After taking the tram up, we spent some time walking around Mount San Jacinto State Park, and it…read moreended up being one of the most relaxing parts of the trip. It's a big contrast from the desert below , cool air, tall pine trees, and quiet forest trails. The trails around Long Valley are pretty easy, so you don't need to be a serious hiker. It's perfect for a casual walk, taking photos, or just enjoying the mountain scenery. We saw squirrels and chipmunks, and I've heard people sometimes spot deer around here too. One thing to know: it's much colder up here than in Palm Springs, so bring a light jacket and wear comfortable shoes because you'll probably end up walking more than planned. It's a nice little nature break after the tram ride, and definitely worth spending some time here before heading back down.

Visited Mount San Jacinto and it was such a refreshing experience. The views are absolutely…read morebeautiful and it feels like a completely different environment compared to the desert below. Everything was peaceful, clean, and perfect for just taking a break and enjoying nature

The actual center has local animals in taxidermy and some live ones as well. They also have a…read morevariety of plants and bugs on display which helps to learn about the area. The lady working was knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely stop by.

Cute little place. Perfect for nature lovers and families with little kids. Multiple options for…read moretrails. Price is extremely affordable!!

We went from the 10th of May to the 12th we just went out there to just relax and get away…read more So we got there and got everything unpacked. And found out that the bottom of the refrigerator did not get very cold so I was actually worried about all of our food going bad so we called the front and let them know that the refrigerator was not working. The freezer worked fine so they sent somebody down to check it out. And he brought us a small refrigerator that he put on a table outside. So we could put some of our food in it so we did that, but notice that the refrigerator did not work very well. Either. But anyways, we just kind of dealt with it.. Then the maintenance guy came back and told us that they are giving us a free 2 hours on a pontoon boat for the inconvenience. I truly highly recommend this place, they truly make sure that you are comfortable. And they do try their best.I give these guys five stars.. A few things in their trailer should actually be updated. But we made things work. We will all definitely be going back there.Hopefully, they can get that trailer updated on the mattresses. The refrigerator. And just overall, the cleanliness of the trailer actually was not up to my standards, maybe they could do better, but other than that, it was awesome, very relaxing, enjoyed the nature and most definitely enjoyed the pontoon. Thank you again so much , and we definitely will be returning

I just completed My second year of fishing and camping here with my grandson. I love this place…read moresimply because of the staff. its camping, so things sometimes dont go as planned but the staff are always extremely helpful! Ed is the person who stands out for me. That guy goes out of his way to do what ever he can to make my visit enjoy for me and my grand-dude. The residents of the lake are also very helpful, welcoming to guest. There was a 8 yr old kid name Tauren who with his father's ok, walked up and down the shore to assist visitors in catching fish by offering his extensive knowledge of the lake and fish habits. Im already scheduling another trip. The water was low for the 2nd year in a row but I cant blame the lake for that! My one complaint is really trivial but the pillows and beds in the cottage were too hard and very difficult to sleep on. Also, the cottage I was in had two uncovered windows in the kitchen and the neighbors can look directly into the cottage at any hour.

Just an adorable place, we loved the vibe of the grounds and the activities available. Just enough…read morenature without truly roughing it. Very clean and newly remodeled, only recommendation is more towels in the rooms and tea with complimentary coffee. Looking forward to going back.

We had our wedding here and had a great time. A beautiful place with great amenities and kind…read morestaff. They have a good selection of vegan options at their on site restaurant, can't wait to come back and see what their chef comes up with as the new vegan meats are released to grocers and restaurant suppliers. The Peak Hall was beautiful, the chapel was comfortable and intimate. We also enjoyed the Bridal Suite and felt it was great for hosting our guests before the wedding. Thank you for everything, can't wait for our next adventure here.

We had our Women's Retreat here in March and it was an incredible experience! The staff are so…read moreaccommodating, kind and always willing to go above and beyond! We can't thank Brian and Katie enough for everything. It is a beautiful center, our rooms were clean and comfortable. All the ladies are excited to come back!

Such a wonderful retreat center! All the staff were super kind and helpful. Beautiful location…read more Can't wait to visit again!

