Free camping near Ponderosa, CA
Yes. 14 of the 35 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Ponderosa, CA are listed as free; 19 charge a fee and 2 have no price on record. The closest free one is Upper Peppermint Dispersed Area, 1.5 miles southeast. The closest camp of any kind is Quaking Aspen, 1.3 miles northwest, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
All 35 camps near Ponderosa, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quaking Aspen | 1.3 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Quaking Aspen | 1.4 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Upper Peppermint Dispersed Area | 1.5 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Lower Peppermint Campground | 3.5 | Unpriced | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.4 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Dispersed camping area 5 | 3.8 | Free | Peppermint Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Belknap | 4.4 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Camp Nelson | — |
| Coy Flat | 5.1 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Pierpoint | — |
| Long Meadow | 9.0 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Wishon | 9.3 | Fee | — | 2.0 mi to Sequoia Crest | — |
| Redwood Meadow | 9.5 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Brush Creek | 10 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Roads End | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 10 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Roads End | — |
| Limestone | 10 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Holey Meadow | 12 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Fairview | 12 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Pine Flat | — |
| Calkins Flat Dispersed Campground | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Chamise Flats Dispersed Camping Area | 14 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Fairview | — |
| Old Goldledge Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Kernville | — |
| Frog Meadow | 16 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugarloaf Mountain Park | — |
| Goldledge | 17 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Horse Meadow Campground | 17 | Fee | Salmon Creek (stream) | 6.6 mi to Roads End | — |
| Horse Meadow | 17 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kernville | — |
| Troy Meadow | 17 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Spring Hill North Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | Gold Ledge Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fairview | — |
| Spring Hill South Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Kernville | — |
| Leavis Flat | 18 | Free | Deer Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Fish Creek | 18 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Kennedy Meadows | — |
| Corral Creek | 18 | Free | Corral Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Riverkern | — |
| White River | 19 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Sugarloaf | — |
| Hospital Flat | 20 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 20 | Free | Kern River (river) | 2.5 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Camp 3 | 21 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Kernville | — |
| Headquarters | 22 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Kernville | — |
| Kennedy Meadows Campground | 23 | Unpriced | South Fork Kern River (river) | 9.7 mi to Dunmovin | — |
| Cedar Creek | 25 | Free | Cedar Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Alta Sierra | — |
Who manages the camps near Ponderosa, CA
Who manages them: 32 on the Forest Service; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
- Sequoia National Forest — 34 camps: 14 free, 19 fee, 1 unpriced
- Inyo National Forest — 1 camp: 1 unpriced
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 35 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Ponderosa, CA
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Ponderosa, 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.