• Location: San Bernardino National Forest, CA
• Month: July 2020
• Site #: 48
• Bathrooms? Yes.
• $33/night with a $8 reservation fee.
• Book campsites here!
• More info: here!

We chose to visit some of the campgrounds in our local San Bernardino Mountains, and for last minute reservations, we came upon Barton Flats in Angelus Oaks, CA. The campground location resides in a the heart of the ever-scenic San Bernardino Mountains off of Highway 38. Driving from the direction of Big Bear to this campsite (southbound), we found waves and waves of beautiful scenery full of trees, rocks, and mountains as far as I could see!

About the Campground

Barton Flats Campground was easy to find with the host in a central locations. Bathrooms contained flush toilets close to the campsites, and were clean and well-kept. Most sites contained a two-car limit, with a designated grill in the fire pit. Much of the campground was level, and I did not see many angled areas which made for easy set-up for me and my neighboring campers.

The friendly onsite staff drove around everyday to offer firewood and check for reservations. The campsite was also dog-friendly, and family-friendly, as we also saw many RV’s occupying spots as well. There were many group sites as well that occupied 10+ people. And although noise travels easy up here, the space between campsite was ample enough that it did not truly bother me.

The campground held no privacy at all, however, and visibility was clear from any direction of the campground. Campfires were very visible once darkness fell, and human chatter was audible. We were located heavily amongst the trees, but the trees around us were thin and widely dispersed through out Barton Flats. For example, we could easily fly a drone around our camp without any issues.

About the Campsite

Like previously mentioned, the campsites lacked privacy in pretty much every way. However, the campsite held ample space for all sorts of items. We had space for our tent, an EZ up, a huge cooler, a hammock, and our two chairs. We even carved out a spot for corn hole because we had so much space. Barton Flats Campground provided the picnic table and fire pit. And in addition to all that, we could have easily fit more tents or even tables nearby without invading any neighboring campsite.

What is Nearby Barton Flats Campground?

Barton Lakes campground lies about 5 minutes (by car) south from the Santa Ana River. Jenks Lake resides about a ten minute drive from the campground. The distance is even walkable as a small hike as well. Jenks Lake provides even more opportunities to either launch your own personal boat or kayak, to fish, or to enjoy a walk around the lakes and the beautiful views. Bald Eagles are rumored to make an appearance there as well, which is neat!

Big Bear Lake also lies almost 27 miles north from this location. I also camped there a few years back, and you can get more info here.

Also, if you are a hiker, Sugarloaf Trail is about 30 miles north from the campground and a beautiful opportunity to see the backcountry. Forest Falls is also 15 miles south from the campground–Vivian Creek trailhead for San Gorgornio is also near this same spot.

Further along the highway there were numerous other campgrounds like Heart Bar and South Fork. You can also find more up near Big Bear Lake as well.

Additional Thoughts & Experiences

I would absolutely come again! This was a very easy campsite to plan for, and nothing about it made it complicated in either set-up or finding somewhere near it to explore. This campground definitely gives that “in the middle of nowhere” vibe that many may be looking for when trying to go camping. But if you were looking for something closer to civilization, I would definitely recommend looking for campsites closer to Big Bear Lake!

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