Buckhorn Campground
Category: Hotels & Travel Campgrounds Campgrounds [Edit]
Angeles Crest HighwayAngeles National Forest
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
7 reviews for Buckhorn Campground
7 reviews in English
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Review from Art L.
Bellflower, CA
4/28/2012
There was snow on the ground and the campground was closed for the season in mid-April. I took a walk through the campground and was impressed with all they've done lately.
New bearproof food boxes in each campsite. Roads paved. The notoriously stinky outhouses have solar fan and probably light systems, not that there's much direct sunlight with all the tall trees. Hopefully this will end the tradition of someone blasting diarrhea all over the seat in the night, every night. You people are $%^$#& sick, sit the $%^& down!!!!!
The station fire didn't reach this area, and the tall tall trees are awesome! Skies are always so implausibly blue that city dwellers wonder if reality has been photoshopped. Winds and turbulence over the ridge often make for interesting, rapidly changing, magically appearing, or disappearing clouds.
A great bicycle challenge: Ride from camp at 6300' to Cloudburst summit at 7,018 feet. You'll likely huff and puff and struggle, no matter how good a biker near sea level. Going up via the exit road is much longer but at least you can pedal most of the way. The low granny gear that you wondered why they bothered with in the city? You'll find yourself wishing for a LOWER gear! At the summit, there is a view of Los Angeles to take in while regaining breath, though the forest below was burned. Riding back is 100% downhill, and you get back to camp so fast it's like you faxed yourself. I've done this ride at midnight, once with my HID headlight, once under the full moon. Beware of rice rockets and other speed demons along Highway 2.
I believe the RV limit is 22'; I have shoehorned my 27' into a spot but it won't fit many of the spaces and, like George of the Jungle, WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE! The entrance road is not for the timid, and turning around RV or trailer down some of the roads is for the skilled so park by the pay spot and WALK before boldly heading down some of the roads in a large vehicle.
The shadiest spots are along the South and West ends of camp. The sopts along the road to Burkhart Trail are sunny and there is constant traffic, so use these when everywhere else is full. The trail is nice, and there is a waterfall-swimming hole with a fun but seen-better-days rope off a tree. I've heard there's a BIG waterfall further along the trail, but haven't gone that far. It links to the Pacific Crest.
THERE ARE BEARS HERE!! AND I DON'T MEAN YOGI! Bears have gone through my camp at night, feet from my tent! Use your bearproof box, and don't leave food-smelling trash in your camp at night! There are probably also big cats, so mind your dogs and small children. This is camping in a true wilderness area!
Buckhorn: Awesome, tall tree campground! -
Review from Kit V.
Altadena, CA
5/21/2012
Along with one of the reviews above, I agree that this place USED to be great.
It has since become over-run, over-crowded and loud due to the increased number of visitors, probably from Chilao spill-over. The type of people who visit this campground has changed over the last few years, resulting in a disappointingly degraded camping experience.
If it's rest and relaxation you seek, just be sure to visit on the right weekend... -
Review from Robert C.
9/20/2011
If you have the time, it's way than Monte Cristo which attracts large families and rowdy teens. Still no views but the air was chill and the entire site is shaded.
Listed in: LA CONFIDENTIAL, The Great Outdoors
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Review from Kat And Bobby D.
Tustin, CA
8/14/2011
I have camped here before and it's nice. Went to visit there last weekend but it was closed bcuz they are repaving the roads. Next time! Or check their website to see if it's open.
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Review from Vinny Q.
Buena Park, CA
9/10/2009
BUCKHORN!!! oh how I love this campground. The best site is something like 27 and 28? I think its whatever ones are over the bridge all the way at the end of the road...that site is soo fresh! Plus the Burkhart trail head is here! WIN WIN!
Only now after the fires word on the street is the whole mt. waterman is burned down?!??! It supposedly got so hot that the roads metled. So this is my farewell to buckhorn...you will be missed forever. Upside is that this mountain will be flourishing within our lifetime. I am so sad to not have these great campsites anymore, eastfork here I come! -
Review from matt g.
