★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic land · dispersedFree
Nevada County
Drive-up · public land · Nevada County, CA · 39.40700, -120.11793
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 →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
This is a primitive, improvised clearing only a short walk from Boca Reservoir. Very lovely setting nestled in pine trees. Small, neglected fire ring. Enough room for a few vehicles and no cell service. A vast forest road network to explore in vehicle. Recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,766 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- WWater6 mi
- PPropane6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- DDump11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- ShShower30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
5,766 ft
County
Nevada County, CA
Coordinates
39.40700, -120.11793
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLittle Truckee River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townRussell Valley · ~2.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.3 mi
- FuelFuel · ~2.5 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron ExtraMile Store · ~19.0 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~18.7 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~2.5 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid · ~7.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicUrgent Care · ~9.1 mi
- HardwareVillage Ace Hardware · ~14.0 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBoca · ~0.8 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBoca · ~1.2 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomBoca Dam Accessible · ~1.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBoca Rest · ~1.9 mi NE · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Annie Mcloud~2.0 mi
- Prosser Family Campground~3.1 mi
- Lakeside Campground~3.3 mi
- Emigrant Campground~4.4 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Nevada County, CA). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Stay limits →Your first dispersed night →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 →