American Canyon Campground
American Canyon Campground is a national forest campground in California. Hookups: no hookups.
- Type
- National forest campground
- Location
- California
- Coordinates
- 35.27682, -120.30753
- Hookups
- No hookups
- Activities
- Camping, Hunting
- Map
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Phone
- (805) 925-9538
Amenities
- Reservable sites
Only amenities a source confirms are listed; an amenity missing here is unknown, not absent.
About American Canyon Campground
Overview American Canyon is a small, secluded campground which borders the Machesna Wilderness. While the campground is accessible through the wilderness, it is a long and strenuous hike as vehicles are not permitted in wilderness areas. The only motorized entrance is through the Avenales Ranch. This is a working cattle ranch, and the owners have been generous to grant access to American Canyon through their ranch. Entrance via the ranch gate is opened only during deer hunting season, by reservation only on rec.gov and with an issued combination code provided. The campground is an Adventure Pass site managed by the Forest Service. The campground is embedded within beautiful oaks, providing much shade and cooling during the hot summer days. While the days do have a tendency of getting rather toasty, ranging between the 90s and 100s, the nights cool down into the 50s and 60s. Recreation The campground is surrounded by wilderness and private lands, so mountain biking isn’t practical. Horseback riding, hiking and wildlife viewing isn’t really recommended during rifle season. This really is a hunting camp. There are cattle trails in abundance and a rigorous trail (1800’ of elevation gain) from the campground to the Nunez Potrero and Pine Spring near the top of the ridge. The American Canyon watershed is dry in deer season. Facilities The American Canyon campground offers 12 campsites for tent and car camping (no RVs due to size restriction). Each site includes a picnic tab
Cell coverage
No coverage data for this location yet.
Nearby RV services
- Dump station
- Flying Flags RV Resort · 46 mi
- Water fill
- None mapped within 50 mi
- Propane
- Propane · 9.8 mi
- Low clearances
- None mapped within 10 mi
- Off-road routes
- 62 designated routes (91 mi) within 10 mi
Other places to stay nearby
| Name | Type | Distance | Fee | Hookups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balm of Gilead Campground | Private campground | 1.4 mi | — | — |
| American Canyon | National forest campground | 2.3 mi | — | — |
| American Canyon Campground | Private campground | 2.3 mi | — | — |
| Buckeye Campsite | Private campground | 2.9 mi | — | — |
| Stony Creek Campground | Private campground | 5.4 mi | — | — |
| Turkey Flat Ohv Staging Area | National forest campground | 5.5 mi | — | No hookups |
Open American Canyon Campground in DryRig
Save it offline, check your rig's clearance on the drive in, and see what's nearby on the map.
Sources. Recreation.gov (RIDB). Updated June 2026. Facility facts only; DryRig does not publish ratings or reviews on this page.