Free camping near Bear Valley, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Bear Valley, CA there are 88 camps: 21 free, 59 fee, 8 unpriced. The closest is Lodgepole Overflow, 1.6 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Pacific Valley, 8.6 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 85 on the Forest Service; 2 on the BLM; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodgepole Overflow | 1.6 | Fee | Poison Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Silvertip | 1.9 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Lake Alpine | 2.4 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Pine Marten | 3.4 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Stanislaus River | 3.5 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Silver Valley | 3.5 | Fee | Duck Lake (water) | 1.3 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Backpackers | 3.6 | Fee | Silver Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Utica Rocky Point | 3.7 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Utica Sandy Flat | 3.9 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Union Reservoir West Campground | 4.3 | Unpriced | North Fork Stanislaus River (river) | 3.5 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Union Reservoir East Campground | 4.4 | Unpriced | Summit Lake (water) | 3.6 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Hells Kitchen Campground | 4.6 | Unpriced | Bloods Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Skyhigh | — |
| Big Meadow | 4.8 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Big Meadow Group | 5.1 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Spicer | 5.4 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Spicer Group | 5.6 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Horse Gulch Campground | 5.6 | Unpriced | — | 2.6 mi to Big Meadow | — |
| Mosquito Lakes | 8.0 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Pacific Valley | 8.6 | Free | Pacific Creek (stream) | 3.9 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Cole Creek Camping Area | 9.3 | Free | Cole Creek (stream) | 8.3 mi to Allen | — |
| Highway 4 Ohv-Hermit Valley | 9.3 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 4.9 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Hermit Valley | 9.5 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 5.0 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Calaveras County, CA | 10 | Free | North Fork Stanislaus River (river) | 1.0 mi to Ramsey | — |
| Kennedy Flat | 10 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 5.7 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Grouse Flat | 10 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 5.9 mi to Cape Horn | — |
| Bear River Group | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Pardoes Point Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| South Shore Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| White Azalea Cg | 11 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 7.9 mi to Ganns | — |
| Sugar Pine Point Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Moore Creek | 12 | Free | — | 12 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Mokelumne Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Fence Creek | 12 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Niagra Creek | 13 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Bloomfield I | 13 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Markleeville | — |
| Boulder Flat | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Highland Lakes | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Mill Creek | 13 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Bloomfield Ii | 13 | Free | North Fork Mokelumne River (river) | 8.4 mi to Peaceful Pines | — |
| Brightman Flat | 14 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Wakalu Hep Yo | 14 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Dorrington | — |
| Cascade Creek | 14 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Niagra Ohv | 14 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Silver Lake Cg | 14 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Kirkwood | — |
| Clark Fork | 15 | Fee | Clark Fork (river) | 0.9 mi to Peaceful Pines | — |
| Clark Fork | 15 | Free | Clark Fork (river) | 0.4 mi to Peaceful Pines | — |
| Dardanelle | 15 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Strawberry | — |
| Woods Lake Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Kirkwood | — |
| Sand Flat | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Bear Valley | — |
| Middlefork Cosumnes Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Grizzly Flats | — |
The other 38 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Bear Valley, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Bear Valley, 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.