Experience the rugged beauty of Coldwater Canyon Yellow Post Sites, a unique backcountry camping area located near Lytle Creek, California. This destination offers a primitive camping experience for adventurous individuals and groups seeking solitude and a connection with nature.
A Backcountry Adventure
Coldwater Canyon Yellow Post Sites is not your typical campground. It offers a dispersed camping experience, meaning there are no designated campsites or amenities. Instead, campers can choose their own spot to set up camp within the designated area. This provides a true sense of wilderness and adventure.
Things to Know Before You Go
What to Expect
Coldwater Canyon Yellow Post Sites offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the San Bernardino Mountains. The area is known for its rugged terrain, scenic canyons, and opportunities for off-road exploration. The solitude and tranquility of the backcountry provide an unparalleled camping experience.
Getting There
Coldwater Canyon Yellow Post Sites is located near Lytle Creek. Access is primarily via off-road trails. Detailed directions and trail information can be found through the San Bernardino National Forest website and off-road resources.
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Wheelchair accessible entrance
Hiking
Tent sites
Good for kids
Dogs allowed
Pretty cool place, people overall friendly. Be advised, you do need some sort of lift and 4x4. I wouldn't recommend a stock suspension vehicle as the terrain seems to get worse every year, deeper ruts etc. Probably one of the few times were I wished I had bigger tires despite having a decent suspension setup. You can complete the entire thing on stock tire size but you will be needing a spotter quite often. Big trucks will not be able to get through (tundras, f150s, ZL1s etc) IT CAN GET COLD! Always bring a spare jacket in your rig. We used the river as a picnic area.
Went on a sunny Tuesday morning. The most relaxing and serene place to be while the whole world is at work. Super quiet area when there's no one around. Just a slow drive on the trail was worth the drive up lytle creek. So many areas to pull into and set up camp, or if you're just stopping for a couple of minutes to take in some fresh air and scenery. I'll have to bring my drone next time for some aerial shots.
Loved the quiet and peaceful feeling here. Campsite is in the shadow of the mountain, so we hung out in the sun off the trail. Since we came up here on a Friday morning, we enjoyed the trail up and down all to ourselves. Stayed a few hours and had lunch here. Played in the creek and enjoyed the manageable trail in our AWD Mazda CX-50, but I do recommend more ground cleance if you are worried about scraping your undercarriage. All-terrain tires highly suggested. Saw 3 groups of overlanders heading up here once we hit the pavement to come home around 5pm.
You need 4 wheel drive to go further or to go through the snow but I think if you have high clearance the way the path is now you should be fine just don't go past the river bed you do need 4 wheel drive but there's spots you can pull over and camp
Scenic and far from the crowd. You will need 4x4 for the rocky road. Well worth the rough ride.