California's 5 Best Camping Spots At Silverwood Lake, According To Reviews

Many people come to Silverwood Lake for a day to swim, hike, or boat for a few hours before returning home to nearby San Bernardino or Orange County. But the recreation area is perhaps best enjoyed when you can set aside the time to take in the gorgeous mountain views at sunset or stroll the beach in the quiet morning hours before the city crowds arrive. This is why camping at Silverwood Lake Recreation Area is a luxury worth experiencing at least once. However, as this destination hosts several campsites, it can be a challenge to figure out which ones are the best. 

When people talk about the Silverwood Lake campgrounds, they're often referring to the recreation area's New and Old Mesa campgrounds (collectively called the Mesa Campgrounds). Located on a hillside overlooking the water, these sites are just about a seven-minute walk from the cove or a roughly 20-minute walk (or three-minute drive) from Cleghorn Beach — one of the lake's two designated swimming areas. At Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, there are also several large group campsites, situated about a seven-minute drive from the Mesa Campgrounds and a 10-minute drive from Cleghorn Beach. These sites are a good choice if you're planning on camping with parties of more than 10, but they are located farther from the water than the Mesa Campgrounds.

To book one of these official campsites, visit Reserve California. Costs vary depending on the spot you choose. If you're looking to avoid paying $45 or more per night, you can camp for free on the public lands located on the hillsides above the lake. For a detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of Silverwood Lake's five best camping spots, explore this list of options featuring first-hand accounts from campers who've stayed there (and learn more about our methodology at the end of the article).

The Old Mesa Campground is located on a bluff above the lake. So, while each of the 95 campsites here are within walking distance of the water, none are located directly next to the lake. However, this is true of all Silverwood Lake campsites. If you're looking to camp on the beach, your best bet may be heading to California's "Spanish Village by the Sea," San Clemente, instead.

To reach the lake from the Old Mesa or New Mesa Campgrounds, you can either walk 1,200 feet along a trail or drive 1.25 miles on Sawpit Canyon Road. At Old Mesa, you're allowed to have up to three vehicles and eight people per family campsite. Each spot comes with its own fire ring, charcoal grill, and picnic table. Coin-operated showers and public restrooms are all within walking distance. While you can camp in an RV or trailer at Old Mesa, all the sites there are non-hookup. This is the biggest difference between the Old Mesa and New Mesa Campgrounds. The cost is also slightly lower here, starting at $45 per night instead of New Mesa's $50 per night.

"Campsite 71 is the best site in Old Mesa," a Google reviewer reported. "This would be a perfect spot for family reunions since there is a lawn in front, which allows for spacious games like football. After scouting Old Mesa and New Mesa, this is the best spot and with good shade."

According to Power Camper, while Old Mesa may be worth staying at if you're looking to be closer to the marina or Sawpit Day Use area (specifically sites 1 through 30), generally speaking, New Mesa is the superior campsite. This is because all 40 spots have full hookups — that includes power, water, and sewage. Power Camper also favors the New Mesa campsite location for being located near trailheads and the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area park office. 

Past visitors share that the New Mesa Campgrounds are quiet, with clean toilets and hot showers. Regarding which campsites to pick within New Mesa, "#97, #103 are very good. Shaded and large," a Google reviewer wrote.

Like Old Mesa, the New Mesa campsites allow up to eight people and three vehicles per site (that includes towed vehicles). Costs start at $50 per site per night. Each spot comes with a charcoal grill, picnic table, and fire ring. Public restrooms and coin-operated showers are a short walk away.

If you're looking to host a medium-sized group (whether it be a scout troop or a family reunion), then the Miller Canyon Campground is for you. The group campsites (sites I, II, and III) here are located in the recreation area's wooded area of Miller Canyon. You'll need to drive about 4 miles past Silverwood Lake's park entrance to reach the sites. The region is surrounded by beautiful trees, with a small creek running through it. While wooded, the space also has a large grassy area that provides ample room for setting up tents or playing flag football. 

