Free camping near Big Bend, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Big Bend, CA there are 38 camps: 18 free, 19 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Iron Canyon West, 3.3 miles south-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Iron Canyon West, 3.3 miles out. Today's season read covers 1 of them: 1 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 38 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Canyon West | 3.3 | Free | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Deadlun Cg-F Frec Lic | 4.2 | Free | Deadlun Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Deep Creek Cg-F | 5.8 | Free | Deep Creek (stream) | 5.2 mi to Wengler | — |
| Little Bagley | 5.9 | Free | Muddy Spring Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Ruling Creek Campground | 8.1 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Reynolds Basin | 8.4 | Free | East Fork Sulanharas Creek (stream) | 6.0 mi to Wengler | — |
| Wheeler Ranch | 8.5 | Free | Garden Creek (stream) | 8.8 mi to Wengler | — |
| Curl Ridge Jeep | 9.2 | Free | South Fork Claiborne Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Hogback | 9.6 | Free | Hogback Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Montgomery Creek | — |
| Garden Ridge | 10 | Free | — | 10 mi to Big Bend | — |
| Madrone Cg-F | 10 | Free | — | 10 mi to Big Bend | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — CA | 11 | Fee | — | 10 mi to McCloud | — |
| Chirpchatter Cg-F | 14 | Free | Low Pass Creek (stream) | 7.5 mi to Point McCloud | — |
| Fenders Ferry | 15 | Free | Nosoni Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Point McCloud | — |
| Camp 4 (Cg-G) | 16 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to McCloud | — |
| Dusty | 17 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Johnson Park | — |
| Fowlers Camp Cg-F | 17 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to McCloud | — |
| Algoma Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Bull Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Bartle | — |
| Cattle Camp Cg-F | 17 | Fee | — | 10 mi to McCloud | — |
| Mccloud Bridge Cg-F | 17 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Pine Point Cg-F | 18 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Moore Creek Cg-F | 18 | Fee | — | 9.2 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Ellery Creek Cg-F | 18 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Dekkas Rock Cg-G | 18 | Fee | — | 8.9 mi to Lakehead | Open |
| Hirz Bay Cg-F | 19 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Hirz Bay (#1) Cg-G | 19 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Arbuckle Flat Cg-F | 20 | Free | Arbuckle Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Ingot | — |
| Hirz Bay (#2) Cg-G | 20 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Green'S Creek Cg-F | 21 | Free | Greens Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Lakeview Resort | — |
| Sims Flat Cg | 23 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Castella | — |
| Upper Salt Creek Cg-G_Closed | 24 | Free | — | — | — |
| Obrien | 24 | Free | — | 6.0 mi to Mountain Gate | — |
| Nelson Point Cg-F | 24 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Gregory Creek Cg-F | 24 | Fee | — | 2.0 mi to Lakehead | — |
| Ski Island Cg-F | 24 | Free | — | 4.2 mi to Jones Valley | — |
| Mariners Point Cg-F | 25 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Jones Valley | — |
| Oak Grove Cg-F | 25 | Free | Nelson Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Sugarloaf | — |
| Antlers Cg-F | 25 | Fee | — | 1.6 mi to Lakehead | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Big Bend, 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.