Halfway Camp is located in the San Bernardino National Forest, surrounded by rugged terrain and dense forest. Temperatures can range from 30°F in winter to 85°F in summer. Nearby attractions include the Big Bear Lake and the Pacific Crest Trail, offering opportunities for hiking and water activities.

Water available seasonally.

Group size limited to 12 people and 8 pack/riding animals per group.
No campfires allowed.
Portable gas stoves are allowed with a valid California Campfire Permit.

Limited, but free wilderness permits for day hiking and overnight camping are required for the San Gorgonio Wilderness and the Cucamonga Wilderness Permits – they are issued by the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association, a Forest Service partner.  Parts of the San Gorgonio Wilderness, including the San Bernardino Peak Trail, are still closed due to the El Dorado fire.

Upon completion of your reservation request. you will receive a download. Please retain this download as your permit reservation. You may keep a copy on your phone and show it to a ranger as verification of your permit or you can print it out. If you do not receive a permit use the contact link here: https://www.sgwa.org/contact-us

The Vivian Creek Trail is the shortest and the steepest route to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio, located in the San Gorgonio Wilderness on the Sand to Snow National Monument. One and two-tenths miles from the trailhead is Vivian Creek Camp (7,100'). Campsites are located upslope to the right of the trail after reaching the stream: one is halfway up the slope, and the other is at the top of the slope (no camping within 200 feet of the trail or creek). One and three-tenths miles from Vivian Creek Camp is Halfway Camp (8,100'). Water is obtained from the creek 200 yards before camp. Two and three-tenths miles further is High Creek Camp (water available - 9,200'). The summit of San Gorgonio (11,499') is 3 miles beyond High Creek. The upper end of this trail offers outstanding views of Yucaipa Ridge and Galena Peak, as well as sweeping panoramic views from the top of Mt. San Gorgonio. General info: No water available. No campfires allowed. Portable gas stoves are allowed with a valid California Campfire Permit. No camping within 200 feet of the trail or creek Wilderness Permit Required - this is a very popular trail, especially on summer weekends. It is suggested you request your permit in advance. Wilderness Permit applications are accepted up to 90 days in advance of your trip. Permits can be obtained from sgwa.org. Fee: Adventure Pass Required $5/day or $30/year. Interagency Passes also accepted.

Halfway Camp

Forest Falls, CA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Discover great camping spots near Forest Falls, reviewed by campers like you.

Forest Falls

The Best Camping Near Forest Falls, California

Came up here for the first time in August 2016\. It was beautiful and breath taking. We went to hike up to stay at the summit of San Gorgonio, but the whole group was not going to complete it. So from about 10,800 ft we hiked back down to Halfway camp! When we went there was no water flow at this camp. Campfires not allowed. Thankfully we just use our jet boils and some drylite food! There seems to be about 10 spots, but really they are just unmarked flatted, cleared dirt. A few spots have logs to break it up a little. This is pack in- pack out. No bathrooms.

I call this not so halfway camp because you would think that it is half way to the summit, but most definitely is not! This is about 3 miles in to the hike. Lovely little area that drops down off the trail. When you see a sign that points to high creek, basically point straight, that is when you will see right to the right a thin trail that heads down maybe 200 feet and opens up. We camped in the first few flat areas, but exploring further there is many flatten out areas as I mentioned above ** This is a re-review for being mis-placed onto the "San Gorgonio Campground" That review is now deleted and placed correctly here.

Not So halfway camp.

So this is my second trip up to this campground. We decided to stay a little further back for a little more privacy from the trail above. This trip we hiked up in the afternoon to stay at this campground and make our way to the summit the next morning. We stayed up against the slope, opposite of the trail. We hung out in quite because there was no other campers that night. We did have a momma deer and two does in the distance. Then 30 mins later we had another deer friend that just hung around until after we took shelter in the tent. These spots are nice and already cleared. Maybe one or two rocks that needed to be moved, but it was minimal!

Some general Info about permits:

As stated above they are sometimes hard to come by depending on weekends. High creek camp is always most popular and I have never had a problem obtaining a permit for Halfway. You can walk in to Mill Creek Ranger Station to get a permit or you can fax the office a few days in advance to submit for a permit.

http://sgwa.org/wilderness-permits/

Photos of Halfway Camp

Real photos from real campers