Free camping near Banning, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Banning, CA there are 87 camps: 47 free, 33 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Halfway Trail Camp, 9.7 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Halfway Trail Camp, 9.7 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 77 on the Forest Service; 8 on an agency our record does not name; 2 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfway Trail Camp | 9.7 | Free | Vivian Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| High Creek Trail Camp | 10 | Free | High Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| San Gorgonio Trail Camp | 11 | Free | — | — | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #4 | 12 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Boulder Basin Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #6 | 12 | Free | West Fork Snow Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Group Campground | 12 | Fee | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #1 | 12 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #3 | 12 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Mineshaft Flat Camp | 12 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 13 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 13 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| Seven Pines Yellow Post Sites | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dark Canyon Campground | 14 | Unpriced | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 0.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13 | 14 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Fern Basin Campground | 14 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.7 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Yellow Post 2 | 14 | Free | Stone Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Cove | — |
| Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites | 14 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Marion Mountain Campground | 14 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.5 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Mission Spring Trail Camp | 15 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Mission Springs | 15 | Free | North Fork Mission Creek (stream) | 8.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Council Group Campground | 16 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 16 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Skyline Group Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 16 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| South Fork Campground | 16 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| Heart Bar Equestrian Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Campground | 16 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 6.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #1 | 16 | Fee | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #7 | 16 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Heart Bar Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 16 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #9 | 16 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #10 | 16 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 16 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Wildhorse Equestrian Camp | 16 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #15 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #16 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.5 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #17 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #18 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #19 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 8.0 mi to Woodlands | — |
| San Gorgonio Wilderness | 18 | Unpriced | — | 2.7 mi to Morongo Valley | — |
| Sand To Snow National Monument | 18 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Morongo Valley | — |
| Coon Creek Group Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Big Bear | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #1 | 18 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #2 | 18 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #3 | 19 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post Sites | 19 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Deer Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
The other 37 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Banning, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Banning, CA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.