Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Ershim Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.21335, -119.05903
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 Ershim Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,096 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Ershim LakeNIFC · 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 Ershim Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- WWater10 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- DDump15 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
- AAir-up41 mi
- PPropane46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — Ershim Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,096 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.21335, -119.05903
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Ershim Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureErshim Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townSnow Bend · ~5.2 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~29.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~15.3 mi
- GroceriesBob's Market · ~16.1 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~28.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicMammoth Hospital · ~30.2 mi
- HardwareYoung's Shaver Lake Hardware · ~16.1 mi
EV charging — from Ershim Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger29.6 mi straight-line N — Mammoth Lakes, CA - Old Mammoth Road - Tesla Supercharger (at a municipal building) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 39 within 50 · 150 within 100 · 416 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS30.2 mi — Mammoth Lakes, CA, Mammoth Lakes
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO34.0 mi — DC CORRIDOR OAKHURST DC2, Oakhurst
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)27.9 mi — Prather · NOODOE · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- 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 321156 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ershim Lake · Sierra National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBadger Flat · ~5.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBadger Flat · ~5.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBadger Flat · ~5.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMidge Creek Group Campground · ~5.6 mi NW · USFS
Open Ershim Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Ershim Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Coyote Camp 1~2.6 mi
- Coyote Camp 2~2.9 mi
- Mallard Lake~2.9 mi
- East Lake~2.9 mi
The unit that manages Ershim Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Ershim Lake are set by Sierra National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Ershim Lake
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 Ershim Lake
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 — Ershim Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →Camping with a dog →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 →