Dogwood Campground

We have a 34’ MH with 4 slides. A lot of spaces look unlevel, ours required about 4-6” lift and it was one of the better ones. Space was very tight for opening slides. We would have preferred the table on the door side, but most sites , like ours, had large isolated table areas that were very private away from the parking area. Sites were very clean, raked. We didn’t use restrooms. Site only had electricity, no water or sewer. The deduct on stars was because the dump station charges $10 even if you camped there. Don’t think we’ve ever been to a campground where you paid for that if you were a camper. If your site is near the school it could be noisy.

Dogwood Campground is peaceful, sites are a good size and clean. We spent four nights the first week of October at Dogwood and the weather was in the low 70’s during the day and high 40’s at night. The main road is near, and you will hear some road noise but only noticed it when a loud truck or motorcycles was driving by. The Rim of the World school is also nearby, and games played on the field can be heard from time to time but does not run late. The pine trees are thick in some areas and at our site #77 we were happy to have solar panels we could move around to catch the sun. The panels on the roof were not getting much sun at all. Large picnic tables, fire rings and bear boxes are at each site. Site #77 shows that a RV up to 30 feet allowed. Our 20 feet trailer and full-size truck just barely fit in the space and the site was extremely slanted. The tongue of the trailer was about an inch from the ground once we were level. There is a loop that has electric hookups only. Waterspouts can be found throughout the campground and when leaving the campground, you will find a dump station with a $10 fee. The camp hosts were very friendly and cleaned the bathrooms and showers often as well as clean and raked each site for the next camper.
Places to see:
Lake Arrowhead Village – 5 minutes away
Lake Gregory – 15 minutes away
Big Bear Lake – 1 hour away

Was looking to spend the night in the mountains a couple days before the fourth of July. Due to the virus, half the normal sites were closed and many were operating with a 50% cap, I was going to hit Lone Pine, but found out that it was closed/booked/100+ degrees. I checked out Death Valley, but that too was an oven. I looked at Big Bear/Arrowhead area but as you'd expect everything was booked up. I spent hours looking for dispersed campsites, but with every other campground fully booked I wasn't looking forward to riding up to the mountains only to have to come home because everywhere was spoken for.

After hours of checking options I discovered there were two spots that would take a reservation... one was a tent site in an RV camp. The site was almost off the campground's map. It came with about every restriction you could imagine and was being offered for the bargain basement price of $117. Pass. But just as I was about to give in I found there was an available night at Dogwood. It didn't pop up on any of the normal searches because I was travelling the following day. Normally they like 48 hours advance for reservations. Anyway, it was available for one night. 2pm to noon the following day. it was 37 bucks for the night. I pulled the trigger.

Due to a number of setbacks on the way up, I didn't get to the campsite until almost 11pm. It was completely dark. No lights. I found my spot, put on my headlamp, set up camp and after a few adult beverages, no campfire, I laid down for a desperately needed rest.

The next morning when I exited my tent I was greeted with a spacious campsite. Could have fit three 4-6 person tents. There was a neighbor, but you could barely see their camp and they were in a large RV. Everyone I met on the staff was nice. There were restroom/shower facilities everywhere. Water access at numerous spots throughout the campground. Wood was available at the gate, but I got there too late (and didn't have a permit anyway). I spent the morning relaxing at the picnic table, then struck camp and was out by noon.

I got a better look at the park on the way out and every site looked to be just as spacious as mine. I think every site comes with a fire ring, a picnic table and a food locker. At the end of the day, it was a great experience and if I can't find a free spot somewhere, I'd stay here again and again.

Only complaint was I was close to the road, but there was very little traffic. I know I got cell signal, but didn't use it much since my charger fell off the back of my motorcycle and the battery died over night.

Almost hate to write a good review as I want to be selfish and keep this gem hidden. 19 sites have electric, 6 of them 50 amp. A lot of sites can be very narrow for slide outs or stair location. Tenting would be no problem of course and a lot of sites are just for tent, space for a car or truck and that's all. Quite a few non-electric sites would be very suitable for rigs up to 30' and are really nice secluded sites. The first site we scored was #75 non-electric, a bit tricky to get level and stable but what an incredible site, could see no one due to trees and shrubs. Water with threaded spigots throughout the camp but not for hook up. Very clean dump station on the way out for $10. Hilly park but still doable on bicycles. A couple of short hiking trails inside park. Lake Arrowhead close by but forget trying to launch your own boat, kayak, or canoe as lake is private. You can rent something or take a boat tour. The shopping village is really nice with varied merchants. Road in to camp has a really tight turn at entrance but not bad after that. Camp hosts were exceptionally nice, hope they are there for here many years to come as we will return here as often as possible being only 65 miles from home.

This was a beautiful campground. We were in space 73 and there was really no flat area to pitch our 8 man tent without a slope. This was not to bothersome as there are several options if you have a smaller tent. We chose the spot sight unseen online, and wish we had done a little homework first. We arrived after dark and would not recommend this for pitching a tent, (city folks here LOL). The campground host arrived to greet us at about 10:30 PM, as we were still setting up. They were very friendly and had lots of suggestions for us.
We were COLD as it did get into the upper 30's at night; BUT we also went in early Oct. not doing our homework first...
The showers were very clean and the water was hot.
We did inquire on leaving the next day about better spot options for our next visit and the camp manager/staff did suggest some other spots. Please call before making an online reservation and do your homework before reserving if you have special needs.
Overall we were very happy and will be returning here for camping in the future.

Few places make you feel like you've just come home, especially when camping, but Susan and her staff did just that. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, they went above and beyond to ensure that we, and all of the other campers, had an enjoyable camping experience. The campsites were clean and well maintained. The staff are visible throughout the camp throughout the day, taking care of everything from the bathrooms to the sites themselves. The staff were very friendly and let us know about nature talks, hiking trails, and the best spot in camp to view the 4th of July fireworks over Lake Arrowhead. Can't wait for our return visit!

Dogwood has about 90 sites ranging from tent camping to 50 amp hookups (electric hookups only). The forest is beautiful and peaceful. Most sites have a ton of space and privacy. From our site we saw no one and had our own picnic table and fire ring that was equally private. This is a great spot to launch from to explore Lake Arrowhead and lots of amazing hiking in the San Bernardino National forest. Bathrooms are nice and clean with water and garbage receptacles. Dump station on the way out of camp charges $10. This area is mild all summer so feel free to come and escape the heat! If you want to get out camp to explore there is an amazing pizza joint nearby, LouEddies. There is also a Pendleton outlet at the lake Arrowhead village to help spruce up your trailer with National Park blankets.

We ventured out on the motorcycles for this trip. Love this place. The sites are not on top of each other. The toilet/shower facilities are very clean and the hot shower is FREE! There have been reviews on other sites complaining of wasps, but in our 3 visits here we've yet to see one.
During school months you will hear kids in the playground of the school that borders the campground, but this is for shot periods in the day. Rest assured you'll sleep uninterrupted with small scenes of the night sky peeking around the many tall pines in the park. You'll more likely be visiting the beautiful town of Arrowhead and enjoying the lake during the day.

We think you'll love this one.