Free camping near Soda Springs, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Soda Springs, CA there are 148 camps: 80 free, 56 fee, 12 unpriced. The closest is Castle Peak, 2.4 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Castle Peak, 2.4 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 147 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Peak | 2.4 | Free | Upper Castle Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Soda Springs | — |
| Summit Lake | 3.4 | Free | Summit Lake (water) | 2.5 mi to Norden | — |
| Cascade Lake / Long Lake | 3.4 | Free | — | 1.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Sterling Lake | 6.4 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Hampshire Rocks | 6.6 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| White Rock | 6.6 | Free | White Rock Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Soda Springs | — |
| Loch Leven Lakes Dispersed Camping | 7.3 | Free | — | — | — |
| Woodchuck | 7.5 | Free | Rattlesnake Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Rainbow | — |
| Big Bend | 7.6 | Fee | — | 4.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Alder Creek | 8.6 | Free | Alder Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Meadow Knoll Ohv | 8.6 | Fee | — | 7.2 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Meadow Lake | 8.8 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Meadow Lake Shoreline | 8.9 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Granite Flat | 9.4 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Truckee | — |
| Talbot | 9.5 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 4.6 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Little American Valley | 9.6 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 4.5 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Sagehen Creek | 10.0 | Free | Sagehen Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Goose Meadow Campground | 10 | Fee | Deep Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Head Waters Middle Fork | 10 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 3.7 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Indian Springs Campground | 10 | Fee | South Yuba River (river) | 2.2 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Beyers Lakes | 10 | Free | Beyers Lakes (water) | 0.9 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
| Little Needle Lake | 11 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 3.9 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Picayune | 11 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 4.7 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Mears Meadow | 11 | Free | — | 8.1 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Five Lakes Basin | 11 | Free | Granite Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
| Pierce Creek | 11 | Free | Eagle Lakes (water) | 3.5 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Tadpole / Sun Flower Hill Area | 11 | Free | Duncan Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Mildred Lakes | 12 | Free | Dolly Creek (stream) | 5.6 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Lake Valley | 12 | Free | North Fork of the North Fork of the American River (river) | 3.0 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Silver Creek Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Lakeside Campground | 12 | Fee | Alder Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Prosser Family Campground | 12 | Fee | Alder Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Soda Springs | 12 | Free | Little Duncan Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Lake of the Woods Campground | 12 | Unpriced | Lake of the Woods (water) | 6.1 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Prosser Ranch | 12 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Truckee | — |
| Ahart | 12 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Big Valley Bluff | 12 | Free | Tadpole Creek (stream) | 5.8 mi to Cisco Grove | — |
| Sanford Lake | 13 | Free | Sanford Lake (water) | 3.4 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
| Canada Hill | 13 | Free | Tadpole Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Grouse Ridge | 13 | Free | — | 7.8 mi to Graniteville | — |
| Coyote | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Canyon Creek | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Gates | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Robinson Flat Campground | 13 | Free | Little Duncan Creek (stream) | 6.5 mi to Greekstore | — |
| Lower Little Truckee | 13 | Fee | — | 9.4 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Annie Mcloud | 13 | Free | Prosser Creek (river) | 2.9 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Lewis | 13 | Fee | French Meadows Reservoir (water) | 8.0 mi to Goggins | — |
| Little Lasier Meadow Horse Camp | 14 | Fee | Pass Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Baltimore Town | — |
| Upper Little Truckee | 14 | Fee | — | 8.9 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Alpine Meadows (Martis Creek) | 14 | Free | Martis Creek Lake (water) | 3.3 mi to Truckee | — |
The other 98 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Soda Springs, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Soda Springs, 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.