Free camping near Calimesa, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Calimesa, CA there are 86 camps: 44 free, 35 fee, 7 unpriced. The closest is Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13, 10 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites, 10 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 74 on the Forest Service; 12 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13 | 10 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites | 10 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Halfway Trail Camp | 13 | Free | Vivian Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| High Creek Trail Camp | 14 | Free | High Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Keller Peak Yellow Post Sites Along 1N96 | 15 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| San Gorgonio Trail Camp | 15 | Free | — | — | — |
| Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp | 16 | Free | — | 1.1 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 16 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 16 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 16 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Council Group Campground | 16 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Mineshaft Flat Camp | 16 | Free | — | — | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 16 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 17 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Bluff Mesa Group Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Siberia Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 17 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 17 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Green Valley Campground | 18 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Deer Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| South Fork Campground | 18 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| Fishermans Group Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 19 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Skyline Group Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Tent Peg Group Campground | 19 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Crab Flats Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Dogwood Family Campground | 19 | Unpriced | Grass Valley Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Meadowbrook Woods | — |
| Heart Bar Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Mission Springs | 19 | Free | North Fork Mission Creek (stream) | 8.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Mission Spring Trail Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Campground | 20 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 6.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Wildhorse Equestrian Camp | 20 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Pineknot Campground | 20 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Heart Bar Equestrian Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #1 | 20 | Fee | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Holcomb Crossing, Pct Trail Camp | 20 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #7 | 20 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #9 | 20 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #10 | 20 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 20 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Bear Yellow Post Sites | 20 | Free | — | 5.5 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| North Shore Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Lake Arrowhead | — |
| Boulder Basin Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #4 | 21 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Serrano Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #15 | 21 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #1 | 21 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Pine Wood | — |
The other 36 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Calimesa, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Calimesa, 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.