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Established Camping

Heart Bar Campground

Closed For the Season

This campground is closed for the season from October 30, 2024 through April 20, 2025.

Heart Bar Campground, near Big Bear, California, is a fantastic spot for those looking to escape into nature without straying too far from town. With spacious sites that give you a sense of privacy, it’s perfect for families or groups wanting to enjoy the great outdoors.

This campground is well-loved for its clean facilities and friendly atmosphere. Visitors have noted the well-kept restrooms and the ample space around each site, making it easy to relax and enjoy the surroundings. One camper mentioned, “The campground was great. The spaces are enormous,” which really captures the vibe here.

If you’re into outdoor activities, you’re in luck. Heart Bar is close to the river, making it a great place for fishing and even gold panning—though you might just find some pyrite instead of gold! The area is also known for its beautiful alpine environment, where you can spot wildlife like stellar jays and enjoy the stunning mountain views.

For those who want to explore further, the campground is just a short drive from Big Bear, where you can find hiking trails and other recreational opportunities. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Heart Bar Campground offers a peaceful retreat with plenty to keep you entertained.

Description

National Forest

San Bernardino National Forest

Overview

The Heart Bar Campground provides access to some of southern California's greatest backcountry hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, as well as a nice play to experience nature. A variety of recreation opportunities are available in the surrounding area as well, leaving little more to be desired from a campsite.

Recreation

A variety of backcountry hiking, biking and horseback riding trails can be found near the campground, including the famed Santa Ana River Trail, which provides miles of scenic mountain views and points of exploration. The Wildhorse Creek Trail, which explores 5 miles of rolling terrain in the area, is accessed just north of the campground and leads to a remote camping area south of Wildhorse Meadow. It climbs nearly 1,100 feet in elevation and is moderately difficult. Creek fishing is also available nearby.

Facilities

A variety of backcountry hiking, biking and horseback riding trails can be found near the campground, including the famed Santa Ana River Trail, which provides miles of scenic mountain views and points of exploration. The Wildhorse Creek Trail, which explores 5 miles of rolling terrain in the area, is accessed just north of the campground and leads to a remote camping area south of Wildhorse Meadow. It climbs nearly 1,100 feet in elevation and is moderately difficult. Creek fishing is also available nearby.

Natural Features

The campground is nestled among pine-covered mountains, at an elevation of 6,880 feet. It is not far from Big Bear Lake, but far enough to retain a remote and secluded atmosphere. The mature trees provide some shade to the area, but understory is limited, leaving campsites with little privacy in some places.

Nearby Attractions

Big Bear Lake and its adjoining town are located approximately 20 miles from the campground, offering a variety of water-related recreation opportunities, as well as golf, shopping and restaurant options.

Charges & Cancellations

Rules & Reservation Policies As you make travel plans that include reservations on Recreation.gov, there are standard policies that apply to most locations of which you should be aware. Do keep in mind, however, that there are many exceptions, so it is best to review reservation information listed on individual facility pages for those policies and procedures that pertain to your specific locations.__ Any location or activity requiring a permit or lottery will have unique requirements and policies. Please check individual facility pages for pertinent information for those sites.__ Booking Window For most locations, you can reserve six months in advance of your stay for individual sites and 12 months in advance for group sites. There are some exceptions, so it is best to check with each facility.__ Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation.__ Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Tours & Tickets: You may request changes to tour dates at no cost before the arrival date. If you cancel before your tour date, you may be eligible for a refund. Cancellation fees apply. Please check the tour facility description details page for cancellation policies.__ Permits: Varies by location. Please check the permit details for the permit location.__ Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date.__ If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under "Late Cancellations" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees.__ Tours: A tour or ticket no-show is one who does not cancel a ticket before arrival and does not arrive for the tour. Tour no-shows are not entitled to a refund.__ Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure.__ Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as "Recreation.gov 877-444-6777."__ Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July__

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Location

Heart Bar Campground is located in California

Detail location of campground

Directions

From I-10 in San Bernardino, take the Alabama exit in the city of Redlands to Lugonia Avenue (State Highway 38). Travel northeast on Highway 38 for approximately 30 mile,s to Forest Route IN02. Continue less than a mile to the campground.

