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Big Bear Lake Campground is located in the mountains of San Bernardino at Big Bear Lake. It is a popular destination for many outdoor enthusiasts looking for respite from the busy cities nearby. While the campground can accommodate RVs, it is best situated for tent camping. It is in a prime location for mountain biking. Recreation Its location at the base of a ski mountain provides visitors with unlimited access to popular lift-served mountain biking trails. Hikers also enjoy the campground's proximity to a number of trails that vary in levels of difficulty. Big Bear Lake offers a variety of water-related recreation opportunities, including boating and fishing. A marina is located about five miles from the campground. The cold waters of the lake aren't too popular for swimming, but canoeing and sailing on the lake are viable options. Facilities The campground offers dozens of single-family sites for tent or RV camping. Each site is equipped with a table and campfire ring with grill. Flush toilets and drinking water are provided. No hookups are available. Trash collection bins are also available and a campground host is on-site. A dump station is available across the lake at Serrano Campground. Natural Features The campground sits at the base of Snow Summit Ski Resort at an elevation of 6,900 feet. It is nestled in a dense forest of fir, pine and oak trees, which provide ample shade in the campground. Nearby Attractions The adjacent town of Big Bear Lake provides opportunities for shopping and dining. ADA Access: N
From I-10 in Redlands, take Highway 330 to Highway 18 in Running Springs. Continue east on Highway 18 at Big Bear Lake Dam, go straight at the dam and follow Highway 18. Turn onto Summit Boulevard and continue to a block wall. Turn left into the campground.
Visited Pineknot Campground last weekend and had a good time with friends. We were at site 9 which backs onto the Forest Service Rd. Site 9 was spacious and had enough room for our big 4 person car camping tent and two more 3 person backpacking style tents. We were super close to the restroom but not so close that there were any smells or people constantly walking around our site. The site layout also had the tents a bit away from the fire ring so that the campfire smoke had enough distance to dissipate before it reached the tents. The only bad thing was that there was a slight slope, but I noticed it was a bit better than other sites. Also we did not feel like we were too close to the neighbors.
For the campground in general...
PROS:
- super close to stores, restaurants, and other amenities. So close that cooking is not necessary if for whatever reason you don't want to cook during your visit.
- flush toilets that were clean
- picnic table, fire ring, grill, and bear boxes at each site
- firewood sold on site ($8 CASH per bundle)
- camp host was friendly and made rounds in his golf cart to check on people
- potable water
CONS:
- super close to city. This can be a negative for those people who want a more secluded experience.
- could use more toilets
- no showers
- $8 CASH parking per day for 2nd vehicle
- some sites are very close together and most sites have a slope of some kind
- the site can be dusty. There isn't any grass so the ground is just loose dirt that kicks up easily.
- POLLEN OVERLOAD!!! I have never seen so much pollen in my life. Everything from our cars to our equipment, cooking gear, etc. was blanketed in green-yellow pollen. One of us had a bad reaction to the pollen and was miserable for two days due to the pollen.
- poor cell coverage. zero service for AT&T and T-Mobile. Verizon guy in our group had no problems.
Overall I would rate my camping experience here a 6 or 7 out of 10 but out of our group of 6 people, 3 of them rated the experience 8/10. I would prefer a more secluded site but Pineknot would work well for families with small children or people that just want easy access to the town.
Located near town. Great, clean camping spaces with restrooms nearby. There is a camp host who can answer any questions and it seems like others had fires going in their fire pit provided at their site. We just didn't want to start a fire due to high temperatures. I have Tmobile cell service and I did not have service, but a fee block back to town, I had 5 Gs. Highly recommend!
This place is hard to find but driving to the left end of Snow Summit parking lot you find the sign beside the employee parking sign. This is a lovely, peaceful setting but the tables, bear boxes and fire rings are all quite a ways from each site's parking, either uphill or down so it is definitely not for the physically challenged. There are also rocks and roots to stumble over everywhere. We used site 19, next to a restroom, right at the edge of the forest. There is a steep hill down to the table and a rock lined path to the large tent site. Challenging but feels private. The other drawback is noisy vehicles on the road beyond the edge of the campground. If you like counting airliners passing overhead you will love this area. Seems to be under the Ontario airport incoming flight path.
I camped at #21. It is very spacious, lots shade and pretty close to the restrooms and the dumpsters. I went there on middle of October, temperate will go down to 40 to 30 Fahrenheit at night. So gear up to warmest cloth and sleeping bag and/or blanket if you’re not good with freezing temperate. Besides that, it was one of best experiences I ever had as an avid camper. My dog loved it too besides being cold. Oh and If you forget food or anything you need, don’t worry, this campsite is located right next to the big bear town, Vons is closer by. Lastly, a camp host is really nice and friendly. If you have any concerns or questions, he will help you. I think he loves his job. I will definitely visit here again. I highly recommend.
