Idyllwild RV Resort & Campground

We had not planned to be here but moved from another camp that had no cell service to this one on the recommendation of Thousand Trails. This is now one of our favorites. We had 70 degrees every day. They do get snow sometimes in November so we may have lucked out on timing. The park was very quiet and we found a great spot in site 109 for our large fifth wheel. Had trouble in other spots since many are not level or have loose dirt or the trees were too difficult to navigate. This might be a challenge if the park was full but we had many to choose from. Cell service was great in the lower section but not as good toward the top. I was able to get 30 mbps download with both AT&T and T-Mobile.

Idyllwild is a cute town just down the hill and has several good restaurant choices. Several hiking opportunities in the area with nice views of the valley. Staff was very friendly. The road to the park and the park itself are tight, windy, and steep in places but we still were able to get our 43' fifth wheel in and out with no problems. Just plan on taking your time and use the pull-outs. There are many on the climb up to 7000'.

We also captured some Coyotes on our security camera behind our RV just about every other night. They appear to visit the fishing pond regularly. Also saw one in the middle of the day. Be careful of your small pets.

Idyllwild is one of our favorite local getaway spots and the Thousand Trails in Idyllwild is great! The campground is about 15 min drive from town and is clean, well maintained, with friendly staff. Some spots are better than others, and like other TT campgrounds, the have mostly water and electric hookups without sewer, but there is a dump at the entrance at the park. Wifi is also great in some spots (the 100's, 300's, & 400's are our favorite for wifi) and not so great in others. There is hiking within the park and trails in the park that lead to other great hiking spots outside the park. I gave this 3 stars for noise as that depends on the time of year you go (Summer is busier than other months) and the spot you stay but overall, it's a very quite experience.

When you think about getting out to the mountains this is the place you have in mind. Gorgeous mountain views and endless hiking trails. The campground itself is very clean and well maintained. I stayed in the middle of the summer, which I thought would be peak season yet it was very peaceful.

The biggest downside is driving in and out can be a real chore. The drive up the mountains and through the campground is tight and tedious in some areas so if you have a really big rig (> 40ft) you might want to think twice. If you don't plan on leaving the confines of this little mountain town, dining and shopping seem fairly adequate. But if you're like me and tend to spend 2-3 weeks at any given location inevitably you're going to want to venture out to a bigger town for your other needs. So be prepared to drive at least an hour each way to get to the next town. I had to go out to town several times during my stay and it got old fast.

Arrived the night before it snowed for 2 days. We were able to back into a spot between 2 rental cabins backing up to an open area, because we were only one of 3 guests in the park. Very peaceful, very clean, great staff.

Much of the park is closed due to flooding damaging a few roads, but we were able to walk all of it with our Husky. As the end of our visit approached it snowed again, which was a nice way to end our time in Idyllwild.

Check out our video review here: https://youtu.be/3nlbCF8yy8g

Driving to Idyllwild RV Resort really brings home the impact of the California wildfires. The Cranston wildfire of 2018 burned 13,139 acres (53 km2) and caused 7,000 people to be evacuated. Luckily the town of Idyllwild including the Idyllwild Thousand Trails RV Park was spared. We drove through a bit of the charred forest hoping that one day it will be returned to its former glory.

This is truly a magnificent part of the world. The San Jacinto mountains and forests are awe inspiring and the views are breathtaking. Idyllwild RV Park has several hiking trails that begin in the campground and can lead you into the National Forest Trails. We opted not to explore those trails since we were visiting with our dog. The National Park does not allow dogs. The campground itself has is spread over 200 acres so there are plenty of trails to explore on the grounds with your pets.

The lodge is gorgeous and cozy and is a great place to stay connected with the free wifi that is provided. Because it was low season, it was very fast. We have heard that when the campground is full, the wifi is terribly slow.

The bathhouses are clean and there are washers and dryers in the same building as the bathhouses. The downsides of this park are: 1-slow wifi when busy (although we didn’t experience this in January) 2-the roads to get in to the sites are steep so it is less ideal for really big rigs. We did, however, see lots of Class A’s and large rigs. Up to you to decide but we got in just fine with our little 17’ Casita trailer. 3-the ranger never once picked up the phone when we called for information about snow in the park.

Otherwise, this is easily one of our favorite Thousand Trails campgrounds. It felt like a campground and not like a parking lot. Especially with the fireplace in the lodge that smelled like a log cabin. We really loved it and we will definitely be back in the not too far future. The staff was great too other than the whole not picking up the phone issue. Cell service was great-3 bars of 4G.

