Agency-listedUSFSFree
West Kaiser
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 37.34489, -119.23802
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 Kaiser
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,574 ft.
Fire & smoke — around West KaiserNIFC · 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 Kaiser · Sierra National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail7 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- ShShower13 mi
- DDump16 mi
- WWater16 mi
- FFuel17 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- EVEV fast charger22 mi
- RxPharmacy23 mi
- AAir-up34 mi
- PPropane46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 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 Kaiser
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,574 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
37.34489, -119.23802
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around West Kaiser · Sierra National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWest Kaiser Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCedar Crest · ~7.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~18.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~15.9 mi
- GroceriesBob's Market · ~17.0 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~23.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicAdventist Health Medical Office - Oakhurst · ~23.2 mi
- HardwareYoung's Shaver Lake Hardware · ~17.1 mi
EV charging — from West Kaiser · Sierra National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger22.4 mi straight-line W — Oakhurst, CA - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach7 within 25 mi · 45 within 50 · 171 within 100 · 685 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS23.1 mi — Central Valley Bank (Oakhurst, CA), Oakhurst
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO23.1 mi — DC CORRIDOR OAKHURST DC2, Oakhurst
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)22.4 mi — Best Western Plus - Yosemite Gateway Inn, Oakhurst, CA (at a hotel) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-01-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Hounds Tooth Inn - Tesla Destination, Oakhurst, 22.3 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas 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 206268 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around West Kaiser · Sierra National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWest Kaiser · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomChina Bar · ~3.9 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSample Meadow · ~4.6 mi E · USFS
- RestroomMammoth Pool · ~5.0 mi W · USFS
Open West Kaiser elsewhere
Other camps near West Kaiser
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- West Kaiser Campground~0.1 mi
- China Bar~3.9 mi
- Sample Meadow Campground~4.5 mi
- Mammoth Pool~5.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages West Kaiser
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at West Kaiser are set by Sierra National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — West Kaiser
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Kaiser
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 Kaiser
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →