Cleveland National Forest is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Find the best campgrounds near Cleveland National Forest, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
"Bike trails are right next to the park. Fun trails watch out for rattle snakes. Only downside is the kids racing around in golf carts at night."
"She told me that it had been around for decades under a different name, Buttercup I think. It has an established rotation of regular guests that come for access to wine country."
$25 - $45 / night
"This is a great family campground right around the corner from Temecula, Murrietta, and Menifee."
"The charge $10 per person per day to fish in their Lake. And you can’t swim or let the kids play in the lake because it’s a reservoir."
$25 - $50 / night
"One of the water faucets with potable water was on the outskirts of our space, not at all bothersome. The toilets and dumpster were conveniently close, but not too close to be noticed."
"It's close proximity to Temecula makes it easy to get to. Also, because it is small there were no issues with noise or traffic."
$15 - $30 / night
"We were there for the full moon last month and even though it rained in the morning as we packed up me and my motorcycle camping friends had a blast sitting around the campfire and enjoying peace and the"
"This campsite is located just a short drive from Temecula, campsites are well cared for, clean bathrooms, and some sites have great California oak tree cover."
$40 - $130 / night
"Most of the sites are on slopes, or require walking up/down a series of steps to access."
"We drove up for an impromptu camp trip, it was only about an hour drive. I've never been up to Palomar Mountain although I've lived here for 30 years!"
$20 - $40 / night
"Palomar Mountain Observatory Campground is one of the prettiest spots I've seen to camp close to San Diego in Southern California."
"Very pretty setting in forested valley below the famous telescope (now closed to all visitors - even to walk around outside). 30 or so sites, nice variety, some cater to astronomers, handicapped, doubles"
$15 / night
"Just south of Palomar Mountain Observatory (a must visit) Fry Creek is a heavily wooded (oak, fir, pine) campground in a narrow valley surrounded by steep forested banks."
"The only con was that there are way too many insects everywhere, My base camp got bombarded with a swarm of wasps, And I was forced to leave a day early, and had to leave my cooking pot behind because"
$40 - $120 / night
"You can camp next to it as well and get in! It’s $35 per car they do have military discount. The total of $32 with discount. They also have porta potties every few 500 feet."
"The spot we initially reserved was located on the little river, but once we got there, we realized we were a little too packed in with the rest of the visitors, so we requested to move to a more open spot"
"Very nice facilities, newer, walking distance to casino, pool, world renown golf course, restaurants, sports park facilities… take an Uber to the amazing wineries approx 5 min drive."
"Close to freeway and golf courses. Lots of places to eat close by."
$45 / night
"You can fit two 10' x10' canopies to cover the bench table, and fit 2 individual tents (4-6 person) OR a bigger 12p tent however you decide to position it. It has its own Fire pit."
"I've been camping at Lake Hemet since I was a kid, and absolutely love it there."
LegendGreat spot right off of Jenks Lake Road East that allows dispersed camping. There are a lot of spaces and larger rigs will do just fine within the first 1/4 mile, roads are a bit rough with rock and drainage ditches but our 40' trailer had zero issues. Lots to do with San Gorgonio Mt right here, Jenks Lake, Santa Ana river (and River Trail for MTB).
GuideThis is a nice place to camp- we stayed one night. stopped at the laguna recreation area visitor center before hand to pick up a free permit. the road was recently paved so it’s easy to drive on, there’s a handful of spots just along side the road, as you go further in the road the views get better- we parked on the side of the road and then walked uphill about 8 minutes to a campsite we liked but there are definitely more where you just camp next to your car. there are more campsite further down the road when it goes back down in the valley but the views end there. we only saw 3-4 other cars the whole time.
ScoutI went there for years with my RV and stayed in the back free of charge, have drinks gamble and eat and go to sleep at the RV.
Now suddenly my money is no good . No RV's allowed truckers are OK.
I called and the answer is that they want to encourage people to stay at the Hotel at $300 dls a day weekends and Holidays , So Dear Morongo I think some bad RV'ers screweed it up for everyone and we all have to pay the price. you have plenty of room in the back, if money is short we are willing to pay to stay and discourage the homeless to live there.
