Agency-listedUSFSFee
Messenger Flats
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 34.38002, -118.18890
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 Messenger Flats
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,871 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Messenger FlatsNIFC · 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 Messenger Flats · Angeles National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater5 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- PPropane10 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- OOutfitter15 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- DDump34 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Messenger Flats
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,871 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
34.38002, -118.18890
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Messenger Flats · Angeles National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townActon · ~8.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~5.2 mi
- FuelArco · ~7.7 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~10.5 mi
- GroceriesActon Market · ~6.1 mi
- PharmacyCrown Valley Pharmacy · ~7.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicUSC Keck Clinic · ~11.7 mi
- HardwareActon Hardware · ~6.0 mi
EV charging — from Messenger Flats · Angeles National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.9 mi straight-line S — Vons 2598 (La Crescenta, CA) · Electrify America · J1772, CCS · 3 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach190 within 25 mi · 684 within 50 · 1057 within 100 · 1351 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.2 mi — Burbank, CA - N Third St - Tesla Supercharger, Burbank
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.7 mi — Palmdale Park & Ride, Palmdale
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.2 mi — SCE83 - Vincent Substation, Palmdale, CA · OpConnect · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 145657 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Messenger Flats · Angeles National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMessenger Flats · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Fork Saddle · ~3.5 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonte Cristo · ~5.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHidden Springs · ~5.5 mi SE · USFS
Open Messenger Flats elsewhere
Other camps near Messenger Flats
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lightning Point~0.6 mi · fee
- Big Buck Trail Camp~2.8 mi
- Monte Cristo~5.2 mi · fee
- Mt. Pacifico~8.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Messenger Flats
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Messenger Flats are set by Angeles National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Messenger Flats
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 2026-08-20: $5 per night, single site. Day use is charged separately at $5 per vehicle per day, $30 for an annual pass or $5 for a secondary annual pass. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/angeles/recreation/messenger-flats-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 Messenger Flats
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 — Messenger Flats
What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →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 →