Boulder Basin in CA -- Campground & RV Camping
Boulder Basin in CA
CampgroundUSFS
5.9 mi from Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 3 of 5: a rough drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for passenger cars, dirt, pitching to 12%, 40% of it on a shelf.
Rig fit
- Maximum published vehicle length: 20 ft.
- Longest published RV site: 20 ft.
- Longest published trailer site: 20 ft.
Campground details
Setting
Boulder Basin Campground sits at 7,300 feet in a shaded, mixed conifer forest within the San Bernardino National Forest. The property features paved internal roads and single-family sites equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings with grills, and vault toilets. Set up for tent campers and small RVs or vans, the facility provides direct access to the 3.6-mile Black Mountain Trail for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, which connects to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The town of Idyllwild lies 14 miles south, while San Bernardino is roughly 50 miles to the northwest.
Getting there: From Idyllwild, travel north for about 8 miles on State Route 243. Turn right onto Black Mountain Road/Forest Route 4S01 and continue about 5 miles to the campground. Black Mountain Road is an unpaved forest road, not recommended for low clearance vehicles or trailers.
- Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, a 37-site campground with the nearest through road 0.2 miles off.
- Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
- Cinco Poses Spring lies 0.2 mi off.
- San Jacinto Peak stands 3,251 ft above the map pin, 4.3 miles east.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 3, a dark rural sky.
Climate averages
October normals 36–63°F, 1.0″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 69 of 100.