Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Willow Creek
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.45803, -121.06137
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 Willow Creek
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,388 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Willow CreekNIFC · 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 Willow Creek · Tahoe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail1 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- WWater10 mi
- +Urgent care10 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- EVEV fast charger15 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- DDump24 mi
- PPropane35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — Willow Creek
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,388 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.45803, -121.06137
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Willow Creek · Tahoe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWillow Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCamptonville · ~0.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSierra Super Stop · ~6.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~24.4 mi
- GroceriesEmerald Cove Marina General Store · ~6.2 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~15.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicSierra Nevada Memorial Hospital · ~15.9 mi
- HardwareSierra Hardware · ~14.3 mi
EV charging — from Willow Creek · Tahoe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger15.4 mi straight-line S — CEC CORRIDOR GRASSVALLEY DC2, Grass Valley, CA · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 76 within 50 · 331 within 100 · 905 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.4 mi — CEC CORRIDOR GRASSVALLEY DC1, Grass Valley
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.4 mi — Expanding Light, Nevada City, CA (at an inn) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 201220 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Willow Creek · Tahoe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomRebel Ridge · ~1.8 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDark Day · ~3.1 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDark Day-Boat Ramp · ~3.1 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDark Day · ~3.2 mi SW · USFS
Open Willow Creek elsewhere
Other camps near Willow Creek
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bridger Creek~2.3 mi
- Catfish Cove~2.6 mi
- Dark Day~3.2 mi · fee
- Bullards Lakeshore~3.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Willow Creek
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Willow Creek are set by Tahoe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Willow Creek
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 Willow Creek
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 — Willow Creek
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Reading your camp page →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 →