Agency-listedUSFSFree
Thorn Meadows Campground
OHV / 4×4 · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 34.62760, -119.11415
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 Thorn Meadows Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,974 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Thorn Meadows CampgroundNIFC · 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 Thorn Meadows Campground · Los Padres National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic14 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- EVEV fast charger15 mi
- WWater15 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- PPropane16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- DDump19 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- AAir-up27 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 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 — Thorn Meadows Campground
Access
OHV / 4×4
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,974 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
34.62760, -119.11415
Cost
Free · OpenStreetMap fee tag: no
Nearby & resupply — around Thorn Meadows Campground · Los Padres National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCedar Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townStauffer · ~9.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelDon's Gas / Market · ~16.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationLake Casitas Recreation Area · ~19.4 mi
- GroceriesWestridge Market IGA · ~14.2 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid · ~17.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicOjai Valley Community Hospital · ~15.3 mi
- HardwareOjai True Value Hardware · ~15.4 mi
EV charging — from Thorn Meadows Campground · Los Padres National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger15.2 mi straight-line SW — Boku Superfoods Cafe (Ojai, 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 reach8 within 25 mi · 130 within 50 · 832 within 100 · 1188 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.2 mi — Ojai, CA - W Ojai Ave - Tesla Supercharger, Ojai
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.6 mi — Topa Topa Elementary School, Ojai, CA · Blink Network · J1772 · 4 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 187034 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Thorn Meadows Campground · Los Padres National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFishbowls Trailhead · ~1.9 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHalfmoon · ~3.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJohnston Ridge Trailhead · ~3.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Springs · ~4.5 mi N · USFS
Open Thorn Meadows Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Thorn Meadows Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Halfmoon~3.0 mi · fee
- Pine Springs~4.5 mi · fee
- Middle Lion~6.2 mi · fee
- Rose Valley~7.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Thorn Meadows Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Thorn Meadows Campground are set by Los Padres National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Thorn Meadows Campground
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
Agency page
fs.usda.gov — the land manager's own page for this site. Fees, seasons and closures are stated there first; if it disagrees with this page, it wins.
How it was placed
likely OHV (only a rough 4wd track in) — confirm
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 Thorn Meadows Campground
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 — Thorn Meadows Campground
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Picking a spot →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 →