Best RV Parks & Resorts near San Bernardino National Forest

This campground is part of the “Thousand Trails” RV time share co-op. We are non-members and lined up our weekend stay a few weeks in advance. If we didn’t get reservations in advance there was no chance of getting a spot. All 500+ sites were booked solid (late April - early May). We live in Orange County and tried this spot for a quick out of town trip. We didn’t hit the road till late., so We showed up at dusk. The major downside to this park is they don’t assign any of the sites. It’s based off a “First come, first serve” the problem with showing up late is we spent 45mins driving around this large RV park trying to find and open site. We ended up in the sites that were electrical only, all of the other 495 sites are full hook ups.

The sites are large and will fit most large 5th wheels and diesel pusher motor homes. Some sites have 50 amp but not all.

Two pools, club house, general store (closed b/c of covid) tons of mature trees for shade. BBQ stations at most sites, tons of water foul playing around and honking all night long.

Great for long term RV camping with hookups. They have nice hot springs pools, decent cell signal, and reasonable prices for full hookups. Camp sites are on the small side so neighbors are close, but at least they put plants in between to give you a little privacy.

I spent a few nights using my Passport America discount at Pechanga RV Resort. I really liked it there. This is now one of my favorite RV resorts in California except for the showers. It is clean, well-maintained, concrete, level pads, full hookups, 168 site spaces, 20-30-50 amp power, 5 luxury spaces that The park itself is clean, well-maintained, concrete, level pads, full hookups, 168 site spaces, 20-30-50 amp power, 5 luxury spaces that is fenced in with gazebo, and picnic tables. First of all, it is part of the Casino with entertainment and restaurants. This casino reminds me of the Vegas casinos and now is under construction to make it a real Vegas Style Resort. It’s going to be finished sometimes in 2017. 

The RV resort itself has a nice heated pool, Jacuzzi, ping pong table. They also have a golf club which could be important for some. One thing I hated is the showers. The RV resort shower has a timer set to 25 seconds and the showerhead is not able to stand upright. So you basically have to hold the shower in one hand and keep pressing the timer every 25 seconds. It’s December, it’s cold in the shower, especially because the water keeps shutting off. You end up standing soaking wet putting soap on yourself in the cold. 

I wonder if the hotel rooms have timer on the showers as well. The person who came up with this idea should take showers in there each night. It pet-friendly resort, they also have an area for dogs. If you heading to the casino, they have a shuttle service 24/7 which picks ups from and drop-offs to and from your space. You have to call a number and they are there to pick you up in minutes. 

About the WiFi! It’s the best WiFi ever in any parks I’ve so far visited! I wasn’t even close to the main building and had a great reception. I am able to use my Roku to watch Netflix and can use my laptop as well for work. I didn’t even need my Sprint or Verizon, but both work fine. Across the street, there is a 2-mile bike/walk trail. Using this and riding around the nice neighborhoods it was a fun way to get some exercise.

We had spot 18 and fit in our trailer! It’s flat too so no leveling was required unlike most of the sites here. No water or RV hookups. Saw a coyote though.

To set the scene for you, I was in desprate need of a new home for myself, my Great Dane Laya and my 35 foot, 1969 Buffalo Bus Conversion when I found this little "Diamond in the rough" campground. You see, 90% of campgrounds and RV Parks in SoCal have a 10 to 15 year old limit to help keep out the trashy trailers and the riff-raff that usually inhabits them. (I know how that sounded and I dont care cause the truth hurts) And even though my Coach is beautiful, she is still 50+ years old and so far no one has been willing to break that rule for us. So after calling what seemed like 50 places, I phoned this one and was greeted by the onsite assistant manager named Joe. He told me that they limit the number of long-term wimter renters to 16 and only had a couple spots left. He then went over the park ammenities, and also listed off what there was to do in the area, and when he got to the price I was blown away. He stated their daily rate was $33, and the monthly rent was only $610, and to move in all that was due was the 1st months rent and it was pro-rated! I was currently paying $70+ per day at the RV Park at Pudding Stone lake where the staff are rude, heartless Natzi's that act like they own the park! TBC....

