This was a nice experience. We actually didn't ever encounter a campground host since we went midweek. It's easy enough to bomb down the hill and buy firewood/ice in Pine Cove or Idyllwild. It's also a lovely little town to hang out, wander around, get some lunch/dinner if you don't feel like camping. There's an awesome brewery there as well!
One day while we were there, we made a day trip down to slab city and the salton sea. It’s a nice drive, takes 2-3 hours to get there, but you can totally stop in the Palm Springs area and make a whole day out of it.
Since you're camping on the side of a Mountain, it's a bit tricky to find a nice flat spot to plop down a tent, especially if it's a big one. All of the campsites are nice and shady though!
One night while we were there, we were the only campers in the whole campground and definitely heard some larger wildlife off in the distance a few times.. probably some sort of cougar? It didn't bother us too much, but our dog was.. displeased.
All in all, great spot to camp, and much quieter than the larger campground down the hill in town.
This was an excellent camping experience. We arrived, and there was only one other camping party in the whole campground. Our host was very welcoming, offered some local flavor, and was happy to drive over some firewood bundles, even if we weren't there during the day, she just delivered the firewood, and then came back the next day to collect money. It got a bit cold at night, but we had plenty of blankets and whiskey to keep us warm!
What a great find this was. We arrived and got quickly set up with our reserved spot. Getting there is pretty simple, signage was easy to see from the main road.
There's probably 75-100' between campsites, so you really felt like you were in your own space, not on top of other campers. Each site was set up with a steel bear box for dry goods, which is always a plus for us, since we've got a soft-top jeep. Be aware that the sites themselves are a little on the dusty side, but they're really well kept and flat enough for a few tents to set up.
Camp hosts were friendly and helpful, and of course, they sold wood for $8 a bundle, always appreciated.
We stopped off for a walk and a picnic at nearby Jenks Lake, which we'd highly recommend. It's about 5 minutes down the road and really well kept. The campground is also fairly close to Big Bear, and the drive down to there is really lovely.
We went in Mid-June, and it was the perfect temp during the day, but it definitely gets pretty cold at night. Bring layers and plenty of blankets, firewood, and warm drinks!