Best Tent Camping near Angeles National Forest

Tent Camping Reviews near Angeles National Forest

693 Reviews of 60 Angeles National Forest Campgrounds

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  Tony C.

  Ranger

  Sep. 20, 2020

  Little Jimmy Trail Campground

  Local gem of a campsite

  This campsite is located in California and is one of my favorites. Located above Crystal Lake you’ll find Little Jimmy, it’s a backcountry hike-in only campground nestled just 2 miles off the Angeles Crest Highway. It has around 7 first-come, first-served sites with fire rings, vault toilets (which are currently not in service), and vintage backcountry ovens. After parking at Islip Saddle, cross the highway and begin hiking for 2 miles up the switchbacks until you reach Little Jimmy Campground on your right. Popular with Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, this scenic spot offers a chance to get away from established campgrounds and live amongst the Coulter Pines and Big Doug Firs. Campers turned hikers have easy access to hop on the legendary Pacific Crest Trail which runs through the camp. There is no fee to camp here other than an Adventure pass for your parking. In the summertime, bears can be common visitors so make sure and secure your food in provided bear boxes or bring your own bear canisters. As always, make sure you follow the "Leave No Trace" principles and pack everything in and out!

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• 

  Les R.

  Legend

  Aug. 6, 2018

  Buckhorn Campground

  Most beautiful campground in the Angeles National Forest!

  We've wanted to camp here for so long, but we've never been able to get a spot. We finally did this weekend, and it fully lived up to our expectations. Because this campground is set within a ravine that has a stream during the rainier months, so the landscape feels very different than the other nearby campgrounds - very green with tall trees. The campsites have plenty of space between neighbors, so we felt we had privacy and weren't disturbed by any noise from other sites. Each site has a picnic table, firepit, and bear box for food storage. There is a water spigot at the campground, but the ranger advised that it's not potable.

  There's day parking at the end of the campground for the trailhead to Cooper Canyon Falls. In the summer the "waterfall" is barely a trickle, but the hike still has a nice stream and is worth doing.

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• j

  jonnysunami

  Guide

  Mar. 25, 2021

  Millard Trail Campground

  Great campground for hiking/biking

  Cool drive to get to the campground. You drive up and down these hilly roads up the mountain to get there. Once there, there's a parking lot that fits about 20 cars. There's about 100 yd hike to the campsites. There's a road that leads to the campsite but it's been blocked off. Only the campsite managers use that road so it's not accessible by RV, just tents. A campsite manager stays in a little trailer overnight so if there's any problems there's somebody there you can go to and ask for help. There's about six campsites and their first come first serve, no reservations. I went during the week and was the only one camping. This place is heavily used for day camping and hiking. There's not a lot of privacy because there's always lots of people passing by who are hiking and biking. You can stay overnight which I did and everything was fine but there's not a lot of privacy. The next day as I was leaving there was another guy sitting up his tent. I bet on the weekends they can fill up pretty fast. It's in Bear country so they provide food storage for each campsite also trash containers too. Each side has a picnic bench and a fire pit. The fire ban has been lifted so you can have a fire. Each fire pit had wood left at it so you didn't have to go searching for campfirewood. Bathrooms included male and female toilets but no showers or water. There's a creek that runs through the campground which makes it very pretty. I saw two to three cabins along the outskirts of the campground that I assume were for rentals. There was one family at one of the cabins the night I stayed. About a 20 minute hike and you can end up at a waterfall which is very pretty. But there are several trails to take for hiking and biking and I saw lots of people doing that. Overall a good campsite four stars. Would have been five stars if they had showers and running water. I didn't see any bears although there was an animal outside my tent at one point in the night I could hear him nosing around. So it's important to keep all of your food and anything with any kind of smell in the bear boxes

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• K

  Kurt B.

  Traveler

  Jan. 5, 2022

  Oakwilde Trail Campground

  Half Sunk, Overgrown

  The camp site looks like it was buried in mud from a flood a few years ago. There’s been no maintenance to this camp. The cook stoves are covered, half of the one picnic table was underground. But still, it’s a beautiful and remote spot. The river was running when I was there in January and it was just gorgeous. Looks like there’s really only one usable flat spot to set up a tent. But you can’t have a fire or anything. I didn’t camp just hiked in and checked it out. Dunno if I would try camping here.

• 

  Tony C.

