Camping near Los Angeles, California

Camping near Los Angeles, California includes 44 public campgrounds on record, 9 reservable and 34 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Gould Mesa, is 18 miles from Los Angeles in a straight line, and none is within 15 miles. 18 are free. Another 2 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Los Angeles.

Camping near Los Angeles at a glance

Public campgrounds: 44 (44 National Forest)
Getting a site: 9 reservable and 34 first-come
Cost: 18 free; lowest posted fee at Big Rock: "Single Site: $5 per night"
Distance from Los Angeles: 18 miles (Gould Mesa) to 53 miles (Los Alamos Group Campground) in a straight line; none within 15 miles
Elevation: 1,700 ft (Zuni) to 7,749 ft (Jackson Flats), 43 of 44 on record
Season: 3 seasonal with posted dates
Campsites: 398 across the 9 campgrounds that state a count
RVs: 8 take RVs; hookups at Pyramid Lake - Los Alamos Campground; longest stated RV length 61 ft (Table Mountain Campground)
Drinking water: 8 of 44

Distances are straight-line miles from Los Angeles's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.

Gould Mesa Los Angeles · National Forest · 17.7 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Oakwilde Los Angeles · National Forest · 20.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Millard Los Angeles · National Forest · 20.5 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Mt. Lowe Los Angeles · National Forest · 22.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Idlehour Los Angeles · National Forest · 22.8 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Live Oak Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 24.8 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Hoegees Los Angeles · National Forest · 25.2 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Valley Forge Los Angeles · National Forest · 25.2 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Spruce Grove Los Angeles · National Forest · 25.8 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

West Fork Los Angeles · National Forest · 26 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Devore Los Angeles · National Forest · 26.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Lightning Point Los Angeles · National Forest · 27.6 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Lightning Point Group Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 27.6 mi · Reservable

Sites: 6
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Messenger Flats Los Angeles · National Forest · 28 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Spring Camp Los Angeles · National Forest · 28.2 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Coulter Group Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 30.7 mi · Reservable

Sites: 1
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop Los Angeles · National Forest · 30.8 mi · Reservable

Sites: 43
Season: 01-01 to 12-31
Fee: Site: $5–$20 per night

Meadow Group Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 30.8 mi · Reservable

Sites: 2
Season: 03-31 to 11-19
Fee: Standard nonelectric: $36–$120 per night

Mt. Pacifico Los Angeles · National Forest · 33.1 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Zuni Los Angeles · National Forest · 33.9 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Streamside Los Angeles · National Forest · 36.7 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Coldbrook Los Angeles · National Forest · 37.6 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $20 per night

Basin Los Angeles · National Forest · 37.8 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Sage Los Angeles · National Forest · 38.1 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Day Use:

Rocky Point Los Angeles · National Forest · 38.3 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Day Use:

Crystal Lake Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 39 mi · Reservable

Sites: 131
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $20 per night (1 vehicle included per site)

Deer Flat Group Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 39.2 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Overnight Use:

Spunky Los Angeles · National Forest · 40.8 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Jackson Flats Los Angeles · National Forest · 42.2 mi · Reservable

Sites: 5
Season: 05-13 to 09-24
Fee: Standard nonelectric: $180–$230 per night

Prospect Los Angeles · National Forest · 42.6 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

South Fork Los Angeles · National Forest · 42.6 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $20 per night

Southfork Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 42.6 mi · Not on record

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Cottonwood Los Angeles · National Forest · 43.2 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Sycamore Flat Los Angeles · National Forest · 43.2 mi · Reservable

Sites: 11
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $20 per night

Cienaga Los Angeles · National Forest · 43.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Oak Flat Los Angeles · National Forest · 43.9 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Big Rock Los Angeles · National Forest · 44.3 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Upper Shake Los Angeles · National Forest · 46.9 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

Lupine Los Angeles · National Forest · 47.6 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Sawmill Los Angeles · National Forest · 48 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $5 per night

Pyramid Lake - Los Alamos Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 48.1 mi · Reservable

Sites: 96
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Table Mountain Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 48.3 mi · Reservable

Sites: 103
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $30 per night

Los Alamos Los Angeles · National Forest · 52.4 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Overnight:

Los Alamos Group Campground Los Angeles · National Forest · 52.5 mi · First-come

Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Overnight:

More campgrounds within 30 miles of Los Angeles

Bear Canyon, 22 miles from Los Angeles in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near La Ca¿¿ada Flintridge.
Monte Cristo, 28 miles from Los Angeles in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near La Ca¿¿ada Flintridge.

