Free camping near Alta, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Alta, CA there are 116 camps: 64 free, 43 fee, 9 unpriced. The closest is Casa Loma, 1.5 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Casa Loma, 1.5 miles out.
Who manages them: 115 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Loma | 1.5 | Free | Canyon Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Casa Loma | — |
| Giant Gap Road | 4.9 | Free | North Shirttail Canyon (stream) | 3.5 mi to Casa Loma | — |
| Giant Gap Ridge | 5.0 | Free | Sugar Pine Reservoir (water) | 3.5 mi to Monte Vista | — |
| Elliot Ranch | 5.1 | Free | North Shirttail Canyon (stream) | 3.5 mi to Casa Loma | — |
| Shirttail Creek | 5.1 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Alta | — |
| Giant Gap | 5.2 | Fee | — | 5.2 mi to Alta | — |
| Big Reservoir | 5.5 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Alta | — |
| Watson Lake Campground | 5.8 | Free | Sugar Pine Reservoir (water) | 2.9 mi to Iowa Hill | — |
| Forbes | 6.0 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Alta | — |
| Burlington | 6.5 | Free | North Fork Deer Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Junction House | — |
| Humbug Ridge | 6.8 | Free | — | 5.3 mi to Casa Loma | — |
| Finning Mill | 6.9 | Free | Pagge Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Hughes Mill | — |
| Skillman | 7.1 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to Washington | — |
| Fulda Creek | 7.3 | Free | Sailor Ravine (stream) | 1.3 mi to Nyack | — |
| Brimstone Ohv Campground | 7.6 | Free | Pagge Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Hughes Mill | — |
| White Cloud | 7.6 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Washington | — |
| Tunnel Mills | 8.3 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Alta | — |
| Onion Valley | 8.3 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Alta | — |
| North Fork | 8.4 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Alta | — |
| Mumford Bar To Beacroft | 9.4 | Free | North Fork American River (river) | 6.4 mi to Blue Canyon | — |
| Mitchell Mine | 9.5 | Free | — | 9.5 mi to Alta | — |
| Gaston | 11 | Free | South Fork Poorman Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Maybert | — |
| Doolittle Trail | 11 | Free | Fall Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Maybert | — |
| Clyde Mountain | 11 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Washington | — |
| Fall Creek | 11 | Free | Clear Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Maybert | — |
| Secret Canyon / American Hill | 12 | Free | — | 6.2 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Secret House | 12 | Free | — | 12 mi to Alta | — |
| Last Chance | 12 | Free | North Fork of Middle Fork American River (river) | 4.3 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Big Valley Bluff | 12 | Free | Tadpole Creek (stream) | 5.8 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Lake Valley | 12 | Free | North Fork of the North Fork of the American River (river) | 3.0 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Ford Point | 13 | Free | Tadpole Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Mears Meadow | 13 | Free | — | 8.1 mi to Kingvale | — |
| South Yuba Recreation Area | 13 | Fee | Kenebec Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Blue Tent | — |
| Rucker Lake | 13 | Fee | — | 7.4 mi to Washington | — |
| Mooney Creek | 14 | Free | Fall Creek (stream) | 5.4 mi to Maybert | — |
| Pierce Creek | 14 | Free | Eagle Lakes (water) | 3.5 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Little Oak Flat | 14 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 3.4 mi to Michigan Bluff | — |
| Indian Springs Campground | 14 | Fee | South Yuba River (river) | 2.2 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Peavine Road | 15 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 3.5 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Canada Hill | 15 | Free | Tadpole Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Carr Lake | 15 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Graniteville | — |
| Grouse Ridge | 16 | Free | — | 7.8 mi to Graniteville | — |
| Sanford Lake | 16 | Free | Sanford Lake (water) | 3.4 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
| Lindsey Lake | 16 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Graniteville | — |
| Greek Store | 16 | Free | Spruce Creek (stream) | 0.2 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Kanaka Creek | 16 | Free | Kanaka Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Cruzonville | — |
| Big Bend | 16 | Fee | — | 4.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Robinson Flat Campground | 16 | Free | Little Duncan Creek (stream) | 6.5 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Loch Leven Lakes Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | — | — | — |
| Bullpen Lake | 17 | Free | Bullpen Lake (water) | 5.7 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
The other 66 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Alta, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Alta, CA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.