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A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Bureau of Land Management camping area

Chimney Peak Recreation Area

Bureau of Land Management camping area, Tulare County, California. 27.9 miles from Ridgecrest.

Managed by
Bureau of Land Management
Reservations
Not reservable Usually first come, first served. Confirm with the office
County
Tulare County

7/17/2024- Chimney Peak, Long Valley campgrounds and portion of the Pacific Crest Trail are closed due to wildland fire danger

Overview

Chimney Peak Recreation Area includes most of the Bakersfield Field Office's Southern Sierra Recreation sites and Wilderness areas, including Domelands Wilderness, Sacatar Trail Wilderness, Owens Peak Wilderness, Chimney Peak Wilderness, Long Valley Campground, Chimney Creek Campground, Walker Pass Campground, the Owens Peak segment of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, Lamont Peak and other Wilderness trails, and the Chimney Peak Backcountry byway. The area consists of approximately 105,000 acres stretching from north of California State Highway 178 to the edge of the Field Office near Kennedy Meadows. This rugged section of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains offers a number of excellent opportunities for hiking, bakcpacking, day hiking, horseback riding, and outstanding opportunities for primitive recreation and experiences of solitude and isolation.

The description, directions and fees are the Bureau of Land Management’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • accessible swimming
  • camping
  • hiking
  • horseback riding
  • hunting
  • photography
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Chimney Peak Recreation Area

The ringed pin is this camping area; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Nearest campgrounds

Camping near

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated July 23, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.

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