Address

HWY 38 FOREST SERVICE RD 1N02
CA

Coordinates

34.159537 N
116.785641 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Available
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Pull-Through Sites

Reviews

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5.0

out of 5

19 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 26, 2023

Serene Campground just close enough to Big Bear

Our family stayed at Heart Bar over Memorial Day weekend.  

The campground was great.  The spaces are enormous.  We felt like we had a Midwest backyard all to ourselves!  The parking was fairly level, but we still needed a couple inches of leveling block to sleep flat.  

The wildlife in the alpine environment is great.  The stellar jays are up and about at sunrise to pick over your evening scraps. 

 The campground is close to the river for fishing and gold panning.  We only found pyrite, but it was fun to try.

Site56
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Matt L., June 26, 2023
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Matt L., June 26, 2023
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Matt L., June 26, 2023
Reviewed Sep. 6, 2022

Beautiful campground

Been camping here since i was a kid in 50 years the campground has changed very little,weather was amazing high of 84 and night time low of mid 50's

Site66
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Glen L., September 6, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Glen L., September 6, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Glen L., September 6, 2022
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 31, 2022

Campground Big Bear CA

Great campground 25minutes from town. Accommodates travel trailers/rv well, water spigots around. Lots of trees, shade & blue jays. Alpine bike path!

Sitedouble site 63
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Ricky S., July 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Ricky S., July 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Ricky S., July 31, 2022
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2022

Well Kept Campgtound

This was a very well kept, clean campground. Spot 056 had a lot of sunshine, which made my RV hot, but my solar happy. TMobile single was spotty, but enough to check the basics.

Site056
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Jon F., June 19, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Jon F., June 19, 2022
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Jon F., June 19, 2022
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2021

Spaced campsite, easy location

Good campsite. I had spot #28 in the grennel loop. Big campsite that that has no neighbor to one side which is nice. Massive amount of space around the site. Never cool meadow and creek to see. Camp host was informative and easy to talk to

Site28
Month of VisitOctober
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2021

Great place to camp

We’ve been here a few time. Great quiet place, clean and friendly host. Restrooms are very clean as well.

Site45
Month of VisitJuly
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Reviewed Oct. 26, 2020

Double site 23 & 24

This is by far the best campsite we've been to and we've been to a good amount of them. The double sites are a must when going with a group of 10 people. This specific site is very spacious with double of the parking spots (4 cars total), 2 fire pits, and 2 benches.

There are spigots throughout the area with trash and recycling bins. Bathrooms are clean, they provide toilet paper, and also has air fresheners inside. One down side was that we weren't able to find the bathrooms at night because the lights were either off or the building didn't have any but that's a minor dislike.

Hiking spots is about 30 mins away towards Big Bear. If you want a nice site seeing walk, you can ask the host for directions to the meadows. One suggestion is to book sites outside of the loop as you'll get more of a nice view of the mountains. If not, the inside is good as well you'll just be a bit close to your neighbors.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Chrystal M., October 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Chrystal M., October 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Chrystal M., October 26, 2020
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jul. 23, 2020

Great spot

We normally camp in the other side of Big Bear, but decided to try a new campground this year. Overall we really liked this campground. Although some of the sites are close together most of them have good separation. There are a lot of equestrian campgrounds in the area so be prepared to see horses on the near by trails. It’s close enough for a quick trip to the lake yet you are far enough away that you still get the true camping experience.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Troy L., July 23, 2020
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Troy L., July 23, 2020
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Troy L., July 23, 2020
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Oct. 22, 2019

Great Location

Heart Bar Campground is one of my favorites. The first thing to mention is the location. The back of the campground faces west where the rolling mountains seem to part in a way that showcases the beautiful California sunset. The campground is away from the town enough to feel secluded and quiet. If you plan to camp in the Big Bear area, I strongly suggest giving Heart Bar a try. The beauty of the surrounding environment is worth it alone.

Reviewed Oct. 15, 2019

Seclusion at its finest

This campground is AWESOME, if you like dispersed campsites then this is perfect! It is easily accessible but doesnt get too crowded

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Morgan F., October 15, 2019
Reviewed Aug. 8, 2019

Loved it. Large spots.

