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A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

Forest Service campground

Kelty Meadow

Forest Service campground in Sierra National Forest, Madera County, California.

Reserve on Recreation.gov
Managed by
Forest Service Sierra National Forest
Sites
15 8 tent only non-electric, 7 standard non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Madera County

Overview

Kelty Meadow Campground is located in a mountainous area near Bass Lake. This horse-friendly camp is shaded by pine and cedar trees alongside Kelty Creek, with campsites wide and open enough to accommodate small horse trailers, slide-ins, tent trailers or tents.

Recreation

Visitors enjoy horseback riding on logging and forest roads in the surrounding area. Most other recreational activities in the area are centered around Bass Lake.

Bass Lake offers a beach and boat ramp. Popular activities include hiking, swimming, motorized boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, sailing and fishing for bass, trout, bluegill and catfish.

Facilities

Each campsite is equipped with a picnic table, campfire ring and grill. Some sites have hitching posts.

Vault toilets are available. Drinking water is not provided, but a stock water supply is available from the creek.

Natural Features

The Sierra National Forest, located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada, is known for its spectacular mountain scenery and abundant natural resources. The terrain includes rolling, oak-covered foothills, heavily forested middle elevation slopes and the starkly beautiful alpine landscape of the High Sierra.

Kelty Meadow Campground is located in the Bass Lake Ranger District at an elevation of 3,400 feet. Bass Lake is a very popular area known for its variety of fish, as well as the bald and golden eagles that make their home here.

Nearby Attractions

A trailhead for the Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail is a few miles south of the campground. This 1-mile interpretive trail gives visitors the opportunity to learn about giant sequoias that grow in this forest.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • hiking

The land around Kelty Meadow

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in. The federal record’s point for it sits at a very different height from the one the agency describes, so the pin may be off: trust the directions above over the map.

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 March 11, 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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