Sawmill Mountain (FR 01S03) in CA -- Free Camping & Overnight Parking in California
Sawmill Mountain (FR 01S03) in CA
A 21.7-mile stretch of gravel National Forest road in Tuolumne County, CA. The road serves Gold Queen Mine. The road is open seasonally, April 15 to December 15.
Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland Ranger District allows dispersed camping here -- 21-day limit in any 365 days. Camp at least 100 ft from water. Open seasonally, April 16 to December 14.
9.4 of the 21.7 miles in are maintained only for high-clearance vehicles. Mostly gravel, with 3 miles of dirt. Stretches run along a shelf with a drop of up to ~160 ft on the downhill side. Winds through 17 switchbacks. Dead-end road -- no mapped turnaround; expect to back out or unhitch.
A well-travelled stretch -- travellers have camped along here. Exposed here -- the nearest through road is 0.1 miles off. The Fish Pond shoreline is 0.7 mi off. Night skies measure Bortle 3 -- a dark rural sky. The nearest town, Pine Mountain Lake, is 3.8 mi off.
September normals 53–85°F, 0.2″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Set by Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland Ranger District. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.
fs.usda.gov