Best Dispersed Camping near Bear Valley Springs, CA

Planning a dispersed camping trip near Bear Valley Springs? Find everything from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking with The Dyrt. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Bear Valley Springs's most popular destinations.

Best Dispersed Sites Near Bear Valley Springs, CA (20)

Showing results 1-10 of 20 campgrounds

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Bear Valley Springs

42 Reviews of 20 Bear Valley Springs Campgrounds


  • Ciara W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    Aug. 7, 2024

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Guy just sitting in trees near the end

    All the spots at the front were taken here so we had to drive almost all the way to end. Don’t go down the final steep hill, you might not make it up. It’s very tight there and you have to do a 20 point turn to turn back.

    We walked down the hill and our friend saw some random guy come out the trees and follow us as we were walking back up. He might be living there because there was so much trash

    2 stars because the area itself is nice, there’s the river nearby and internet was good

  • Caroline D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Stine Cove Recreation Site
    May. 4, 2024

    Stine Cove Recreation Site

    the spot looked perfect, but the location didn't match

    we looked around the indicated GPS point but at this location, but house or ranch, nothing that looks like the photos posted previously. too bad the spot looked magnificent but with night falling and fatigue from the road we finally slept facing the road in the post office parking lot.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    Mar. 25, 2024

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Stayed a night

    We pulled in at night time around 10:30PM. I was scared it would be sketchy, but turned out to be a smooth dirt road. We encountered multiple other campers as well before we found a suitable turnout. Loved the accessibility. We woke up to a beautiful little spot near the water; would definitely camp again here

  • ZThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hanning Flat Dispersed Area
    Dec. 22, 2023

    Hanning Flat Dispersed Area

    Nice quiet spot, 4x4 ideal

    We were looking for a place to car camp on our way up toward sequoia and stopped here. Was easy to locate even at night. Would suggest 4x4 and wouldn’t recommend heavier vehicles as it’s a sandy dried up lake bed and we had to dig ourselves out in the morning. No fire pits or bathrooms.

  • Sharyn A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Stine Cove Recreation Site
    Oct. 27, 2023

    Stine Cove Recreation Site

    Camping at lake since 1957

    I’ve been camping at This lake since I was 11. My favorite place caught 100’s of fish out of there. I’ve camped in all the camps over the years but I like steins cove when we had a boat. Camp right on the water and the price is right FREE. I live in Az now but when we go back we always hit the lake.  Love it great memories with my mom and dad and our kids and grandkids. Enjoy❤️

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Chico Flat Dispersed Camping - Partially Closed, See Description
    Aug. 29, 2023

    Chico Flat Dispersed Camping - Partially Closed, See Description

    Quiet and near the river

    Found this campground on a spontaneous camping trip to the Kern River. There were only two other groups there and they were far enough away that we couldn't hear them at all. Just the sounds of the river, the crickets and the birds. The stargazing at night was spectacular. The site we chose was a bit of a rocky walk from the car, but worth it to have a more private spot.  The vault toilets were open and very clean and not very smelly. We could not go swimming here, had to go to another day area for that. The tent was in the sun, so the morning/afternoon was hot. But there was a tree to hang out under. Our T-Mobile and AT&T phones did not work at all. Overall great experience.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from East Mojave Camp
    Aug. 13, 2023

    East Mojave Camp

    Very very remote

    Very remote absolutely nothing out there. Definitely somewhere you need to be aware of your surroundings. You can get far enough away from the highway that you don’t need to worry about people driving by. There is nothing out here. The road to it is unmarked and very unmaintained Would definitely recommend high clearance vehicle if you want to be further away then 100 feet from the highway. Lots of wash outs. Beautiful sunrise. We were the only people there.

  • Marc L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Black Gulch South Dispersed Camping
    May. 15, 2023

    Black Gulch South Dispersed Camping

    I didn't make it

    I'm driving a large Nissan can converted into a camper. I made it to where Forest route 26S06 meets black gulch. I might have made it the rest of the way but it was getting dark and scary. A motor home or camper trailer would surely not make it. The whole Keyesville SRMA is open for dispersed camping.

