Nice time here in April. The weather is perfect for riding and trail running.
There is a trail from the camp over to SART. It's kinda hard to find since it starts behind someone's campsite. Luckily for me, no one was using the site that day.
This and San Gregorio are about the same. There is a trail that connects both of them.
I booked a couple more dates in July and August to ride upper SART again.
Had a great one night stay there. Nice hosts solid place. 4 stars just because location isn’t overly amazing especially when nearby jenks lake is so low
Campground is open and has a few spaces available. The grounds are nicely maintained and the bathrooms were really clean. The camp hosts were very nice, knowledgeable.
Clean forest air, beautiful trees, what else do you need? Barton Flats campground is kept up nicely with very clean bathrooms. The hosts do a great job making sure everything is in order. Quiet hours are at 10 and it was pretty peaceful. Jenks lake is a short 40 min hike from the campground, the trail is adjacent to the sites! We had a blast and will definitely visit again!
I barely got into camping this year. So I've anticipated going to a forest location as my first time was near a beach.
It's about an hour and a half away from Pomona so it is very accessible and close for those who live in San Bernandino which is wonderful.
Be careful of the roads when you drive up there! There are a lot of turns and curves and locals tend to hound you if you aren't driving fast enough. Regardless take caution as you are going into the mountains and there are rocky cliffs.
On the way getting there, there is a pit stop of a cabin themed liquor store and a restaurant there. I really suggest going to the liquor store as their firewood/ ice is decently priced and their inventory is wonderful.
Once you arrive there you can go ahead and go to your designated plot. The ranger will stop by later to verify your reservation confirmation and give you your parking passes.
The bathrooms are well kept and within reasonable distance. However, the rocky terrain is a bit irritating but that's nature for you. Just be careful where you walk.
In terms of wildlife, I've only seen bluejays, squirrels, and small lizards. Bears and snakes are known to frequent the area though, so still be careful and consider getting bear mace in case of an emergency.
The campsite came with a fire pit, a anti-bear storage box to store leftovers/food, and a table. Ample space to set up a tent.
Overall camping here is extremely feasible and it's a nice relaxing forest atmosphere. Just be prepared but overall it's great for beginner campers.
On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, my boyfriend & I came here on our first moto-camping trip together where we serendipitously found a geocache from the year we started dating and got to see the comet Neowise from the top of the nearby mountain just a short hike away from our site, #23. From L.A., it was 80 highway miles out to CA-38, which was beautifully lined with orange trees until it began gently and majestically wrapping around mountainsides. We stopped first in Angeles Oaks for food and supplies and then again at Jenks Lake, just half-a-mile before the entrance to the campsite -- but be forewarned, they close the gates here early and they will lock you in!! We backed our bikes into the#23 spot of the Barton Flats Campgrounds around 4pm and swiftly began setting up the tent as the sun passed just below the tops of the trees. Luckily our host came by with some firewood which we happily purchased just before heading up the hill across from our site overlooking a gorgeous sunset. Overall, I wouldn't choose our particular site again, as it was close to the roads, mostly in the sand and in between the bathroom and the check in building, but we definitely had enough room, and were grateful for the running water, flush toilets and animal-proof metal boxes for our food, etc. If we come back, we'd likely choose a spot between #8-#14, which was deeper in the 'woods' and right at the base of the hill we took the short hike up to view the sunset over the valley and later, see Neowise.
This is a great campsite for a weekend getaway with the family. The camp amenities are nice; clean bathrooms and showers on site. This is also a closer drive from the IE valley, but the downside is it is a bit of a drive if planning to head up to Big Bear. However, there are some great trails in the area for hiking. This campground is an annual tradition for us.
