Free camping near Lake Riverside, CA
Yes. 25 of the 38 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Lake Riverside, CA are listed as free; 9 charge a fee and 4 have no price on record. The closest free one is San Bernardino National Forest, 10 miles northeast, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Beauty Mountain Wilderness, 7.3 miles southeast, with no price on record.
Dave has slept at one of these camps.
All 38 camps near Lake Riverside, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty Mountain Wilderness | 7.3 | Unpriced | — | 5.1 mi to Chihuahua Valley | — |
| Oak Grove Campground | 9.2 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Aguanga | — |
| Dripping Springs Campground | 10.0 | Unpriced | Arroyo Seco Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Butterfield Lake Estates | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 10 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| Tool Box Springs Campground | 11 | Free | — | 2.0 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| Ramona Campground | 11 | Free | — | 2.0 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| Observatory Campground - USFS | 13 | Fee | Doane Pond (water) | 1.4 mi to Palomar Mountain | — |
| Observatory Campground | 13 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Fry Creek Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Fry Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Palomar Mountain | — |
| Apple Canyon Yellow Post Sites | 14 | Free | Antsell Rock Creek (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Center | — |
| Crestline Group Campground | 15 | Free | Iron Spring Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Palomar Mountain | — |
| Indian Flats Group Camp (Closed) | 15 | Free | — | 13 mi to Aguanga | — |
| Goff Flat Yellow Post Site | 15 | Free | Honor Lake (water) | 2.6 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| Cedar Springs Yellow Post Site | 16 | Free | North Canyon Creek (stream) | 3.6 mi to Thomas Mountain | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #3 | 16 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #1 | 16 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post #2 | 16 | Free | Dry Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Idyllwild | — |
| South Ridge Yellow Post Sites | 17 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Yellow Post 2 | 18 | Free | Stone Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Cove | — |
| Fern Basin Campground | 19 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.7 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Marion Mountain Campground | 19 | Fee | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 1.5 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Santa Rosa Spring Yellow Post 4 | 20 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Ribbonwood | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post Sites | 20 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Ribbonwood | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post 5 | 20 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Ribbonwood | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post 7 | 20 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Ribbonwood | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post 9 | 20 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Ribbonwood | — |
| Dark Canyon Campground | 20 | Unpriced | North Fork San Jacinto River (river) | 0.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Seven Pines Yellow Post Sites | 21 | Free | — | — | — |
| Pinyon Flat Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Indian Wells | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post 11 | 21 | Free | Omstott Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Pinyon Pines | — |
| Ribbonwood Equestrian Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Indian Wells | — |
| Santa Rosa Yellow Post 16 | 21 | Free | Deep Canyon Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Pinyon Pines | — |
| Boulder Basin Cg | 21 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Idyllwild-Pine Cove | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #1 | 22 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #3 | 22 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Group Campground | 22 | Fee | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #4 | 22 | Free | Brown Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pine Wood | — |
| Black Mountain Yellow Post #6 | 23 | Free | West Fork Snow Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Pine Wood | — |
Who manages the camps near Lake Riverside, CA
Who manages them: 37 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM.
- San Bernardino National Forest — 30 camps: 23 free, 6 fee, 1 unpriced
- Cleveland National Forest — 7 camps: 2 free, 3 fee, 2 unpriced
- Palm Springs/S. Coast Field Office — 1 camp: 1 unpriced
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 38 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Lake Riverside, 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 Lake Riverside, 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.