Thank you
remember we help with your success.
TravelerThis lake has been good to me and my friends, always catch something, maybe not a lunker but fun. Camping is ok, some days the sites are good some days they aren't.
GuideThe good things about this place is, relatively cheap compared to most RV places in the area around San Diego; decent bath/shower rooms + no coins; pool/hottub/gym/gameroom/laundry available; you can walk to some restaurants and a dollar tree Cons on this place would be terrible “dog park” there’s a bit of space but nowhere will you find actual grass for any of the many dogs that are here with their campers; every site is covered in gravel (just not my favorite); a lot of sites are fully exposed to sun throughout the hole day; very little to no privacy here
TravelerI stayed for 2 nights recently. Nice location. The rangers are very attentive here. Couple hosts you can buy firewood from. The shower was out of tokens but a ranger on a golf cart gave me some. Everyone comes here with their dogs and the coyotes are insane. They are everywhere. I wish they could/would do something about it. They are not afraid of humans at all. You’ll wake up to them chasing rabbits literally in your campsite. Bit scary since I have a small dog. Pretty much the reason I haven’t returned.
ScoutGreat campsite about 30min up a fun easy rated 4x4 trail. The spots are well spaced out so you aren't on top of your neighbors and the bathrooms were clean and stocked with TP. Lots of bugs of the crawling variety but nothing too bad, no mosquitoes!
ScoutI love it here but this is indeed a parking lot. You can camp in a morothome, van, travel trailer or rooftop tent as long as the fit in the parking spots. There are no hookups. You are right next to every neighbor. There are no quiet hours. Generators are fine. No tents, awnings, slide outs, etc. Nothing that encroaches on the parking spot next to you. Pay the parking machine. Up to 5 days in a month.
ScoutGreat area--it's just close enough to some expensive campgrounds and a few connecting trails, so it's awesome to camp here for FREE. Pine Creek Road itself is paved, and the camping spots are packed dirt so it's easy to get around even in a FWD. Warning though: if you're nervous about driving on single lane mountain roads, this is not the place for you! Pine Creek Road is several miles long, with some sections that are on sheer cliff edges with very few turn-off spots to allow for passing.
Additional word of warning: the camping spots are not close together and there seemed to be very few of them. Even driving slowly, I counted only 6 or 7 sites total, separated by up to a mile. I saw only 1 other spot with campers, at least 2.5 miles from my site. Some of the sites are fairly large--could easily fit 2 cars and a couple tents--but others seemed to be just large enough to pull off the road and sleep in the car (no tent space). Some spots were tucked back from the road with lots of trees (I barely saw or heard any cars, even though I was probably only ~15ft from the road); but some were barely more than a shoulder with no trees for coverage. I stayed in the same spot two nights in a row, though I packed up during the day because I assumed I'd find another spot down the road. At least in the site I picked, there was very little trash from previous campers.
Suggestion for the permit: make sure you apply for the free permit a few days in advance especially if you plan to go on the weekend. List the place you're going as "Pine Creek dispersed camping," and keep a printed copy in your car. I didn't have trouble with any rangers, but it's better to be safe than fined. Very spotty service (Verizon), which makes navigation and planning difficult if you don't pre-download trail maps.
Camping near Cleveland National Forest, California, offers a fantastic escape into nature with beautiful landscapes and a variety of campgrounds to choose from. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a peaceful retreat, there's something for everyone.
Camping near Cleveland National Forest, California, has its perks and quirks. With the right preparation, you can enjoy a memorable outdoor experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, Cleveland National Forest offers a wide range of camping options, with 334 campgrounds and RV parks near Cleveland National Forest and 23 free dispersed camping spots.
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Cleveland National Forest is Temecula-Vail Lake KOA with a 4.4-star rating from 20 reviews.
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 23 free dispersed camping spots near Cleveland National Forest.
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 7 parks near Cleveland National Forest that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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