Free camping near Big Bear, CA
Yes. 42 of the 86 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Big Bear, CA are listed as free; 33 charge a fee and 11 have no price on record. The closest free one is Green Canyon Group Cg, 2.2 miles south, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Green Spot Equestrian Group Cg, 2.1 miles south, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
The 50 nearest camps to Big Bear, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Spot Equestrian Group Cg | 2.1 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Green Canyon Group Cg | 2.2 | Free | — | 1.5 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Doble, Pct Trail Camp | 3.5 | Free | Landen's Pond (water) | 0.1 mi to Doble | — |
| Arrastre Trail Camp | 4.2 | Free | Juniper Spring (water) | 4.1 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Tanglewood Group Cg | 4.6 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 4.9 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Round Valley Group Campground | 5.1 | Unpriced | Juniper Spring (water) | 5.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Juniper Springs Group Cg | 5.1 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Pineknot Campground | 5.2 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #12 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.4 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.5 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.5 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #5 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.6 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dispersed camp #6 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.7 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Doble | — |
| Dispersed camp #10 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.9 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #9 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.9 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — San Bernardino County, CA | 6.0 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp — San Bernardino County, CA | 6.1 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| South Fork Campground | 6.1 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — San Bernardino County, CA | 6.1 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #11 — San Bernardino County, CA | 6.2 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — San Bernardino County, CA | 6.3 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Wildhorse Equestrian Camp | 6.5 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Holcomb Valley Cg | 6.5 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 6.5 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Skyline Group Cg | 6.6 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Heart Bar Cg | 6.6 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Serrano Cg | 6.8 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 6.8 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Campground | 6.8 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 6.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Heart Bar Equestrian Cg | 7.1 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #1 | 7.2 | Fee | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 7.3 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #7 | 7.3 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Deer Cg | 7.3 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #9 | 7.3 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #10 | 7.4 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #15 | 7.4 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Council Group Campground | 7.6 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 7.8 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 7.8 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #16 | 7.9 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.5 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #17 | 8.0 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #18 | 8.3 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #19 | 8.4 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 8.0 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 8.6 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Group Campground | 8.8 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 8.8 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 8.9 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Mission Springs | 9.2 | Free | North Fork Mission Creek (stream) | 8.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
The other 36 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Big Bear, CA.
Who manages the camps near Big Bear, CA
Who manages them: 68 on the Forest Service; 12 on an agency our record does not name; 6 on the BLM.
- San Bernardino National Forest — 80 camps: 40 free, 33 fee, 7 unpriced
- Barstow Field Office — 4 camps: 1 free, 3 unpriced
- Palm Springs/S. Coast Field Office — 2 camps: 1 free, 1 unpriced
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 86 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Big Bear, CA
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Big Bear, 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.