Found · unverifiedUSFSFree
Watson Lake Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.22396, -120.13734
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on U.S. Forest Service land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,781 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- PPropane3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- WWater3 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- OOutfitter4 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- DDump6 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- ShShower21 mi
- AAir-up25 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,781 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.22396, -120.13734
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWatson Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCedar Flat · ~2.7 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.0 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron ExtraMile Store · ~28.0 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~6.0 mi
- Groceries7-Eleven · ~2.8 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~7.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicUrgent Care · ~3.6 mi
- HardwareVillage Ace Hardware · ~10.1 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSilver Creek Cg · ~3.5 mi W · USFS
- Portable toilet64 Acres Riverside · ~4.2 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGoose Meadow · ~4.6 mi NW · USFS
- Flush restroomWilliam Kent Beach · ~5.9 mi S · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Goose Meadow Campground~4.6 mi
- Alpine Meadows (Martis Creek)~6.7 mi
- Head Waters Middle Fork~8.9 mi
- Little Needle Lake~9.2 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
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.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →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 →