Free camping near Lake Arrowhead, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Lake Arrowhead, CA there are 80 camps: 42 free, 30 fee, 8 unpriced. The closest is North Shore Cg, 1.3 miles north-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp, 4.3 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 67 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore Cg | 1.3 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Lake Arrowhead | — |
| Dogwood Family Campground | 2.3 | Unpriced | Grass Valley Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Meadowbrook Woods | — |
| Fishermans Group Cg | 4.0 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp | 4.3 | Free | — | 1.1 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Tent Peg Group Campground | 4.5 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Crab Flats Cg | 5.3 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Holcomb Crossing, Pct Trail Camp | 6.1 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Green Valley Campground | 6.6 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Keller Peak Yellow Post Sites Along 1N96 | 8.3 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Juniper Flats | 8.7 | Unpriced | — | 3.1 mi to Apple Valley Highlands | — |
| Horse Springs Campground | 9.1 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fizzben Heights | — |
| Ironwood Group Cg | 10 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Big Pine Flat Equestrian Group Campground | 10 | Unpriced | — | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Clark'S Ranch Trail Yellow Post Site | 10 | Free | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.4 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Pine Flat Family Campground | 11 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Big Bear Yellow Post Sites | 11 | Free | — | 5.5 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 11 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Bluff Mesa Group Campground | 12 | Unpriced | Siberia Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Hanna Flat Campground | 12 | Fee | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Little Bear Spring, Pct Trail Camp | 12 | Free | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites | 13 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 13 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13 | 13 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 13 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 13 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 14 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Deer Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Serrano Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Holcomb Valley Cg | 17 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 17 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Pineknot Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — San Bernardino County, CA | 17 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — San Bernardino County, CA | 17 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 17 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — San Bernardino County, CA | 17 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp — San Bernardino County, CA | 17 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 17 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #11 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #9 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #6 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Doble | — |
| Council Group Campground | 18 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Dispersed camp #12 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #5 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dispersed camp #10 — San Bernardino County, CA | 18 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Applewhite Campground | 18 | Unpriced | North Fork Lytle Creek (river) | 0.4 mi to Lytle Creek | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 18 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Tanglewood Group Cg | 18 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 19 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
The other 30 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Lake Arrowhead, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Lake Arrowhead, 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.