Things to do near Los Angeles

Public land and water within 30 miles of Los Angeles, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

Kenneth Hahn Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 2.4 miles from Los Angeles; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Will Rogers State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 6.3 miles from Los Angeles; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Will Rogers State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 6.3 miles from Los Angeles; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
MacArthur Park Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 8.1 miles from Los Angeles; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Echo Park Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 9.4 miles from Los Angeles; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Topanga State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 10 miles from Los Angeles; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Alondra Park Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Los Angeles; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Los Angeles State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 11 miles from Los Angeles; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Los Encinos State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 11 miles from Los Angeles; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Hollenbeck Park Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Los Angeles; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Los Angeles

Nearest emergency room

Cedar-sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital

4650 Lincoln Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA, 3.1 miles from Los Angeles . (310) 823-8911

Next nearest: Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical Center, 757 Westwood Plz, Los Angeles, CA, 3.8 miles , (310) 825-6301.

In an emergency, call 911.

Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .

Groceries: West LA International Market convenience store · 0.1 miles
A&S Market convenience store · 0.2 miles
Supermercado Brazil convenience store · 0.2 miles
Fuel: Arco fuel station · 0.5 miles
Shell fuel station · 0.6 miles
76 fuel station · 0.6 miles
Propane: Lava Propane propane dealer · 10 miles
Airgas propane dealer · 17 miles
RV dump station: Dockweiler RV Park RV park · 6.4 miles
Dockweiler Beach RV Park RV park · 6.5 miles
Hollywood RV Park service point · 14 miles · (818) 785-0949
Potable water fill: Cabrillo Marina Boat Pump Out service point · 22 miles
Pharmacy: The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy · 0.6 miles
CVS Pharmacy pharmacy · 0.7 miles · Hours Mo-Fr 08:00-20:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 10:00-18:00
Brotman Medical Pharmacy pharmacy · 0.8 miles
Laundromat: LaunderLand laundromat · 0.2 miles
The Laundry Room laundromat · 0.4 miles
Tiffany's Laundry laundromat · 0.9 miles

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Los Angeles: ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.

Common questions

Where can I camp around Los Angeles, CA?

44 public campgrounds are on record near Los Angeles. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Gould Mesa (18 miles), Oakwilde (20 miles), Millard (21 miles), Mt. Lowe (22 miles), and 40 more. 34 are first-come, first-served with no reservations and 9 book through Recreation.gov.

Is there free camping near Los Angeles, CA?

Yes: Cienaga, Cottonwood, Devore, Gould Mesa, and 14 more charge no fee at the campground.

Where can I camp with an RV near Los Angeles, CA?

8 campgrounds near Los Angeles take RVs: Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop, Coulter Group Campground, Crystal Lake Campground, Lightning Point Group Campground, and 4 more. Pyramid Lake - Los Alamos Campground has hookups. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Dockweiler RV Park, 6.4 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).

Where can I go tent camping near Los Angeles, CA?

Mt. Pacifico lists tent or walk-in sites on record.

Where can I camp near Los Angeles with drinking water?

Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop, Crystal Lake Campground, Jackson Flats, Los Alamos, and 4 more have potable water on record.

Where is the nearest emergency room to Los Angeles, CA?

Cedar-sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital, 4650 Lincoln Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA, is 3.1 miles from Los Angeles in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (310) 823-8911. In an emergency, call 911.

Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California .