Mcgill Campground And Group Campground

Overview

Escape from the city to the remote and beautiful McGill Campground. The campground, bursting with views of mountains and valleys, is an ideal base for several biking and hiking trails.

A dense stand of Jeffrey pine and ponderosa pine shade the campground and each campsite is nicely spaced.

Recreation

Explore the area along the accessible Exploration Trail, Mount Pinos Trail and McGill Campground Trail. McGill is for hiking and biking and meanders along 3.7 miles of scenery.

Facilities

McGill has two group campsites, each having a central barbeque and gathering area. Group Camp 1 has parking for 13 vehicles, Group Camp 2 has parking for 10 vehicles. There are 73 individual campsites. Each individual campsite offers a picnic table and campfire ring.

Natural Features

McGill Campground sits in a mixed tall pine forest in the Pinos Mountains, at an altitude of 7,300 feet, just over an hour's drive from the campground. It is quiet and serene landscape with terrific views of the valleys below.

Nearby Attractions

Head out on the Jacinto Reyes National Scenic Byway, which travels past breathtaking cliffs, rock formations and lush riparian areas.

Camp site features

Across 67 camp sites:

  • Picnic table: all 67 sites
  • Pets allowed: all 67 sites
  • ADA accessible: 1 of 67 sites
  • Group sites: 2 of 67 sites
  • Longest rig: 35 ft
  • Largest party: 80 people

Directions

From Los Angeles: Take I-5 north past the Gorman exit to Frazier Mountain Park Road exit. Go west on Frazier Mountain Park Road for 7 miles to the intersection of Lockwood Valley Rd. Keep right and proceed on Cuddy Valley Road. Continue 5 miles to the "Y" in the road and veer left. Proceed 5 more miles past the first snow gate to the second snow gate. McGill Campground entrance is on the right side of the road.

Stay Limit

Check in from 3 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

223 reviews
5 stars
151
4 stars
51
3 stars
12
2 stars
4
1 stars
5
Peter S
Loop:Loop 2
Site:
Reviewed 7 days ago
Just got back from a few nights at McGill and wanted to leave a review because the camp hosts, Daniel and Harry, made a real difference in the experience. The restrooms were spotless every time I walked by — stocked with toilet paper, no trash overflowing, obviously being checked multiple times a day. That's not something you can take for granted at a forest service campground, and it made the whole stay feel a lot more comfortable. Our site was raked and cleared when we arrived, fire ring was clean, and there wasn't a scrap of trash anywhere in the loop. Harry came by the first evening just to check in to see how we were doung. Harry's clearly been doing this a while; he knew the area well and had good advice on a couple of trailheads nearby. It's easy to overlook how much work goes into keeping a campground like this running well, but these two are doing it right. Booked through Recreation.gov and would absolutely come back to this site because of how well it's maintained. Hoping the quality of hosting here stays consistent — it's a big part of what made the trip enjoyable.
Thomas K
Loop:Loop 4
Site:
Reviewed 10 days ago
Very pleasant campground. Beautiful pines, most sites are not in top of each other, restroom was very clean.
saul s
Loop:Mcgi
Site:
Reviewed 18 days ago
nice big clean place
Robert C
Loop:Loop 4
Site:
Reviewed 18 days ago
The campground as usual was nice. My problem was the crew paving the road near McGill left the sides and wheel wells of my car full of tarry gravel which too me near a whole day to remove. Next time the road should be closed or an advisory should be put in place. I think at a minimum my fee should be reimbursed.
Edward M
Loop:Loop 4
Site:
Reviewed 19 days ago
As always. A beautiful, relaxing and enjoyable day at McGill!
blake p
Loop:Loop 1
Site:
Reviewed 21 days ago
The bathrooms are way too close to the campsites. It think there is 1 bathroom for every 10 sites or so and each bathroom is adjacent to 3 or 4 sites.
Availability

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

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in August, when about 19% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 11 years of reservations.

Camp Sites

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