Free camping near Highland, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Highland, CA there are 78 camps: 39 free, 31 fee, 8 unpriced. The closest is Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp, 7.1 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp, 7.1 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 65 on the Forest Service; 12 on an agency our record does not name; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp | 7.1 | Free | — | 1.1 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Dogwood Family Campground | 8.8 | Unpriced | Grass Valley Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Meadowbrook Woods | — |
| Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites | 8.9 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13 | 9.2 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Keller Peak Yellow Post Sites Along 1N96 | 9.5 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Fishermans Group Cg | 9.7 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| North Shore Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Lake Arrowhead | — |
| Tent Peg Group Campground | 11 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Green Valley Campground | 11 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Crab Flats Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Holcomb Crossing, Pct Trail Camp | 12 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Bluff Mesa Group Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Siberia Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 13 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 15 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| Big Bear Yellow Post Sites | 15 | Free | — | 5.5 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Ironwood Group Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 16 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 16 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Deer Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 16 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Hanna Flat Campground | 16 | Fee | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Pine Flat Equestrian Group Campground | 16 | Unpriced | — | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Council Group Campground | 17 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Clark'S Ranch Trail Yellow Post Site | 17 | Free | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.4 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Pine Flat Family Campground | 17 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Little Bear Spring, Pct Trail Camp | 17 | Free | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 17 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Horse Springs Campground | 17 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fizzben Heights | — |
| Halfway Trail Camp | 17 | Free | Vivian Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 18 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Serrano Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 18 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Pineknot Campground | 18 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| High Creek Trail Camp | 18 | Free | High Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Juniper Flats | 18 | Unpriced | — | 3.1 mi to Apple Valley Highlands | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 19 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| Dry Lake Lodgepole Camp | 19 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Forest Falls | — |
| San Gorgonio Trail Camp | 20 | Free | — | — | — |
| South Fork Campground | 20 | Unpriced | South Fork (stream) | 4.8 mi to Moonridge | — |
| Holcomb Valley Cg | 20 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Mineshaft Flat Camp | 20 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — San Bernardino County, CA | 21 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
The other 28 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Highland, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Highland, 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.