Free camping near Big Creek, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Big Creek, CA there are 103 camps: 60 free, 42 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is South Fork Tamarack, 2.6 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is South Fork Tamarack, 2.6 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 102 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Fork Tamarack | 2.6 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Billy Creek, Lower | 2.6 | Fee | — | 2.6 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Billy Creek, Upper | 2.7 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Catavee | 5.0 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Kinnikinnick | 5.1 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Deer Creek | 5.2 | Fee | — | 5.2 mi to Big Creek | — |
| College | 5.4 | Fee | — | 5.4 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Rancheria | 5.9 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Strawberry Lake | 6.2 | Free | West Lake (water) | 4.0 mi to Lakeshore | — |
| Strawberry Lake Camp 1 | 6.5 | Free | West Lake (water) | 4.2 mi to Lakeshore | — |
| Mirror Camp | 6.6 | Free | Mirror Lake (water) | 3.8 mi to Lakeshore | — |
| Mirror Lake Camp | 6.8 | Free | Mirror Lake (water) | 3.6 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Base Camp | 6.8 | Free | Rock Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Midge Creek Group Campground | 7.0 | Fee | — | 7.0 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Fish Creek | 7.1 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Brewer Lake | 7.3 | Free | Brewer Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Strawberry Lake Camp 2 | 7.4 | Free | Strawberry Lake (water) | 4.3 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Dorabelle | 7.5 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Shaver Lake | — |
| Coyote Camp 3 | 7.7 | Free | Red Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Swanson | 7.7 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to Shaver Lake | — |
| Hatch Lake Staging | 7.9 | Free | Summit Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Coyote Camp 2 | 8.1 | Free | Red Lake (water) | 5.5 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Radio Camp | 8.2 | Free | Summit Creek (stream) | 3.5 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Badger Flat | 8.7 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Rock Creek | 8.7 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Coyote Camp 1 | 8.7 | Free | Coyote Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Summit | 8.8 | Free | Summit Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| West Kaiser Campground | 9.8 | Free | West Kaiser Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Cedar Crest | — |
| West Kaiser | 9.8 | Free | West Kaiser Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Cedar Crest | — |
| Miningtown Meadow | 10 | Free | — | 10 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Sample Meadow Campground | 10 | Free | Kaiser Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Ershim Lake | 10 | Free | Ershim Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Dinkey | 10 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Shaver Lake | — |
| Gertrude Creek East | 11 | Free | — | 5.6 mi to North Fork | — |
| Swamp Meadow | 11 | Free | Swamp Creek (stream) | 5.6 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Mammoth Pool | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Swamp Lake | 11 | Free | Swamp Creek (stream) | 5.5 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Lake Camp | 11 | Free | Lakecamp Creek (stream) | 3.5 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Grouse Meadow | 11 | Free | Grouse Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Dinkey Creek | — |
| Wagner Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Bretz | 11 | Free | Providence Creek (stream) | 0.1 mi to Bretz Mill | — |
| Gertrude Creek West | 12 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 0.3 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| Mallard Lake | 12 | Free | Mallard Lake (water) | 4.6 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| In Sierra National ForestDave slept here | 12 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Auberry | — |
| China Bar | 12 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Whisky Falls | 12 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 3.9 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| East Lake | 12 | Free | East Lake (water) | 8.2 mi to Snow Bend | — |
| Sweetwater | 13 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Portal Dispersed Camp | 13 | Free | West Fork Camp Sixty One Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Mono Hot Springs | — |
| Portal Forebay Campground | 13 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
The other 53 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Big Creek, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Big Creek, 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.