camping los angeles national forest
What are good places to camp near Los Angeles?
I’m looking to go tent camping within 3 hours drive of LA, I want to car camp, I don’t have reservations and it’s a holiday weekend, and I’d like to be near trees (as opposed to beach). Best would be any national forest or similar area where I have a lot of options to camp without a lot of commercial traffic, RV’s, etc. or a place you need reservations. Maybe Big Bear or Idlewild?
If you don’t have reservations, you are probably completely out of luck. Check the National Parks Website, to see if there are any open spots; I would be surprised if there are. There are some KOA campgrounds off of I-10 out towards Palm Springs, but those may be full as well.
You might want to try Ventura County; the areas around Ojai and Santa Maria are really picturesque, and do not get the traffic that Idlewild, Arrowhead, and Big Bear get. Ojai is about an hour’s drive out of LA, so it’s not too far.
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