Stone Creek Campground — Mount San Jacinto State Park

We traveled as a group of 17 campers and were able to disperse evenly between 4 close together campsites. We were in 19, 20, 21 and 23. Even though the website says it allowed 2 cars per site we were charged for the 2nd vehicle. In each site. I had also checked online prior to make sure we would have cell service with that many people meeting us. Only those of us that had Verizon had only a single bar. The campsites in the inner ring (ours was #21) are VERY close together. Not at all private, your camp is literally up against a couple others. We had children from the other sites running all through ours and it was so close you could hear everyone else’s private conversations. #19 and #20 were on the outer circle but just enough space to park and then walk through very sticky manzanita trees into the campsite and picnic table area. None of them had much or any shade. Our saving grace was our 4th spot - which gave us enough room to have all of us sit out of the way of the sticky trees and one tree in the middle to give us a touch of shade throughout the day. It had 2 picnic tables and was much more private so we didn’t disturb anyone and we didn’t have everyone else disturbing us. The vault toilets (yes, I know what they entail, and yes, it’s summer) were horrendous and barely useable, but we had 2 within very quick walking distance of us. They do allow dogs (we had 5 dogs and 3 cats with us) and it’s a short drive into the little town of Idyllwild. It’s a campground that served its purpose in getting all of us together and of course we had a blast, but it’s not on my “must camp here again” list.

This seems to be a campground that attracts revelers to the larger sites. Two campsites to the right of one I usually book (#49) is spacious and generally has two to three tents on weekends. This means more partying and noise well into the wee hours of the morning. Rangers don't patrol the campground at this time, and the camp host doesn't come around either, so complaining the next morning is after the fact. Reservations are indeed required for weekends, but campers can usually squeeze by this requirement in the middle of the week when less sites are reserved. It's not entirely peaceful because traffic can be heard emanating from the nearby highway and another road leading to a campground further up the mountain.

Great campsite we just happened to go the hottest weekend of the year. There was no breeze and our site didn’t provide much shade besides early morning and late afternoon. If it’s warm would recommend a campsite with full shade!

There were a bunch of mosquitoes so make sure you have repellent and are prepared for that!

Bathrooms were clean but with no flush toilets there was definitely a strong smell along with flies!

The hike behind the campsite has a great view and was relatively easy and fast!

Dog friendly but lots of mosquitoes for them to deal with!

This specific site was above our parking spot so lots of up and down the small hill when packing and unpacking!

This was a first outing for me and my dog. It was a great first test run. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. This time of year, you can come without a reservation, and pay at a pay machine at the guard house. There is a nature trail to a lookout if you want to stretch your legs.

We only stayed one night. These sites are reservable and first come first serve basis. The nice thing is this place is open all year. The spots are far enough away for privacy and separated by really low trees. We have large dogs that are used to dispersed camping so they can roam, but if you have a family, this is a great spot. They even were doing a movie night for the kids. The staff was extremely friendly. The hike was short but nice. The sites we very very clean.

We only stayed here on night, but the bathrooms were in good order, and the sites weren't too close together. It was great weather in mid August. It's close to town but far enough to get away. There's also a short trail in the back of camp!

The camp hosts were super friendly, helping us with the pay machine and some park info. They kept the vault toilets clean and drove around with a golf cart full of firewood to sell for just $6 per bundle. The campsites are fairly large and well-shaded and can easily host a small group of friends. We set up a giant tent that can fit eight people plus another that sleeps two. I noticed ADA-accessible sites and some with electricity, plus potable water and trash bins. There’s a couple trailheads from camp and everything is dog-friendly. Also, I had reliable cell service with Verizon.

Stone Creek Campground in San Jacinto Mountain State Park is the perfect getaway for coastal Southern California residents. It is a few hours out of the major metro areas, but close enough to get to for just a night or two. 

Located near Idyllwild, this is the smaller, less rowdy campground associated with the tourist town. There is also a camp right in town if you're looking for shopping and bars, and a few more further up hill.

Stone Creek has about 35 sites. The outer ring sites are huge, and most of them are fairly private especially the loop to the right of the entry. Our site was #7, and after thoroughly campsploration it is unquestionably the best for individuals. If you're in a group rent the inner ring where the backsides of all the sites run together.

We were trying to get away from people, from the pandemic, and spend some time doing something normal. Stone Creek was perfect for that. The only human interaction was having to check -in at the entry with a ranger. They wore a mask, and we spoke through a window in the ranger shed. They did have to hand me a parking pass, but after that we were on our own.

Site 7 is extremely large, and extremely private with multiple flat spots that could accommodate tents, two large picnic tables, multiple spots for hammocks and a fire ring that has seen better days. We could see a car across the loop, but couldn't actually see other campers without effort from where we set up the tent or even the fire ring.

This particular site extends back over a ridge and downhill. It was so private back there we strung up our camp shower next to a giant boulder for a shower without feeling like we needed to set up a privacy shade/curtain.

Camp is just high enough to prevent most bugs, but there were a few flies and mosquitos. The vault toilets were clean, and well stocked with TP and antibacterial soap. There were three on-site. One in the middle of the center ring which was the busiest, but none of the solar lights were working making it difficult to find in the dark. No obvious trail. The other we used near the entrance was well lit, had a wooden path and seemed to be forgotten by most other campers.

