Agency-listedUSFSFree
Ponderosa Cove Group
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.90653, -120.60263
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 Ponderosa Cove Group
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,320 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Ponderosa Cove GroupNIFC · 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 Cove Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel10 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- WWater11 mi
- DDump14 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- AAir-up18 mi
- LLaundry24 mi
- PPropane26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 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 Cove Group
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,320 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.90653, -120.60263
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Ponderosa Cove Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureRubicon River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townLeonardi · ~4.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChevron · ~10.8 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~10.0 mi
- Dump station~13.7 mi
- GroceriesSafeway · ~10.1 mi
- PharmacyColfax pharmacy · ~23.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicGastroenterology Clinic · ~16.1 mi
- HardwareAce Hardwarw · ~15.8 mi
EV charging — from Ponderosa Cove Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.0 mi straight-line S — GF4EVA POLLOCK P. DC, Pollock Pines, 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 reach19 within 25 mi · 139 within 50 · 420 within 100 · 1091 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.9 mi — Pollock Pines, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Pollock Pines
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.0 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 202066 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ponderosa Cove Group · Eldorado National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPonderosa Cove Group · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletStumpy Meadows Boat Ramp · ~0.4 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletStumpy Meadows Day Use · ~0.4 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletStumpy Meadows Cg · ~0.6 mi E · USFS
Open Ponderosa Cove Group elsewhere
Other camps near Ponderosa Cove Group
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Stumpy Meadows Cg~0.6 mi · fee
- Black Oak Group~0.9 mi · fee
- Inter Bay~8.3 mi
- West Point Cg~9.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Ponderosa Cove Group
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Ponderosa Cove Group are set by Eldorado National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Ponderosa Cove Group
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Cove Group
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 Cove Group
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →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 →