At first we were nervous that we were going to end up in a random campsite that wasn’t worth the trouble of finding. The route on our gps sent us to a couple different locations before we reached our destination at the North Shore Campsite, but in the end, was worth every unknown turn up the mountain. When entering the mountain, you come across the “Rim of the world” lookout point and it has to be the most breath taking experience I’ve had in a while. The campsite has an amazing view as well, with the lake less than five minutes away. Family owned restaurants and grocery stores are conveniently located just a mile down from the campsite, allowing us to get what ever necessities we had forgotten for our camping experience. The staff was tremendous in helping us find our reserved location and was extremely friendly. As we initially drove into North Shore Campground, we were immediately recognized by Sean (the Camp Host) who helped us to find our spot and offered as much information as we needed. He was such a delight with his fun facts and humor in helping us to feel right at home. The weather was beautiful and the campsite provided a thoroughly clean area, fire pit, food storage cabinet and a well cleaned bathroom with flushing toilets, (which is more of an amenity for my girlfriend who obviously needs it more than me being a dude.) All in all it was an amazing experience and a beautiful accident. The reservation process is confusing, having to book our spot on recreation.gov, but worth the efforts and $34 to reserve a one night stay.

The sites are on the small side and very open. Most sites have some trees and manzanita bushes. The bathrooms have flush toilets but are old and run down. The campground is on a ridge so it is breezy but has beautiful views.

So this weekend, I got a wild hair up my butt to go camping. Keep in mind I’m 8 months pregnant and kept forgetting everything at my house.

With that said, I tried Silverwood to late and KNEW that it’d be packed. I was a bit disappointed but came across North shore.

It’s a nice little getaway from the hustle bustle with decent shade(depending on site) and relatively cool neighbors (campers).

I will say it’s down the way from a community hospital so you might here some forms of traffic including a rescue helicopter but it’s not an end all.

Again this was not my first choice. We got there and found no showers but they did have running toilets and cool tap water near our site. We totally lucked out and were able to switch with a couple who wanted more privacy and shade.

We eventually stayed on site 4 which was even and open. Our tent (as pictured) was nestled amongst the few trees on our site- only downside was the constant traffic going to and from sites 5/6- a bit of a drag. I felt like it was the prefect spot given the leveled ground and the fact that we had a kid and dog posse.

But let me tell you about the ranger named Shawn. Omg, he’s a character but he’s a good one. Gave him a tip, he tried to help us not spend money unnecessarily on wood and lent us his ax to go collect nearby. Super chill, down to earth guy who was just generally a lover of nature- you could tell.

Again, no showers. A bit of noise, but manageable. Quiet hours are the usual 10-7 but we unfortunately were situated next to a group that violated both times- how can someone go to bed after 10 and manage to wake up before 7 and make noise is beyond me….but it’s also been a while since I knew what having no kids and a dog meant- lol.

Would recommend IF you reserve a decent site. The first one we originally had was 3, super hilly and not leveled. Recommend 4,5,6 if you can and even the one right next to that (assuming it’s 7). Lake is a stones throw away!

Hope that helps!

So this weekend, I got a wild hair up my butt to go camping. Keep in mind I’m 8 months pregnant and kept forgetting everything at my house.

With that said, I tried Silverwood to late and KNEW that it’d be packed. I was a bit disappointed but came across North shore.

It’s a nice little getaway from the hustle bustle with decent shade(depending on site) and relatively cool neighbors (campers).

I will say it’s down the way from a community hospital so you might here some forms of traffic including a rescue helicopter but it’s not an end all.

Again this was not my first choice. We got there and found no showers but they did have running toilets and cool tap water near our site. We totally lucked out and were able to switch with a couple who wanted more privacy and shade.

We eventually stayed on site 4 which was even and open. Our tent (as pictured) was nestled amongst the few trees on our site- only downside was the constant traffic going to and from sites 5/6- a bit of a drag. I felt like it was the prefect spot given the leveled ground and the fact that we had a kid and dog posse.

But let me tell you about the ranger named Shawn. Omg, he’s a character but he’s a good one. Gave him a tip, he tried to help us not spend money unnecessarily on wood and lent us his ax to go collect nearby. Super chill, down to earth guy who was just generally a lover of nature- you could tell.

Again, no showers. A bit of noise, but manageable. Quiet hours are the usual 10-7 but we unfortunately were situated next to a group that violated both times- how can someone go to bed after 10 and manage to wake up before 7 and make noise is beyond me….but it’s also been a while since I knew what having no kids and a dog meant- lol.

Would recommend IF you reserve a decent site. The first one we originally had was 3, super hilly and not leveled. Recommend 4,5,6 if you can and even the one right next to that (assuming it’s 7). Lake is a stones throw away!

Hope that helps!

This is a nice site with lots of shade. There is a lovely hiking trail at the far end of the site. There is water, flush toilets, fire pits, and picnic tables. It is a short walk to Lake Arrowhead. This is a dog friendly site. Sadly the sites are small with no space between the sites. The noise restrictions after 10pm are not enforced so bring ear plugs. Expect a lot of people walking through your site.

To be honest, this site wasn't our first choice. We booked late because it was a last minute trip and couldn't find other availability closer to big bear. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised and will be going back in a month. The site was fairly large. We fit four tents in our one space and could have easily added more. There were plenty of trees in the area for shade or hanging a hammock. Bathrooms were relatively clean (for a campsite) and water was easily accessed. Lake arrowhead isn't a public lake so it's a bit of a drive to do any water activities, but there was a close offroad trail. Not my first choice in the area, but a good back up when big bears all booked.