Free camping near Ponderosa, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Ponderosa, CA there are 35 camps: 14 free, 19 fee, 2 unpriced. The closest is Quaking Aspen, 1.3 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Upper Peppermint Dispersed Area, 1.5 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 32 on the Forest Service; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
| 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 | — |
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.