Long Beach, CA
7/30/2010
Buckhorn is open! I just got back from a 3 day trip and it was amazing. The very first thing I am going to recommend is bringing a snake bite kit of some sort. The 1st day there my dog stumbled onto a 3 foot rattler. walked right up to him but didn't get bit. The snake was really mellow...didn't coil up or anything. He just moseyed on down the path like dogs were every day business. 2nd day while doing some boulder scrambling through the canyon my girlfriend yelled at me to watch out...but it was too late. I stepped about 1/2 an inch from a 9 bead 2 foot rattler. I didn't have time to be scared because my momentum was carrying me passed him. This one too just slithered under a rock and made no aggressive motions towards me. Is buckhorn the home of domesticated rattle snakes?? I doubt it...I think my fat dog and I are just dumb and incredibly lucky. If either of us were bit we were hours away from the nearest medical help that I know of. Especially from the bottom of the remote canyon.
CAMP SITES: Okay...onto the campsites. There are 38 slots there. When we arrived (late Sunday) only 4 sites were filled. We chose solitude over convenience. If you follow the camp road the whole way to the back over the bridge you will find the last 3 slots. 36,37 & 38. We took 38 on the right. Its about a 100 ft. walk on a small trail to get there...but it is AWESOME! No other campers any where near us. The site itself is kind of narrow...but we were able to fit three tents in a line pretty easily. The big disadvantage of this site is that it is the only one w/out tons of shade. It got really...I mean really really hot these last few days. If sleeping late is important too ya maybe go for 36 or 37. Not as secluded...but still a lot farther apart than the other ones and they have plenty of shade.
HIKES: The most popular hike is burkhart trail to cooper canyon falls. This water fall is gorgeous. It didn't even have that much water flow and it was still breathtaking. The hike is about 3-4 miles round trip. Downhill the whole way there. The last 50 ft. scurry down to the base is a little tricky....but a 6 yr. old, my 60 yr. old mom w/ arthritis, and my klutzy girlfriend (okay okay, I'm the Klutz) all made it without serious injury.
The other part I recommend checking out is also on the burkhart trail and not nearly as far. Just before you reach the cool huge rock formation there is a little trail off to the right going down into the canyon. The trail will be marked by an X made by a tree and a toppled tree. At the bottom you will find a beautiful little waterfall. Boulder skip down through the canyon a few hundred yards (this where I should have been bit) and you will come across the coolest little waterfall / swimming hole. I was jumping off the top of the fall into it. Use extreme caution though....the landing area is tiny.
CA 2 IS CLOSED: You have to take a 66 mile bypass via oro vista (or vista oro?) to Tujunga to get there. -
Review from h h.
Pasadena, CA
9/4/2010
i used to love this place.
but this past weekend we went camping in buckhorn (for the peace and solitude among fellow nature-lovers, we thought)
alas, the noise level was unbearable -- a caravan (!!!) of about 10 cars coming in at 9:30 pm on thursday, disgorging about 40 people, who proceeded to build a veritable tent-city while the music was blaring from their cars, children ran around screaming (and adults screamed and laughed and carried on, drinking, no doubt.)
at 11:30 pm i went and told them to quiet down, which they didnt really until about 3:00 am !!!) -- when a child was running (unattended!) through the forest carrying a stick on fire, screaming... (this last was told me by a fellow camper who saw it and went and talked to the "responsible" adults...i suppose we're lucky the forest wasn't lit on fire...)
on to the facilities: when we arrived they were bad (feces on the ground and walls -- how is that even possible?) -- but the next day (friday) more large groups arrived and by noon someone had defecated on the *back* of the toilet-seat in a LARGE pile!!! there were no (i repeat NO) bearably clean toilets in the whole camp-ground (there aren't enough as it is.) feces and flies everywhere...
also, apparently the newest thing is that people come in the evening and "reserve" spaces for the numerous buddies they expect the next day: putting camp-chairs and boxes into otherwise unoccupied spaces...
there is, needless to say, no "camp-host" (even though there is a designated space for one), no-one in charge, no-one monitoring the situation, enforcing the 10:00 pm curfew, keeping the forest and the rest of us safe from fire and disease.
we paid for 2 nights and left after 1. i suppose since the forest has been destroyed in the lower elevations, everyone is coming up higher. that being the case, there HAS to be someone on the premises educating the newbies (i asked, most had never been there before) and keeping it all safe and sanitary. otherwise the higher elevations won't survive long, either.
this was a terribly disappointing trip.