This Thousand Trails campground is on the top of our list! We didn't get a 50 amp site, but the trees, hills, atmosphere and amenities are top notch. We will go back here many times. We spent our time in December and its rained and snowed for two days but we still loved it. The 2 days give us time to relax and get some inside projects done. The town of Idyllwild is great place to shop and eat. I cant say enough good things about this campground. We're in a 40 foot class A and its about the largest you can get in the area, not saying a 45 footer won't fit, it is limited to certain spaces.

Campground was very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. Sites vary from large level and secluded to tight uneven and better like your neighbors. It’s first come first serve so you need to get a site before the weekenders arrive. It is a long windy road up to the campground but worth it. If you come up from Hemet you drive through the Cranston burn scar. The devastation left by the fire is incredible

I really wanted to give this one a 5 star because the park and location and weather were all amazing, but being on only 30amp power and no sewer made that a bit tough.

We came in from the north and the last 20 or so miles up the mountain were at high grade, took over an hour and gained about 6000-7000 feet in elevation. Be ready to drive slow, have plenty of fuel before you start up the mountain, and provide time to get up there as well as driving around the park to find a spot.

This Thousand Trails park (like all the others we have been at) is first come first served on the spots, so if you are going on a weekend or busy time, be ready to drive and look. We asked at the front and the park ranger was nice enough to drive us in a golf cart to look at spots. Since we have such a large rig, we called ahead and they actually did mark us into a spot - a rare situation, but never hurts to try.

Once there - the hiking was great, weather was so nice, and the activities were great for the kids. We enjoyed the pool, hiking trails, activities center, live music on weekend, movie under the stars, and more.

We will be back here for sure when we have a smaller RV, but I suggest you check this one out!

NAVIGATING: Getting to the park is a long, winding drive up into the mountains (~45 minutes). It involves a lot of curves and pulling into turnouts, so the cars behind you can pass. The good news is it is an absolutely beautiful drive coming in from any direction. As you rise up from the arid desert below, you become surrounded by conifers, boulders and the smell of pine.

GETTING SITUATED: We love so many things about this park, but driving through it with our rig is not one. It is filled with tall trees and steep hills. The turns are tight and some of the loops can only be entered from one direction; if you pass it, it's almost impossible to get in coming back from the other direction. After driving though the park to scope out the available spaces, we ended up having to go all the way back to the entrance to find a place to turn around and try again.

DOCKING STATIONS: The angles to get into some of the spaces are sharp! We picked a spot that had a cabin across from it so we could use the driveway to straighten out and back in.
Even with that advantage, this was still one of the toughest spaces we've ever had to back in to. The sites are mostly sand, so we also had to spend some extra time leveling out our rig. All good with the hookups.

THE SCENE: Reading this review so far, you may be wondering why on Earth we gave it 5 stars. It's because it's BEAUTIFUL! There was a smidge of snow left when we were there (even thought the temps were regularly in the 70's). This park is filled with tall trees, giant boulders and hilly, winding roads and trails to explore.

THE FACILITIES: The bathrooms and showers were clean and maintained very well while we were here. The pool was closed for the season, but looked to be in good condition from what we could see. The lodge was a little aged, but clean and comfortable.

STUFF TO DO: The town of Idyllwild is about a 10 minute drive - and it's great! Plenty of places to eat, quaint shops, a small grocery store and even a modern beer pub. When you think "small mountain town," this is what you want it to be like. The grocery store (Fairway Foods) has an okay selection of beer and wine. There is a liquor store (Mountain Top Liquor) that charges insanely inflated prices - beyond any level of reason we could grasp. We'd recommend you bring your bourbon with you. If you are in need of any of the other "suburban sprawl" services like Target or Walgreens, you'll need to endure the 45 minute drive down the mountain to one of the surrounding towns.

HIKE FACTOR: You can realistically get in a decent hike and not leave the park. There are enough elevation changes, vistas and trails to keep a person busy for a bit. However, there are several other county/state parks nearby for the more hardcore hiker looking for much longer treks, including trails linking to the Pacific Crest Trail and Desert View (looking over Palm Springs). We did some hiking in the Idyllwild County Park, which also has a nature center.

GEEK FACTOR: There are a few cell towers at the top of the mountain right next to this campground. No Sprint, but Verizon and T-Mobile are crazy fast all the time.

Verizon: 71.11 MBPS down/15.21 MBPS up
Sprint: 0 MBPS down/0 MBPS up
T-Mobile: 23.87 MBPS down/5.70 MBPS up