Free camping near Olancha, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Olancha, CA there are 34 camps: 21 free, 6 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Coso Range Wilderness, 8.4 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is BLM dispersed camp #4 — Inyo County, CA, 22 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 26 on the BLM; 7 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coso Range Wilderness | 8.4 | Unpriced | — | 8.8 mi to Olancha | — |
| Cottonwood Pass Walk In Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Horseshoe Meadow Equestrian Camp | 16 | Fee | — | 9.8 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Cottonwood Lakes Walk In Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 9.7 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Kennedy Meadows Campground | 17 | Unpriced | South Fork Kern River (river) | 9.7 mi to Dunmovin | — |
| Fish Creek | 18 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Troy Meadow | 19 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Bishop Field Office | 19 | Unpriced | South Fork Lubken Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #4 — Inyo County, CA | 22 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Sacatar Trail Wilderness | 22 | Unpriced | — | 10 mi to Dunmovin | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 23 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 23 | Free | Tuttle Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM Designated Campsite | 23 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Movie Road | 23 | Unpriced | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #13 | 24 | Free | — | — | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #11 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #8 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #9 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #2 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #12 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #10 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #3 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #4 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #5 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #6 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Inyo CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.5 mi to Alabama Hills | — |
| Darwin Falls Wilderness | 24 | Unpriced | — | 3.9 mi to Darwin | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — CA #7 | 24 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp — Inyo County, CA | 25 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #14 — Inyo County, CA | 25 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Lone Pine | — |
| Salt Tram | 25 | Unpriced | — | 8.4 mi to Keeler | — |
| Lone Pine Campground | 25 | Fee | — | — | — |
| BLM dispersed camp #3 — Inyo County, CA | 25 | Free | Lone Pine Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lone Pine | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Olancha, 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.