Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Friis
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 35.38193, -120.32883
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 Friis
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,261 ft.
Fire & smoke — around FriisNIFC · 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 Friis · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery11 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- WWater18 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- PPropane20 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- AAir-up20 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- DDump24 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 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 — Friis
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,261 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
35.38193, -120.32883
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Friis · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMcGinnis Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townPozo · ~6.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPintor's · ~15.7 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~7.9 mi
- Dump station~24.4 mi
- GroceriesMarina · ~15.1 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~19.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicSan Luis Obispo County Health Agency · ~19.3 mi
- HardwareWine Country Carpet Cleaning · ~19.4 mi
EV charging — from Friis · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger19.4 mi straight-line W — Quality Suites SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA · EVCS · CCS · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach27 within 25 mi · 62 within 50 · 206 within 100 · 597 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)20.3 mi — Atascadero, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Atascadero
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO19.4 mi — VALTA JOHNSON PARK 1, San Luis Obispo
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.8 mi — 3031 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande, CA · LOOP · J1772 · 3 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · 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 384861 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Friis · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFriis · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNavajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area · ~2.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTurkey Flat Ohv Staging Area · ~2.6 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLa Panza · ~4.1 mi SE · USFS
Open Friis elsewhere
Other camps near Friis
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Navajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area~2.6 mi · fee
- Turkey Flat Ohv Staging Area~2.6 mi · fee
- La Panza~4.1 mi · fee
- American Canyon~7.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Friis
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Friis are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Friis
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 Friis
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 — Friis
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →