Agency-listedUSFSFee
Ponderosa
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 35.99750, -121.38126
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 Ponderosa
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,481 ft.
Fire & smoke — around PonderosaNIFC · 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 Ponderosa · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- DDump30 mi
- AAir-up37 mi
- OOutfitter45 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Ponderosa
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,481 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
35.99750, -121.38126
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Ponderosa · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townFort Hunter Liggett · ~8.2 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.6 mi
- FuelFuel · ~9.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~30.1 mi
- GroceriesGorda General Store · ~9.1 mi
- PharmacyRYSA Pharmacy · ~20.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicFort Hunter Liggett Troop Medical Clinic · ~8.1 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~20.3 mi
EV charging — from Ponderosa · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger19.9 mi straight-line NE — King City, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a restaurant) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 16 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 reach6 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 261 within 100 · 903 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS20.0 mi — DC CORRIDOR KC SHOPS DC1, King City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO20.0 mi — DC CORRIDOR KC SHOPS DC1, King City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)20.0 mi — DC CORRIDOR KC SHOPS L2, King City, 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 — Esalen Institute - Tesla Destination, Big Sur, 16.8 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 311244 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ponderosa · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams Hill -Bldg Vault Toilet · ~20.8 mi E · BLM
Open Ponderosa elsewhere
Other camps near Ponderosa
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Ponderosa Campground~0.2 mi · fee
- Nacimiento Campground~2.1 mi
- ABC Camp~3.1 mi
- Prewitt Ridge~4.3 mi
The unit that manages Ponderosa
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Ponderosa are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Ponderosa
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 2026-08-23: $35 per night per site (6-8 people, one vehicle included); each extra vehicle is $10 per night. Interagency Senior and Access passes give 50% off camping only. recreation.gov listing 233118 posts $35 in peak season and $37 for its walk-in rate. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lospadres/recreation/ponderosa-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 Ponderosa
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 — Ponderosa
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Hot-weather camping →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 →