Agency-listedUSFSFree
South Fork
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.83816, -120.04533
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 South Fork
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,532 ft.
Fire & smoke — around South ForkNIFC · 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 South Fork · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- EVEV fast charger2 mi
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- WWater2 mi
- DDump8 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- LLaundry10 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- PPropane17 mi
- OOutfitter27 mi
- AAir-up50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 2 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 — South Fork
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,532 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.83816, -120.04533
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around South Fork · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBuck Meadows · ~2.7 mi
- Drinking waterwater pump · ~2.5 mi
- FuelBuck Meadows Gas Station · ~1.8 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~17.1 mi
- Dump station~8.2 mi
- GroceriesBuck Meadows General Store · ~1.8 mi
- PharmacyGroveland Pharmacy · ~10.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicTuolumne MeWuk Indian Health Center · ~13.8 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~8.3 mi
EV charging — from South Fork · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger1.6 mi straight-line SW — Innsight Buck Meadows Lodge (Groveland, CA) · Electrify America · CHAdeMO, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach11 within 25 mi · 30 within 50 · 423 within 100 · 1161 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.1 mi — Groveland, CA, Groveland
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.2 mi — GF4EVA RUSH CREEK L2, Groveland, 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 192748 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around South Fork · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Fork · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLumsden · ~0.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLumsden (Meral'S Pool) · ~0.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLumsden Bridge · ~1.1 mi NE · USFS
Open South Fork elsewhere
Other camps near South Fork
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lumsden~0.3 mi · fee
- Lumsden Bridge~1.1 mi · fee
- Lost Claim~1.2 mi · fee
- Sweetwater~2.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages South Fork
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at South Fork are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — South Fork
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 South Fork
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 — South Fork
What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Hot-weather camping →Reading your camp 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 →