Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Lake Forest, CA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that California camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near Lake Forest, CA. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
$50 - $350 / night
"Excellent beach camping and tent friendly. plenty of shade and nearby restaurants and shops. Definitely recommend this location."
"the restrooms were clean and showers hot. great views and great for families. most sites are a good size but only room for two vehicles. No wifi but a good book will do. The staff was nice."
$35 - $175 / night
"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. "
"This walk-in campground is part of China Camp State Park. Only 33 tent-only sites! Wheeled totes can be borrowed to haul your gear up some little hills to your campsite under oak and bay trees."
$60 - $120 / night
"It is very hot during this time so we ended up going down to the Lake to cool off. The campground was very well priced and it had bolted toilets and a water spout. No showers or sinks. "
"The bathrooms are decent, no showers. We stayed in group campsite A. Tent camping is only allowed in group sites. They do have about 30 to 40 RV sites as well."
"Great tent camping facilities, privacy from neighbors, access to Zanja Peak Trail head, 3 lakes for fishing, water park during the summer, and friendly helpful staff"
$12 / night
"Although the restroom are very dirty but overall it was a great stay!"
"Tucked away at the top of a precarious winding mountain road. It is very basic, simple and beautiful."
"I am glad we pitched in a tent instead of paying for the high price hotels in town. The campground have toilets, running water, and showers."
"We took the ferry to two harbors and walked up all of our gear to the site."
"Great campground that is very accessible to the trans Catalina trail."
"Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. You have to find or bring in your own wood for the fire. There’s two bathrooms and a public, open shower. Fresh water is available too."
"If you’re backpacking through here, I highly recommend you stay the night. A camp site includes potable water, fire pit, picnic table, food storage box. Everything you need. Porta potties available."
"If you’re backpacking the Trans-Catalina trail, this is one of the best spots. Great views of the sunset, spaced out campsites with water spouts at each one and a 6 mile hike from airport in the sky."
"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."
"When you can’t do a 2h hike before setting camp, but you also don’t want to camp close to your car, Millard campground is perfect. The parking lot is just behind the corner out of view."
"Only 30 mins walk or 5 minute bus ride from downtown Avalon."
"I stayed here Labor Day weekend for tent camping! So, since I don't plan to camp here again for awhile, I should let you in on the secret(?) that
thebest campsite is Site 29!!!"
RangerThis 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!
GuideGreat campground that is very accessible to the trans Catalina trail. The campground has potable water, lockers, vault toilets, an outdoor shower (very cold water), trash cans, picnic table, fire pit, food storage box. Foxes are common on this campground as they look for any food, campers may leave behind so make sure you clean up after yourself
GuideCool 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
LegendTucked on the outskirts of Mission Viejo is an oasis of green grass and groves of the twisting and searching limbs of Coastal Live Oak trees. If you stuck me in the middle of this park, I’d never know that I was miles away from the sprawl of suburbia of a major metropolitan area…shhh don’t tell anyone.
There are 3 campgrounds within this regional park -- one soley dedicated to RV's that require electrical hook-ups (Ortega Flats), a group campground (San Juan Meadow), and another which is a mix of tents and off-grid RVs (Live Oak). This review is specifically for the off-grid Live Oak Campground which s aptly named because you’ll find yourself enjoying the ample shade of these amazing arbors, but plenty of sun to run our solar powered system.
The campsites can be reserved but there is plenty of room for first-come first-served travelers as well. The sites offer enough space to tuck away a tent in the corner, or set up the longer trailer, as well as the typical picnic table and fire ring. Plenty of port o potties are scattered throughout the campground and served the large groups gathered here on Easter weekend. We indulged in making a fabulous brunch of Wood Fired Waffles to celebrate the holiday! As of April 2023, they were still experiencing a well water issue, so no water was available from the faucet, but the river running through the park was useful for obtaining water to wash dishes.
Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails meander throughout the park. The campground borders on a small creek for fishing, but is off-limits to wading and swimming because of the instability of the opposite bank. Keep an eye on the kids! Be sure to check out the volunteer-run Nature Center on the property which is full of great information about flora, fauna, and native history.
The closest store for firewood, and groceries is just a few miles back toward town. And, the closest beach is just about 30 minutes away, so a great option for a day trip.
RangerI 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.
GuideThis park has something for everyone. I used a site that provided electric. There are tent and dry sites throughout. While the sites are everywhere, they are spaced in a way that feels private. There are bear boxes, picnic tables and fire rings at each site. The bathrooms were clean, with flushing toilets. Places to get water are all over. There are so many hiking opportunities for every level.
GuideThis park is great for all Southern California natives to get away for the weekend. Has clean facilities and the campgrounds have ample space between them. This area has a ton of beautiful landscape, during the fall/winter wonderful foliage appears. Leave no trace & enjoy our lands!
GuideThis is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I have ever been too. The view of the beach and the palm trees and all of it is amazing! If you’re backpacking through here, I highly recommend you stay the night. A camp site includes potable water, fire pit, picnic table, food storage box. Everything you need. Porta potties available. Careful with all the buffalo poop. There is almost no cell coverage here except on top of a large rock on the shore.
RangerThis 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.
Tent camping near Lake Forest, California, offers a variety of scenic locations for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from well-equipped campgrounds to more rustic settings, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Lake Forest, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lake Forest, CA is Doheny State Beach Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 35 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Lake Forest, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 30 tent camping locations near Lake Forest, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
