Agency-listedUSFSUnpriced · confirm
Union Reservoir West Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.42655, -119.99711
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Union Reservoir West Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,879 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Union Reservoir West 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 Union Reservoir West Campground · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- OOutfitter4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- PPropane19 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- DDump34 mi
- AAir-up49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Union Reservoir West Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,879 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.42655, -119.99711
Cost
Unpriced — no source gives a price; assume it may cost something and confirm before you go
Nearby & resupply — around Union Reservoir West Campground · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth Fork Stanislaus River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBear Valley · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBear Valley General Store · ~3.6 mi
- PharmacyMeadowmont Pharmacy · ~23.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicHealth Clinic · ~30.2 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~22.4 mi
EV charging — from Union Reservoir West Campground · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.5 mi straight-line S — Cold Springs Market - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 380 within 100 · 1116 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS28.6 mi — Walker Country Store, Coleville
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO33.6 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.2 mi — VIP LOT STATION 3, Kirkwood, 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 — Bear Valley Lodge - Tesla Destination, Bear Valley, 3.5 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.55 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466125 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Union Reservoir West Campground · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletUnion West · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUnion East · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUtica Sandy Flat · ~0.9 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUtica Rocky Point · ~0.9 mi W · USFS
Open Union Reservoir West Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Union Reservoir West Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Union Reservoir East Campground~0.3 mi
- Utica Sandy Flat~0.9 mi · fee
- Utica Rocky Point~0.9 mi · fee
- Spicer~1.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages Union Reservoir West Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Union Reservoir West Campground are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Union Reservoir West 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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Union Reservoir West 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 — Union Reservoir West Campground
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading the aerial →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 →