Agency-listedUSFSFee
Utica Sandy Flat
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 38.42488, -120.01300
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 Utica Sandy Flat
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,860 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Utica Sandy FlatNIFC · 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 Utica Sandy Flat · Stanislaus National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- PPropane18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- RxPharmacy23 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- +Urgent care31 mi
- DDump34 mi
- AAir-up49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Utica Sandy Flat
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,860 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
38.42488, -120.01300
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Utica Sandy Flat · Stanislaus National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBear Valley · ~3.9 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~1.8 mi
- FuelFuel · ~3.0 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~18.3 mi
- GroceriesBear Valley General Store · ~3.2 mi
- PharmacyMeadowmont Pharmacy · ~22.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicHealth Clinic · ~31.0 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~21.6 mi
EV charging — from Utica Sandy Flat · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.3 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 · 37 within 50 · 382 within 100 · 1116 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS29.5 mi — Walker Country Store, Coleville
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO33.7 mi — GF4EVA SOUTH LAKE DC1, South Lake Tahoe
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.1 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, 3.1 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 Utica Sandy Flat · Stanislaus National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletUtica Sandy Flat · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUtica Rocky Point · ~0.2 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUnion West · ~0.8 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUnion East · ~1.1 mi E · USFS
Open Utica Sandy Flat elsewhere
Other camps near Utica Sandy Flat
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Utica Rocky Point~0.2 mi · fee
- Union Reservoir West Campground~0.9 mi
- Union Reservoir East Campground~1.1 mi
- Spicer~1.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Utica Sandy Flat
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Utica Sandy Flat are set by Stanislaus National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Utica Sandy Flat
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-22: $30 per night, single site. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED for Sandy Flat and for Granite Gulch (the triple site) from June 15 to September 7, through recreation.gov. recreation.gov 10357111 books $30 overnight, $30 walk-to and $90 for the triple, for the 2026-06-15 to 2026-09-07 season. NAME NOTE: the forest publishes this as plain 'Sandy Flat Campground' (Utica Reservoir). Sources: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/stanislaus/recreation/sandy-flat-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10357111.
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 Utica Sandy Flat
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 — Utica Sandy Flat
What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →Gear & rig loadout →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 →