Agency-listedUSFSFee
El Cariso Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 33.65176, -117.41254
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at El Cariso Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,564 ft.
Fire & smoke — around El Cariso CampgroundNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from El Cariso Campground · Cleveland National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery0 mi
- WWater3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- +Urgent care3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- EVEV fast charger5 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- DDump8 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- AAir-up10 mi
- PPropane13 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 0 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — El Cariso Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,564 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
33.65176, -117.41254
Cost
Fee · Forest Service inventory: fee charged
Nearby & resupply — around El Cariso Campground · Cleveland National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureStream · nearby
- Nearest townLake Elsinore · ~5.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.8 mi
- FuelArco · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGPick Up Propane · ~16.5 mi
- Dump station~8.0 mi
- GroceriesLake Elsinore Market · ~2.1 mi
- PharmacySav-on Pharmacy · ~3.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicWe Level Up California · ~6.4 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~10.6 mi
EV charging — from El Cariso Campground · Cleveland National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.8 mi straight-line NE — Outlets at Lake Elsinore · eVgo Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach178 within 25 mi · 628 within 50 · 1177 within 100 · 1283 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)4.9 mi — Lake Elsinore, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Lake Elsinore
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.0 mi — Lake Elsinore - City Hall (at a municipal building) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-11 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 228568 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around El Cariso Campground · Cleveland National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletEl Cariso North Picnic Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletEl Cariso Campground · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomEl Cariso Information Site · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFirefighter Memorial Picnic Area · ~0.2 mi E · USFS
Open El Cariso Campground elsewhere
Other camps near El Cariso Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Falcon Group Camp~2.2 mi · fee
- Falcon Group Campsite~2.3 mi
- Blue Jay Campground~2.4 mi · fee
- Upper San Juan Campground~3.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages El Cariso Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at El Cariso Campground are set by Cleveland National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — El Cariso Campground
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about El Cariso Campground
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — El Cariso Campground
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →