Blue Jay Campground
Description
With a variety of primitive sites, and walking access into nearby wooded areas, Blue Jay Campground is a laid-back destination for hikers and picnickers. Situated in the Cleveland National Forest, three miles from Ortega Highway, the campground is a great place to explore the forest from the Blue Jay Trailhead. If reading this has started a mental rendition of the Beatles’ “Blue Jay Way,” take the advice of that voice in your head, and please don’t be long. After all, there are no reservations, so it’s best to arrive early.
Activities
Offered near the campground.
Biking
Your leg muscles are straining as you pedal hard, fighting against gravity. You’re winding through oak trees and chaparral at i...Read more
Fishing
The Loveland Reservoir is THE fisher(wo)man’s spot in Cleveland National Forest. You can chill with catfish, bluegill, and red-...Read more
Hiking
With 460,000 acres, of course there are plenty of hiking trails here. Seriously, we’re talkin’ 356 miles of trails in total. Wi...Read more
Horseback riding
Horse-lovers rejoice! We have trails upon trails for you and your four-legged homeboy/girl. Check out all your horseback riding...Read more
Off-roading (OHV)
Do you find yourself getting agitated by those pesky white and yellow lines? By red and green lights, stop signs, and the like?...Read more
Climbing
Consider yourself a climber or just lookin’ to try it out? Either way, some pretty awesome rock climbing is to be had here, esp...Read more
Snow sports
Longing for a winter getaway in SoCal? We’ve got you covered. Grab your sleds, your tubes, your snowman-building materials, and...Read more
Swimming
With flowing waterfalls throughout the forest, there are a bunch o’ different swimming holes for you to splash around in. Ceda...Read more
Wildlife watching
With 460,000 acres, many different critters call this place home. From mountain lions, to mule deer, bats, and grey foxes, this...Read more
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Blue Jay Campground.
12 Reviews
First time camping here, and I'll definitely come back. Of the 50+ individual spots, I think a grand total of 10 of them were occupied leaving the entire campgrounds largely "to us"! Granted it was cool October weather and mid-week, but hey! totally worth taking a day off from work! Facilities were nice (TP running awfully low though!) and everything was pretty clean. There were no payment envelops in the box at the entrance to the campgrounds, thus no way to pay for the spot. This implies to me minimum attention from the forest service (at least around the time we went).
Camped here the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2019 and really enjoyed it! It wasn't packed, maybe ~10-20% capacity. There's 50 Drive-in sites, some of which are clustered together well enough to make for a great group camping trip. It's $20/night per site, and you pay at the campground entrance. It's a self-service drop box with envelopes, so you can check in at any time of the day or night. Even though it's an honor system, there was a park ranger checking the drop box at 9:30am sharp on Sunday morning so make sure to bring cash! Picnic bench and fire pit ring available at each camp site. Depending what site you're at, it's only a couple hundred paces to water spouts, dumpsters, and stocked latrines. Great drive-in campground!
First come first serve. You pay cash at the entrance then have to drive around until you find an open space.
- Park
- Cleveland National Forest
- State
- California
- Country
- United States
- Phone Number
- 858-673-6180
- Directions
- View on Google Maps
- Official Website
- View Website
- Coordinates
- 33.653° N, 117.45° W
- $20/night
- Tent / RV / Trailer: 50 Sites (Up to people per site)