I just returned from a weekend camping trip to Pineknot
Campground in Big Bear. We took our Toyota Dolphin motorhome and met several
friends as we do once a year.
The Value
 |
| Our little one and friend - the sites are spacious |
Is Pineknot a best value, good value or less than average
vacation value in Southern California?
Price: We paid $30 per night for our 20-foot Toyota Dolphin
RV.
Amenities: No showers, no electrical hookups and no dumping
station. There are clean flush toilets in easy access to the sites.
Proximity: Pineknot borders the Snow Summit ski resort with
plenty of mountain bike activity in the spring, summer, and fall.
It's a 10-minute drive to the Big Bear Village and the Pine
Knot landing marina with boat rentals and sales.
It's close to the shops and other resorts.
You have to drive to hiking trails.
Layout
The campground is terraced on the hillside so it
doesn't have the flat expanse one might enjoy. The sites are spacious, though,
and you don't feel like your sitting on top of your neighbors.
We were camping with several others, including a few couples
with no children, one family with two teen girls, and two of us with children
aged 11, 7, and 3.
There are plenty of pine trees for the kids to play hide and
seek and the more adventurous ones – and those with good balance – can roller
blade but it's not flat for very long.
It's clean and it's not noisy at night. There's a camp host
available.
Why We Chose Pineknot:
We used to camp across the lake at Serrano but getting sites
for several families required calling about six months ahead of time. Pineknot
was definitely more convenient.
My Rating:
Average / Good
This is my second visit to Pineknot at the end of June and I
enjoyed the second time better than the first visit. For a camping experience
really close to cute shops and a drive to the water, then Pineknot is going to
be fine.
If there were electrical hookups and showers for $30 per
night then I'd give it a Good to Best value rating.
If you want to pull your RV in or pitch a tent for a couple
of nights to see Big Bear, then it's fine. For a campground so close to the
city, it would be nice to have a few city-like amenities.
