Marion Mountain

I had a great experience camping at Marion Mountain Campground — the views were beautiful, the air was crisp, and the whole place felt peaceful and tucked away in nature. The campsites are well maintained, and the surrounding pine forest makes it feel cozy and secluded.

The only small downside was that someone parked in my reserved parking spot, saying they had an “extra car” permit. There ended up being four cars in that site, so I had to park at site 9 instead. Luckily, no one had reserved it, so it all worked out — but it would’ve been nice if parking rules were enforced a bit better.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed my stay and would definitely come back. The mountain scenery and quiet atmosphere made it totally worth it!

Nice campground, but don't go here, I want it all to myself lol.

Very peaceful and clean. I will definitely be coming back to this site.

This was our first time to Marion Mountain. We loved it, and will return. This campground is found at the end of a little-bit-twisty paved road, but not a technical drive. We arrived several days after a severe rain storm blanketed the area, and we could see evidence of sand-surface coverings on the narrow, paved road to the campground. Our 2WD camper van did just fine, but bigger RVs or long truck/trailers might find the road uncomfortable. The campground is higher up the mountain than Stone Creek Campground, which is closer to the highway. Therefore, Marion Mtn feels remote, which it is, and provides more of a wilderness vibe, even though it is a dedicated campsite. The campground was one-third full on a Monday in late September, with a mix of camper vans/small trailers/tents, but seemed evident the other campers shared our outdoor ethos: quiet, solitude, respect for nature, respect for other campers, leave no trace. Our campsite was easy to back into and slightly sloped - even though we leveled our van, it wasn’t absolutely necessary. The bathroom was clean, with sufficient toilet paper, and hope it can stay that way, as our reservation ended on the first day of the federal govt. shutdown.

Definitely, no cell signal. 001 campsite: need to walk down a slight down grade to get to it. It becomes flat around the tent area. Restrooms are very close but, no lighting at night. Went in Sept. Day weather was great but night time was very cold: be prepared. There are water spickets around but need a bucket or long hose. I enjoyed the different trails and beauty of the great outdoors.

Someone else was in the campsite I purchased and I could not use it. There was no staff on hand to address the situation.

Site 8 was nice. It had great views and it was semi-private. There is not much shade. There was some flat areas around the site to put up a tent. But only a 2-4 person tent would fit. The walk from the parking spot to the site is about 50’ and it’s uphill. You do have to walk through site 7 to get there which feels weird. There are 2 bathrooms with pit toilets and no running water. There are 2 dumpsters for trash and several water spots are scattered around the campground. I didn’t like that hikers would walk through my site regularly to get to the trailhead. It was awkward. Cell signal is non-existent. The dirt is very dusty when walking around. So, it might cause issues for individuals with respiratory issues. I did see black bears close to my site as the sun started going down. I think they came around because there were only two of us camping in the the entire campground that night. The drive to the campground is tight and may pose problems for larger vehicles. You can get gas, food, and supplies about 20 mins aways in Idlewild. Overall it was a good camping experience.

tight campsites for RV trailers…especially any greater than 19ft.

Such a peaceful campsite, experience, and generally just a great location to choose if being away from the immediate vicinity of Idyllwild is the goal. The trailhead to San Jacinto leaves from Marion also thereby reducing the overall distance if a day of hiking is in the plans. Site 12 is conveniently located only 1 site away from 2 spacious and clean restrooms. If a perfectly flat surface for your tent footprint is desired I recommend bringing a rake to level it better than the forest service does. A short 10 minute commute into town for supplies or meals is no problem at all. .

Unfortunately, a large group used 3 campsites to host their organized "Teen Group Camp" while we were there. They were loud, paid no attention to quiet hours and were generally disruptive and destructive the entire time we were there. There is no Ranger or Camp Host and no one checked in at the camp during our 3 days there.