Agency-listedUSFSFee
La Panza
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 35.35269, -120.26650
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 La Panza
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,071 ft.
Fire & smoke — around La PanzaNIFC · 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 La Panza · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery14 mi
- WWater18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- EVEV fast charger22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- RxPharmacy22 mi
- PPropane22 mi
- AAir-up22 mi
- OOutfitter23 mi
- DDump26 mi
- ShShower26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 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 — La Panza
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,071 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
35.35269, -120.26650
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around La Panza · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCreston · ~18.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPintor's · ~19.4 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~22.5 mi
- Dump station~25.8 mi
- GroceriesRinconada General Store · ~13.8 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~22.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicSan Luis Obispo County Health Agency · ~22.1 mi
- HardwareWine Country Carpet Cleaning · ~21.8 mi
EV charging — from La Panza · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger22.1 mi straight-line W — VALTA JOHNSON PARK 1, San Luis Obispo, CA · 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 reach19 within 25 mi · 69 within 50 · 206 within 100 · 683 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.9 mi — San Luis Obispo, CA - Madonna Road - Tesla Supercharger, San Luis Obispo
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.1 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 389794 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around La Panza · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLa Panza · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNavajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area · ~2.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFriis · ~4.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTurkey Flat Ohv Staging Area · ~4.8 mi W · USFS
Open La Panza elsewhere
Other camps near La Panza
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Navajo Flat/Ohv Staging Area~2.1 mi · fee
- Friis~4.1 mi
- Turkey Flat Ohv Staging Area~4.8 mi · fee
- American Canyon~4.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages La Panza
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at La Panza are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — La Panza
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.
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 La Panza
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 — La Panza
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 →