Best Campgrounds Near Rancho Cucamonga
20 hand-picked camping destinations curated for families visiting REI Rancho Cucamonga. Each campground selected for quality, scenery diversity, and memorable experiences.
Showing 20 campgrounds
Featured Picks
Dogwood
Dogwood is a top-rated, very close forest campground with hundreds of reviews, giving families classic pine-forest camping plus quick access to Lake Arrowhead and Lake Gregory for hiking, fishing, swimming, and biking.
Heart Bar Campground
Heart Bar offers highly rated high-elevation pine forest camping along the Santa Ana River with Big Bear nearby, giving families a cooler mountain base for hiking, fishing, and biking within an easy day trip.
Upper Moro Campground
Upper Moro is one of the closest oceanfront campgrounds to Rancho Cucamonga and is very well reviewed, combining bluff-top sites, a tunnel to Crystal Cove Beach, and great coastal hiking, fishing, swimming, and biking.
Jumbo Rocks Campground
Jumbo Rocks is the iconic Joshua Tree National Park family campground, with giant boulders to scramble on, short desert hikes, and incredible night skies, making it a standout weekend adventure very different from local forests and beaches.
Borrego Palm Canyon Campground
Borrego Palm Canyon pairs Anza-Borrego Desert scenery with rare palm oases and mountain backdrops, offering well-rated, family-friendly trails and easy bike rides for a unique desert-and-oasis weekend.
Santa Cruz Scorpion
Santa Cruz Scorpion adds a true island adventure to the mix; its excellent reviews, ranger presence, hiking, snorkeling and swimming opportunities make it a great choice for adventurous families ready for a boat ride and a more remote coastal experience.
More to Explore
Green Valley
Green Valley is a highly rated, close-to-home forest campground within walking distance of Green Valley Lake, ideal for families who want easy fishing, swimming, and small-boat fun in a quieter setting.
New Mesa Campground
New Mesa at Silverwood Lake provides quick access to a large reservoir with swimming beaches, boating, fishing, hiking, and biking, giving families a different, more open lake-and-chaparral feel than the higher pine forests.
Coldbrook Campground
Coldbrook is a well-reviewed creekside campground very close to Rancho Cucamonga, perfect for families who love shady forest sites, the sound of running water, and mellow canyon hikes.
Pineknot
Pineknot is a top Big Bear-area forest campground with strong reviews, direct trail access, and quick drives to the lake, giving families a convenient hub for hiking, fishing, and casual biking in a classic mountain town setting.
South Fork Family Campground
South Fork Family Campground sits right along the Santa Ana River in a pretty pine forest, offering a quieter, more intimate alternative to Big Bear with good fishing, family hikes, and bike-friendly forest roads.
Council
Council is a small, highly rated pine forest campground near both Jenks Lake and the Santa Ana River, great for families seeking a quieter, high-country base with hiking, lake and stream fishing, and mountain biking.
Rv Campground
The RV Campground offers extremely popular bluff-top coastal camping with ocean views, beach access via steep trails, fishing, and coastal biking, making it a great option for families with RVs or car-camping setups who want a seaside day trip or overnight.
South Carlsbad State Beach Campground
South Carlsbad State Beach is a classic family beach campground with oceanfront sites, swimming and surfing, shoreline fishing, and bike-friendly loops, ideal for a full weekend at the coast.
Sycamore Campground
Sycamore Campground in Point Mugu State Park lets families camp in a shaded canyon with access to a creek and an easy underpass walk to the beach, combining hiking, creek play, and ocean swimming in one well-reviewed weekend destination.
Rainbow Basin/Owl Canyon Campground
Rainbow Basin/Owl Canyon offers dramatic, colorful badlands and slot-like canyons near Barstow; it is a well-reviewed BLM campground that suits families comfortable bringing their own water and exploring short desert hikes and geology.
Belle Campground
Belle Campground provides a quieter Joshua Tree National Park experience than Jumbo Rocks, with classic Joshua trees, granite boulders, and easy access to hikes and scenic drives, ideal for families seeking a more low-key desert weekend.
Paso Picacho & Cabins
Paso Picacho & Cabins offers oak and pine forests, open meadows, and nearby Lake Cuyamaca, giving families a more Sierra-like mountain weekend with excellent hiking, nearby fishing, and the option of cabins for added comfort.
Round Valley Campground
Round Valley Campground is a five-star-rated high-elevation subalpine camp reached via the Palm Springs Aerial Tram and a moderate hike, making it an excellent first backpack-style overnight for experienced families with older kids.
Sawtooth Canyon Campground
Sawtooth Canyon Campground is a well-reviewed, free BLM desert site with dramatic rock formations that feel like a quieter Joshua Tree, great for families who want easy bouldering, hiking, and stargazing within a day-trip-length drive.
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