A m a z I n g
This was the first place I went camping after moving from Maine. It was a tiny taste of home. The mountains and trees are so so beautiful. It was per friendly and we had so much fun. Can’t wait to go back
Month of VisitSeptember
Downhill
Lake Hemet campground has really gone downhill. We used to spend summers there with many family members in multiple campers, catching lots of trout. We went this spring, I didn't recognize the place, it was run down, over grown, it was like it no body was caring for the place. They hadn't stocked trout in over a year. We paid $200 for 10 days. NOT worth it. Find another campground
A family tradition, I'm gonna continue
I've been camping at Lake Hemet since I was a kid, and absolutely love it there. When I was a kid, my parents and their friends ds would all bring the kids and share a site, and now that I'm older, I do the same. The lake is stocked with Bass, Trout, and Catfish, and has plenty of little Bluegill as well. All of the sites have a water tap, and the toilets are always well tended to. However, even the "waterfront" sites are a fair bit away from the actual lake, usually around 50 yards or so. However, even that distance doesn't seem so bad. We like to rent a boat each time, and fish out by the Hemet Dam, which seems to be the best spot for fishing, and some quiet time. It's idyllic.
Month of VisitJuly
“Old Campground”
June 4, 2018 A great way to escape the heat of Palm Desert...however
Their premium priced “meadow view”($53) was a very small back in space with low pine branches. My sewer hookup was up hill, and the water spout was at the front of the site on the opposite side and needed two hoses! I looked around, and NONE of the spaces I saw looked level.
When I complained to the staff, I was told “it’s an old campground”, and I could switch to a “regular” spot....however no refund of the price difference would be given.
No free access to the lake for campers. Camp store is way overpriced(a small 3lb bag of ice was $5). No WiFi, No cell service(T-Mobile).
BTW.... take the long route! Drive up the mountain from the town of Hemet. DO NOT attempt the Palm Desert side...especially with a large 5th wheel or a class A. The Hemet approach has a more gradual grade and wider roads.
Big campground. Room for tents and RVs. Even cabins for rent.
The only negative is the crowds for the water park area on the weekends. Don't want a spot too close.
Month of VisitJune
Family and Fishing
This is a private campground and therefore you will pay more for camping and day use compared to that of a public site. We took the kids to fish here and explore the "extras" such as disc golf, boat rentals, bike rentals, and mini-golf. My understanding is that it is under newer ownership so you can see efforts being made to improve an older campground. I would say this is the place to stay if you have a group, kids and don't mind a more "party" atmosphere. We saw BIG groups with large motor homes and toy haulers that lined up end-to-end overlooking the lake.
THE GOOD: large sites, great views of lake, some shade, easy access to water and fishing, amenities such as camp store and boat rentals, fishing, easy access, kids can bike and explore a very large area, bald eagles hunting fish in lake.
THE BAD: Not much staff presence...large groups could be loud, expensive, no swimming or paddle boards, hot in summer months, fishing line and hooks left behind on shoreline.
Lake Hemet RV & Campground
This campground is a very large site, with huge amounts of RV and tent sites spread out, hookups and non-hookup sites, with a layout around the water of Lake Hemet. We only stayed for one night before continuing on to Idyllwild, so cannot speak for anything related to the actual lake but there was a lot of recreational boating and fishing going on when we were there in August. Our site was a tent site in the interior, we did not pay the extra money for a premium lakefront site. Overall it is your run of the mill campsite, but with the lake as a main attraction and focal point of course. With all of the families and kids it was more on the noisy side, and was noisy until later into the night. I would recommend this campsite on the value of the lake if that is something you are into, but other than that I would prefer something more quiet and peaceful. Another downside is visitor parking and I believe even day use of the grounds to get in were an extra charge. There is a large country style camping store before the gate. Overall, the surrounding scenery is still beautiful, and you can't really beat that.
Lakeside camping in the mountains
We stayed at Lake Hemet during a weekend in August and it was super crowed and hot. It has all the amenities to make for great car camping and fishing but a bit too noisy. Would be a great place for to camp with children. RV's and tents welcome. There's even a store at the entrance of the park if you need any last minute items you forgot. It's about 15 mins from Idyllwild if you want to escape the heat and/or do a little hiking.
Weekend at Lake Hemet
I took my boys camping for the weekend and Lake Hemet campground where we had a good time, but wish we would have gone during the week. There was a large group blasting their stereo with a DJ and they set of fireworks. The also closed off much of the shoreline for this group so an already cramped fishing space just got worse even though we paid for a premium lake front site. The premium lakefront sites are no longer lakefront due to the drought so you have no dedicated shoreline as you would have had in the past. Had I known this, I would have gone somewhere else or chosen a weekday trip.