Really cool spot for the family. Clean bathrooms. Fresh spring water. Each site has a good amount of space but if you have neighbors you’ll be able to see them. We got lucky and went on a Sunday. It was almost empty. Camp hosts are very kind and helpful. They come around to talk about a couple rules and if you are respectful and follow those rules you won’t see them again. Really cool hiking trail to Jenks lake. Trail is 1.5 miles to the lake with a nice creek along the way
We stayed here for the 4th, and the weather was great. Our site was large enough to fit a 24 foot trailer, truck, abd a car. The bathrooms and showers were clean, and the hosts were friendly. There is a hiking trail that goes out of camp and plenty of other options in the area. Also check out Jenks Lake
We got lucky and booked this on the same week! The campsites are a good distance from each other. Most are separated by big tree trunks. Every site has a bench, fire pit, and bear lockers. There are water pumps located throughout the area. The bathrooms I must say are the best I've seen. Its clean with running toilet that flushes with a sink! So it's not your typical toilet seat on top of a hole. Lol. It's less than 10 mins away from Lake Jenks, which a nice spot to check out for hiking, fishing and picnicing. Would recommend this place.
Cool spot to drive in and pitch a tent last minute. Jenks lake is just up the road. You can catch trout, bass and small little blue Gil and crappie. Lots of places to hike and is very convenient
Came here for a weekend, good spot for tent camping, I went on an off trail hike, cool, fun area. Some views. Drove over to the lake but couldn’t find parking. Very quiet and clean as well.
The camp is very clean.. Trees everywhere and lots of exploring ,which is my favorite part . There were 12 of us with adjoined campsites plus my dog. We've been going here since I was little and the reason is because it's so close but feels so far away and there's streams and just a lot to see. Only down fall is there's no fishing it's a 45 minute drive to the next lake.
If you know the area then you know that most of these campgrounds are fairly shaded, but can still get very hot with the high desert not to far away. Barton Flats is not by anymeans the best place to be for tent camping due to this, but would make an excellent trade off for those looking to bring up the family and the trailer. There is a dump station a the entrance of the camp, and the sites are not too close together to be inconvenienced by your neighbors.
Close to the valley as well as Big Bear I can see this as a good middle ground to get out. There are some spots that are much more shaded than others. my favorites I’ll list here were site #’s 4 which sits on the center loop, 47 outer loop, and double sites 7 and 43. Yes a double site costs double the price. All sites are within a quick walk to a bathroom and new water pipes were located throughout the camp.
The grounds themselves are lackluster with not much to see, but I did notice there are several undocumented sequoia trees that must be near at-least 70 years old in the middle of camp. You can distinguish them from the local cedars by their lighter green coloring, sponge like bark (cedar is a hard bark/wood), and their branches not fanning out like cedars do but more spread in long skinny fingers. Make a note to your kids! We are one of the very few areas that have the ability for these wonderful trees to flourish.
A very quiet campground nesteled among the trees. Water is available. Flush toilets and showers available. Short hike to Jenks Lake
The campground is beautiful and can get crowded. The campsites are pretty big and have some privacy. There's a hiking trail in the campground with a great view. BUT camp hosts were very strict (which is usually fine) and approached us about 4 or 5 times to tell us to do things (we couldn't pull into our campsite, too loud, fire was too big). All of these can be reasonable things to fix but my husband and I are avid campers and have never had issues with camp hosts.
This spot is a good distance from the restrooms and has a water station right by the spot market. Restroom was clean with plenty toilet paper. There were also electrical plugs and a mirror. Trail from camp leads to Jenks Lake, east 3 mile hike out and back.
Spaces far apart, don't feel like you are on top of your neighbor. Some hiking trails. Running water. Vault toilets.
Had a great visit here about a month ago. We visited in April 2016 and it was such a change in climate from San Diego. It was mountainous, cool and peaceful. The campground was clean and the management personnel were helpful. We enjoyed a long weekend here and liked its easy access to trails. The campground is also only about 40 minutes from Big Bear, so a quick day trip to the town was easy to do. The site itself was great, not too close to neighbors and rather spacious. Easy walk to the restroom, too.
