Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Secret Canyon / American Hill
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.15935, -120.59636
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 Secret Canyon / American Hill
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,431 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Secret Canyon / American HillNIFC · 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 Secret Canyon / American Hill · Tahoe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- WWater11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- DDump11 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- PPropane22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- LLaundry24 mi
- AAir-up25 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 — Secret Canyon / American Hill
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,431 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.15935, -120.59636
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Secret Canyon / American Hill · Tahoe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGreekstore · ~6.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelValero · ~19.4 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~27.4 mi
- Dump station~11.0 mi
- GroceriesAlta Store · ~12.0 mi
- PharmacyColfax pharmacy · ~19.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicSierra Nevada Memorial Hospital · ~24.6 mi
- HardwareSierra Timberline · ~24.7 mi
EV charging — from Secret Canyon / American Hill · Tahoe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.7 mi straight-line N — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS DC1, Soda Springs, 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 reach12 within 25 mi · 116 within 50 · 337 within 100 · 1031 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.7 mi — Soda Springs, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Soda Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.7 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 181598 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Secret Canyon / American Hill · Tahoe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMumford Bar · ~2.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChina Wall · ~4.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRobinson Flat · ~5.0 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDuncan Diverson · ~6.6 mi E · USFS
Open Secret Canyon / American Hill elsewhere
Other camps near Secret Canyon / American Hill
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Secret House~2.0 mi
- Ford Point~2.3 mi
- Mumford Bar To Beacroft~2.7 mi
- Last Chance~3.7 mi
The unit that manages Secret Canyon / American Hill
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Secret Canyon / American Hill are set by Tahoe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Secret Canyon / American Hill
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 Secret Canyon / American Hill
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 — Secret Canyon / American Hill
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Leave no trace →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 →