August 6 2023

I recently had a great camping trip at Green Valley Lake! We stayed for four nights and did many fun activities and hikes. When we arrived at the campground we realised that we had one of the best campsites in the campground (13). It was very large and had lots of forest behind it. The campground itself was quite nice, although the sites closer to the entrance are a bit subpar. During our trip, I did lots of hikes near Big Bear, including the Woodland Trail and the Castle Rock hike. We also swam at Lake Gregory, which was super fun! Unfortunately, the town of Green Valley Lake was underwhelming. It was like a ghost town because all the stores were closed, and the lake there was fenced off. But it still was a great trip!

July 10, 2023

I just got back from a great camping trip to Pineknot Campground, near Big Bear! It was a weekend so the campground was full, but we had one of the better sites (17). It was pretty crowded, and we could hear sounds from the road nearby. Although this busy campground wouldn't be my first pick for nature, it definitely provided a great location to sightsee. I hiked the Castle Rock Trail to Bluff Lake, which was steep but super pretty. At the end of that trail, there was a pretty lake and Champion Lodgepole Pine, one of the largest pine trees in the world! I also hiked the Greys Peak Trail, but it was very long and the view was pretty but a bit underwhelming.

 October 24, 2022

When I researched Hurkey Creek, It seemed like a great campground. It had forests, mountain views, and it was right along a creek. The weather was going to be great, and it seemed like it was going to be a great trip! 

But when I arrived, I found out that I was very wrong about everything. At first, when we pulled up to the campground, I noticed that the "forest" only had a few trees here and there, and some campsites didn't even have trees! Speaking of the campsites, they  were tiny and super uneven. Also the bathrooms were super dirty. The creek was tiny and tucked away far from the campsites so it felt like there wasn't even a creek. Even worse, when we got there, we found out that there were going to be 50mph winds so we stayed the night and came back the next morning :(

Overall I would say try to stay away from this campground. If you want to camp near Idyllwild, I would instead recommend staying at Fern Basin or Idyllwild Campground.

September 3, 2022

We came back from a great camping trip to Sequoia! We stayed at Upper Stony Creek Campground, which in my opinion, was the best campground in the park! All the sites were HUGE and most were along Stony Creek! We went on many hikes, my favorites being Crescent Meadow and Indian Basin. Swimming in Hume Lake was also a highlight of the trip, and I also recommend attending ranger programs.

June 5, 2022

I just went camping at Barton Flats. I went there last year and I liked it so much we came back this year. I stayed at a beautiful campsite with tons of space. It even had a real live giant sequoia tree. Barton Flats is near Big Bear, and I rode on the Alpine Slide there, which was very fun. I liked that the campground was very spread out, so even though it was full, it didn't feel crowded. I also liked that the camp hosts were very friendly. They really liked this website. There are also a lot of hikes near Barton Flats. Just behind our campsite, there was a small trail that led up to the top of a hill. It had stunning views of the campground. Also, there is a 3-mile moderate hike that starts at the campground and goes all the way to Jenks Lake. 

Tip: If it's your first time at a certain campground, walk around the campground and find a campsite that you really like. Write the number down so when you want to come back, you know which site to book.

May 3, 2022

I went cabin camping at William Heise County Park for 2 nights. I stayed in one of the two 2-room cabins in the park that overlooks a meadow. You have to bring your own bedding, but the cabins only cost $65 a night. I liked that they have heating, electricity and a fireplace inside. I visited the Eagle Mining Company and the California Wolf Center, which are great attractions that I would recommend. I also went on the 1.5 mile Fern Trail, which traveled through cedar forests and wild lilac fields to a creek. It got a little hot, so I would recommend not coming during the peak of summer. Overall I had a great trip!