  • Raven P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    Feb. 9, 2023

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Free Camping

    Access to the river is closed as of 26 January, still plenty of dispersed places down the road to camp. Bathrooms and trash dump and lots of trails to ride bikes! Some of the sites are a little rough for trailer access.

  • therealquaid D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hanning Flat Dispersed Area
    Nov. 3, 2022

    Hanning Flat Dispersed Area

    Secluded, 15min away from convenience store and dump station.

    I’ve camped here multiple times, sometimes with multiple RVs in a group, it’s very private with wide vistas.

    Sometimes you can go days without a single car passing by, and there are a lot of spots to just camp since it is all completely level. There are a lot of insects, birds, and the occasional cow and deer.

    To swim in the lake this area connects to Stine Cove campground - via a very soft sandy road - which is also free, has a vault toilet, but is shaded by mountains and less private.

    There’s a $12 dump station with potable water at Camp 9 and one at Old Isabella Recreation Site.

    T-mobile was very slow but Verizon had a good connection.

    Heads up that the lake is MUCH lower than anything you see on satellite view, from Stine Cove I still had to walk 30min before getting to the shore.

  • l
    Camper-submitted photo from Chico Flat Dispersed Camping - Partially Closed, See Description
    Sep. 6, 2022

    Chico Flat Dispersed Camping - Partially Closed, See Description

    Not Great

    Chico Flat Dispersed Campsite offers many areas with flat ground to tent upon, as well as a large parking lot to car camp if that’s your thing. However there aren’t loads of trees to hammock camp on. You cannot build a campfire here. There is a pit toilet. There is river access right next to the campsite. There is also spotty cell reception if you want that.

    Let it be known, this campsite is not clean. The previous campers that came long before me left two things: trash, and a message. There was a menagerie of bottle caps and broken glass strewn practically everywhere for me to pick up. This can be said for dare I say everywhere in this whole campsite. Additionally, this trash acted as a proverbial “go ahead” for other people to litter and make the litter situation worse; not cool.

    If you want to really get away from people, don’t come here. When I went people brought the whole kit-and-kaboodle: a suburb of tents, gas generators, bright lights, loud music, etcetera.

    Perhaps this isn’t how this site always is, but man it got crowded, noisy, and annoying. I’ll spare you from the whole story.

    If you’re looking for a quick spot to crash, look no further. If you’re intent on bringing generators, lights, dogs and speakers, this is unfortunately for you. If you’re looking to get away and spend time in nature like myself, this isn’t for you.

  • Michael D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Hanning Flat Dispersed Area
    Aug. 9, 2022

    Hanning Flat Dispersed Area

    Decent dispersed spot just south of Sequoia NP

    We stayed here in June and there were plenty of open spots we just couldnt see many since it was dark. We eventually found a spot about half a mile back. Only one other person nearby. We had a few bars of service on verizon and at&t.

    Overall nice secluded spot off the road with great scenery would recommend

  • therealquaid D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    May. 4, 2022

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Plenty of sites and beautiful nature

    You can park RVs right next to the water but it gets very busy, there are more secluded spots accessible to even Class A rigs further down. My Class C was able to make it through a few of the dirt roads no problem. Best part is the nature, trails, river, fire rings almost everywhere you need, dumpster and vault toilet near the main road. Worst part was the dirt bikes passing by my campsite on the weekends but it wasn’t loud honestly. The busiest spot is the one down next to the river , easily 20+ vehicles on an April weekend.

  • Louis G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    May. 1, 2022

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Keyesville Recreation Area

    dispersed camping along keyesville rd. big open areas for group or big rig camping, lots of pullouts with fire rings. vault toilets and dumpsters at staging areas. this recreation area has lots of trash, easily could spend days picking litter. keyesville rd. has plenty of traffic though from 2200hrs til morning is fairly quiet. it’s a rec area, so with that in mind the weekends are getting busy. a lot of motocross, ohv and atv traffic from late thurs to sunday. other than that it is a wonderful free camping.