We stayed there this last weekend. The camp host was very accommodating when we wanted to stay another night and all that was left were walk up sites already taken. She looked around for an hour to find out if anyone was leaving unexpectedly. We were there in August and the weather was perfect. Warm during the day and just chilly at night.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Gina C., August 8, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Gina C., August 8, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Gina C., August 8, 2019
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jul. 4, 2019

Best Campground off the 38.

One of my favorite campgrounds within a two hour drive from LA. There are some really great sites to choose from but once the sun begins to set, they’re all great. It doesn’t have showers so it doesn’t get as crowded or overused like Barton Flats.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Andre V., July 4, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Andre V., July 4, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Andre V., July 4, 2019
  • (21) View All
Reviewed Jul. 1, 2019

Lots of trees, and bigger sites

When I go camping, I like getting away from people, and Heart Bar is one of the campgrounds with bigger sites so we can do that easier. The sites are beautiful and clean, and there is a beautiful meadow to hike through, and you can drive 10 minutes to Jenks Lake for some fishing and lake views.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Amy B., July 1, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Amy B., July 1, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Amy B., July 1, 2019
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2019

Beautiful campground

This campground is beyond amazing with spaced out yellow post camp sites that can be fairly remote. If you follow the trail all the way up you hit an amazing view of the valley. There is an old abandoned Boy Scout camp as well that is great to see. There are a few hiking trails around the area that aren’t too tough. These campgrounds are amazing! From just a weekend getaway to going and having fun with friends.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Daniel D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Daniel D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Daniel D., June 20, 2019
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Jun. 16, 2019

Nice spot for a weekend getaway in the San Bernardino Mtns

A decent campground within a couple hours of the major population center that is LA. The campsites are pretty well spaced out which is nice for a little more privacy and there is a decent amount of trees throughout the campground. The vault bathrooms aren't the best, but I have seen much worse. Bring a light with you to the bathroom because it was dark even during the day. There really isn't a whole lot to do in the area, but this is good campground if you just want to chill and hangout on a short weekend getaway. Be aware they charge$5 on any second vehicle at your campsite, even though it says you're allowed 2 vehicles.

  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Christopher D., June 16, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Christopher D., June 16, 2019
  • Review photo of Heart Bar Campground by Christopher D., June 16, 2019
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jun. 11, 2019

Loved it!

The campground is great has water and bathroom available. Has a hiking trail not far away. Close to big bear city about 15mi South. Not too far from Jenka lake to do some fishing. The host are great people check they drive around and check up on people to see how they’re doing.

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2018

Best off hwy 38

By far this has got to be the best and largest campground on the 38. First reason is the pricing. At only $21 per night for a single site, this is the best priced campground in the area excluding free yellow post sites. With this price however you get the basics. No showers, no rv dump station, just water from the pipe, toilets, picnic tables, fire ring, and a bear box. can’t complain about that though.

second reason; there are many many sites to choose from. this camp ground has several loops that each contain roughly 20 campsites, sometimes more. on any given day you should be able to drive up, though a reservation is definitely still recommended.

3rd; the location. Topography-wise this camp sits right over a small meadow that boarders the San Gorgonio wilderness. it sits higher above the highway and displaces sound nicely. this spot is excellent for wildlife viewing and entry to the wilderness for hiking and exploring. The campground is also littered with tall standing pines and even some massive junipers, providing ample shade. You can’t help but feel like your are elsewhere like the Eastern Sierra with the dry desert winds the blow in and chill on the mountains and the smell of the sage brush. This campground is only about 20 min out from big bear lake as well, and does have cell reception (unfortunately).

Highly recommend sites 32, 37, 47, 58, or 24 & 49 which are both double sites. This was due to their more isolated positioning to other spots, shade, flat ground, and proximity to bathrooms and the beautiful little meadow where deer graze in the evenings. happy trails.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Heart Bar Campground?

    Camping at Heart Bar Campground can cost between $29.00 and $31.00 depending on the site.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Heart Bar Campground?

    Heart Bar Campground allows vehicles up to 45 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Heart Bar Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Heart Bar Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Heart Bar Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Heart Bar Campground does not have wifi.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Heart Bar Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Heart Bar Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Heart Bar Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Heart Bar Campground?

    There are 66 campsites at Heart Bar Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts