Free camping near Mountain Mesa, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Mountain Mesa, CA there are 49 camps: 18 free, 24 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Paradise Cove, 1.3 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Isabella lake dispersed camping, 3.5 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 39 on the Forest Service; 8 on the BLM; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Cove | 1.3 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| South Fork Rec | 2.2 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| Auxiliary Dam | 3.1 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Isabella lake dispersed camping | 3.5 | Free | South Fork Kern River (river) | 2.4 mi to Weldon | — |
| Camp 9 Recreation Area | 3.6 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Boulder Gulch | 4.2 | Fee | — | 2.6 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Hungry Gulch | 4.3 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| French Gulch | 4.4 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Main Dam | 4.4 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Pioneer Point | 4.6 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Tillie Creek #4 | 4.9 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Tillie Creek | 5.1 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Live Oak Group | 5.2 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Sandy Flat | 7.9 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Black Gulch South | 7.9 | Free | Clear Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Hobo | 8.4 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Evans Flat | 10 | Free | Greenhorn Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pettit Place | — |
| Kiavah Wilderness | 11 | Unpriced | — | 6.0 mi to Onyx | — |
| Headquarters | 11 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Kernville | — |
| Camp 3 | 12 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Kernville | — |
| Cedar Creek | 12 | Free | Cedar Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Alta Sierra | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 13 | Free | Kern River (river) | 2.5 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Hospital Flat | 13 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Bright Star Wilderness | 14 | Unpriced | Kelso Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Sageland | — |
| Corral Creek | 15 | Free | Corral Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Spring Hill South Dispersed Camping | 15 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Kernville | — |
| Breckenridge | 16 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Havilah | — |
| Spring Hill North Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | Gold Ledge Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fairview | — |
| Breckenridge Campground | 16 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Havilah | — |
| Goldledge | 16 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Old Goldledge Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Kernville | — |
| Horse Meadow Campground | 18 | Fee | Salmon Creek (stream) | 6.6 mi to Roads End | — |
| Horse Meadow | 18 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kernville | — |
| Domeland Wilderness | 18 | Unpriced | Palome Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Frog Meadow | 19 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugarloaf Mountain Park | — |
| White River | 19 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Sugarloaf | — |
| Chamise Flats Dispersed Camping Area | 19 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Fairview | — |
| Calkins Flat Dispersed Campground | 20 | Free | — | — | — |
| Fairview | 20 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Pine Flat | — |
| Chimney Peak Recreation Area | 21 | Free | — | 7.0 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Kiavah Wilderness | 22 | Unpriced | — | 12 mi to Inyokern | — |
| Pacific Crest- Owens Peak Segment | 22 | Unpriced | Three Pines Canyon (stream) | 8.0 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Chimney Peak Wilderness | 23 | Unpriced | — | 8.4 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Leavis Flat | 23 | Free | Deer Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Limestone | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Brush Creek | 23 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Roads End | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 23 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Roads End | — |
| Holey Meadow | 25 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Dove Springs Ohv Area | 25 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Mountain Mesa, 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.