I visited Sam's Family Hot Springs Park in early April and I am eager to go back again. I was told on the phone that the RV park is never full, which makes checking in easy. All I had to do was show up find a good spot then register. I have only ever stayed in the RV park, not the hotel, but this place is exactly what a desert oasis should be like. As the name indicates, this is a"family" spa, filled with very active kids and their parents. This is not the place for a romantic getaway. However I personally really enjoyed my stay. The 

Good: Four mineral water small pools set to different temperatures. The hottest is 104 degrees. These pools are powered by natural hot springs no added chemicals! There are also a dry sauna and a tiny steam sauna. There is a larger family pool filled with city water that has reclining beds and chairs and you can always find shaded areas. The park has its own lake with an abundance of wildlife. There are black swan and cranes, as well as plenty of ducks, fish, and turtles in the water in a beautiful setting. I found the bathroom to be clean, with keypad activated toilets and showers that are open 24 hours. 

The sites have full hook-ups for water, electricity, and sewerage. There is a limit on only one sleeping unit per site. It had 110V and the 30AMP and 50AMP. The RV park check-out is pretty flexible and you can use the facilities all day on your check-out day. There is a VONS five miles away so it is best to load up there before you check-in. Alternatively, there are several dining options around in a few miles distance, a Thai place, some Mexican restaurants, and a Burger place that caters for breakfast through to dinner. If you plan to stay longer, you can visit Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, or even a casino. The staff were very friendly and accommodating and altogether it was a nice experience that I am more than happy to recommend. 

The Bad: There is not much to do in the area. You will need to drive for everything. Joshua Tree is about an hour's drive away. It's a very family-friendly place. If you come on holidays or weekends it is packed and full of kids. They are basically taking over the large pool and screaming, jumping all day. I guess if you have young kids this is a place to bring them, but if you want peace and quiet, come during off-seasons and during school days. 

The Ugly: What I didn't like that the nightly cost for an RV site is expensive and they offer no discounts. Nothing. No Good Sam, no Passport, no deals nothing. It's not really worth it for me to spend days here when the Golden Village Palms with more amenities, cleaner, and with less wind- offers awesome deals all the time. What I don't understand, the park is basically empty during off-seasons but still no discounts. 

If they would offer weekly deals I would most definitely spend more time here. Internet: There is a Verizon tower in the park so Verizon is Awesome. I also had a good Sprint. AT&T is weak.

 Will I Be Back? I will but only for a night here and there when I am in the area.

This is a fairly nice place to camp. I would avoid camping here during the summer since it does get very hot. It is closed during the winter months, but you can still catch some cooler weather when it first opens during the season.

There is not much for shade in the areas for RV/Trailer camping.

Not much to do here other than hiking and kicking back. The Pacific Crest Trail passes nearby.

It is away from the populated cities, but not far from them. It still gives you a sense of seclusion.

There is water and electricity hookups, along with a dump station and separate tent camp spaces.

Seriously. This gem is located on the outskirts of Desert Hot Springs, CA. With two hot spring-fed pools and hot tubs (one of which is massive and SO luxe), we didn’t want to leave. Like, ever. The spring leaves your skin oh so soft and rejuvenated. The entire grounds were recently renovated and it shows. Stunning landscaping, layout and amenities. State of the art fitness center, billiards room, spa-worthy bathrooms and showers. Misters above every pool deck lounger. Convenience store 10 steps from the pool. Mini golf, pickle ball, horseshoes, shuffle board, bocce ball. During busy season (oct-march I think) they have water volleyball, performances, classes, etc. what a dream! Gorgeous views of the mountains, spectacular sunsets, and all-around great vibes. Alos, lots of bunny sightings everywhere on the grounds! A pond with ducks, too. Lots of spaces, large and flat. Always clean. Everyone is so friendly. And with Good Sam Club we paid $22 a night!!!! What?! Our favorite RV Resort for the money across 15 states weve visited so far!

Only improvements I can think of: put water bowls at dog park, add speakers to pool area for spa-like music to play to enhance the soothing atmosphere, offer recylable cups at the pool in case someone has glassware (which isn’t allowed), offer lotion in the bathrooms, and add a hand sanitizer bottle in the minigolf area.

Our RV sites are available for either short-term or long-term stays. Each site include a patio, privacy fence, full utility hookups, a 6’x8’ storage shed, a 2 vehicle driveway, and an individual mailbox.

Our Lakefront RV Sites are also available for long-term or short-term stays. They are fully concreted, easily accessible and have full utility hookups – including cable TV and free Wi-Fi, storage sheds, and deck boxes are available for your convenience.

Each site also has parking for your watercraft and provides a nice patio table and an unobstructed view of beautiful Lake Elsinore and the San Gorgonio Mountains.

We stayed here for 4 nights while visiting our parents who live in Rancho Mirage. The resort is extremely clean, well-maintained, and quiet. We are normally boondockers, so it felt decadent having full hookups, daily trash pickup, and all the rest of Emerald Desert's amenities such as sparkling swimming pools, daily activities, free Saturday Continental Breakfast, etc. 

