Pineknot

Clean campsites. Roads thru out camp can be a bit tight in areas, larger rigs not recommended.  Ride in, ride out location for Snow Summit MTB lifts. Reserve your dates early.

Peaceful experience, very clean, great camp host. Would come back.

Great campground. Hidden gem for sure. It was secluded and quiet. Had great connectivity for calls, just nor zoom calls. It is a bit tricky to find the road in, but drive up Summit until you hit employee parking, then drive through the employee lot, hang a left and a quick right and you are there. Sean was our Camp Host and was pleasant and on point with firewood. We will be back for sure!

Pineknot is a decent, if not average, campground in Big Bear that wasn't too crowded for a summer week. The entrance is a little strange and hidden; I Google mapped it so I knew where it was. I didn't realize that the campground sat at the bottom of Snow Summit Ski Resort, but it was quiet and peaceful nonetheless. Each site comes with a bear box, which was good b/c the camp host mentioned a bear had been frequenting sites. After walking around the campground, I think 19 and 47 are the best sites for privacy. We stayed at 30 and were able to see neighbors on all sides of us, but all of our neighbors were quiet.

We love Pineknot campground and have camped there 3 or 4 years in a row now. The last few times we have gone we have stayed in 19 because of its location and layout. We hear coyotes at night, and have seen raccoons and I swear I saw a bear but my husband insists it was a raccoon 😅. The bathrooms are clean and are flush toilets with a sink. Campground has nice walking/biking areas and it's right next to the snow summit which we discovered recently has a lot of fun especially if you bring a mountain bike.

I absolutely loved my stay at Pineknot. The spacing between sites is generous, and although it filled up on Friday and Saturday, the grounds remained quiet. If you’re looking for a peaceful getaway, I’d definitely suggest booking during the week, and choosing a site near the back of the grounds. My first night was on a Thursday and the grounds were practically empty. The check in procedure here consists of the host coming to you with a card for your car and map of the grounds, as there’s no designated booth or kiosk. He was super friendly, and kept the grounds extremely clean!

We’ve stayed at Pineknot a few times. Overall it is very easy to access with any vehicle. Each site has a picnic table plus fire ring and grill, whenever fires will be allowed again. The risk with this site is that it can fill up quickly and the sites have thin veil of separation between them, however it is better than others in the area on the other side of the lake. The terrain and scenery are very beautiful. As others have mentioned, the host is very nice!

Pineknot is perfectly situated in Big Bear where you're in the woods but only a short walk to Snow Summit.  This allows you a staging area to ride mountain bikes all day at Snow Summit and around the mountain but allows you the convenience to be camped nearby.

The campground has everything a typical campground should have to include restrooms, water, trash bins, and firewood for sale. That's if there's no fire ban in place.

The turnoff to the road to the campground is easy to miss so keep an eye open for the small sign.

Tucked away just a skip and a hop from the town, Pine Knot is a great camping spot for those that don’t want to be too far from exploring all the attractions of Big Bear. Despite being close to a developed area, the campground still feels like a getaway in the woods. Sites are well spaced out for the most part. Would recommend finding a site at the back of the campground (higher # site) if you want a more privacy. I stayed at site #47 and it was nicely set back. Snow summit is also a stones throw away. The Camp host kept the grounds tidy. Bathrooms with flush toilets and a sink were a nice surprise. Even with the fire ban, still enjoyed a great stay in the woods!

This campsite is literally in Big Bear, so if you want to be close to the city this is a great spot for you. Very crowded and little privacy, but very pretty.

I’ve been to Big Bear many times, and love it every time, but this was my first time camping there. My family went with our normal camping family, as our kids get along beautifully, as well as the adults. We had spaces 1 and 3, which were close to the main gate. They were far enough away where you felt like you were well within the campgrounds. Between the two spaces, was a huge open area, which was great for the kids and dogs to play. I discovered toward the end of the trip, that we should have set our tents up at the back end of the sites, as this is where the flattest spots were. Fire rings are provided, as well as grills if you chose to make use of those. This campground does provide running water throughout the campsite for washing dishes, hands, etc. There are also flushing toilets in multiple locations. Bear lockers are provided, and they should be used. My only complaint, and this is no fault of the campground was that there are a ton of flies during the day. They leave at night. Make sure to keep your tents fully zipped up because they will get in there. We had to buy a can of Raid and spray the entire tent. I have never swept up so many dead flies. :) Beyond that, I would stay here again in a heartbeat. The weather was great, there is plenty of shade, and it gets really dark at night, which makes star gazing, and having a campfire perfect!

Best camping in Big Bear!

I recently stayed here for a Spartan Race (in May). It was a very clean site with a convenient bear-box. The hosts are great people and make sure that the site is clear of needles, leaves, branches, etc. They do have flushable toilets and running water sinks however they do not have showers. I spoke to the hosts and they recommended to stop by the sister campground on the other side of the lake (7 minute drive) for hot showers which is what I did. Overall it was a great campground to stay at

Easy access from the road. 5-10 minutes from town. Sites were all a decent size. Bear bins. The best part of this campground is it is within walking distance of Snow Summit. We walked over and took the ski lift up to the top and hiked around the loop. BEAUTIFUL!

Clean, relaxing area that gives each party plenty of room. Pet friendly, our three dogs loved it! Staff was incredibly helpful and hard working. Also it was well located as it was a semi-quick drive to a few fun locations. Will be coming again, though I hear it requires a reservation well in advance. This is a very popular location!

It’s a normal campground with restrooms and water access. It doesn’t get to crowded and the spots are pretty distant from each other giving you an isolated feel! Good place for dogs and kids.

We absolutely love it here. The only downfall is that this spots are small and so close together. This would be ideal if you are coming with a large group and book out several sites.

A bit challenging to locate via Google Maps... Just go up (south) Summit Blvd, when you get to the parking lot of the ski resort, veer towards the left, and just past a concrete wall, you'll see the little Pineknot Campground sign attached to an aluminium pole. The campground is very cozy, countless tall pine trees, clean bathrooms, clean sites, water from taps, no hookups, and not for big rigs. The hosts are friendly, but strict! No generators from 8 pm to 8 am, a $3000 fine if your campfire is left unattended, and no rowdy obnoxious behavior is tolerated! We appreciated the rules, and thoroughly enjoyed our peaceful, quiet, deep in the woods getaway!!