Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Middle Ridge
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 40.26759, -121.78947
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 Middle Ridge
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,359 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Middle RidgeNIFC · 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 Middle Ridge · Lassen National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- WWater22 mi
- ShShower22 mi
- DDump22 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- HHardware24 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- OOutfitter30 mi
- LLaundry34 mi
- PPropane35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Middle Ridge
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,359 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
40.26759, -121.78947
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Middle Ridge · Lassen National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMiddle Fork Antelope Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townPaynes Creek · ~8.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuel76 · ~16.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~22.0 mi
- GroceriesManton Corners · ~12.3 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~24.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicShingletown Medical Center · ~16.3 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~24.1 mi
EV charging — from Middle Ridge · Lassen National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.5 mi straight-line W — GF4EVA RED BLUFF DC3 · 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 reach7 within 25 mi · 51 within 50 · 103 within 100 · 474 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.8 mi — Red Bluff, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Red Bluff
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)23.5 mi — GF4EVA RED BLUFF L2 · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 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 198122 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Middle Ridge · Lassen National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBlack Rock · ~7.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMccarthy Point · ~8.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBattle Creek · ~10.2 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomCXT Comfort Station Mineral Ballfield (HQ) · ~10.6 mi NE · NPS
Open Middle Ridge elsewhere
Other camps near Middle Ridge
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- South Antelope~2.0 mi
- Long Point~4.5 mi
- Black Oak Grove~5.7 mi
- Black Rock~7.1 mi
The unit that manages Middle Ridge
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Middle Ridge are set by Lassen National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Middle Ridge
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 Middle Ridge
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 — Middle Ridge
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →