Trip · 3-day backpacking trip
For · Friends and intermediate backpackers
Vibe · Moderate and fun
Distance · 22 miles and 4,610 feet of elevation gain
Permits · Yes! Reserve a $6 permit to hike Cedar Creek Falls, buy an Adventure Pass for parking, an online campfire permit, and apply for a free dispersed camping permit from Descanso Ranger District.
Drive · 1.5 hours from San Diego and 2.5 hours from LA
Ideal dates · November to April (before it gets too hot!)
Pets · Welcome on trails and campgrounds!
Cleveland National Forest (CNF) is a 460,000-acre haven for 22 endangered species and wildlife. It has four wilderness areas: Agua Tibia, Pine Creek, Hauser, and San Mateo Canyon Wilderness, and includes a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, Sunrise Scenic Byway, and Palomar Mountain and Observatory are just a few highlights. More than anything, it's another stunning and serene place to listen to your heart and sleep underneath the stars.
Official National Forest Website
Official Cedar Creek Falls Trail Information
Official Dispersed Camping Information
Main image credit: Hotels.com
You can camp for free in CNF's backcountry, but there are a few rules:
The trek from Cedar Creek Falls to Three Sisters Falls is an out-and-back trail. It's 10.5 miles one-way with 2,305 feet of elevation gain, but you can customize the hike however you'd like. We suggest spending the first night around the 6-mile mark, and then camping the second night near Three Sisters Falls, but that would require hiking 10.5 miles back on the third day. Be weary that water levels can be low or totally dry during the summer months so plan a winter or spring visit, and fill up your water bottles whenever you have a chance.
CNF was created in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt and named after former president Grover Cleveland.
For millennia, only desert and coastal tribes, like the Kumeyaay, Luiseños, Cahuilla and Cupeño, knew about the lands within CNF.
CNF is the southern-most national forest in California
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.