Free camping near Running Springs, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Running Springs, CA there are 82 camps: 40 free, 33 fee, 9 unpriced. The closest is Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp, 1.1 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bench Camp, Pct Trail Camp, 1.1 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 69 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 | 1.1 | Free | — | 1.1 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Fishermans Group Cg | 2.5 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Green Valley Campground | 3.3 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Tent Peg Group Campground | 3.4 | Fee | Crab Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Green Valley Lake | — |
| Keller Peak Yellow Post Sites Along 1N96 | 3.5 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Crab Flats Cg | 3.8 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| Holcomb Crossing, Pct Trail Camp | 4.8 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Running Springs | — |
| North Shore Cg | 5.2 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Lake Arrowhead | — |
| Dogwood Family Campground | 6.3 | Unpriced | Grass Valley Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Meadowbrook Woods | — |
| San Bernardino National ForestDave slept here | 7.3 | Free | — | 5.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Bluff Mesa Group Campground | 7.4 | Unpriced | Siberia Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Thomas Hunting Grounds Yellow Post Sites | 7.7 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Thomas Mtn Yp Sites Along 6S13 | 8.1 | Fee | — | 6.5 mi to Oak Glen | — |
| Big Bear Yellow Post Sites | 8.2 | Free | — | 5.5 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Ironwood Group Cg | 8.3 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Big Pine Flat Equestrian Group Campground | 8.9 | Unpriced | — | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Hanna Flat Campground | 9.1 | Fee | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Clark'S Ranch Trail Yellow Post Site | 9.1 | Free | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.4 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Boulder Group Cg | 9.1 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Big Pine Flat Family Campground | 9.2 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Yellow Post 1 | 9.5 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Little Bear Spring, Pct Trail Camp | 9.6 | Free | Greenlead Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Fawnskin | — |
| Grays Peak Group Cg | 9.7 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Horse Springs Campground | 9.9 | Fee | Coxey Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fizzben Heights | — |
| Coldbrook Cg | 10 | Free | Metcalf Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Boulder Bay | — |
| Deer Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Serrano Cg | 11 | Fee | — | 1.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Bald Cove Yellow Post Sites | 12 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Juniper Flats | 12 | Unpriced | — | 3.1 mi to Apple Valley Highlands | — |
| Jackstraw Campground | 12 | Unpriced | Forsee Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Pinezanita | — |
| Pineknot Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Simmons Trout Lake (water) | 1.6 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Buttercup Group Cg | 13 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Council Group Campground | 13 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Barton Flats Campground | 13 | Fee | Jenk's Lake (water) | 2.4 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Holcomb Valley Cg | 14 | Fee | — | 4.1 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| San Gorgonio Campground | 14 | Fee | Frog Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — San Bernardino County, CA | 14 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — San Bernardino County, CA | 14 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Lobo Group Campground | 14 | Fee | Santa Ana River (stream) | 3.1 mi to Seven Oaks | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — San Bernardino County, CA | 14 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp — San Bernardino County, CA | 14 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — San Bernardino County, CA | 14 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #12 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Minnelusa | — |
| Dispersed camp #6 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Doble | — |
| Dispersed camp #11 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #9 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Cushenbury | — |
| Dispersed camp #5 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | — | — | — |
| Tanglewood Group Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Big Bear Lake | — |
| Dispersed camp #10 — San Bernardino County, CA | 15 | Free | Caribou Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Cushenbury | — |
The other 32 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Running Springs, CA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Running 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.