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Big Bend California Map

Explore Big Bend, California, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Big Bend, California

How to Use This Big Bend, California Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Big Bend, California. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of California or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Big Bend.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Big Bend
State	California (CA)
County	Placer County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles)

Latitude	41.011624
Longitude	-121.930434
Population	79
Density	5.3 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Codes	95728, 95476, 96011
Area Code	408, 669, 530
County Seat	Auburn
School District	Mountain Union Elementary School District

🌦 Goto Big Bend Weather Page: Big Bend, California — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Big Bend, California

Big Bend is a locality in Placer County, California, United States. It is a small community with a population of 79. The population density is 5.3 people per km². Big Bend is located at 41.0116°N, 121.9304°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP codes: 95728, 95476, 96011.

Big Bend emerges from the rugged terrain where the South Yuba River carves a deep, steady path through the earth. It lies 18.0 miles west of Truckee, CA (from Truckee, CA: bearing 265°T), and is situated 16.9 miles west-northwest of Squaw Valley. The landscape surrounding Big Bend is defined by the dense, coniferous embrace of Tahoe National Forest, which blankets the slopes and provides a cool, resinous scent to the air. To the west, the basin of Woodchuck Flat offers a moment of level relief before the land climbs toward the distant Sierra Nevada, visible as a jagged, violet silhouette against the afternoon sky. Sunlight here possesses a particular, sharp clarity, illuminating the granite outcrops and the dark, needle-strewn paths that lead toward the Loch Leven Trail. Three miles away, the waters of Lake Valley Reservoir hold the reflection of the clouds, a quiet mirror in a land dominated by the persistent, rushing motion of the river.

History in Big Bend is written in the silence of abandoned sluices and the enduring resilience of those who favor a life lived close to the timberline. The local economy remains tethered to the rhythms of the forest, drawing from the timber legacy and the seasonal patterns that dictate the movement of water and growth. Life in Big Bend moves with a deliberate, quiet cadence, shaped by the isolation of the high country and the seasonal shift from the brilliant, dry heat of summer to the heavy, insulating snows of winter. Residents recognize the value of this distance, finding a certain grace in the independence required to sustain a homestead so far from the sprawl of the valley floor. It is a place where the stillness of the woods is the most prominent neighbor, and the passage of time is measured not by the clock, but by the changing light on the canyon walls.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Shasta National Forest (National Forest) — 1.0 mi, 278° W · 1.2M acres
Pacific Crest Trail National Scenic Trail (National Trail) — 8.5 mi, 340° N · 1,886 acres
Smithy (Historic Ruins) — 11.1 mi, 308° NW
Ladies cabin (Historic Ruins) — 11.1 mi, 308° NW
Devil'S Rock-Hosselkus Research Natural Area (Research Natural Area) — 11.6 mi, 220° SW
Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area (National Recreation Area) — 11.7 mi, 200° S · 202k acres
California State Lands Commission (State Resource Management Area) — 12.5 mi, 181° S
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park (State Park) — 14.2 mi, 085° E
Lassen National Forest (National Forest) — 14.4 mi, 137° SE · 1.1M acres
"stand By Me" Bridge (Attraction) — 16.3 mi, 089° E
Upper Falls (Viewpoint) — 16.3 mi, 346° N
Castle Crags State Park (State Park) — 19.8 mi, 298° NW
Battle Rock (Monument) — 22.4 mi, 295° NW
Castle Crags Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 22.7 mi, 298° NW · 11k acres
Metal Horse (Public Artwork) — 22.8 mi, 196° S
Timbered Crater Wilderness Study Area (Wilderness Study Area) — 23.0 mi, 070° E · 18k acres
1727 Class M6 (Attraction) — 23.2 mi, 309° NW
Lake Shasta Caverns (Attraction) — 24.2 mi, 234° SW
Mt. Shasta Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 25.2 mi, 338° N · 38k acres
Lockhart Ferry (Monument) — 25.4 mi, 091° E
Hat Creek Radio Observatory (Attraction) — 27.6 mi, 119° SE
Everett Memorial (Monument) — 27.9 mi, 323° NW
Sisson Museum (Museum) — 29.2 mi, 315° NW
Palo Cedro Video (Cinema) — 34.9 mi, 208° SW
Lassen Volcanic National Park (National Park) — 36.8 mi, 150° SE · 107k acres
Weed Museum (Museum) — 37.0 mi, 321° NW
Turtle Bay Bird Sanctuary (Nature Reserve) — 37.1 mi, 218° SW
Art Gallery (Gallery) — 37.3 mi, 219° SW
Scott Museum (Museum) — 40.0 mi, 268° W
Amphitheater (Theatre) — 46.5 mi, 220° SW

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