Best Dispersed Camping near Idyllwild, CA

Yellow Post #2 – San Bernardino National Forest Secluded, free, first-come-first-served tent site tucked deep in the forest near Hemet, CA. No amenities—no toilet, water, or trash—so pack in and out. Fire ring and picnic table on-site. Shaded by mature trees with a dirt/sand/rock surface. Site fits up to 8 people and 2 vehicles.

Access road is rough and rocky but doable in dry conditions with a careful 2WD. Signage is limited—offline maps recommended. Site sits near a dry creek bed and has a short walk to a west-facing boulder with expansive views of the valley.

Wildlife includes deer, lizards, snakes, woodpeckers, and lots of squirrels. Mosquitoes come out at dusk—repellent is a must. Fire bans usually in effect during summer. Great for quiet retreats, hiking, light climbing, and off-grid solitude.

A rugged but rewarding forest stay for self-sufficient campers.

As another reviewer noted - this spot is huge so make sure you are staying on BLM land. There is a lot of trash in some areas and there was some dirt bikes but they didn’t bother me. Car camping I found the area I liked best was as follows: off 62 take Sunfair rd, right on cypress rd (dirt road which my GPS thought was Reagan Rd but is marked with a street sign Cypress) - go past ITH coyote ranch (no sign but may show up on map) Then right on cascade - an unmarked dirt rd. Then there is a large flat BLM area where rvs and vans were quite spread out, and a motorcycle with a tent was my neighbor (quite far away). No trash here when I was there. Zero facilities obviously so pack it out. Hot tip - water and restrooms 10 min away at the Indian Cove ranger station near Indian Cove Campground in JT park. I stayed here two nights car camping.

There are a bunch of campsites along a service road that is parallel to a main road, several hundred feet away. This whole area is essentially within one valley, so you have mountains on both sides. It is well vegetated and allows for fairly easy hikes up the soft slopes.

The parking spots are right alongside the road, so for van camping is not so great, but tents can be put away from the road and therefore it's much more suitable for tenting.

The stretch of dirt road closest to the main road is Sandy, but manageable bull in a two wheel drive. This is where most of the campsites are. Further along the road, there are fewer camp sites, so they are more dispersed, however the road becomes more rocky and jutted, but for those wanting a bit more privacy, this is the spot to be.

I would like to come back in camp in this location. So i'm going to mark it to return another time.

this is a dispersed location on box canyon in Mecca. the road is loose sand and is possible by most vehicles as long as you stay on the road. after driving a few minutes you come into the canyon and there are a few places to pull off and set up camp. there are no amenities and no trash cans so pack in/pack out. the area is pretty quiet but can be extremely hot in the summer so I wouldn't reccomend it other than winter. there is a lot of hiking but make sure to have a map as it's very easy to get lost. my favorite is the ladder canyon hike which has you climb up a series of ladders in the canyon. most of the time they are well maintained and replaced if they are falling apart but beware just in case.