Camping in Southern California
 

I live in Los Angeles and am looking for some great campsites outside of LA, preferably near a lake or something fun like that.

Nothing too rustic if possible! Thanks...

So many places in SoCal!

My two favorite close-to-home places are West Fork/Red Box up on the Crest and Azusa Canyon. Azusa Canyon is very popular and can get busy, but it was fun when my daughter was little cause there were other kids there. West Fork is a bit more isolated.

If you want a lake, there is camping at Big Bear. I used to enjoy camping near Little Rock, but that was many years ago. No idea how it is these days. I think there is a KOA there now.

One of my favorite camping trips was to Devil's Punchbowl, but that might be too rustic for you. Cool rock formations though!

Non-rustic camping? A motel, maybe?

Thanks for the advice here_today! I'll definitely take a look at those.

Very funny Maxwell Smart. I'm not asking for a luxury cabin nestled in the woods. I'm just a sucker for toilets and showers. I don't think that makes me a diva...

You don't say what time of year, which will make lots of difference in climate. Of course, the higher elevations like Big Bear or Arrowhead will be very cool in late fall, and the desert campgrounds may be too hot in the summer.

We've done lots of lakeside camping. I believe all of these campgrounds have flush toilets and showers (some showers are coin operated, though) You also don't say how far "outside of LA", but these are all 1-3 hours away:

Lake Isabella - lots of campgrounds around the lake. In the southern part of the Sequoia Nat'l forest, in Kern County, near Bakersfield.

Buena Vista lake - also in Kern County. Feels like you are camping in a city park. Not very rustic.

Lake Perris - Riverside County- hot in the summer. Not very wooded, but nice facilities.

Silverwood Lake - San Bernardino County. Nice, wooded campsites. It can get very windy here.

Lake Casitas (Ventura County) & Lake Cachuma (Sta Barbara County). Both are beautiful, wooded areas. However, they are both "no contact" lakes, (reservoirs), so there is no swimming in the lake. Boating & fishing are allowed.

Lake Gregory. (San Bernardino County) There are no campsites right on the lake, but the Switzerland (?) campground is nearby.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck in your quest. Try ReserveUSA.com or ReserveAmerica for those U.S. Forest Svc. Campgrounds and California State Recreation areas. Others are County-run facilities.

Anyone know of campgrounds with cabin/yurt accommodations? We stayed at a yurt in Lake Cachuma (Popppy was our favorite) in July. It was our first non-tent camping and we loved it! Pretty site, overlooking the lake, real windy though.

Thanks for any tips re:cabin camping!

It's not in Southern California, but check out www.treebonesresort.com near Big Sur. I haven't been there (yet!) but I read an article about it and it looks great.

Thank you lvk! Yes, the photos look very pretty. The yurts are similar to the Lake Cachuma ones, except prettier on the inside. We'll definitely check it out for special occasions for next year.