Idyllwild Campground — Mount San Jacinto State Park

Absolutely would not go here.   We pulled in at 4pm on a Monday with reservations and got the bumb-rush about having to register again the next day.   

Went to  campsite #6, backed in (tight with 14ft trailer) but then found no level spots for tents.

And NO FIRE ALLOWED!!!!!    So 'nasty' to advertise fires in fire-ring and then pull up on Dec 22 2025, WET everywhere, misting rain, and no fires allows for absolutely no reason.    

Immediately left to go to nearby (25miles) Pinyon Flats Campground - a very nice, open place, with water, vault toilet, trash but no power.  

Could not get any kind of refund for 7 day reservation since they 'already checked us in'.

Had a nice time. The sites were clean and nice. Had fire ring, picnic table, and easy access to water and toilets. Also nice trails for hiking.

Two things. It got really cold at night, about 10 degrees colder that Idyllwild Town limits. And there was a no open flame aloud because of how dry it was—which we did not know until we arrived. Might want to check that out.

Super quiet relaxing spot. Kinda close to main road. But, store close by. Around the corner next to the village.

Hiked saw mill flats and loved to views of the pines and large boulder formations. The path was relatively easy to hike and we’re looking forward to checking out the surrounding trails. The stone creek camp ground is great if you don’t mind company and weekend partiers. If you’d like seclusion you’d probably want to hike in to one of the deeper camp options. The main bathrooms smelled terrible but if you walk to one of the ones farther to the end of camp they are much nicer. Pro tip Hike and camp safe!

First time I have stayed in this campground. Brought my 21 foot trailer and was able to stay in a spot with electric. The campground was very clean and the bathrooms and showers were very clean and well kept. Decent tree coverage. Most spots have some shade, but some are in full sun. I stayed two nights. Pretty quiet but some street noise from the highway. You can walk into town for dinner ad well.

Nice quiet campground within walking distance to downtown Idyllwild. Water available near sites. We were in a pop up camper. Most sites are suitable for tents only, backing in to our site was an adventure. Great hiking trails start in the campground. Showers are coin operated.

We like coming here because it’s close to us and a nice little getaway to relax and make sure all our gear is good to go for our longer camping trips. A lot of trails around and the town is close by with a store and restaurants. Bathrooms are always clean everyone at campsites are good on being quiet when it’s quiet hours. This campground is very family friendly

Not a bad campground, but not woodsy or remote enough for what I’m looking for when camping. Sites 56 and 57 are the best, stay away from the loop at the end in the 70s.

PROS: flush toilets, coin showers (if you like that kind of thing), not crowded mid-week in June. Somewhat woodsy so most spots have some shade, and interesting boulders with Native American Pictographs in the campground.

CONS: daytime Lawnmower and traffic noise, visible street lights and power lines, surprisingly busy air traffic at night. Some loud RV people but that’s unavoidable. Most campsites relatively close and no privacy between them, no views.

HIKES: there’s an interesting trailhead at the end of the campground loop with a pretty steep climb, mostly shaded. Better off driving 15 min to shared trailhead for Ernie Maxwell (easy, FANTASTIC views) or Devil’s Slide (harder) in nearby Humber park in San Bernardino Natl Forest.

Great overall experience. The sites have a lot of low trees which can be a bit annoying but provided a good bit of privacy. The drive up was very scenic. The Peak hike was challenging and definitely not for beginners.

We keep coming back here. Great little campground with clean air, starry skies and big trees. Lake Fulmor is 3 miles away to take pups swimming off leash.  Idyllwild is a charming town for small town vibe. Nice trails close to PCT and rock climbing by Humber Park. Groceries are expensive on this mountain so pick up food in Hemet.  The Idyllwild campground is crowded and loud so we always stay at Stone Creek. Best electric site is #50 Best tent site is #26. Great little nature loop but watch out for the big cats and snakes!

 Kings Canyon is one of the coolest places I've been in a long time and Southern California

While I fully appreciated the location, the scenery, the quaint community of Idyllwild, the campsites were TOO close and on hills making relaxing and tent camping a bit of a downer. It felt like we were right on top of each other. We had loud campers on 2/3 sites near us. I don’t think I would camp here again.

