Camping near Lake Elsinore, California
Camping near Lake Elsinore, California includes 4 public campgrounds on record, 4 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, El Cariso Campground, is 4.9 miles from Lake Elsinore in a straight line, and all 4 are within 15 miles. Another 3 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Lake Elsinore.
noindex Fewer than 5 campgrounds here clear the indexable bar yet, so this page stays noindex.
Camping near Lake Elsinore at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 4 (4 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 4 first-come
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at El Cariso Campground: "Single Site: $15 per night"
- Distance from Lake Elsinore
- 4.9 miles (El Cariso Campground) to 7.7 miles (Upper San Juan Campground) in a straight line; 4 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 1,752 ft (Upper San Juan Campground) to 3,582 ft (Blue Jay Campground), 4 of 4 on record
Distances are straight-line miles from Lake Elsinore's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $15 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $20 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $18 per night
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $18 per night
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Lake Elsinore
- Falcon Group Camp, 7 miles from Lake Elsinore in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Orange.
- Tenaja Campground (closed), 11 miles from Lake Elsinore in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Riverside.
- Dripping Springs Campground, 26 miles from Lake Elsinore in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Temecula.
Things to do near Lake Elsinore
Public land and water within 30 miles of Lake Elsinore, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- San Mateo Canyon Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 9.3 miles from Lake Elsinore; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Glen Ivy Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 10 miles from Lake Elsinore; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.
- California Citrus State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 16 miles from Lake Elsinore; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Lake Perris State Recreation Area, a state park whose mapped point is 16 miles from Lake Elsinore; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Skinner Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 17 miles from Lake Elsinore; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Rancho Jurupa Park Pond fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 21 miles from Lake Elsinore; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- San Onofre State Beach, a state park whose mapped point is 23 miles from Lake Elsinore; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- San Timoteo Canyon Prop, a state park whose mapped point is 23 miles from Lake Elsinore; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Little Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 24 miles from Lake Elsinore; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Vail Lake water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 25 miles from Lake Elsinore; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Lake Elsinore
Nearest emergency room
Menifee Global Medical Center
28400 Mccall Blvd, Sun City, CA, 9.9 miles from Lake Elsinore . (951) 679-8888
Next nearest: Loma Linda University Medical Center-murrieta, 28062 Baxter Rd, Murrieta, CA, 11 miles , (951) 290-4000.
In an emergency, call 911.
Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) .
- Groceries
-
- ALDI
- Circle K
- Walmart Supercenter
- Fuel
-
- Chevron
- Mobil
- Arco
- Propane
-
- Blue Rhino
- Chevron
- Pick Up Propane
- RV dump station
-
- Reflection Lake RV Park
- Fishermans Retreat
- San Clemente State Park
- Pharmacy
-
- Walgreens
- Sav-on Pharmacy
- Sav-on
- Laundromat
-
- Winchester Cleaners
- "Laundromat"
- "Cleaners"
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Lake Elsinore: potable water fill and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Lake Elsinore, CA?
4 public campgrounds are on record near Lake Elsinore. Nearest first, straight-line from town: El Cariso Campground (4.9 miles), Blue Jay Campground (6.9 miles), Wildomar Campground (7.2 miles), and Upper San Juan Campground (7.7 miles). 4 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Lake Elsinore, CA?
Not at a developed campground: each of the 4 public campgrounds on record near Lake Elsinore charges a fee, listed in the table.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Lake Elsinore, CA?
Menifee Global Medical Center, 28400 Mccall Blvd, Sun City, CA, is 9.9 miles from Lake Elsinore in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (951) 679-8888. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in California ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in California .