Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.76606, -119.94169
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 Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around Scotts Lake Dispersed CampingNIFC · 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 Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping · Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery3 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- WWater10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- PPropane11 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- DDump12 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- AAir-up48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
CA
Coordinates
38.76606, -119.94169
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping · Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMaxwell Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townSorensens · ~2.2 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.5 mi
- FuelFuel · ~6.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~12.4 mi
- GroceriesWoodfords Station · ~6.5 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~10.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBarton Memorial Hospital · ~10.5 mi
- Hardwareace hardware · ~10.7 mi
EV charging — from Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping · Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.3 mi straight-line NW — South Lake Tahoe, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 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 reach11 within 25 mi · 46 within 50 · 332 within 100 · 885 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS10.7 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO10.7 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.7 mi — ALPINE CO. BHS 1, Markleeville, 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 — Sorensen's Resort - Tesla Destination, Hope Valley, 2.2 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 321149 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping · Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletKit Carson Campground · ~2.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHope Valley Campground · ~2.6 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Meadow Trailhead · ~3.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLuther Pass Overflow Campground · ~4.0 mi NW · USFS
Open Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping elsewhere
Other camps near Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Kit Carson Campground~2.5 mi · fee
- Hope Valley Campground~2.6 mi
- Alpine County~3.9 mi
- Luther Pass Overflow Campground~4.0 mi
The unit that manages Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping are set by Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
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 Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
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 — Scotts Lake Dispersed Camping
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →