Urban Camping
- About 10 minutes from downtown Riverside, Rancho Jurupa Regional Park offers outdoor fun for all, including a rock-climbing playground, aquatic zero-depth playground, disc and miniature golf courses and two fishing lakes -- anglers 16 years of age and older need a California fishing license. Hiking and mountain biking trails crisscross the 200-acre park, and it’s a 1-mile walk to the Louis Robidoux Nature Center. Cottonwoods and waterfalls add to the relaxing beauty of the park. Outdoorsy types enjoy Lakeview Campground and its campfire rings; Cottonwood Campground provides RV campers with full hookups, WiFi, cable and other conveniences.
Nearest Lake Campground
- About 20 minutes from Riverside, a 2,000-acre reservoir awaits. Lake Perris Recreational Area has two swimming beaches -- one also used by scuba divers. You'll find trails for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians; a big rock with several climbing routes; boating; and fishing -- rainbow trout, Alabama spotted bass and catfish are on the main menu. A California fishing license is required of anglers 16 and over. The Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum shares the area’s past. The campground includes 264 RV 30-by-30-foot sites with full hookups, 167 tent sites and a campfire ring at each site. Water, restrooms, showers, a first aid station and accessible restrooms, boat dock and campsites are on hand. Lake Perris’ campsites are booked months ahead for holidays and summer weekends.
Alpine
- Drive about 75 minutes north of Riverside to the San Bernardino Mountains, where Big Bear Lake awaits. Tents and RVs up to 55 feet are accommodated at Serrano Campground, which sits on the alpine lake's quieter north shore but within a few minutes of the south shore's marina. Motor boating, paddling, fishing -- with a California fishing license -- and swimming are among the activities at Big Bear, as well as hiking and horseback riding. Inland Empire Fodor’s Choice Sights gives a nod to the Big Bear Discovery Center, which sits about a mile from the campground. Open March through December, Serrano has 92 campsites with fire rings. A camp host, drinking water, showers, full hookups and a dump station make it a nice family campground for tent and RV campers. Leashed pets are welcome.
More Lake Campgrounds
- Frank G. Bonelli and Yucapia regional parks are open year-round and within about 30 minutes of Riverside. Bonelli, with its Puddingstone Reservoir, has seasonal swimming and year-round boating, fishing, hiking and mountain biking. Concessionaires rent boats, provide horse tours, manage a hot tub resort on the hill and run the year-round campground with 517 RV sites and 25 wilderness tent sites. Perks include campfire rings, a pool, showers, restrooms and 24-hour ranger service. The seasonal water park, Raging Waters, provides thrills next to the lake. L.A. Fair vendors book for September a year in advance. Yucaipa’s lakes have a seasonal swimming beach with water slides and year-round boating and fishing. Hiking trails honeycomb the hillsides. You can reserve one of nine tent sites and 42 full hookup RV sites, all with campfire rings. Restrooms and hot showers are among the conveniences.
Considerations
- Check the campground’s website for special events that might mean reserving early or choosing a different campground. Prepare for the wilderness, even the urban wilderness, by storing food securely. Coyotes, bears and rattlesnakes are among the critters that might share the campground with you, so also check the website for safety tips.