We upgraded to the"luxury" site which meant that the spacing between sites was a bit greater and we had a lovely patch of green grass between us and our neighbors. We have a very small trailer, so our only issue was the distance from our sewer connection and the resort's. With so many nearby stores, it just took a quick online order for curbside pickup at Wal-Mart for extra hose and we were good-to-go. Literally. 

As others have mentioned, Interstate 10 and a set of major East-West train tracks lie right behind the resort, but neither were very disruptive to us. YMMV. 

We will absolutely stay here again and again, and we highly recommend it to others. In fact, we challenge you to find a nicer RV resort anywhere else!

Stayed here 21 days in July after i was caught in a Forrest fire , glad i did best rv park/campground ive been to as of yet .NO WIFI IF YOU NEED THAT YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN the week days are really quiet maybe 15 to 20 rvs in the F area but weekends fill up completely .I meant some awesome ppl here and definitely will be returning in my travels .They do not allow extended stays past 21 days . and do not expect any quiet on the weekends but it is a great time with good ppl

Pretty steep rates if not a Thousand Trails Trails Collection member. 2 pools (1 adults only & hot tub, other for families). shuffle board, access to neighboring upscale mobile home park amenities, another pool, work out room, tennis courts and golf. Close to grocery stores, restaurants, cinema, bikable town and transit if you don't have a toad/small vehicle. Limited availability for over 38', easy last minute reservations >=35'

I would not ever call this a resort. It is a campground. The road to the office was full of huge potholes, I’ve heard that they are patching it each year, but it needs a major upgrade. It is hard to maneuver your RV around the potholes. The whole park is run-down but this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my stay! 

I visited in December, the weather was perfect. It was in the’70s all day. They have accepted my Passport America discount for one night and my Good Sam discount for the other night I’ve spent here. The sites are pretty large, gravel but not level. You better bring your leveling blocks. 

Why do I like this place? There is a lot to do here. Even though the pools are not heated, the pool area is closed for the winter; in the summer this place is fantastic for families. It is a huge park, lots of open space, kids are freely roaming around everywhere. There is mini-golf, ping pong, pickleball, volleyball, basketball courts. For the summer there is a water slide separate from the pool area. I found a 1.5-mile-long nature trail, which was very nice, but there are other hiking and biking opportunities in the area. You can walk down to the lake for example. The lake is farther down. Even though I like taking my showers in RV resort showers, this one was so run down that I’ve decided to take it in my small RV. I didn’t like the looks. There is a convenience store by the main building, where you can buy some basic camping items and snacks. I saw a cafe attached to a nice outdoor area with a stage but it wasn’t open. They are making it ready for the upcoming New Years’ Eve party. Who knew that New Year Eve is a huge camping holiday? I had awesome Sprint coverage, I was able to tether and watch my Netflix too. I gave this place 4 stars because they call it a resort. This is not a resort, a nice campground with lots to do.

Been here many times since it is local to me.

This place has changed a lot over the years, and not necessarily for the good, in my opinion.

What there is:

• Trailer camping
• Tent camping
• Fishing
• A playground
• Small water park
• Two lakes to fish at
• Trains, lots of them
• Bathrooms with showers
• Frisbee golf
• Picnic tables and shelters

What there is no longer:

• Paddle boats
• Horse riding stables
• Horses and cows
• Other interesting animals
• Water in the grass fields where the animals roamed
• Arenas

Beware of skunks and loud trains!

It is still a somewhat nice place to visit for a couple hours with the kids.

We have camped in a tent. The tents sites are adjacent to the lake.

Trailer camping isn't too bad, other than being adjacent to the busy railroad. Most sites have grass.

We enjoyed the pool, watching the ducks in the pond, and the kids loved the basketball court. Some parts closed on certain days- store, jacuzzi, community room. Big spots with room to set up, but this place is booked and it’s mid week late September. Definitely my favorite Thousand Trails so far… lots of long timers/ leased sites on the other side of the park. Friendly staff and overall friendly neighbors too!

We just stayed on June 27 for 1 night. We did a day trip into Joshua Tree National Park, which was amazing. It was a hot day but the RV park had full hookups so we could run the AC in the RV to escape the heat. The RV park was just a short drive from the National Park. There was clean with a little fishing lake and it was dog friendly. We would stay here again next time to Joshua Tree. We had 2 bars of ATT&T