  • Aliza  N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Stine Cove Recreation Site
    Jan. 26, 2022

    Stine Cove Recreation Site

    Not our favorite!

    We pulled in to spend the night on our way to Death Valley. We ended up leaving and camping down the road at Hanning Flat. Was a big open dirt area with not much more than some scrub grass. Didn’t seem like a lot of privacy or character.

  • Aliza  N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hanning Flat Dispersed Area
    Jan. 26, 2022

    Hanning Flat Dispersed Area

    Quiet, solitude and…..cows!

    We stopped here on our way to Death Valley and ended up staying for several days because we love it so much! There’s another dispersed site a few miles away (Stine Cove) and we found this one to be much more pleasant. The two are actually connected by dirt roads. Our site was shaded and had a fire pit as well as trees perfectly spaced for our hammock. Temps were lovely during the day, but quite chilly at night and during the mornings/evenings.

    The area is also used by lots of cows for grazing so beware of the patties and lots of mooing. They didn’t bother us, we actually quite enjoyed watching them.

    Literal MILES of dispersed sites so plenty of room to spread out. There’s a bit high spot of rocks in the middle at the beginning of the road which was great to climb for sunset views!

  • C
    Camper-submitted photo from Stine Cove Recreation Site
    Jan. 11, 2022

    Stine Cove Recreation Site

    Great spot.

    Took a bit to find as the marker on this map isn’t where the entry is. Go past it and take a left on Sierra way, follow to Stine Cove. Toilets and trash at entrance. The dam is being rebuilt so the water is real low. Easy to drive along the beach until nobody else is around. Great views, sunsets, sunrise, stars, cows… truly wonderful. Early January (2022) is great temps for me around 65. Nights are windy so prepare accordingly.

  • Kiley S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Hanning Flat Dispersed Area
    Jul. 18, 2021

    Hanning Flat Dispersed Area

    STOKED to Find This Spot

    On my way into Sequoia NF I was so excited to see Hanning Flats dispersed camping area. My pup and I stayed for three nights and didn’t see another person or vehicle the whole time. So peaceful, quiet, sunny, green. My dog did get lots of ticks and we had a mouse find its way into the van but I still really have no complaints. Such a gorgeous spot, lovely sunsets and sunrises. We loved walking on the sandy dirt roads at golden hour. My van is only 2WD and did fine. As with all dispersed camping.. pack in pack out and we found a pre-made site to park at. No services/facilities. About 35 mins to Isabella for groceries/gas. We will be back :)

  • Natalie T.
    Camper-submitted photo from Jawbone Canyon OHV Area — Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area
    Jul. 11, 2021

    Jawbone Canyon OHV Area — Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area

    Lots of space to spread out!

    Came here with friends to ride and we had a great time. We showed up on a Friday with plenty of sites still available. Everything is so spread out that we had a lot of privacy to ourselves.

    It can get really warm so we set up under a shaded tree which helped a lot. We had a fire pit for the evenings too, so that was nice.

    Lots of trails to ride - for beginners to advanced. We zipped around in a side by side and everyone was responsible and nice.

    I'd definitely recommend this spot of you are looking for a quiet place to camp with privacy and ample space.

  • Amber G.
    Camper-submitted photo from Stine Cove Recreation Site
    May. 26, 2021

    Stine Cove Recreation Site

    Beauty between mountains

    There are several very dispersed spots, but its all open so dont expect too much privacy or shelter from the wind. Gorgeous sunset to sunrise. Watch eagles prey on ducks, pelicans gather, hear the frogs croak. Gnats get a little crazy before the bats show up. Nightime lights permeate the sky across the lake, but star viewing is still possible.



Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Bear Valley Springs, CA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Bear Valley Springs, CA is Stine Cove Recreation Site with a 3.8-star rating from 13 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Bear Valley Springs, CA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 20 dispersed camping locations near Bear Valley Springs, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.