Fern Basin

The view in summer is beautiful. By that time, water is shunted off so that is not much convenient. Also, there are lots of mosquitoes so be prepared.

This is a beautiful location for camping.
When making reservations, I indicated we had a 18’ trailer, obviously pulled by our tow vehicle. I did not see cautions on the web site that parking at sites was extremely small and not meant to accommodate our vehicles. We did manage to get parked within our designated space. When neighbors arrived with their trailer, they were equally uninformed of the situation. Fortunately, they were able to move their reservation to another site. If they had parked in the adjacent site, we would not have been able to get out ourselves.
Having the limit posts just a few feet farther back and angling the spaces to the narrow road would better accommodate a trailers need to be backed in.
This campground seems designed for cars, vans and tents. The site photos are not useful because they do not show the parking situations which are often some distance from the camp site.
All of that aside, it is a beautiful place, worth the time if you enjoy the sights and sounds of nature among the pines. It is dry camping and water was not available when we visited, but the pit toilets were maintained. We visited in June and mosquitoes were still pretty intense.

This is a beautiful location for camping.
When making reservations, I indicated we had a 18’ trailer, obviously pulled by our tow vehicle. I did not see cautions on the web site that parking at sites was extremely small and not meant to accommodate our vehicles. We did manage to get parked within our designated space. When neighbors arrived with their trailer, they were equally uninformed of the situation. Fortunately, they were able to move their reservation to another site. If they had parked in the adjacent site, we would not have been able to get out ourselves.
Having the limit posts just a few feet farther back and angling the spaces to the narrow road would better accommodate a trailers need to be backed in.
This campground seems designed for cars, vans and tents. The site photos are not useful because they do not show the parking situations which are often some distance from the camp site.
All of that aside, it is a beautiful place, worth the time if you enjoy the sights and sounds of nature among the pines. It is dry camping and water was not available when we visited, but the pit toilets were maintained. We visited in June and mosquitoes were still pretty intense.

We went on the July 4th weekend in 2022. Amazing location and a huge campsite #4. Not too many even spaces but it was fine for us. We were surrounded by hundred years old Pine and Oat trees and massive manzanita. Several interesting bird species but I can't identify them. No firewood burning was allowed during this time but I totally understood the need to protect this majestic forest. Also no potable water but that's fine for us. The ranger mentioned water issue will solve in 2023. Great shade covering, nice stargazing, quiet and scenic site... what else you can ask for a great camping trip!

We went on the July 4th weekend in 2022. Amazing location and a huge campsite #4. Not too many even spaces but it was fine for us. We were surrounded by hundred years old Pine and Oat trees and massive manzanita. Several interesting bird species but I can't identify them. No firewood burning was allowed during this time but I totally understood the need to protect this majestic forest. Also no potable water but that's fine for us. The ranger mentioned water issue will solve in 2023. Great shade covering, nice stargazing, quiet and scenic site... what else you can ask for a great camping trip!

Clean.

Clean.

There was no water on-site due to pending repairs, but we were notified before we arrived and came prepared. There was a campfire restriction placed just prior to us arriving, which we were not aware of until arrival, which was a bummer but we made the best of it. Overall, it is very shaded and quiet with granite boulders for the kids to climb on - nice campground with clean pit toilets.

The Idyllwild Nature Center was fun to visit and there are many trails to hike. We took the summit trail (with kids and a dog) and it was lovely with some amazing views.

There was no water on-site due to pending repairs, but we were notified before we arrived and came prepared. There was a campfire restriction placed just prior to us arriving, which we were not aware of until arrival, which was a bummer but we made the best of it. Overall, it is very shaded and quiet with granite boulders for the kids to climb on - nice campground with clean pit toilets.