I love this park. It is beautifully maintained, has showers, lots of manzanita trees, and large boulders to play on. The fire rings and trash cans are emptied regularly. There is a lot of Raccoon activity in town so keep your food secured. If you are up for it, you can visit the Raccoon rescue in town too. Maybe meet a friend like Fred (see picture). 

You are nestled in the middle of the town with easy walking access to shops, restaurants, and the nature center. The nature center is lovely for a smaller mountain town and can give you in depth information in regards to the local flora and fauna. 

The sites are large and flat. Surrounded by sweet smelling pines too, which makes life even sweeter. There is tons to do nearby in addition to the town sites. Tons of hiking trails, scenic views, mountain lakes.

5 star for the fact that they are open year round. Great camp ground and amenities. Good spacing between spots but doesn't really matter in the winter because there was no one else there. Great option when you need a place to crash for the night.

The campground is in a great spot but it has alot of traffic and minimal privacy

This campground is right by the town. You can walk there within minutes. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. A little louder than what I would want. It’s still a nice spot. A couple guys and I went up there to get away and we enjoyed our time. Good hiking spots within a few minutes of driving. Not much to do around the campsite other than go into town.

We’ve gone camping here a few times and are completely in love. We went in January and were definitely a bit unprepared for the cold but we made it work and it was so beautiful, well maintained, and we loved all the trails near by and the little town walking distance

Offers wide range of tent camp sites, RV camping, showers, toilets. Beautiful scenic hikes. Small creek runs through property. Campsite grills and picnic tables.

Idyllwild County campground is not that easy to find, but when you finally find it you will be glad you did. It is dog friendly, clean restrooms, showers and very friendly staff. The fees for camping are low and it's exciting to be away from everything but know there is a safety net of rangers and other staff around if you need them. Hike to the Nature Center using Perimeter or Hillside trails and you are in for a treat. They have good exhibits, and a bonus bird watching area. I love this park for day use as well - when it's 100 degrees + in the summer a drive up to Idyllwild is like going to heaven.

Its nice to find a campground close to the town. I met some PCT hikers and had a great time listening to their stories. Well maintained and easy to find.

3 minute walk into downtown idyllwild, with its great bars and restraunts. Strangely also seems seculed from downtown and quiet. About 2 hours drive and you can take the tram car in palm springs up to the top of Mt. Jacinto and cool off, maybe there will be snow?

Great campsite within 5 minute walk of downtown idyllwild. Plus less than 2 hours from drive to Palm Spring Tram up to Mt. San Jacinto and a great way to cool off in the summer or see snow in the winter. Showers and clean bathrooms!

even in the snow there is a lot to see and do. we stayed here in the winter and it was beautiful. very cold though so make sure to prepare for snow and freezing temps. most of the hikes require a permit that you can pick up at the ranger station. we used the team to ride up to the top before hiking to san jacinto peak. the weather can be unpredictable so make sure to check in with the ranger to see if they have any warnings. on the way back, make sure to grab some food at the restaurant, it's good!

Near many trailheads with wide variety of difficulty, clean bathrooms, and friendly staff.

We arrived early on Friday morning and snagged one of two remaining spots. Trail leading up to Mount San Jacinto is within walking distance. Lots of trees , very inexpensive. Not many sites.

Amazing place to catch your breath from the city life of Los Angeles. That is if you can with the elevation! There are so many hikes and with PCTers walking in and out of town you are sure to find great stories wondering through.

You can hike and camp up to the peak or you can do a calming hike around the area and take in all the pines.

The town of Idyllwild is a quaint, artsy mountain community in Southern CA. Access to hiking and climbing is excellent. The county park is a good base-camp. Coin-op showers are pretty lukewarm, but better than nothing. It can get crowded here, and reservations are a good call - they have a user-friendly online system.

There are 2 yellow post campsites located about 5 miles from the city center that are free to camp in. Each site has a total of 8 camping spots that are first come, first serve. The road leading up to the sites is a bit bumpy as its paved only half way but my Honda Civic made it just fine. It's a primitive area with only a picnic table. It's a great place to camp if you plan to hike the South Ridge of Tahquitz.