Free camping near Big Bear Lake, CA
Yes. 42 of the 86 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Big Bear Lake, CA are listed as free; 33 charge a fee and 11 have no price on record. The closest free one is Coldbrook Cg, 2.1 miles west, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Pineknot Campground, 0.8 miles southeast, with no price on record.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
The 50 nearest camps to Big Bear Lake, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineknot Campground | 0.8 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 1.0 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Serrano Cg | 1.9 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Deer Cg | 2.1 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 2.1 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 3.2 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 3.3 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 3.7 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Tanglewood Group Cg | 3.9 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Holcomb Valley Cg | 4.1 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.2 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.2 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.2 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #12 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.3 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 4.3 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.3 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.3 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.4 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #5 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.6 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dispersed camp #6 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.6 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Doble | — |
| Dispersed camp #9 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.8 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Bluff Mesa Group Campground | 4.9 | Unpriced | Siberia Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Dispersed camp #10 — San Bernardino County, CA | 4.9 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 5.0 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 5.0 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 5.0 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Green Spot Equestrian Group Cg | 5.0 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Council Group Campground | 5.0 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 5.0 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Dispersed camp #11 — San Bernardino County, CA | 5.0 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Green Canyon Group Cg | 5.2 | Free | — | 1.5 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Big Bear Yellow Post Sites | 5.5 | Free | — | 5.5 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Hanna Flat Campground | 5.6 | Fee | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Doble, Pct Trail Camp | 5.6 | Free | Landen's Pond (water) | 0.1 mi to Doble | — |
| Little Bear Spring, Pct Trail Camp | 6.2 | Free | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| South Fork Campground | 6.3 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 7.2 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| Ironwood Group Cg | 7.9 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Skyline Group Cg | 8.1 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Wildhorse Equestrian Camp | 8.5 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Heart Bar Cg | 8.5 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Big Pine Flat Equestrian Group Campground | 8.6 | Unpriced | — | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Pine Flat Family Campground | 8.6 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Clark'S Ranch Trail Yellow Post Site | 8.6 | Free | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.4 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Campground | 8.9 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 6.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Keller Peak Yellow Post Sites Along 1N96 | 8.9 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Arrastre Trail Camp | 9.0 | Free | Juniper Spring (water) | 4.1 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Heart Bar Equestrian Cg | 9.3 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 9.3 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 9.4 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Forest Falls | — |
The other 36 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Big Bear Lake, CA.
Who manages the camps near Big Bear Lake, 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 Lake, 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 Lake, 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.