Agency-listedUSFSFree
Laufman
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 40.13514, -120.34782
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 Laufman
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,045 ft.
Fire & smoke — around LaufmanNIFC · 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 Laufman · Plumas National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- WWater10 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- MMechanic21 mi
- HHardware23 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- OOutfitter33 mi
- DDump38 mi
- ShShower42 mi
- PPropane48 mi
- AAir-up48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, 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 — Laufman
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,045 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
40.13514, -120.34782
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Laufman · Plumas National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMcDermott Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townMilford · ~2.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuel76 · ~5.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesJohnstonville Market · ~21.3 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~24.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~23.6 mi
- HardwarePayless Building Supply · ~23.2 mi
EV charging — from Laufman · Plumas National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.6 mi straight-line S — Caboose Park - Portola (at a public site) · EVRANGE · CCS · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 106 within 100 · 359 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)26.2 mi — Susanville, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Susanville
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO56.4 mi — DC CORRIDOR TRUCKEE DC1, Truckee
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)26.2 mi — DMND MTN CSO DIAMOND MT1, Susanville, 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 — Red Lion Inn & Suites Susanville - Tesla Destination, Susanville, 24.0 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Susanville Ford, Susanville, 21.3 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily · 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 357432 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Laufman · Plumas National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLaufman Family Cg. · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBlack Mountain Lookout · ~2.0 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGold Lake Campground · ~2.0 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRice Canyon Ohv Recsite- Vault Toilet · ~8.3 mi N · BLM
Open Laufman elsewhere
Other camps near Laufman
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Gold Lake Campground~2.0 mi
- Meadow View (Family Cg.)~9.9 mi
- Long Point (Group Cg)~12.4 mi · fee
- Long Point Group Campground~12.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Laufman
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Laufman are set by Plumas National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Laufman
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Laufman
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 — Laufman
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Reading your camp page →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 →