Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Red Star
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.05324, -120.53410
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 Red Star
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,882 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Red StarNIFC · 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 Red Star · Eldorado National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater12 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- GGrocery17 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- DDump18 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- PPropane21 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- LLaundry23 mi
- RxPharmacy23 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- AAir-up28 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 16 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 — Red Star
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,882 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.05324, -120.53410
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Red Star · Eldorado National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMiddle Fork American River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townGoggins · ~1.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~18.6 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~20.2 mi
- Dump station~17.9 mi
- GroceriesWorton's Market Foresthill · ~16.6 mi
- PharmacyColfax pharmacy · ~22.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicUrgent Care - Olympic Valley · ~18.9 mi
- HardwareAce Hardwarw · ~26.5 mi
EV charging — from Red Star · Eldorado National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.7 mi straight-line N — Soda Springs, 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 reach12 within 25 mi · 118 within 50 · 379 within 100 · 1059 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS17.7 mi — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS DC1, Soda Springs
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.7 mi — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS DC1, Soda Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.7 mi — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS L2, Soda Springs, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports 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 322834 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Red Star · Eldorado National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Trees · ~2.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMiddle Meadows Group · ~3.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Meadows Cg · ~5.9 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHell Hole Cg · ~6.4 mi E · USFS
Open Red Star elsewhere
Other camps near Red Star
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Jack Robinson~0.9 mi
- Greek Store~2.1 mi
- Spruce Creek Loop~2.2 mi
- Long Canyon Camping Area~2.4 mi
The unit that manages Red Star
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Red Star are set by Eldorado National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Red Star
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Red Star
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 — Red Star
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →