Agency-listedUSFSFee
Northwind Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.83146, -120.34856
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 Northwind Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,469 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Northwind CgNIFC · 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 Northwind Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- ShShower1 mi
- DDump1 mi
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- PPropane19 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- RxPharmacy19 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- AAir-up27 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Northwind Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,469 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.83146, -120.34856
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Northwind Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townPollock Pines · ~14.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.5 mi
- FuelFuel · ~1.8 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~19.1 mi
- Dump station~1.0 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~1.8 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~19.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicGastroenterology Clinic · ~25.0 mi
- HardwarePollock Pines True Value Hardware · ~13.4 mi
EV charging — from Northwind Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.0 mi straight-line SW — Pollock Pines, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach14 within 25 mi · 99 within 50 · 391 within 100 · 1091 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS13.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO13.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.1 mi — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. L2, Pollock Pines, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port 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 326660 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Northwind Cg · Eldorado National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletNorthwind Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletStrawberry Point Cg · ~0.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIce House Boat Ramp · ~0.8 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIce House Cg · ~0.9 mi W · USFS
Open Northwind Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Northwind Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Strawberry Point Cg~0.5 mi · fee
- Ice House Cg~0.9 mi · fee
- Silver Creek Group~2.1 mi · fee
- Jones Fork Cg~2.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Northwind Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Northwind Cg are set by Eldorado National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Northwind Cg
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 2026-08-22: $10 per night for a single family site, plus $5 per extra vehicle. Nine sites: eight tent/trailer/RV and one double. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/eldorado/recreation/northwind-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 Northwind Cg
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 — Northwind Cg
What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading your camp page →Dispersed camping tips →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 →