  Ranger

  Jun. 24, 2019

  Henninger Flat - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Great local campsite

  I recently moved to WA from Los Angeles so this review is legit 😁 This was and still continues to be one of my favorite campsite close to Los Angeles, I have plenty of fond memories with close friends at this site. It’s completely exposed all the way to the top, a well worth 3 mile uphill hike to three different camp sites. My favorite is the middle site where you get a clear view of the city, beautiful views at night. They say there’s no water but there is, there’s a spout located by the restroom close to the museum, you’ll have to treat it before using (but don’t take my word for it, they tend to shut it off so take plenty of water for your time there and check it out if you need more) If you continue past the middle campsite to the upper site, you’ll have plenty of space for tents and hammocks just no view due to the trees on the edge. If you continue on that trail for another 3 miles i believe, you’ll get to idlehour campground. It’s a small site right next to a creek, you can continue on to Mt Lowe campground and inspiration point. Back to Henninger, plenty of trees for hammocks and sometimes they have firewood collected. At the museum you can buy soda cans so take some change. Hauling a 24 pack of cold Modelos in my pack was not fun at all, but boy did they taste good at the top hahaha. Bugs can get annoying so carry some bug spray, hang your food and PACK IT OUT!!! Leave no trace behind.

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• 

  William S.

  Ranger

  May. 13, 2023

  Lake Campground

  Relaxed mountain camping near a small lake.

  Lake Campground in the Angeles National Forest consists of 5 reservable car camping sites, and 3-4 others that are first come, first served. Sites have a table and fire pit, but no tent pads, and there are pit toilet latrines, and potable water spigots. Bear proof boxes are provided at each site for food. 

  The view of the nearby mountains is good but the real attraction is nearby Lake Jackson, where you can fish, though I'm not sure if your camping fee includes the day-use permit required. Angeles National Forest is divided into several camps near each other, so I'd recommend this one for anglers. 

  There are trails around the lake (a relatively easy, if hilly, walk) and also up the mountain proper (a real hike). Weather permitting, you can use deadwood in the site for your campfire. 

  Wildlife included acorn woodpeckers, and one of their cache trees was in our site, so we got to spend a lot of time observing them, as well as the Stellar's Jays, who were very curious about what we were cooking.

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Apr. 11, 2022

  Camping @ Quail Run Ostrich Ranch

  Great tour and amenities

  General: This is not an official campground but due to its proximity to the Pacific Crest Trail, the owners make it available for tent and RV campers as well as members of Harvest Host. 

  Site Quality: There are no designated sites so you can park where it best suits you on a large and level gravel lot. Since there was a strong wind advisory to last through the night into the next morning, Jessica recommended we park along the trees, and this made for an effective windbreak. There is also an additional gravel lot where the only other RV camper stayed so we had privacy. 

  Bathhouse: I was hoping for a vault toilet so was pleasantly surprised to find flush toilets with a sink, soap, and paper towels. No showers and no hot water.

  Activities/Other Amenities: Take a tour of the ostrich farm – we learned a lot and it is worth the $10pp. At the end of the tour, you can purchase ostrich oil (many benefits), ostrich eggs (sometimes sold out), local brews, local honey, and a few other items. Other amenities include a propane bbq, fire ring, picnic table, and electric outlets (located by each light pole by the stage/dance floor which is also used for weddings and other gatherings). There is also a peaceful garden and a playground. Other activities include ax throwing and archery, neither of which we tried. (A girl scout troop was doing archery when we were there). Quail Run is a family-owned business and everyone we talked with was very welcoming and communication was thorough. 

  Note: the gates are closed between 5 pm and 8 am (7 pm-7 am during the summer). If you need it, cell coverage via Verizon is available.

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• 

  Tim J.

  Ranger

  Sep. 10, 2018

  China Camp State Park Campground

  Secluded and Quiet

  This is more of your traditional campground where you must carry all your food and gear to the campsite.  It is a short hike from the parking lot to the camping area and the camp hosts can provide containers to carry your items.  The campground was not busy and this allowed me to pick a spot hidden away from others. There are restrooms and a place to get water, but when I was there the showers were closed.  There are many hiking opportunities and chances to see wildlife (deer, wild turkey, rabbits, squirrels, racoons, and birds). Sites include fire pits, picnic tables, and food storage box.

• 

  Kate O.

  Traveler

  Jul. 18, 2018

  Horse Flats Campground

  Popular with Climbers

  Horse Flats is a popular campground deep in Angeles National Forest.

  There are a bunch of sites (more than 20) and there are vault toilets, fire pits, and picnic tables.

  $12 fee per site, not sure how many cars that means but you might need the adventure pass if you have a lot of other cars parking overnight.

  It's a great escape from the city, about an hour from DTLA. Popular with climbers as there's bouldering in the area.

  Know before you go - it's closed from November-ish to April-ish - so check the forest website before you head out there.

  When driving there, you take a left off the 2 and it's a little past Bandido Group site. Some people have a hard time finding it their first time going.

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