Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Montgomery Gulch
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.70566, -119.95759
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 Montgomery Gulch
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,766 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Montgomery GulchNIFC · 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 Montgomery Gulch · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower7 mi
- WWater7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- DDump15 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- PPropane27 mi
- AAir-up50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 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 — Montgomery Gulch
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,766 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.70566, -119.95759
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Montgomery Gulch · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBull Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townClearing House · ~5.7 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.7 mi
- FuelValero · ~7.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~15.4 mi
- GroceriesCrane Flat Service Station & General Store · ~9.4 mi
- PharmacyGroveland Pharmacy · ~17.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicJohn C Fremont Healthcare District · ~14.2 mi
- HardwareCoast Hardware · ~15.3 mi
EV charging — from Montgomery Gulch · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.5 mi straight-line NE — GF4EVA RUSH CREEK DC, Groveland, 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 reach9 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 336 within 100 · 1162 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.8 mi — El Portal, CA - Tesla Supercharger, El Portal
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.5 mi — GF4EVA RUSH CREEK L2, Groveland, CA · 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 202690 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Montgomery Gulch · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMcclendon Beach Day Use · ~6.5 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCranberry Flat Day Use · ~6.6 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIndian Flat · ~6.8 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomMercer River -Rr Flat -Toilet 10 · ~6.9 mi SW · BLM
Open Montgomery Gulch elsewhere
Other camps near Montgomery Gulch
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Anderson Valley~3.4 mi
- Dirt Flat Campground~7.0 mi · fee
- Railroad Flat Campground~7.0 mi
- Dry Gulch Campground~7.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Montgomery Gulch
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Montgomery Gulch are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Montgomery Gulch
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 Montgomery Gulch
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 — Montgomery Gulch
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →How to read this 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 →