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.