Free camping near Placerville, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Placerville, CA there are 20 camps: 7 free, 12 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Dru Barner Campground, 15 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Ponderosa Cove Group, 16 miles out.
Who manages them: 20 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dru Barner Campground | 15 | Unpriced | Dark Canyon (stream) | 0.8 mi to Balderson Station | — |
| Ponderosa Cove Group | 16 | Free | Rubicon River (river) | 4.0 mi to Leonardi | — |
| Stumpy Meadows Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Black Oak Group | 16 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| West Point Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Capps Crossing Group | 22 | Fee | North Fork Cosumnes River (river) | 1.2 mi to Voss | — |
| Little Oak Flat | 22 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 3.4 mi to Michigan Bluff | — |
| Camino Cove Cg | 22 | Free | Little Silver Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Raffetto | — |
| Pipi Cg | 22 | Fee | — | 7.0 mi to Grizzly Flats | — |
| Inter Bay | 23 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 3.6 mi to Zuver | — |
| Silver Creek Group | 23 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Fashoda Campground | 24 | Fee | Jones Fork Powerhouse Outflow (stream) | 2.0 mi to Jones Place | — |
| Wolf Creek Group | 24 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Jones Fork Cg | 24 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Wolf Creek Cg | 24 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Lone Rock Cg | 24 | Free | — | 13 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Ice House Cg | 24 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Peavine Road | 24 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 3.5 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Yellowjacket Cg | 25 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Spruce Creek Loop | 25 | Free | — | 14 mi to Foresthill | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Placerville, 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.