Multiple hiking trails led out of camp including one right from next to our site that led to multiple other trails heading up San Jacinto Mountain. The trails were a mix of gravel fire road, dirt trail and a few sandy areas through the flats. They were mostly well-signed, but one sign was down causing us to miss a turn so…bring a map. They're available at stands at the front of camp. Trails are…vertical unless explicitly labeled as short scenic hikes.

There were warning signs for snakes, mountain lions, plague-infected squirrels and bears, but all we saw were deer. They didn't seem to consider bears a serious threat as there were no bear boxes or locks on trash cans. However, having bear-proof (Ha!) food storage is important.

We really have no complaints about this place, and will definitely be back to explore more trails.

Pro-Tip: It is a windy, windy road up into the mountains, and people travel too fast. We saw some serious accident sites when people were traveling too fast, and caught up to a slow moving camper around a curve. Drive carefully.

Pro-Tip: We had full phone/wifi service here. We didn't want or need it, but if we were working from the road this would be an easy stop to set up.

Pro-Tip: Outer ring is more private. Inner ring better for groups.

Pro-Tip: In the summer add 5-10 degrees to the temperature which is taken from a higher elevation weather station.

This was a nice experience.  We actually didn't ever encounter a campground host since we went midweek.  It's easy enough to bomb down the hill and buy firewood/ice in Pine Cove or Idyllwild.  It's also a lovely little town to hang out, wander around, get some lunch/dinner if you don't feel like camping.  There's an awesome brewery there as well! 

One day while we were there, we made a day trip down to slab city and the salton sea. It’s a nice drive, takes 2-3 hours to get there, but you can totally stop in the Palm Springs area and make a whole day out of it.

Since you're camping on the side of a Mountain, it's a bit tricky to find a nice flat spot to plop down a tent, especially if it's a big one.  All of the campsites are nice and shady though! 

One night while we were there, we were the only campers in the whole campground and definitely heard some larger wildlife off in the distance a few times.. probably some sort of cougar?  It didn't bother us too much, but our dog was.. displeased. 

All in all, great spot to camp, and much quieter than the larger campground down the hill in town.

Overall our experience was good. We did our homework on the different sites and were able to get one fairly private. In general the sites do not have much privacy. Some are pretty open with little shade as well. We didn’t have a big problem with noise like some reviews we read complained about. There were some families with kids that were having fun, but that’s to be expected. The camp host/ranger was very friendly and helpful. We will definitely keep this as an option for future local camping trips.

The trees and its surroundings make this place beautiful just have to watch out and not piss the bees off. When we were there it was nice and quite. Great place to camp.

The camp host wasn't very polite when we pulled in. The camp sites we're pretty open and there wasn't much privacy. The campground was clean and although it didn't have much above and beyond the basics, it served as a decent spot to get to the hiking trails and into the town.

I was really excited to head out to this campground/ site because it was a close drive from my home, but far enough away to get up in the mountains.

My sister, her 3 kids, and 2 dogs jumped into the car and headed out towards Idyllwild, CA. Though this is techincally condisdered Pine Cove, CA, it is only about a 10 min drive away from the adorable town of Idyllwild! The campsite had room for 1 car, and was allotted 8 people. A long picnic table and a campfire ring with a grill opition! We set up a hammock in the front, a slack line on the side, and a dog run behind our campsite! We took the kids on the nature walk and they loved it! Big brother read the signs about the pine cones to his little sisters! We went into town as well and bought a big bundle of local fire wood at Mountain Mike's off Cicle Dr. for only $10. ( The best firewood ever ) We mostly just hung out at the campsite for the kids to run around and be kids! They made some friends with some neighbor campers, so all 5 kids ran around having the time of their lives!

Summary:

Pros:

• Close to Idyllwild
• Clean site(s)
• Clean bathrooms
• Camp hosts were very nice
• Fire rings w/ grill
• Picnic Table
• Non potable water faucets
• Privacy between sites on the back side ( where we stayed )
• Hiking trials out of the campground
• Nature walk off the campground
• Dumpsters for trash

Cons:

• No bear bins ( but there was not too much of a warning for the bears there )
• The bees ( the ones that like your food )

We stayed here last summer. It was out first camping trip to Idyllwild. The drive up to the campground is very pretty. We loved stopping in the town and checking out all the little shops. The campground itself was only about a ten min drive from town. There is a nice check in area just before get into the campground. The rangers are very friendly and helpful. The campsite is gorgeous. Has a mixture of tall pines and manzanita trees. There was plenty of shade at our campsite which was a site that had lot of pine trees. The bathrooms are nice; they are vault but they are cleaned out regularly so there is no smell. The surrounding area around the campground has lots of trails to go hiking on. The campground is also dog friendly. We stayed in Campsite #43 which was close to the bathroom. But it also meant everyone was cutting through our site to get to it; even in the middle of the night. Next time we will choose a spot further from the restrooms. Overall had a great trip here.

As a climber, I spend a lot of time at campgrounds. I'm still not sure what makes this campground so special, but I'm in love with it. It's a quaint, beautiful little area of wilderness. The individual sites feel very private. It's pretty easy to come by a site, even late at night. If you stay when the moon is pretty full, no need for headlamps, because there are no larger trees in the immediate area to block the moonshine. Facilities are always in very clean condition. Only downside is that the sites are pretty close to the road, so while you can't see it, you can hear the cars