camps near Dardanelle
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Brightman Flat~1.1 mi · fee
- Pigeon Flat~1.5 mi · fee
- Boulder Flat~1.7 mi · fee
- Eureka Valley~2.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Dardanelle
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dardanelle are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Dardanelle
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 2026-08-23: $28 per night for a single site, $56 for a double; $10 for an extra vehicle. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort operates this campground under a Forest Service special use permit and takes CASH ONLY. Interagency Senior and Access passes give 50% off, with the pass number written on the fee envelope. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/recreation/dardanelle-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 Dardanelle
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 — Dardanelle
What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →Off-grid communication →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 →