Agency-listedUSFSFree
Milton Reservoir
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.52270, -120.57599
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 Milton Reservoir
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,704 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Milton ReservoirNIFC · 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 Milton Reservoir · Tahoe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- ShShower4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- DDump14 mi
- EVEV fast charger15 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- PPropane24 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- LLaundry32 mi
- AAir-up33 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Milton Reservoir
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,704 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.52270, -120.57599
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Milton Reservoir · Tahoe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMilton Reservoir (water) · nearby
- Nearest townSierra City · ~4.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.3 mi
- FuelSierra City Gasoline · ~4.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~14.2 mi
- GroceriesWild Plum Provisions Store · ~4.2 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid · ~24.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~20.4 mi
- HardwareSierra Hardware · ~13.7 mi
EV charging — from Milton Reservoir · Tahoe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.9 mi straight-line S — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS DC2, Soda Springs, 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 reach10 within 25 mi · 47 within 50 · 288 within 100 · 675 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.9 mi — Soda Springs, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Soda Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.9 mi — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS L2, Soda Springs, 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 — Whitehawk Lodge and Golf - Tesla Destination, Clio, 13.5 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · 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 181599 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Milton Reservoir · Tahoe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMilton Reservoir · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJackson Meadows Vista · ~1.5 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen · ~2.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJackson Point Boat In · ~2.4 mi SE · USFS
Open Milton Reservoir elsewhere
Other camps near Milton Reservoir
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Aspen Group Campground~2.2 mi
- Jackson Point Campground~2.4 mi
- Pass Creek Campground~2.5 mi
- East Meadow Campground~2.7 mi
The unit that manages Milton Reservoir
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Milton Reservoir are set by Tahoe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Milton Reservoir
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Milton Reservoir
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 — Milton Reservoir
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Power off-grid →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 →