Free camping near Desert Hot Springs, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Desert Hot Springs, CA there are 61 camps: 37 free, 18 fee, 6 unpriced. The closest is San Gorgonio Wilderness, 8.6 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Sand To Snow National Monument, 9.1 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 56 on the Forest Service; 5 on the BLM.
| 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.
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.