Hey Paul! Yes it nearly spelled the end of the trip, but the swelling went down so quickly and she bounced right back. I was very eagle eyed for the rest of the day and night!
Yes, I have some insights on camping in Idy. By far the best campground I've been to there is Boulder Basin, but as I said above it's basically the end of the season now. It was cold at night up there! The road leading up is 4S01 and is no problem for a stock LC/LX. I saw a Prius up there a few months ago, albeit with a pretty mangled front bumper and some cladding hanging off the underside. But it made it up! No sweat in your rig obviously but probably not if you're towing anything other than a small trailer. Tight turns, very tight passing clearances if there's traffic, steep dropoffs, etc. The rangers said the road closes with the first major snowfall, and then reopens in the spring. They are available by phone to confirm any road closures at 909-382-2922. Sometimes they answer, usually not. I also look at the fantastic
San Jacinto Trail Report website for updates.
Once up to Boulder Basin, I recommend sites 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 30. Of these, 18-21 are first come first served.
Boulder Basin website. Fire bans have been present about half the time this summer. If you continue past the campground, 4S01 leads to 6 or 7 Yellow Post Sites, as well as the Black Mountain Group Campsite. These ALL look awesome, but I have not camped at any of them, only driven by. The group campsite is
reservable here, the YPS cannot be reserved. 4S01 is an out and back road and I have not driven the full extent, but it's pretty breathtaking and I definitely recommend checking it out. I turned around at the Fuller Ridge Trailhead (
33.84025, -116.73524) so I'm not sure what's beyond that point. I did get a fire permit which is free and only takes a minute. Not sure if the YPS have a fire ring.
I've also camped at Marion Mountain. It's nice and there are some great hikes nearby. Paved all the way to the campsites, but pretty twisty roads. Fern Basin also looks nice but I haven't stayed there, only driven through. I would pass on Stone Creek Campground, unless you're looking for a crowd.
Lmk what other info I can provide!