Agency-listedUSFSFee
Fern Basin Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 33.78983, -116.73772
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 Fern Basin Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,188 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Fern Basin 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 Fern Basin Campground · San Bernardino National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- LLaundry2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- WWater3 mi
- +Urgent care3 mi
- HHardware3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- PPropane12 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- DDump25 mi
- AAir-up28 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 2 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 — Fern Basin Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,188 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
33.78983, -116.73772
Cost
Fee · reservable on Recreation.gov
Nearby & resupply — around Fern Basin Campground · San Bernardino National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth Fork San Jacinto River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townPine Wood · ~1.7 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~3.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~25.3 mi
- GroceriesPine Cove Gas & Market · ~2.2 mi
- PharmacyIdyllwild Pharmacy · ~3.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicDesert Regional Medical Center · ~11.7 mi
- HardwareSandlin & Son Equipment Rental · ~3.2 mi
EV charging — from Fern Basin Campground · San Bernardino National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.9 mi straight-line N — Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, Cabazon, CA · eVgo Network · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach40 within 25 mi · 217 within 50 · 1097 within 100 · 1276 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.0 mi — Cabazon, CA - Morongo Trail - Tesla Supercharger, Cabazon
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.5 mi — Strawberry Creek Inn, Idyllwild - Pine Cove, CA · EVCS · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- 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 228113 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Fern Basin Campground · San Bernardino National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaWhitewater Eastbound · ~10.1 mi NE
- Highway rest areaWhitewater Westbound · ~10.1 mi NE
- Highway rest areaBrookside · ~19.9 mi NW
- RestroomSanta Rosa Vc · ~20.6 mi SE · BLM
Open Fern Basin Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Fern Basin Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Marion Mountain Campground~0.4 mi · fee
- Dark Canyon Campground~1.0 mi
- Seven Pines Yellow Post Sites~1.4 mi
- Yellow Post 2~2.1 mi
The unit that manages Fern Basin Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Fern Basin Campground are set by San Bernardino National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Fern Basin Campground
Reserve
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/231969
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 Fern Basin 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 — Fern Basin 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 →