About Fern Basin
Number of accommodations: 15
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Hiking
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
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Rates, Sites & Availability
15 Sites Available
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Site Details
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15 Sites Available
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Reviews (162)
What Guests Are Saying
Fern Basin is a charming and peaceful campground ideal for tent campers, offering friendly park rangers and clean vault toilets. Visitors appreciate the shaded sites, beautiful surroundings, and opportunities for nature exploration, with many highlighting the tranquility and lack of noise. Some challenges include tight roads, limited privacy, and occasional mosquito issues, but overall, it is well-regarded for a restful camping experience.
What Guests Are Saying
Fern Basin is a charming and peaceful campground ideal for tent campers, offering friendly park rangers and clean vault toilets. Visitors appreciate the shaded sites, beautiful surroundings, and opportunities for nature exploration, with many highlighting the tranquility and lack of noise. Some challenges include tight roads, limited privacy, and occasional mosquito issues, but overall, it is well-regarded for a restful camping experience.
Review Summary
Deeanna S
VerifiedNovember 7, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
Campsite was clean, close enough to bathrooms, and had beautiful views all around it. The road to get there is a paved, one lane road, but smooth and well maintained. Flat area for a tent, big enough campsite to spread out a bit. Boulders were fun to climb and explore. First weekend in November and it got seriously cold - 34 degrees in the morning. Windy at night, so be prepared. No other campers staying around us, but if it were during peak season, site 5 & 6 park right next to 7 car space and is VERY close to site 7, so people walking right by your campsite would be a regular thing. Overall, beautiful, quiet, and close enough to town to enjoy the shops before heading to the woods.
Deeanna S
VerifiedNovember 7, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
Campsite was clean, close enough to bathrooms, and had beautiful views all around it. The road to get there is a paved, one lane road, but smooth and well maintained. Flat area for a tent, big enough campsite to spread out a bit. Boulders were fun to climb and explore. First weekend in November and it got seriously cold - 34 degrees in the morning. Windy at night, so be prepared. No other campers staying around us, but if it were during peak season, site 5 & 6 park right next to 7 car space and is VERY close to site 7, so people walking right by your campsite would be a regular thing. Overall, beautiful, quiet, and close enough to town to enjoy the shops before heading to the woods.
Annie G
VerifiedOctober 28, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
I liked this place, I'm a car camper and so it seemed this place is aimed more for tent campers. You park in your area, and walk to your site. They had clean and well maintained bathrooms, but trash bins where all over flowing with only 3 campers there. Beautiful area, no service at all with at&t, ear wigs fall down from the trees a lot in mornings, beware of that lol
There are precious deer and wood peckers, very beautiful place
Annie G
VerifiedOctober 28, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
I liked this place, I'm a car camper and so it seemed this place is aimed more for tent campers. You park in your area, and walk to your site. They had clean and well maintained bathrooms, but trash bins where all over flowing with only 3 campers there. Beautiful area, no service at all with at&t, ear wigs fall down from the trees a lot in mornings, beware of that lol
There are precious deer and wood peckers, very beautiful place
Claudia M
VerifiedOctober 17, 2024 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: FERN
We had bad experience. When I arrived at the camp site that I had reserved on line. I found other people camping there. I told the guy that I have reserved the camp spot. All he said was that he filled out a form and that he already paid. I told him that I was going to call a ranger to come and help us. When I called the office I was told that it was closed. Then I saw a state peace officer and asked him to help me then he said that he would be able to help me because he worked for the state and I have reservations in a government camp site. The peace officer gave me phone number that they could help me. All I found out was that the person that supposedly could helped me was in Big Bear and that was going take him like 3hrs to get to our camp site. So it was best for me to spend the night on a first come first serve camp site. By that time it was Dark. So I went and set my tent up so I could spend the night there. And I thought that I had a safe spot reserved for me and my daughter. What a night.
Claudia M
VerifiedOctober 17, 2024 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: FERN
We had bad experience. When I arrived at the camp site that I had reserved on line. I found other people camping there. I told the guy that I have reserved the camp spot. All he said was that he filled out a form and that he already paid. I told him that I was going to call a ranger to come and help us. When I called the office I was told that it was closed. Then I saw a state peace officer and asked him to help me then he said that he would be able to help me because he worked for the state and I have reservations in a government camp site. The peace officer gave me phone number that they could help me. All I found out was that the person that supposedly could helped me was in Big Bear and that was going take him like 3hrs to get to our camp site. So it was best for me to spend the night on a first come first serve camp site. By that time it was Dark. So I went and set my tent up so I could spend the night there. And I thought that I had a safe spot reserved for me and my daughter. What a night.
Nicole B
VerifiedSeptember 26, 2024 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: FERN
Love this campground! Site 15 and 14 have parking right next to each other. It is such a great spot for a big group trying to camp together. This campground is shaded pretty heavily.
Nicole B
VerifiedSeptember 26, 2024 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: FERN
Love this campground! Site 15 and 14 have parking right next to each other. It is such a great spot for a big group trying to camp together. This campground is shaded pretty heavily.
Naomi L
VerifiedSeptember 25, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
Very cute secluded campsite with clean restrooms
Naomi L
VerifiedSeptember 25, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: FERN
Very cute secluded campsite with clean restrooms
Location Fern Basin
Address:
P.O. Box 518
Idyllwild, CA, 92549
United States
From Idyllwild, travel north on State Route 243 about 4 miles. Turn right at the campground sign and continue to Forest Service Road 4S02. Turn left and proceed less than a mile to an intersection. Continue straight on the Forest Service Road and turn left into the campground.
Latitude & Longitude: 33.7886 / -116.738
Elevation: 1906 feet
Policies & Rules
Cancellation policy
- Reservation fees are non-refundable. For campsites, cabins, lookouts, yurts, group sites, and similar stays, we charge a reservation service fee of $8.
- Standard cancellations usually have a $10 cancellation fee. Customers can generally cancel before the check-in date online.
- Late cancellation rules differ by stay type.
- Individual campsites: cancelling after 12:00am local time the day before arrival usually means a $10 cancellation fee plus forfeiting the first night's fee.
- Cabins, lookouts, and yurts: cancelling less than 14 days before arrival usually means a $10 cancellation fee plus forfeiting the first night's fee.
- One-night reservations: a late cancellation usually forfeits the full amount paid, up to the total original reservation cost.
- Modifications are allowed before the cut-off window, but fees depend on the change. Changing to dates completely outside the original reservation dates may trigger a $10 change fee. Extending or shortening a stay that still includes original dates usually has no change fee, though refunds may depend on timing and facility rules. Switching to the same type of campsite for the same dates usually has no change fee, but price differences are charged or refunded.
- Early departures may or may not be refunded. At certain facilities, partial refunds may be possible if staff can mark the site available for other visitors. No refund is given for a night if the early departure is requested after that day's check-out time.
- Security deposits are separate. Security deposits may be refunded to the original payment method if the facility is left in acceptable condition, as determined by the property.
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Last updated: June 5, 2026
