Free camping near Kennedy Meadows, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Kennedy Meadows, CA there are 29 camps: 12 free, 10 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Kennedy Meadows Campground, 3.3 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Chimney Peak Recreation Area, 13 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 20 on the Forest Service; 6 on the BLM; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Meadows Campground | 3.3 | Unpriced | South Fork Kern River (river) | 9.7 mi to Dunmovin | — |
| Sacatar Trail Wilderness | 6.1 | Unpriced | — | 10 mi to Dunmovin | — |
| Fish Creek | 7.3 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Troy Meadow | 8.1 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Chimney Peak Wilderness | 11 | Unpriced | — | 8.4 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Chimney Peak Recreation Area | 13 | Free | — | 7.0 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Domeland Wilderness | 15 | Unpriced | Palome Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Horse Meadow | 16 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kernville | — |
| Horse Meadow Campground | 16 | Fee | Salmon Creek (stream) | 6.6 mi to Roads End | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 20 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Roads End | — |
| Brush Creek | 21 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Roads End | — |
| Limestone | 21 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Spring Hill North Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | Gold Ledge Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fairview | — |
| Old Goldledge Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Kernville | — |
| Spring Hill South Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Kernville | — |
| Goldledge | 21 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Dispersed camping area 5 | 21 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Lower Peppermint Campground | 22 | Unpriced | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Corral Creek | 22 | Free | Corral Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Fairview | 22 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Pine Flat | — |
| Chamise Flats Dispersed Camping Area | 22 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Fairview | — |
| Calkins Flat Dispersed Campground | 22 | Free | — | — | — |
| Coso Range Wilderness | 23 | Unpriced | — | 8.8 mi to Olancha | — |
| Hospital Flat | 23 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 23 | Free | Kern River (river) | 2.5 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Pacific Crest- Owens Peak Segment | 23 | Unpriced | Three Pines Canyon (stream) | 8.0 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Upper Peppermint Dispersed Area | 24 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Camp 3 | 24 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Kernville | — |
| Headquarters | 24 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Kernville | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Kennedy 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.