Free camping near Idlewild, CA
Yes. 19 of the 50 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Idlewild, CA are listed as free; 30 charge a fee and 1 has no price on record. The closest free one is Leavis Flat, 4.8 miles north, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is White River, 3.1 miles northeast, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
All 50 camps near Idlewild, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White River | 3.1 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Sugarloaf | — |
| Leavis Flat | 4.8 | Free | Deer Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Cedar Creek | 6.5 | Free | Cedar Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Alta Sierra | — |
| Frog Meadow | 6.9 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugarloaf Mountain Park | — |
| Holey Meadow | 10 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 12 | Free | Kern River (river) | 2.5 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Hospital Flat | 12 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Camp 3 | 12 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Kernville | — |
| Redwood Meadow | 12 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Headquarters | 12 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Kernville | — |
| Evans Flat | 12 | Free | Greenhorn Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pettit Place | — |
| Chamise Flats Dispersed Camping Area | 12 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Fairview | — |
| Calkins Flat Dispersed Campground | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Corral Creek | 13 | Free | Corral Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Goldledge | 13 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Long Meadow | 13 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Old Goldledge Dispersed Camping | 13 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Kernville | — |
| Spring Hill South Dispersed Camping | 13 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Kernville | — |
| Fairview | 13 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Pine Flat | — |
| Spring Hill North Dispersed Camping | 13 | Free | Gold Ledge Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fairview | — |
| Live Oak Group | 14 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Tillie Creek | 14 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Tillie Creek #4 | 14 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Hungry Gulch | 15 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Boulder Gulch | 15 | Fee | — | 2.6 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| French Gulch | 15 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Pioneer Point | 15 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Limestone | 15 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Brush Creek | 15 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Roads End | — |
| Main Dam | 16 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Camp 9 Recreation Area | 16 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Auxiliary Dam | 16 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 16 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Roads End | — |
| South Fork Rec | 17 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| Black Gulch South | 17 | Free | Clear Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Paradise Cove | 18 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| Sandy Flat | 18 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Horse Meadow Campground | 18 | Fee | Salmon Creek (stream) | 6.6 mi to Roads End | — |
| Horse Meadow | 18 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kernville | — |
| Hobo | 18 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Isabella lake dispersed camping | 20 | Free | South Fork Kern River (river) | 2.4 mi to Weldon | — |
| Dispersed camping area 5 | 20 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Lower Peppermint Campground | 20 | Unpriced | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Upper Peppermint Dispersed Area | 21 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Coy Flat | 22 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Pierpoint | — |
| Quaking Aspen | 23 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Quaking Aspen | 23 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Belknap | 23 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Camp Nelson | — |
| Breckenridge Campground | 24 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Havilah | — |
| Breckenridge | 24 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Havilah | — |
Who manages the camps near Idlewild, CA
Who manages them: 46 on the Forest Service; 4 on an agency our record does not name.
- Sequoia National Forest — 50 camps: 19 free, 30 fee, 1 unpriced
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 50 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Idlewild, CA
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Idlewild, 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.