Campsite #9 at Pineknot Campground, CA

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$34

Campsite #9

3 reviews
8 people
26 ft Back-In
2 good
9
6/1
6/3
Campsite #9 Features: Back-In parking, Fire ring, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, RV Site, Tent Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (3)

4.0 out of 5

5 star
33%
4 star
33%
3 star
33%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%

@Christoph38781 · Camped on Jun 23, 2023 at Campsite #9
SITE 9
Pros:
- spacious, not too close to neighbors, and shaded. we fit a big 4-person car camping tent and 2 smaller 3-person backpacking tents. the site easily accommodates 6 people
- close to restrooms but campground layout means no one was coming into our site to get to the restrooms
- dumpsters immediately next to the site / in front of the restrooms made for easy trash disposal
- fire ring, grill, bear box provided. picnic table was also in good condition
- fire ring was located further from the tent area, so smoke can dissipate before reaching tents

Cons:
- slight slope
- backs against the forest service road, but honestly not a big deal

CAMPGROUND:
PROS:
- close to town (stores, restaurants, etc.)
- clean flush toilets
- firewood sold on site with host ($8 CASH)
- camp host is friendly and made rounds to check on campers. he even made balloon animals for a family with children!
- potable water

CONS:
- close to town so it doesn't feel as secluded as other sites
- could use more toilets
- no showers
- $8 CASH parking per day for 2nd car at each site
- some sites can be very close together
- most sites had some sort of slope
- site is dusty. there's no grass so loose dirty kicks up easily
- POLLEN!! At the end of June, pollen was very bad. We had a layer of green-yellow pollen blanket our cars, gear, everything. DEFINITELY bring allergy meds

Overall my experience was a 6 or 7 / 10 but we had 3 in our group of 6 rate this camp experience 8/10. I personally would prefer a more secluded campground but for people with less camp experience or who want to be able to skip cooking and eat dinner at a proper restaurant, this is a great campsite.
@EricT613 · Camped on Jun 14, 2021 at Campsite #9
I have been going to Pineknott for decades. I go for several reasons. 1st it is quiet! With only 42 sites, it is small and they keep quiet time after 10pm enforced. 2nd, it is clean. Restrooms are checked 3-4 times a day. 3rd, it is close to the town of Big Bear. A block away and you are on the main highway through town but in camp you rarely hear it unless a siren is used. 4, If you forget something, you can go get it just minutes away. Big Bear has anything you might need; including a CVS and Walgreens if someone in camp needs their meds. The camp host will deliver bundles of firewood right to your fire ring so you don't have to buy it in town.
All in all, it is my go to camping place and I go several times spring through fall. The host this year is fantastic! He is also a magician of sorts and shares some tricks to campers, especially ones with kids. A great guy for sure!
@MayraM384 · Camped on May 29, 2021 at Campsite #9
I had a mixed experience at Pineknot. The location and area was great. The first annoyance was having neighbors that were not obeying the quiet hours, the second was the extra fees. After arriving and setting up camp, the host arrived to check us in. It was then that I was charged an extra $32 dollars for having extra vehicles at the campsites. For background, I had two night reservations for two campsites with 2 vehicles each. Apparently each site allows one vehicle, every additional vehicle is charged $8/night. I was in shock since every campground I have stayed at allows two vehicles per site, that’s for USFS and NPS. And the fact that the reservation system allows two vehicles as a drop down choice makes one believe you are within the maximum vehicle limits. Recreation.gov either needs to edit the dropdown menu and change two vehicles to one vehicle, that would help clear the confusion and make it clear that additional vehicles count as extras. Stuff as important as this should not be in the fine print. Having the option to pay the extra vehicle fee online would also be great.

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