Free camping near Truckee, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Truckee, CA there are 105 camps: 52 free, 41 fee, 12 unpriced. The closest is Alder Creek, 2.1 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Alder Creek, 2.1 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: CA and NV.
Who manages them: 104 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Creek | 2.1 | Free | Alder Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Prosser Family Campground | 2.6 | Fee | Alder Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Lakeside Campground | 2.6 | Fee | Alder Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Prosser Ranch | 2.7 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Truckee | — |
| Granite Flat | 3.4 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Truckee | — |
| Annie Mcloud | 3.7 | Free | Prosser Creek (river) | 2.9 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Alpine Meadows (Martis Creek) | 4.3 | Free | Martis Creek Lake (water) | 3.3 mi to Truckee | — |
| Boca | 5.5 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Floriston | — |
| Nevada CountyDave slept here | 5.6 | Free | Little Truckee River (river) | 2.5 mi to Russell Valley | — |
| Goose Meadow Campground | 6.4 | Fee | Deep Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Sagehen Creek | 6.7 | Free | Sagehen Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Hobart Mills | — |
| Summit Lake | 6.9 | Free | Summit Lake (water) | 2.5 mi to Norden | — |
| Boca Rest | 7.5 | Fee | — | 4.2 mi to Floriston | — |
| Boyington Mill | 8.3 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to Floriston | — |
| Boca Springs | 8.3 | Fee | Little Truckee River (river) | 3.6 mi to Russell Valley | — |
| Logger | 8.8 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Verdi | — |
| Silver Creek Cg | 8.8 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Castle Peak | 9.1 | Free | Upper Castle Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Soda Springs | — |
| Emigrant Campground | 9.2 | Fee | Little Truckee River (river) | 2.6 mi to Russell Valley | — |
| Watson Lake Campground | 9.3 | Unpriced | Watson Lake (water) | 2.7 mi to Cedar Flat | — |
| Lower Little Truckee | 9.6 | Fee | — | 9.4 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Upper Little Truckee | 10 | Fee | — | 8.9 mi to Sierraville | — |
| White Rock | 12 | Free | White Rock Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Soda Springs | — |
| Hoke / Verdi | 12 | Free | Merril Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Verdi-Sierra Pines | — |
| Head Waters Middle Fork | 12 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 3.7 mi to Olympic Valley | — |
| Little Needle Lake | 13 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 3.9 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Cascade Lake / Long Lake | 13 | Free | — | 1.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Little American Valley | 14 | Free | Middle Fork American River (stream) | 4.5 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Picayune | 14 | Free | Little Needle Lake (water) | 4.7 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Bear Valley Ohv | 14 | Free | Bear Valley Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Sierraville | — |
| William Kent Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Talbot | 15 | Free | Middle Fork American River (river) | 4.6 mi to The Cedars | — |
| Cold Creek | 15 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Lake of the Woods Campground | 15 | Unpriced | Lake of the Woods (water) | 6.1 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Mildred Lakes | 15 | Free | Dolly Creek (stream) | 5.6 mi to Alpine Meadows | — |
| Hunter Camp 2 Campground | 15 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Verdi-Sierra Pines | — |
| Cottonwood | 15 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Sierraville | — |
| Smithneck | 16 | Free | Smithneck Creek (stream) | 8.1 mi to Loyalton | — |
| Sterling Lake | 16 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Mt. Rose Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Incline | — |
| Meadow Knoll Ohv | 16 | Fee | — | 7.2 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Mount Rose Campground | 16 | Unpriced | Tamarack Lake (water) | 4.0 mi to Franktown | — |
| Hunter Camp 4 | 16 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Verdi-Sierra Pines | — |
| Kaspian Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Sunnyside-Tahoe | — |
| Dog Valley Campground | 17 | Free | — | — | — |
| Hampshire Rocks | 17 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Meadow Lake Shoreline | 17 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Meadow Lake | 17 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Kingvale | — |
| Loch Leven Lakes Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | — | — | — |
| Woodchuck | 17 | Free | Rattlesnake Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Rainbow | — |
The other 55 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Truckee, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Truckee, 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.