Free camping near Arnold, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Arnold, CA there are 42 camps: 6 free, 32 fee, 4 unpriced. The closest is Wakalu Hep Yo, 8.7 miles north-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is USFS dispersed camp — Calaveras County, CA, 12 miles out.
Who manages them: 42 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakalu Hep Yo | 8.7 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Dorrington | — |
| Sand Bar Flat | 11 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Calaveras County, CA | 12 | Free | North Fork Stanislaus River (river) | 1.0 mi to Ramsey | — |
| Beardsley Dam | 15 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| Fraser Flat | 16 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| Mokelumne Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Teleli Pulaya | 17 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| Moore Creek | 17 | Free | — | 12 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| White Azalea Cg | 17 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 7.9 mi to Ganns | — |
| Horse Gulch Campground | 17 | Unpriced | — | 2.6 mi to Big Meadow | — |
| Big Meadow Group | 17 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Big Meadow | 18 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Hells Kitchen Campground | 18 | Unpriced | Bloods Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Skyhigh | — |
| Meadowview | 19 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Pinecrest | 20 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Hacienda | 20 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Twain Harte | — |
| Hull Creek | 20 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| Pioneer Trail | 20 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Stanislaus River | 20 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Cascade Creek | 21 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Cole Creek Camping Area | 21 | Free | Cole Creek (stream) | 8.3 mi to Allen | — |
| South Shore Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Bear River Group | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Pardoes Point Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Sugar Pine Point Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Spicer Group | 22 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Spicer | 22 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Utica Sandy Flat | 22 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Kerrick Corrals | 22 | Free | North Fork Tuolumne River (stream) | 3.3 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Utica Rocky Point | 22 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Herring Reservoir | 22 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Pipi Cg | 23 | Fee | — | 7.0 mi to Grizzly Flats | — |
| Mill Creek | 23 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Herring Creek | 23 | Fee | Herring Creek Reservoir (water) | 3.2 mi to Cow Creek | — |
| Union Reservoir West Campground | 23 | Unpriced | North Fork Stanislaus River (river) | 3.5 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Union Reservoir East Campground | 23 | Unpriced | Summit Lake (water) | 3.6 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Middlefork Cosumnes Cg | 23 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Grizzly Flats | — |
| Lodgepole Overflow | 24 | Fee | Poison Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Silvertip | 24 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Niagra Creek | 24 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Pine Valley | 24 | Free | Bell Creek (stream) | 5.5 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Lake Alpine | 24 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Bear Valley | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Arnold, 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.