Lake Hemet, California, United States

5John B 5:00 PM Mar 1, 2022

Camping in the snow was awesome!
Camping at Lake Hemet was an amazing time in a beautiful setting. Don’t forget if you want to go fishing on the Lake to obtain a U. S. Forest Service pass, if you want a $5 day pass you can grab one in Idyllwild or Mountain Center but if you grab one at the Lake Hemet General Store be aware they only sell the annual for $30 for some reason. When we arrived there was snow on the ground and we had firewood delivered for us. The Camp Host’s name was Bill and he was extremely helpful and polite. He checked in to make sure if we needed anything and even gave us a break down of fishing trends and where the best spots were. He was honestly more helpful than camp hosts that I’ve encountered in the past and made the trip much more enjoyable. We did tend camping and while temperatures were below freezing we had a great time having prepared and having brought necessary supplies for the low temperature and slightly windy weather. We look forward to coming back and highly recommend camping in a tent as it brought back a ton of old memories and fun!

5Dean L 5:00 PM Jul 29, 2021

Last Camping Trip Before Start of School
Lake Hemet campground exceeded my expectations in every way. We made a reservation online for a 7/27/21 - 7/30/21 stay at campsite #406. It was during the week so we hoped to avoid the crowds. Weekends are supposedly very busy, but during our stay, we were told only 10-15% of the camp was occupied. On the way up, she got a call from the staff confirming our reservation and gave her information about checking in which I was really impressed about. Check in at the entrance was easy and while we set up our campsite, the camp host, Bill, stopped to say hello to make sure we had any questions answered and made us feel very welcomed. Throughout our stay, he would check on us and provide tidbits about the Lake, things to do on the property, and our kids loved petting Kilian, his HUGE Irish Wolfhound. He definitely made our stay at Lake Hemet a positive one. Our campsite was for tent camping and was a good sized flat lot with a view of the lake and mountains, some shade from the trees, and easy access to the bathrooms, showers, and dumpster. Each campsite has a concrete picnic table and a concrete firepit. Our firepit did not have a grill, but luckily our friend's site next to ours, #407 had one where we grilled on. The bathrooms have free hot showers and are cleaned regularly. Not all sites have a water spigot so bring a container for holding water and washing dishes. There is no dump station for gray water, so bring garbage bags to throw away solid food waste and plan to haul gray water to the bathroom to flush down the toilet. There are also RV camping sites, yurts (large tee-pee like tents) and cabin rentals all surrounding the lake. On the property there are sand volleyball courts, a basketball court, tether ball, a horseshoe pit, picnic areas, a swim area with lifeguard(s) and a marina that rents boats and kayaks. The market in front of the entrance has a decent selection of groceries and ice cream that we frequented regularly during our stay for treats and firewood. We swam at the lake 2 days in a row and they let us bring our own raft to hang out on. The lifeguards are friendly and easy going but are very attentive and make their presence known. You will have to get swim bands when you register and complete a form to be able to swim. When it's busy, you will have to pick between morning or afternoon times to swim so they can control the crowds. Bring flip flops since the walk from the parking area to the beach area is about 500 ft and the rocky sand is hot and a little rough on your feet. Overall, a great camping experience that exceeded our expectations and only a little more than an hour from our home. We will definitely be back for more camping trips here in the future.