Free camping near Tahoma, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Tahoma, CA there are 93 camps: 40 free, 49 fee, 4 unpriced. The closest is Meeks Bay Campground, 1.9 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bear Lake, 4.7 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: CA and NV.
Who manages them: 91 on the Forest Service; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeks Bay Campground | 1.9 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Kaspian Campground | 4.0 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Bear Lake | 4.7 | Free | — | 4.7 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Barker | 5.2 | Free | Middle Fork (stream) | 4.1 mi to Homewood | — |
| William Kent Campground | 5.7 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Bayview Campground | 8.1 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to South Lake Tahoe | — |
| Pleasant Cg | 8.6 | Free | Mud Lakes (water) | 8.7 mi to Homewood | — |
| Red Fir Group | 10 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Northshore Cg | 10 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Wentworth Springs Cg | 10 | Free | Gerle Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to Gilberts | — |
| Fallen Leaf Campground | 10 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to South Lake Tahoe | — |
| Loon Lake Group Campgrounds | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Loon Lake Equestrian Group | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Watson Lake Campground | 11 | Unpriced | Watson Lake (water) | 2.7 mi to Cedar Flat | — |
| Nevada Beach Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Stateline | — |
| Upper Hell Hole Cg | 12 | Free | Lagoon Lake (water) | 7.8 mi to Gilberts | — |
| Silver Creek Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Little Needle Lake | 12 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 3.9 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Picayune | 12 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 4.7 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Head Waters Middle Fork | 12 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 3.7 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Mildred Lakes | 12 | Free | Dolly Creek (stream) | 5.6 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Tells Equestrian Cg | 13 | Free | Tells Creek (stream) | 6.1 mi to Jones Place | — |
| Airport Flat Cg | 14 | Free | Gerle Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Gilberts | — |
| Little American Valley | 14 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 4.5 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Goose Meadow Campground | 14 | Fee | Deep Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Gerle Creek Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Hell Hole Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Gates | 15 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Talbot | 15 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 4.6 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Coyote | 15 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Big Meadows Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| French Meadows | 15 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Wrights Lake Campground | 16 | Unpriced | Wrights Lake (water) | 3.0 mi to Lower Forni | — |
| Ahart | 16 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Lewis | 16 | Fee | French Meadows Reservoir (water) | 8.0 mi to Goggins | — |
| Wrights Lake Campground | 16 | Unpriced | Wrights Lake (water) | 2.8 mi to Lower Forni | — |
| Wrights Lake Equestrian Cg | 16 | Fee | Wrights Lake (water) | 2.7 mi to Lower Forni | — |
| South Fork Group | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Tahoma | — |
| Poppy | 16 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Wench Creek Group | 17 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Wench Creek Cg | 17 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Big Silver Group | 17 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Granite Flat | 17 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Truckee | — |
| Azalea Cove Campground | 17 | Free | Jones Fork Silver Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Jones Place | — |
| Middle Meadows Group | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Yellowjacket Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Lovers Leap Cg & Day Use | 18 | Fee | — | 7.0 mi to Meyers | — |
| Alpine Meadows (Martis Creek) | 18 | Free | Martis Creek Lake (water) | 3.3 mi to Truckee | — |
| Wolf Creek Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Pollock Pines | — |
| Tadpole / Sun Flower Hill Area | 18 | Free | Duncan Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to The Cedars | — |
The other 43 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Tahoma, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Tahoma, 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.