Free camping near Coarsegold, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Coarsegold, CA there are 49 camps: 23 free, 26 fee. The closest is Forks Campground, 8.9 miles north-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Lower Bridge, 11 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 47 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forks Campground | 8.9 | Fee | Bass Lake (water) | 0.8 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Recreation Point Group Camp | 9.0 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Crane Valley | 9.0 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Spring Cove Campground | 9.7 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to The Pines | — |
| Lupine | 9.8 | Fee | Bass Lake (water) | 0.7 mi to The Pines | — |
| Wishon Point Campground | 9.9 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to The Pines | — |
| Lower Bridge | 11 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Yosemite Forks | — |
| Middle Bridge | 12 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Chilkoot | 13 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Miami Staging Area 1 | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| San Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area | 13 | Fee | San Joaquin River (water) | 3.3 mi to New Auberry | — |
| Miami Staging Area | 13 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 1.6 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Whiskers | 13 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Greys Mountain | 13 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Gertrude Creek West | 13 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 0.3 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| Soquel | 14 | Fee | California Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Old Corral | — |
| Whisky Falls | 15 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 3.9 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| Nelder Grove | 15 | Free | California Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| In Sierra National ForestDave slept here | 15 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Auberry | — |
| Gertrude Creek East | 15 | Free | — | 5.6 mi to North Fork | — |
| Gaggs Camp | 15 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Texas Flat | 16 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Kelty Meadow | 16 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Boggy Meadow 1 | 17 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Big Sandy | 17 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Fresno Dome | 17 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summerdale | 18 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Fish Camp/Big Creek | 18 | Free | Big Creek (stream) | 5.2 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Goat Meadow Dispersed Campsite | 18 | Free | Rainier Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summit Camp | 19 | Free | East Fork Chowchilla River (stream) | 2.9 mi to Wawona | — |
| Rock Creek | 19 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Fish Creek | 19 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Soda Springs | 20 | Fee | West Fork Chiquito Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Sweetwater | 21 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Placer | 21 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Lower Chiquito | 21 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Wagner Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Mammoth Pool | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Grizzly Pass | 22 | Free | Bare Island Lake (water) | 8.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Muggler Creek | 22 | Free | Mugler Creek (stream) | 8.9 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Jerseydale | 22 | Free | Snow Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Darrah | — |
| Dorabelle | 23 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Shaver Lake | — |
| D Spur | 23 | Free | Lost Lake Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Little Jackass | 23 | Free | — | 14 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Grizzly Creek | 24 | Free | Grizzly Creek (stream) | 9.9 mi to South Wawona | — |
| China Bar | 24 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Beasore/Chiquito | 24 | Free | East Fork Chiquito Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Upper Chiquito | 24 | Free | East Fork Chiquito Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Quartz Mountain | 24 | Free | — | 10 mi to Wawona | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Coarsegold, 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.