I did not stay at the campground. This review is mainly on the hike Marion Mountain Trail to San…read moreJacinto Peak. We did go into the campgrounds though. The camp sites looked nice and they have 2 restrooms, no showers though. Marion Mountain Trail to San Jacinto Peak hiked Sunday November 2, 2014 Parking: there is a dirt parking lot right across from the trail head. I drive a Mazda 6, so I was having some difficulty getting in and out of the lot. The ground is really uneven, I couldn't drive out the same way I drove in. My back tires were spinning out, so I had to go through another spot to get back to the pavement. The campground is only a quarter of a mile away and we used the restrooms before we hit the trail. Trail Head: There is a good sign stating the start of Marion Mountain Trail. You can also access this trail at the campgrounds because you have to swing that way to stay on the trail. We went up the trail head next to the dirt lot and came back down through the campground and took the paved road back to the car. The Trail: As stated before the trail first veers left towards the campground, you can spot a water tank thing to the left, you keep going up from there. As you keep going up, you pass a few things, a meadow of low plants, I'm not too sure what kind of plants they were but because it's fall they were a pretty yellow. Then you come across giant boulders on the left in which you get a clearing to see all the trees and the valley. Gorgeous views. The 1st trail Marion crisscrosses with is Seven Pines, just keep going straight. Next sign you will pass is the PCT aka Fuller Ridge Trail, go pass that as well. Next thing you will come upon is the Little Round Valley Campsite. They actually have a port-a-potty here. Definitely no toilet paper, but a cool area to look around. At Little Round Valley, a man told us it took him about an hour to get to the peak from there. We estimated it took us 1 hour and 40 min, we were slow hikers, especially with the snow and trail conditions. It says it's 1.3 miles to the peak from there. Next trail sign you cross is the 0.3 mile sign to the Peak. You know you're pretty much to the peak once you see the little house. If you have time take a look inside the house, it's pretty cool with 4 bunk beds, and extra food and water available for anyone to take left my previous hikers who brought too much supplies. From the house, you scale boulders and rocks to the peak, there's not a real direct trail or marked trail for that matter from the house. It took us 8 hours to reach the summit. Because we did this hike daylight savings weekend, and with the shorter days, we hiked the last 3 hours in the dark with head lamps. I would recommend doing this hike during the summer when days are longer. The views were definitely amazing though day after a storm with snow covered trails. Do your research before hitting the trails and be prepared! Everywhere online it says this trail is 12 miles round trip, we were at the peak the trail was 18 miles. I'm not too sure which is correct, it took us 13 hours to complete with lots of breaks in between. Loved this hike! It was absolutely beautiful!

I have some reservations about writing this review because my experience at this campground was…read morewonderful. I enjoyed four peaceful days there, and, surprisingly, there were never more than three campers present. The other visitors were all gray-haired, which contributed to the serenity--there were no barking dogs, loud generators, music, or screaming kids. I spoke with some long-time campers who advised against visiting during holiday weekends and summer; they warned that it can turn chaotic. Marion Mountain, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, exudes character and has a relaxed atmosphere that is not geared for partying, although some attempt to make it so. This campground strictly allows only tent camping and very small teardrop trailers or camper vans; RVs and fifth-wheelers are not permitted. The upper loop (sites 1-5) is great for van or tent camping, but parking is limited to one car/van per site, with no extra parking available. This restriction minimizes the flow of day hikers and keeps the campground tranquil. The inside loop features flatter ground for pitching tents, but it does come with close campsites, reducing privacy since the road rings around sites six through ten, which require a short walk to access. On the lower loop, the outside sites are sloped, and you also need to walk to them. The interior sites here are flat but closely packed, creating a cramped environment. I rated this campground one star for weekends and holidays, but it earns five stars on weekdays and in the shoulder seasons. I would absolutely return, but definitely not on weekends! If I want to hear screaming kids and barking dogs, I can just visit my grandkids. If you value a peaceful camping experience, choose your timing wisely!

Our experience is based on campsite 23. Overall not the best campground for many reasons…read more.. 1) Campsites are very small and hilly! There was no flat spot at our site for our tent, so we were forced to set it up on a slope. You will also be very close to your neighbors. 2) For some campsites, you will have to drag your stuff up a hill from where you parked. We had to do that at our site. 3) When we were there, people were loud and playing music until 2-3am. Rangers don't enforce any of their rules. There are flush toilets and showers which makes it beginner friendly. Showers are token operated which you can purchase with cash from a machine at the front. Water is pretty lukewarm if you do decide to take a shower but water pressure is good. Although the site is close to the Idyllwild village, I personally wouldn't come back here.

