Free camping near Yosemite Lakes, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Yosemite Lakes, CA there are 32 camps: 13 free, 19 fee. The closest is San Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area, 14 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Lower Bridge, 16 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 30 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin River Gorge Special Recreation Management Area | 14 | Fee | San Joaquin River (water) | 3.3 mi to New Auberry | — |
| Forks Campground | 14 | Fee | Bass Lake (water) | 0.8 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Recreation Point Group Camp | 14 | Fee | — | 0.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Crane Valley | 14 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Spring Cove Campground | 15 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to The Pines | — |
| Lupine | 15 | Fee | Bass Lake (water) | 0.7 mi to The Pines | — |
| Wishon Point Campground | 15 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to The Pines | — |
| Lower Bridge | 16 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Yosemite Forks | — |
| Middle Bridge | 17 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Miami Staging Area 1 | 18 | Free | — | — | — |
| Gertrude Creek West | 18 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 0.3 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| Miami Staging Area | 18 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 1.6 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| In Sierra National ForestDave slept here | 18 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Auberry | — |
| Chilkoot | 18 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Whiskers | 19 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Greys Mountain | 19 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Soquel | 19 | Fee | California Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Old Corral | — |
| Whisky Falls | 20 | Free | Whisky Creek (stream) | 3.9 mi to Cascadel Woods | — |
| Gertrude Creek East | 20 | Free | — | 5.6 mi to North Fork | — |
| Nelder Grove | 20 | Free | California Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Gaggs Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Texas Flat | 21 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Kelty Meadow | 22 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Big Sandy | 22 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Boggy Meadow 1 | 22 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summerdale | 22 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Fresno Dome | 22 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Goat Meadow Dispersed Campsite | 23 | Free | Rainier Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summit Camp | 23 | Free | East Fork Chowchilla River (stream) | 2.9 mi to Wawona | — |
| Fish Camp/Big Creek | 23 | Free | Big Creek (stream) | 5.2 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Fish Creek | 24 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Creek | — |
| Rock Creek | 24 | Fee | — | — | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Yosemite Lakes, 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.