Agency-listedUSFSFee
Pioneer Trail
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.18711, -119.98811
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 Pioneer Trail
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,838 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Pioneer TrailNIFC · 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 Pioneer Trail · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery1 mi
- @Mail1 mi
- WWater1 mi
- LLaundry1 mi
- ShShower1 mi
- PPropane4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- EVEV fast charger4 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- DDump27 mi
- AAir-up57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Pioneer Trail
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,838 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.18711, -119.98811
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Pioneer Trail · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townStrawberry · ~1.4 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~1.1 mi
- FuelChevron · ~4.1 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~4.1 mi
- Dump station~27.4 mi
- GroceriesPinecrest General Store · ~0.6 mi
- PharmacyTwain Harte Pharmacy · ~17.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicTuolumne MeWuk Indian Health Center · ~20.6 mi
- HardwareTwain Harte Lumber / Ace Hardware · ~16.6 mi
EV charging — from Pioneer Trail · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.1 mi straight-line SW — Cold Springs Market - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 21 within 50 · 418 within 100 · 1149 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS25.8 mi — Innsight Buck Meadows Lodge (Groveland, CA), Groveland
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO25.8 mi — Innsight Buck Meadows Lodge (Groveland, CA), Groveland
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.6 mi — The Lodge Christian Retreat Center, Mi Wuk Village, CA · CHARGELAB · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.55 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466125 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Pioneer Trail · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomPioneer Trail · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomPinecrest Fishing Pier · ~0.3 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomPinecrest · ~0.4 mi NW · USFS
- Flush restroomPinecrest Boat Ramp · ~0.5 mi NW · USFS
Open Pioneer Trail elsewhere
Other camps near Pioneer Trail
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pinecrest~0.5 mi · fee
- Meadowview~0.9 mi · fee
- Kerrick Corrals~1.9 mi
- Teleli Pulaya~3.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Pioneer Trail
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Pioneer Trail are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Pioneer Trail
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 2026-08-24: GROUP site -- the figure buys the whole unit, not one pitch. $133 per night for up to 50 people, $184 per night for up to 100. recreation.gov listing 232293 posts the same $133 and $184 for the current season (7 May - 19 Oct 2026). Operated by Dodge Ridge Corporation under a Forest Service special use permit. In winter it becomes first-come first-served and is FREE for groups of 15 or fewer; for 16 or more it is $1 per person per night, paid at the Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort administration office. There is no water in winter. Sources: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/recreation/pioneer-trail-group-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232293.
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 Pioneer Trail
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 — Pioneer Trail
What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →First-night troubleshooting →Getting unstuck →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 →