Free camping near Buck Meadows, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Buck Meadows, CA there are 20 camps: 6 free, 12 fee, 2 unpriced. The closest is The Pines, 1.3 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is South Fork, 2.7 miles out. Today's season read covers 1 of them: 1 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 18 on the Forest Service; 2 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pines | 1.3 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Lost Claim | 1.7 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Lumsden | 2.6 | Fee | South Fork Tuolumne River (river) | 1.8 mi to Colfax Spring | — |
| South Fork | 2.7 | Free | — | 2.7 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Lumsden Bridge | 3.7 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Buck Meadows | Open |
| Sweetwater | 4.0 | Fee | Middle Tuolumne River (river) | 1.3 mi to Colfax Spring | — |
| Spinning Wheel | 5.8 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Montgomery Gulch | 9.5 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Clearing House | — |
| Joe Walt Run | 9.7 | Free | Jawbone Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Femmons | — |
| Anderson Valley | 10 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Sequoia | — |
| Dimond "O" | 12 | Fee | Mud Lake (water) | 1.5 mi to Mather | — |
| Railroad Flat Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Merced River (river) | 6.3 mi to Bagby | — |
| Cherry Borrow Site | 14 | Free | Cherry Creek (stream) | 6.3 mi to Femmons | — |
| Hacienda | 14 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Twain Harte | — |
| Cherry Valley | 15 | Fee | Cherry Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Femmons | — |
| McCabe Flat Campground | 15 | Unpriced | Good Gulch (stream) | 5.8 mi to Midpines | — |
| Dirt Flat Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to El Portal | — |
| Dry Gulch Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to El Portal | — |
| Hull Creek | 20 | Fee | — | 4.7 mi to Cold Springs | — |
| Jerseydale | 22 | Free | Snow Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Darrah | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Buck Meadows, 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.