As far as pros and cons go, the Miller Canyon group sites are smaller than the other group camping spots. This means they're more affordable ($250 per night instead of $350), though. They're also still large enough accommodate a sizable group of up to 40 people and 20 vehicles. Expect all the usual amenities — a fire ring, a charcoal grill, public restrooms — but not running water or showers, which some Google reviewers found disappointing. Instead, campers wishing to wash up after a long day of hiking or boating will need to use showers at the New or Old Mesa campgrounds, which are a little over 5 miles away. 

The Miller Canyon Campgrounds are a couple of miles from the lake, making them a less convenient choice than the Mesa Campgrounds. However, that shouldn't deter you from hiking to the lake. As a past visitor on Google wrote, "it's a walk but worth it."

For a large campsite capable of giving your school or church group the extra space to spread out, the Barranca, Valle, and Rio group campsites are ideal. They allow up to 100 people each, with parking for up to 30 vehicles per site. 

At $350 per night, these sites are more expensive than the three Miller Canyon group sites, but you may find this to be money well spent. Not only are these sites able to host more than twice the number of people, but they also offer a few amenities the other sites lack (most importantly, showers). Each group site has its own private restroom, coin-operated shower, and power outlets. They also each include two large canopies over the picnic tables and running water. The Rio group site even has two horse stalls.

Multiple reviewers on Google commented that the Barranca, Valle, and Rio group campsites were "nice" and "clean." One Google reviewer stated: "Beautiful nature. Very well maintained area by the Rangers everyone was very helpful and friendly. Lake wasn't too bad ... would definitely recommend it for a little family get away/trip!" Another Google reviewer commented that the group site "is spacious enough to fit your chaotic friend group, their dogs, their coolers, and even that one guy who always brings too much gear." Like all the group campsites at Silverwood Lake, it can be a trek getting from this area to the water. The Barranca, Valle, and Rio group camp areas are located off Hwy 138, about a 30-minute walk or seven-minute drive from Cleghorn Beach. 

If you're willing to rough it for a couple of nights without a bathroom or shower, the area in the hills overlooking Lake Silverwood allows for dispersed camping, which means you're free to set up camp most anywhere you can find a spot. This area is located along Forestry Road 2N33, also known as Pilot Rock Road, and it offers a panoramic view of Lake Silverwood. A reviewer on Google called the area "a perfect little getaway," and another highlighted its "beautiful views," especially at sunset.

Because this area is BLM land, meaning it's managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management, you're allowed to camp for free for up to 14 days in a 28-day period. However, Pilot Rock Road is unpaved and bumpy and can even be muddy or eroded in some parts, so a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle or ATV is recommended. If you're considering camping here, this video review from BackRoadsWest1 is a good resource, as it provides footage and photos of the conditions of the road as well as details on what you can expect when driving up the mountain from the valley below. The area is popular with motorcycle, ATV, other OHV riders, and can become packed on holiday weekends, so you may want to keep this in mind when picking a spot to pitch your tent.

Pay attention to marked signs, as some areas may require you to pay a parking pass via a QR code on the sign. You may also want to contact the California State Office of the Bureau of Land Management ahead of time to get the most up-to-date information on the precise areas that allow dispersed camping, as they are not always clearly marked. If you end up deciding to book a paid campsite last minute, this trick helps you score highly sought-out and and sold-out campsite reservations.

To determine what to include in this list of the best campsites at Silverwood Lake, we first had to identify the criteria for what qualifies as being at Silverwood Lake. Since camping isn't allowed directly on the water, only campsites within walking distance of Silverwood Lake beach were initially considered. However, we also decided to include the Pilot Rock OHV campsite. Though it's a far walk from the beach (two hours and 15 minutes, to be exact), you can see still see the lake from the camp trail. We decided that counted.

The other criterion we used was star ratings on Google. We only selected campsites that had a four-star rating or higher. The campsite on our list with the lowest Google star rating, at the time of writing, was Old Mesa (4.3 stars), and the highest was Miller Canyon (4.5 stars). New Mesa and the Rio Barranca Valle Group Campground were tied at 4.4 stars. The Pilot Rock OHV trail also ranked highly, with a 4.7-star rating, but it should be noted that many of those ratings were from off-roaders on the trail for the day and not those overnighting. Where possible, we cross-referenced what was said in the reviews with information available on state and federal government websites.