0
Pull-thru
USFSPlumas National Forest · California
Frenchman
Overview Frenchman Campground (5,700 feet) sites along the shores of its namesake lake, which boasts 21 miles of shoreline.
Sites6515 reservable
Elev.5,646ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rig50 ft
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento3h19real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 5,646 ft, Frenchman has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 22°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 65 sites total: 15 reservable and 50 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and cool nights. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
96%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 22
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 13.
56°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
149 mi
3h19
02
San Francisco
247 mi
5h29
03
Fresno
285 mi
6h20
04
Los Angeles
543 mi
12h04
05
San Diego
681 mi
15h08
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 6.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 65 SITES
Color byShow only
64 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
65
Sites
★ The standout
Site 007
FREN · shaded.
To neighbor
117 ft
Max rig
43 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
1
Peaks
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
6.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.