Free camping near Mariposa, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Mariposa, CA there are 32 camps: 13 free, 17 fee, 2 unpriced. The closest is McCabe Flat Campground, 7.5 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Jerseydale, 8.3 miles out. Today's season read covers 1 of them: 1 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 29 on the Forest Service; 2 on the BLM; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCabe Flat Campground | 7.5 | Unpriced | Good Gulch (stream) | 5.8 mi to Midpines | — |
| Jerseydale | 8.3 | Free | Snow Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Darrah | — |
| Railroad Flat Campground | 9.1 | Unpriced | Merced River (river) | 6.3 mi to Bagby | — |
| Dirt Flat Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to El Portal | — |
| Dry Gulch Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to El Portal | — |
| Montgomery Gulch | 15 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Clearing House | — |
| Summit Camp | 15 | Free | East Fork Chowchilla River (stream) | 2.9 mi to Wawona | — |
| Anderson Valley | 17 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Sequoia | — |
| Middle Bridge | 18 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Summerdale | 19 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Lower Bridge | 19 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Yosemite Forks | — |
| Goat Meadow Dispersed Campsite | 19 | Free | Rainier Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Miami Staging Area 1 | 19 | Free | — | — | — |
| Miami Staging Area | 20 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 1.6 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Big Sandy | 21 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Nelder Grove | 22 | Free | California Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Sweetwater | 23 | Fee | Middle Tuolumne River (river) | 1.3 mi to Colfax Spring | — |
| Boggy Meadow 1 | 23 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Lost Claim | 23 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Soquel | 23 | Fee | California Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Old Corral | — |
| Greys Mountain | 23 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Fresno Dome | 23 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| The Pines | 24 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Fish Camp/Big Creek | 24 | Free | Big Creek (stream) | 5.2 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Kelty Meadow | 24 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Texas Flat | 24 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Spinning Wheel | 24 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Crane Valley | 24 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Recreation Point Group Camp | 24 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| South Fork | 24 | Free | — | 2.7 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Lumsden | 24 | Fee | South Fork Tuolumne River (river) | 1.8 mi to Colfax Spring | — |
| Lumsden Bridge | 25 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Buck Meadows | Open |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Mariposa, 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.