Backpacking camp

Raymond Lake camp area

Mokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass, California

About this place

Raymond Lake is an official itinerary area, permit zone, or source-backed named overnight reference represented by a reachable point on the pinned agency trail network in Mokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass.

The marker is a route-access reference, not a tent pad. Move off the trail only where travel is permitted, remain inside the authorized zone, and choose a legal durable site under every current setback and closure.

Water planning

Water at this camp

Natural water at or near this camp area

Availability

Raymond Lake and Unnamed mapped stream or river are mapped at or near the camp-area marker. This is map evidence, not a real-time flow report.

Drinking safety

Natural water is not verified potable. Filter and disinfect it or boil it according to the linked land-manager guidance before drinking.

Seasonality

Raymond Lake is a mapped waterbody; USGS does not classify it here as seasonal or year-round. Confirm current level, access, and quality. Unnamed mapped stream or river is classified as perennial in USGS hydrography, but current flow still must be confirmed.

  • Raymond LakeLake or pond · at the camp areaMapped waterbody — level and access can change · Treat before drinking
    Official source
  • Unnamed mapped stream or riverRiver or stream · at the camp areaMapped perennial source — verify current flow · Treat before drinking
    Official source

Fire planning

Campfire & stove rules

Permit + current order required

Campfires

Raymond Lake is an undeveloped backcountry camp area in Mokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass. A California Campfire Permit is required for a portable stove or any otherwise-legal fire in Mokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass. Use a gas, jellied-petroleum, or pressurized-liquid-fuel stove with a working shutoff valve; wood, charcoal, twig stoves, and campfires are allowed only where the current forest order and destination-specific elevation or named-area rules expressly allow them. Never treat an old ring as proof that a fire is legal, and do not build a new ring where fires are prohibited.

Backpacking stoves

Shutoff-valve gas or pressurized-fuel stove with permit. Use a gas, LPG, jellied-petroleum, or pressurized-liquid-fuel stove with a working shutoff valve. Twig and wood-burning stoves follow the campfire rule and are prohibited anywhere wood fires are prohibited.

Permit

Carry a valid California Campfire Permit for a portable stove or any otherwise-legal fire; the permit never overrides a forest closure, fire-danger order, elevation limit, or named-area prohibition.

Current restrictions

Check USDA Forest Service's current alerts and the selected trailhead posting before departure. The standing rule shown here remains subordinate to a newer emergency order.

Seasonal access

Closures & seasonal access

Carson Pass and Mokelumne Wilderness remain winter backcountry when snow closes or restricts Highway 88 spurs and high trailheads

Place closure

No recurring date-based closure of Raymond Lake is published. The source-connected approach conditions below and temporary emergency orders still control access.

Seasonal access

Source-connected approaches: Carson Pass Trailhead, Woods Lake Trailhead, Caples Dam Trailhead, and 4 more. Carson Pass and Mokelumne Wilderness remain winter backcountry when snow closes or restricts Highway 88 spurs and high trailheads. Opening dates vary with snow, storms, and road work.

Before driving

Check Eldorado National Forest alerts, Caltrans controls, and the selected trailhead road and parking rules before departure.

Mapped approaches

Choose a trailhead for Raymond Lake camp area

Each option has a sourced trail route to this camp area. Choose one to open its itinerary builder with this destination in context.

Map

Loading map
Latitude
38.610492° N
Longitude
119.834553° W

Sources

Official overnight record GNIS 265238; mapped to the nearest reachable agency trail pointCarson Pass–Mokelumne Wilderness PermitMokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass overnight regulationsMokelumne Wilderness / Carson Pass current conditionsOpenTopoData public API — SRTM 90 mUSGS NHDPlusV2 waterbody — Raymond LakeUSGS NHDPlusV2 flowlineUSDA Forest Service — Backcountry Safety: Water & SanitationCalifornia — California Campfire PermitEldorado National Forest — current alerts