Free camping near Desert Hot Springs, CA
Yes. 37 of the 61 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Desert Hot Springs, CA are listed as free; 18 charge a fee and 6 have no price on record. The closest free one is Sand To Snow National Monument, 9.1 miles northwest, on Bureau of Land Management land. The closest camp of any kind is San Gorgonio Wilderness, 8.6 miles northwest, with no price on record.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
The 50 nearest camps to Desert Hot Springs, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Gorgonio Wilderness | 8.6 | Unpriced | — | 2.7 mi to Morongo Valley | — |
| Sand To Snow National Monument | 9.1 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Morongo Valley | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #6 | 14 | Free | West Fork Snow Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Group Campground | 14 | Fee | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #4 | 14 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #3 | 14 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #1 | 15 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Seven Pines Yellow Post Sites | 15 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dark Canyon Campground | 15 | Unpriced | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 0.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Boulder Basin Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Marion Mountain Campground | 16 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.5 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Fern Basin Campground | 16 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.7 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Coon Creek Group Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Pipes Canyon Trail Camp | 17 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Rimrock | — |
| Mission Spring Trail Camp | 17 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #19 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 8.0 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #18 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Mission Springs | 17 | Free | North Fork Mission Creek (stream) | 8.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #17 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.6 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #16 | 17 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 7.5 mi to Woodlands | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post Sites | 17 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #2 | 18 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #1 | 18 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #15 | 18 | Free | Coon Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #3 | 18 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| Yellow Post 2 | 18 | Free | Stone Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Cove | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #10 | 18 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #9 | 18 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Mineshaft Flat Camp | 18 | Free | — | — | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #7 | 19 | Free | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Coon Creek Yellow Post #1 | 19 | Fee | Heart Bar Creek (stream) | 6.7 mi to Woodlands | — |
| San Gorgonio Trail Camp | 19 | Free | — | — | — |
| Heart Bar Equestrian Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Campground | 19 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 6.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| High Creek Trail Camp | 20 | Free | High Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Heart Bar Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 20 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Wildhorse Equestrian Camp | 20 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 20 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Skyline Group Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Halfway Trail Camp | 20 | Free | Vivian Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Juniper Springs Group Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Big Bear | — |
| Apple Canyon Yellow Post Sites | 21 | Free | Antsell Rock Creek (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Center | — |
| Arrastre Trail Camp | 21 | Free | Juniper Spring (water) | 4.1 mi to Woodlands | — |
| Cedar Springs Yellow Post Site | 21 | Free | North Canyon Creek (stream) | 3.6 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| Round Valley Group Campground | 22 | Unpriced | Juniper Spring (water) | 5.3 mi to Woodlands | — |
| South Fork Campground | 22 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| BLM public landDave slept here | 22 | Free | — | 4.5 mi to Homestead Valley | — |
| Goff Flat Yellow Post Site | 22 | Free | Honor Lake (water) | 2.6 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| BLM Dispersed Camping Area for JNP | 23 | Free | — | 1.7 mi to Sunfair | — |
The other 11 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Desert Hot Springs, CA.
Who manages the camps near Desert Hot Springs, CA
Who manages them: 56 on the Forest Service; 5 on the BLM.
- San Bernardino National Forest — 56 camps: 34 free, 18 fee, 4 unpriced
- Barstow Field Office — 3 camps: 2 free, 1 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 61 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Desert Hot Springs, 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 Desert Hot Springs, 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.