Monte Cristo Campground

$20.00/night

Estimated location

No source publishes exact coordinates for Monte Cristo Campground. Its map marker is estimated from the surrounding area and can be miles from the actual site — don't navigate to it. Its official page may have the detail needed to find it on the ground.

Overview

Monte Cristo Campground is a small, developed campground located off the Angeles Forest Highway (County Road N3) in the Angeles National Forest and is part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Positioned at about 3,600 feet elevation, it’s one of the closer forest camping options to the Los Angeles area, offering scenic mountain and high-desert views. The campground includes 19 first-come, first-serve campsites suitable for tents, trailers, and RVs up to approximately 30 feet, with a few larger double sites available. Monte Cristo Campground is open year-round, with a nightly fee of $20 and a check out time of 11 am.

Recreation

Monte Cristo is positioned for a variety of outdoor activities like hiking, scenic drives, and wildlife viewing. The campground can serve as a base for nearby hikes including routes toward Granite Mountain, Rabbit Peak, Round Top, and Iron Mountain along forest roads and fire roads. Forest roads and local trails give hikers access to ridge climbs and panoramic overlooks of the San Gabriel front range. The Angeles Forest Highway itself is a scenic route with multiple pullouts, overlooks, and access points for exploring the forest by vehicle. Nearby destinations like Hidden Springs Picnic Area and Switzer Picnic Area are popular for day hikes and water features.

Facilities

Monte Cristo campground offers developed campground facilities including 17 individual campsites ,2 double sites, picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, piped potable water and RV access up to ~ 30'. Cell phone coverage is generally poor or nonexistent. Fire restrictions may be in effect depending on conditions, so it’s suggested to check current Forest Service alerts before arrival.

Natural Features

Monte Cristo lies in the backside foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and transitions between high desert and mountain ecosystems. The area includes sycamore trees and a mixed woodland/shrub habitat, with a creek that seasonally flows through the campground. It has expansive mountain vistas and rugged ridges characteristic of the San Gabriel range.

It has a high-desert climate with warmer and drier conditions than the higher elevation forest sites. There are also wildlife viewing opportunities typical of the region.

Nearby Attractions

Hidden Springs Picnic Area & Switzer Picnic Area – Short drives offer scenic streamside areas, hike options, and seasonal swimming spots.

Chilao Campground & Visitor Center – A larger developed campground with trail networks and interpretive displays, about 18 miles away.

Angeles Forest Highway Scenic Route – Great for scenic driving, photography, and exploring adjacent trailheads.

Camp site features

Across 19 camp sites:

Pets allowed: all 19 sites
Largest party: 16 people

Services within 25 miles · OpenStreetMap

Nearest dump station: 18.3 mi · Messenger Flats

Nearest water fill: 10.3 mi

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 11 AM.

Reviews

2 reviews

3 stars

Demetrius J

Loop:Monte Cristo

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

The campground was beautiful, and our site had amazing views of the hillside. The creek running through the campground was at a low level due to the time of year, but at least one pool of bracingly chilled water deep enough for wading remained.

Catherine M

Loop:Monte Cristo

Site:

Reviewed 5 months ago

Visited during the daytime road construction shutdown and enjoyed a very quiet and mostly solo experience for a summer afternoon. Bathrooms are clean and the sites are well spaced with a nice creek to cool your feet in after a hike. However, as the road opened and people began to fill in we experienced a women in the middle of a mental break or drug binge who was threatening other campers and acting erratic. Unfortunately there is no cell reception to call for help for many miles and no camp host. We ended up leaving instead of staying the night, as did a few other campers, as we felt it was unsafe. There was also an exceptional amount of trash on the ground and being burned in fire pits. Would be a great escape if they had a little more supervision.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

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