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About
Holcomb Valley Campground
This family campground has 19 single-family campsites. All sites are first-come-first-serve basis (no reservations). Holcomb Valley campground is located approximately 5 miles north of Big Bear Lake off Forest Service Road 3N16. Although this campground is open year round, vehicle access will be based on road conditions. Please contact the Big Bear Discovery Centerfor current road conditions.
Each family campsite accommodates a maximum of 8 people. Amenities include a picnic table, 1 fire ring, bear boxes and vault toilets. A campground host is on site during mid May through October.
Price
$23.00 - $25.00
Operator
National Forest
Access
Drive In
Walk In
Hike In
Features
+ More
Contact
Location
Holcomb Valley Campground
is located in
California
Directions
Directions from Redlands:
Take I-10 East to Redlands. Take the University Street exit, EXIT 80. Turn left (northbound) on University Street. Turn right onto E. Lugonia Avenue/SR-38. Continue on State Highway 38 into Big Bear City, to E. Big Bear Blvd. Turn left onto E. Big Bear Blvd./SR-38. Turn right onto Greenway Drive/CA-18/SR-38. Turn left onto North Shore Drive, SR-38.Continue on North Shore Drive/Hwy 38 until you reach the Van Dusen Canyon Road, Forest Service Road 3N09. Make a right hand turn on Van Dusen Canyon Road. Continue on the Forest Service Road 3N09 for approximately 4 miles. Make a left on Forest Service Road 3N16. Holcomb Valley Campground will be located on the right.
Directions from San Bernardino:
Take I-10 East to San Bernardino. Merge onto CA-210 W via Exit 77 toward CA-330/Highland. Merge onto CA-330 N via Exit 81 toward Mtn Resorts. CA-330 N becomes CA-18 in the town of Running Springs. Take CA-18 to Big Bear. At the Dam/Bridge, turn left onto CA-38 at the signal light towards Fawnskin.Continue on North Shore Drive/CA-38 through Fawnskin. Continue on North Shore Drive/Hwy 38 until you reach the Van Dusen Canyon Road, Forest Service Road 3N09. Make a left hand turn on Van Dusen Canyon Road. Continue on the Forest Service Road 3N09 for approximately 4 miles. Make a left on Forest Service Road 3N16. Holcomb Valley Campground will be located on the right.
For winter access take Polique Canyon Road when Van Dusen Canyon Road is closed for winter. From Fawnskin, continue on North Shoe Drive/Hwy 38 to Polique Canyon Road. Make a left, Polique Canyon Road becomes Forest Service Road 2N09. Continue on 2N09 for approximately 4 miles. Make a right hand turn (east ) on 3N16 for ¾ of a mile. Holcomb Valley Campground will be on your left hand side.
8 Reviews of Holcomb Valley Campground
Clean, primitive camping
Great spot off the forest service roads near Big Bear, truck or SUV recommended for the drive in. Campsites are spaced nicely, tall trees, and some of the cleanest vault toilets I have ever used. Camp host present to regulate and sale firewood. Located near the Gold Fever Trail, hiking, climbing, and a lot of 4-wheeling. A little pricey for a primitive spot with no water or electricity.
Great area to explore...
Though this campground doesn’t have spectacular views, it is located in the historic Holcomb Valley and surrounded by tons of hiking and offroad trails to explore. Tall trees with plenty of shade!
Lots Of Trails And Climbing
First come first served, so weekdays are the best time to get a spot here.Only about 20 sites so not too crowded and noisy with hordes of people. The cost is a little steep but everything is clean and functional. There is a camp host so things are pretty well monitored and ushered to keep the noise down. Lots of great trails and off trail hiking for all levels of experience plus climbing locations for the rockers out there. Pretty good all around camping with enough distance from the main road for quietude and no light pollution so you get a good sense of solitude along with sleep. In other words, good family campground and bring a hammock.
Cool and Popular
The campground is a ways into the forest. I'm sure smaller cars could make it but it's not going to be a very comfortable ride.
There are a lot of sites and most were packed the weekend we were there. Lots of families and it wasn't quiet. Lots of pets and it wasn't quiet.
Picnic tables, firepits, the campground manager was on top of people who let their fires get too big.
It's truly a beautiful site though, lots of trails around and some rock climbing as well.
Basic .. Expensive
Came in the middle of the night on a colder evening so we could climb in the morning. Slept in the back of my Subie. Bathrooms smelled. Sites were pretty well set up, each had a picnic table and a fire ring that was blocked ( when we went) from the fire restrictions. For almost $30 a night, I would have expected a little more. Its a campground close to the climbing area. Nothing fancy, nothing horrible.
Expensive
Great basic campground, but super expensive - base price $21 per night (for 1 car), add $5 for second car, and $2 if it's a weekend. So our total for one night came out to be $28…Much more than I'm used to paying for a basic campsite.
We went for a climbing trip so we could have just camped for free at the parking lot near the crag. However it was nice to be able to have a fire pit, which we wouldn't have had if we just camped at the parking area.
Camping in the trees
This is a great campground with lots of OHV trails in the area. It's definitely recommended to have a vehicle with higher ground clearance since you're traversing some bumpy dirt trails to get there. The camp host is friendly and comes with a soccer-playing dog named Dutch. The pit toilets are relatively well-kept and definitely not a deterrent! We love that there are large trees everywhere to hang our hammocks up, keep cool when it's sunny, and enjoy nature.
Love it here!
We used to be locals and were in Holcomb a few times a week. Amazing rock climbing, fresh mountain air, and gorgeous views.
