Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
West Branch
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 40.03354, -121.50620
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 West Branch
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,929 ft.
Fire & smoke — around West BranchNIFC · 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 West Branch · Lassen National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater13 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- GGrocery16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- RxPharmacy25 mi
- PPropane26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- LLaundry27 mi
- DDump35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 16 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 — West Branch
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,929 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
40.03354, -121.50620
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around West Branch · Lassen National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWest Branch Feather River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townGlenburn · ~2.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~19.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesCaribou Crossroads · ~14.9 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~25.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicAdventist Health Feather River · ~19.4 mi
- HardwareYankee Hill Hardware · ~21.7 mi
EV charging — from West Branch · Lassen National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger20.4 mi straight-line S — Town of Paradise - 230 Pearson · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 25 within 50 · 228 within 100 · 546 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)26.4 mi — Chico, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Chico
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)20.4 mi — Town of Paradise - 230 Pearson · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — SWTCH Energy, Paradise, 19.8 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; For employee use only · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 333168 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around West Branch · Lassen National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletButte Meadows · ~4.2 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCherry Hill · ~4.8 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJonesville Snow Park · ~5.7 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPotato Patch · ~10.8 mi N · USFS
Open West Branch elsewhere
Other camps near West Branch
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Philbrook~2.1 mi
- Butte Meadows~4.2 mi · fee
- Cherry Hill Campground~4.8 mi · fee
- Poison Springs~6.0 mi
The unit that manages West Branch
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at West Branch are set by Lassen National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — West Branch
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 West Branch
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 — West Branch
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Dispersed camping tips →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 →