This campground is perfect for camping beginners. It has paid showers (with tokens), flush toilets,…read moreand all the essentials. We've visited twice during the summer, and the temperature is usually mild. It's within walking distance to town, where you can meet Mayor Max and enjoy local restaurants. While it can get a bit noisy at times, overall, we really enjoy our stays here. Some sites offer shade, while others are sunny. The only downside is the slopes--some sites can be tricky to set up a tent on due to the uneven ground.

The Rangers here are so nice! If you need directions, recommendations, or have questions, they are…read morehappy to help! I came here wanting to know where I could go for a short little walk and they told me to actually drive down the road a little further to go to the "Idyllwild Nature Center" vs here at the State Park. The State Park only really has serious hiking trails, not something easy/short. I was very grateful for the suggestion and we shared a few laughs! Wonderful experience!

The rangers here were really nice and funny, and they gave my spouse and I great recommendations on…read morewhere to hike that wasn't too difficult for us. Thank you so much!

We stayed at the group camp in May. The area was flat and open. There's a nice creek to hike by…read moreand in. The bathrooms were clean. Bring toilet paper since they ran out on Saturday. The non-group side had a movie night and a bunch of games. The sites are fairly large. There's a lake across the street. Might be nice in the summer.

I got a chance to camp here and it was a pretty good spot…read more Headed up in July and temps down below the camp area were about 10-12 degrees warmer, it was 85 with a nice breeze. Some of the spots are great and have nice shade trees, etc. Others are kind of sparse and definitely no protection from the sun. There are some very large spots and most of the spots are spacious. Some are for larger RVs. Some are walk in only, you park your car close but not in your spot. There is a trail (3.5 miles round trip) out to a little pond of water and it is a nice easy trail, mostly flat. There were no fires allowed right now, high fire danger, unless you had a stove that had an on/off button to control the flame. I did see some flames at night, that did look like fires that were not allowed but the staff was going around on their golf carts, so I assume they checked it out. The Staff keeps the place pretty clean. The restrooms were in good condition. Definitely some great views of the mountains and surrounding areas. The night time views are pretty good, you can see the milky way. Check out my photos for example. Location fantastic. Price is reasonable. Weather was good. Not too much to do, but Idyllwild is not too far away.

Daughter recently went for three days here and had a lot of good things to say about the food and…read morestaff! She enjoyed the rocket launch, stargazing, zip line, and the lift up into the tree. First true experience away from home without family like many others. She only had good things to say about the staff and food options. Luckily no bed bug issues like prior reviews. Shout out to Beatrice for being awesome with the kids! -2 stars for the bathroom/shower situations. It doesn't sound like there are many bathrooms for the amount of kids there. She mentioned some being clogged and feeling rushed due to several others needing to use the bathrooms. There were so many activities that she felt like there weren't many breaks to use the bathroom. In her dorm there were only 2 bathrooms/showers. They got back late after 9pm and rushed to squeeze people through to shower. People were barging in having to use the bathroom as others showered. Apparently the shower curtain was so minimal, another girl used an extra bed sheet to help create privacy, which all the girls appreciated. Maybe add a couple port-a-potties?! Might be wrong, but also sounded like not many trustworthy sources for water and hydration outside of meal time.

This was my second time chaperoning at AstroCamp and it was just as great as the first. The kids…read morehad space to drop their bags, the meadow was perfect for hanging out, and the Pine Dorm easily fit our group. Showers for chaperones were really nice and the kids' worked fine too. The staff was amazing! Patient, fun, and great with the kids. Lincoln, Scout, Spencer, and Steve were favorites. The food was easily the best camp food we've had. They had their day of helping with setup and cleanup which taught teamwork. Activities were nonstop fun with zipline, Skycoaster, rockets, stargazing, climbing, and even microgravity in the pool. The chaperone lounge with Wi-Fi, coffee, and snacks was a lifesaver. Big shoutout to Josh, the director, for keeping everything running smooth. AstroCamp has been an awesome experience both times. Highly recommend!