Fern Basin Campground

We camped at Fern Basin this past July 4^th, when my campground of choice– Stone Creek was full. Based on some Unilocal reviews I expected to find a far inferior setting at Fern Basin, but was in fact pleasantly surprised for the most part.
The entire campground is in decent-​to-​deep shade thanks to tall coniferous trees. Anyone who spent more than a week in SoCal knows how valuable this is. The vault toilets were fairly clean — as such places go at campgrounds. There are at least two faucets (one near each toilet) with running water. This last bit was not at all obvious after reading the campground description on reserveamerica. The campsites are indeed very spacious and far apart as few people here mentioned. It is true this sometimes means you need to take several extra steps from the parking spot to the table, but I was quite happy with this tradeoff.
What was not deserving of five stars you ask? Well, our particular site #5 was not the best due to a couple of reasons: (1) it was relatively hard finding a flat spot for a tent, so we had to pitch it literally right next to the fire pit; (2) the site is near the toilet — as are several others; however, the geometry of the terrain is such that the residents of at least 4 other campsites literally walk past your tent to go potty. This was a bit annoying as there were 8+ people on one of those campsites.
One last bit of advise: be prepared for swarms of bugs and mosquitoes in particular. This was probably worse now than other times I visited Idyllwild since the campground is in the shade (which bugs love), and the campfires (which bugs hate) were disallowed. It got really bad for a few hours around sunset and in the mornings — so much so that we minimized the time spent outside our tent to about 2×45min each day. Bugs alone knocked off one star in my rating.
Overall, I would recommend Fern Basin, as it is a decent alternative to other places on this beautiful mountain. Next time I would probably steer clear of sites #5, #6 and #18.

I really liked this campground, it was relaxing and easy and there didn’t seem to be a lot of «rules» or rangers constantly enforcing things. Plus for the cost of $ 10/​night it just can’t be beat! Bathrooms were pit toilets, and were clean.
I had #16 & 17 and #16 would smell at times from the bathroom so we scattered out more in #17, So much space! #17 also had enough parking for 4 cars which was fabulous. I was worried about parking when heading up there because the reservations said that each site only included 1 car, but it seems as though every site could fit at least two, often times more. It is only $ 5 for each additional car.
I found the landscape and surroundings of Idyllwild to be wonderful, big trees, and lots of fresh air and it was just what we needed since we live in LA. Also, it was so easy to get to! Around a 2 hour drive and very easy to find. I am definitely looking forwarding to exploring the area more and trying out other campgrounds up there. Alot of hiking and exploring can be done even right from the campground, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset sitting up on the rocks.

What a waste. Don’t get campsite 18. We got up there after dark, so the site in daylight might be slightly better, but not much. First of all, there wasn’t a flat spot to set up our tent. Second, the fire pit and table were crazy far from the parking spot assigned. Third, the table was too close to the vault toilet. So when someone opened the door, the campsite had a God awful smell. We couldn’t find a camp host and ended up going back down to Banning to find a motel for the night. Not sure we will ever go back to Fern Basin.

Our favorite past time is camping… especially camping in Idyllwild. It’s hard to believe that such an amazing world exists off the 10. Leaving concrete filled LA and heading into the forest 6000 feet elevation surrounded by different species of trees, is the best and quickest escape from the hustle and bustle of LA life. When you get up past 4000 feet, a combination of pine, cedar, oak and douglas fir immediately tease and hypnotize your nostrils, forcing your body to beg for more. The smell alone is incomparable.
There are 2 other really good campgrounds near Fern Basin: Marion Mountain and dark canyon (currently not open yet due to remodeling). Fern Basin is never our first choice, as we usually go to Marion Mountain, but when Marion is full, Fern Basin is a great second choice. The campgrounds are large, clean, and are primarily shady. Each campground has a fire pit and a clean and large picnic table.
This is a dog friendly campground which works out perfect for us. The extremely cute tiny town of Idyllwild is not too far away, which is great if there are any items you need to pick up.
I have my own bathroom tent (im a female, it’s well worth it), so I won’t even bother rating the restrooms, as I am sure they are like any other campround-​disgusting. However, the Ranger is very nice and is constantly making sure the campground and restrooms are stocked up and clean.
We have camped at Fern Basin twice, and I am sure we will camp here again, especially as it costs only $ 10.00/night, which is INCREDIBLY cheap.

Beautiful and peaceful location. Loved being able to bring our dogs. It’s pretty close to the lake for fishing and other locations for hiking. But a bit I a distance to the town. (wouldn’t seem so far if the road wasn’t switchbacks)
This as well as every other camp sites in that area are booked solid for the summer weekends. Last minute camping had to be booked during the week. Monday-​Wednesday. We were pretty much the only people in the camp ground. Which was pretty awesome. Our sons and dogs loved it.
A couple reasons I didn’t give more stars: We booked on-​line and never received a parking pass for our car… NO ONE ever came to check. But there are signs everywhere saying you need one. (??? odd) if you pay there you use an envelope at the entrance and a drop box there. Idk if it’s different on the weekend but I doubt it.
We reserved a specific site (retrospect, we could have picked pretty much any other site we wanted). Our site was VERY messy. We had to clean up other dogs feces and other garbage left.
The bathrooms were disgusting. No running water is one thing. But for there to be lack of maintenance is another.
Fly’s and other flying insects were overwhelming. The windows don’t open and don’t provide much light. You must bring a flashlight to see what you are doing.
Each site does have a spicket which was very nice. We would stay there again but I would make sure we bought a portable toilet.

Awesome campground nestled in the San Jacinto mountains just a few miles north of Idyllwild. Perfect for weekend camping or for anyone wanting to get away from that busy city life just to relax. It’s only 10 bucks a night and there’s plenty of pine trees that offer lots of shade and the bathrooms are surprisingly very clean compared to others I’ve seen.
so check it out!!!

33°47’22′‘N 116°44’14′‘W = Fern Basin. That’s what you put into your GPS to get there. We got a little lost since there is no street address but if you stay on Highway 243 for awhile you will eventually see a sign a few miles north of Idyllwild.
This campground was really awesome on a Sunday night. We didn’t make any reservations (although it’s the middle of the summer) and had no problem finding a big empty area in the forest. We probably had ¼ of the campground to ourselves. Camping here was great. totally quiet and relaxing. No one blasting terrible music like a crazy person.
We stayed at site 18 which felt super secluded but wasn’t too far from the bathrooms. There were a lot of mosquitos so bring bug spray! The toilet is a non-​flush and there are about 8000 flies buzzing around in there. Still, they had toilet paper (no sinks) and that’s what counts.
Each site has a little grill, a fire ring, and plenty of space for your tent if that’s how you camp. You have to get your firewood and everything else outside of the area. but that’s what we do every time anyway. The only downside is there isn’t really any running water to clean off dishes and stuff. Still, for the places I’ve camped at this is definitely one of the nicer areas. Didn’t see a ranger once when we stayed there but I think they must be around on weekends. every single site said it was reserved for the weekend that just passed so you probably need reservations if you are coming at a busy time. Only $ 10 a night = deal!!!