Reyes Creek Campground

Reyes Creek was great. The drive was nice, very scenic. The campsite was nice but small. Campsites are very, very close together. Some are smaller than others. Especially closer to the creek are smaller. The bathrooms are very clean for a campsite bathroom. Jade was very helpful and informative. She told us about two trails, we did the lighter one that was very nice. I can see this place being very nice in the summer. The weather on the apps are wrong. You have to google a few things to get the right weather. It was much colder than expected at night, woke up to 29 degrees F and ice on my tent and car windows. Other people with us said they had ice in their tent.

I love this campground, but reserving a site is a pain since there isn't a site map. Here's the sites in the main loop. Hope you all find this helpful!

First off, Jade the camp host, has to be one of the nicest people We’ve ever met! Super helpful and informative! We stumbled across this place as our original plan fell apart. Lucked out on a site and enjoyed a quiet, relaxing overnight trip. Sites were clean and kept up, bathrooms were clean and there was a nice little creek, perfect for a stroll.

The host Jade was one of the most friendliest host we’ve ever met. There are raccoons, squirrels and deers around. Nice little creek runs next to campsites and hiking trail. The ghost town was fun, too.

Loved the campground and the camp host is the best! We hiked the creek and loved the tree coverage. It’s even beautiful enough to enjoy despite the horrible campers that are so loud you can hear them in the canyon from dawn to dusk. The websites say that max 22’ RV is recommended. I drove a 24’ and managed the treacherous switchbacks… but much bigger and you’ll either get stuck or fall off the edge of a cliff.

This campground was nice. The camp host really did a great job of keeping things clean and nice. Some shady spots and a really great seasonal creek.

Pros

• Quiet location. No road noise
• well-maintained sites
• seasonal creek -- and a nice little hike up the creek
• cool "ghost town" right outside the campground
• friendly & helpful camp host

Cons

• You have to pack in your water
• several of the sites are pretty small
• while there are some shady spots, there are a lot with no tree cover and it gets HOT.

Camp hosts were great. Valut toilets were in better shape. We went in June 2020 and it was hot. But there is a fun stream you can hike by and it did the trick. Nice and relaxing off the beaten path.

Reyes creek is beautiful! Great camping spots, beautiful creeks & hikes, cute abandoned town for a photo opp and awesome camp host. We ended up in group site 1 due to Covid they can’t have big groups and it was spacious and great for our doggos to have a big area. There are 3 neighborhood dogs that come and go through your campsite but they are sweet pups and don’t cause any trouble. The abandoned town is a 3 minute walk from camp and really interesting. Some camp spots are right on the creek and the running water is a peaceful background noise for your trip. Highly recommend!

We were here during mid-week in the middle of Aug 2020. Weather was hot, but there was lot's of shade in the campsites and a beautiful, cool creek running through. Makes for great sleeping. We hiked up hills to watch the meteor shower (great), along the creek for small waterfalls, and a little ways into the wilderness (but there's nice hiking as far as you want to go). Camp hosts were excellent. Bathrooms were clean, but not much you can do with smell on toilets like these. Looking forward to coming back again.

The only thing we had an issue with is the day we were there the overflow parking was full and there is no cell service, other then that it was a blast we all had a great time the creek made it really fun for the kids and adults too and the little ghost town at the entrance makes an ideal photo op for the kids and adults too... It truly feels a world away! Super helpful camp host, lots of families and overall a super great time took our cat adventure camping and he even loved it a great place especially with kids !!

The drive in through BLM land is breath taking. 40 minutes of curves and turns and aw! I loved every minute. Then camped next to a creek that babbles and bounces through the campground. Is this a Laura ingles wilder book?! Tiny adorable bar and grill run by the locals, right at the foot of the camp makes for a not-so-off-the-grid trip if you choose to partake. Camp hosts - best I’ve ever encountered. I will 100% be back.

I prefer primitive or dispersed camping because I usually like as much privacy as I can get when I'm camping, but with current fire restrictions I was limited to developed campsites if I wanted a campfire (and what's the point of camping without a campfire?). I was also planning the trip on short notice, so developed, reserveable campsites were in short supply. Then I found Reyes Creek.

The campground is very isolated. It's about a 40 minute drive from the nearest town (and therefore the nearest gas station or market - plan ahead). There is no power, or water. There's no cell service in the camp, but a 5 minute drive up the mountain there's a dirt lot they call the 'phone booth' that gets decent reception. The camp hosts were super friendly and helpful. There are 2 loops for campsites - the center of the main loop seemed pretty flat, but all the sites were visible to your neighbors. Sites on the outside of the main loop offered more privacy, but most appeared to not be very level, and not necessarily well laid out. I stayed in site 11 on the outside of the loop which was large and fairly quiet, but my 6 person tent just barely fit in between some trees which offered some shade and was only on a slight angle. The one downside was the bathrooms - vault toilets that varied in condition, but none that I used were particularly good. If bathroom condition is a major sticking point with you, you may want to look elsewhere.

As an added bonus, as isolated as the place is, right outside the entrance to the campground is a bar & grill called the Camp Scheideck Lodge. They have a full bar and great food (and the customer-only bathroom is a great step up from the campground). It just changed owners last month (second time in a couple years) and the new owner, Devin, is friendly and welcoming.

The temperature varies greatly from day to night (90's to 50's when I was there) and there are bugs a plenty, so bring repellant. Firewood is available at the camp, and ice is available at the lodge.

So if you want a little isolation with privacy, a campfire, and a friendly bar within walking distance, this place is for you. I'll definitely be coming back.

Camped out July 21 -22 2019 at Reyes creek campground. We got the last available spot as we showed up late that afternoon. Plenty of fish in the creek. Temp was well in the mid 90s ... it was super hot. We still managed to do a small hike up the piedra Blanca trail to upper Reyes. Trail is brushy in some areas with some washouts in others. Some beautiful shaded areas where we took a few breaks to get away from the heat.

Found it browsing campsites; what a beauty. Sitting alongside a creek, the camp is clean, quiet, the ranger is super friendly and knowledgeable of the area. There is no running water, and the pit toilets are definitely of the smellier side, but clean nevertheless. There is a bar right at the entrance of the campsite, as well as a small residential neighborhood. The site itself is a quick drive from LA, with easy access. Be mindful of the road leading into the camp, it is quite narrow, so drive carefully.

This site is highly accessible but still felt local and gives a great mixture of relaxation and creature comforts. There is a bar at the campground entrance if that is your speed, but we took advantage of the winding creek side path behind site 18. Our fellow campers were very respectful and the grounds were tidy.