San Bernardino National Forest · California
Overview Pineknot Campground is located in the mountains of San Bernardino at Big Bear Lake. It is a popular destination for many outdoor enthusiasts looking for respite from the busy cities nearby. While the campground can accommodate RVs, it is best situated for tent camping.
Sites at Pineknot are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 47 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard |
| Location | Fawnskin, CA |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Pineknot around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Serrano | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Dogwood | Cancellation alerts available |
| Hanna Flat | Cancellation alerts available |
| Heart Bar Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| San Gorgonio | Cancellation alerts available |
| Barton Flats | Cancellation alerts available |
| Green Valley | Cancellation alerts available |
| Applewhite Campground (CA) | Cancellation alerts available |
| North Shore (Ca) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Crab Flats | Cancellation alerts available |
| Boulder Basin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Marion Mountain | Cancellation alerts available |
| Fern Basin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Wild Horse Equestrian Family | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ribbonwood Equestrian Cg | Cancellation alerts available |
| Fishermans Group | Cancellation alerts available |
| Dark Canyon Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Horse Springs Campground (San Bernardino National Forest) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Pinyon Flat Campground (San Bernardino National Forest) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Shady Cove Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Lobo Group | Cancellation alerts available |
| Big Pine Equestrian Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Black Mountain (San Bernardino) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bluff Mesa Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Boulder Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Buttercup Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Coon Creek Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Council | Cancellation alerts available |
| Deer Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Grays Peak Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Green Spot Equestrian Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Heart Bar Equestrian | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ironwood Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Juniper Springs Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Oso Group | Cancellation alerts available |
| Skyline | Cancellation alerts available |
| Tanglewood Group Camp | Cancellation alerts available |
| Tent Peg Group | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for Pineknot; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.