Dixon Lake Campground

We stayed here multiple times to car camp and have stayed in sites 3, 6, and 28. We really enjoyed site 28 due to the spectacular views of Escondido. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because their can be some creepy people occasionally like some old guy was following my son in his car. But other than that we had a good stay. If you are in a camper I would recommend Escondido RV resort instead due to the more inviting feel (we stayed there in our Coleman travel trailer). But if you car camp a lot like myself I would recommend staying here at Dixon lake. Great stay overall👍😊

Spectacular night lights

I thought this campground was pretty nice and I enjoyed the views, the peace and quiet, we slept in our Cargo Van set up as a camper. We paid $30 for the spot and restroom was pretty close about a 2 min walk. I recommend this location!

The lake is a reservoir and good for just a day trip, but don’t stay too long. Gets super hot and you can’t swim in the lake to cool off at all. The boat ride was fun but also cost money. We heard screaming children all day but otherwise, the view from our site was nice and land was decent

Great campground! Tented in spot #6, it has a steep driveway downhill but the spot is super private and has a beautiful view of the lake. The campground has coin operated showers ($1 for 5 mins) and has cheap boat rentals. The city is right outside the campground but it still feels like you’re in nature. Highly recommend!

Spot #45 is very private, I highly suggest this spot!! I don’t tent camp, and there is a spot to pull my van up which was perfect! Dogs are only $1 a night & they have a small snack stand during the day

Great area for fishing, hiking, tent, and rv/trailer. Site #23 has great climbing rocks for kids. Concession Stand sells fish bait and rents boats.

This is one of my favorite campgrounds in San Diego County. The campground is located within the city of Escondido but you feel you are not in the city. My favorite part is a group of campsites that straddles a ridge line that offers you views of the Lake and city. At night time you will see the city lights twinkle.

Cell: Good

Group of 5 stayed in 2 tents (site 4) and had plenty of room. Had a picnic at the park area for lunch, rented a small motor boat for an hour for a quick lap around the lake (no swimming). Camp site was large, and bathrooms were clean. We encountered some bees at our site, only issue keeping it from a 5 star rating. Rangers are helpful and plentiful at the main park area. Beginning of Sept was still hot there mid-90s at peak, and mid/high 70s by 8am.

Great time. Very quiet and very peaceful.

Neat time great staff and cheap ice cream

Back in sites on the cliff edge. Ended up not staying, we noped out of there, looked beautiful though.

Need to update listing

We come here to hike all the time, our dog especially loves this trail! The campsites looks dispersed and absolutely beautiful! The views are worth taking in.

Dixon lake is a perfect spot for my nephews to fish and play in the dirt. The campsites look really nice and ideal for tents. The walks around the lake are definitely worth doing!

I grew up in Oceanside and people talked about camping at Dixon lake in Escondido and I thought it was lame and not “real” camping. Having never been there, I based this off nothing. We finally went to check it out and I was wrong. This was a perfect place to get away that’s not a far drive. We stayed at site #32 and it was nice. You could barely see the lake, but it was enough. We did have to walk a little downhill for the bathrooms and the walk back wasn’t fun, but it’s short. I would stay here again and look for a spot that has a city view just to get the experience of both.

We really did try to make the best of the situation. The lake is beautiful but that’s all this place has going for it. There was constant miss communication with the staff and rangers. We got one of the tent sights and ended up about 25 feet away from a raccoons nest they are very bold and will try to get your food right in front of you. The yellow jackets come out during the day and we got stung multiple times. But truly it was the staff that was right up our back side the entire time making us feel like we were doing something wrong. The park host even came over at one point to bugs us about a paper not being posted that no one told us about. She asked in a condescending tone if we paid for the extra car we had with us and I said of course we did. Her tone quickly changed after that. That evening I hear my name being called with an authoritative tone it was the same ranger that let me in at 7pm the previous evening. He was scolding me for not going down and registering my camp sight. I in fact did go down to the guest service to let them know I was there and pay for the extra parking and got food and a boat pass. The next day around 11am buy a fishing pole and to all day fishing permits for the lake thinking I was going to be leaving at 7 PM so we have plenty of time to fish. At 1 PM a Ranger came over to our camp telling us we were supposed to leave by 12 pm so yet again more miss communication. I felt like I was being discriminated. If your a young family with crazy working hrs don’t go here they treat you like suspects.

This was my lady’s and I first camping trip and it was memorable. We enjoyed the scenery and views from our camp location. We were at site 38 and we had a view of Escondido. The rangers were very helpful and accommodating. The only thing I would have done differently was go during the cooler months. Overall decent experience. Pros:

• Nice view
• Good privacy between camps
• Helpful rangers
• Clean campsite

Cons:

• BAD yellow jacket problem during this time of month (very aggressive and got into your food/face)
• Critters heard roaming around campsite at night (either a raccoon or coyote came within 5 feet of our tent while we were sleeping)
• No shade at most campsites

Recommendations:

• DO NOT cook meat during the day because it will attract a lot of wasps
• Make sure to keep trash secured
• Keep a light on over night at camp to deter critters

Rangers keep things respectable. Lake is well maintained, good looking place. Nice camping, just do a little research, some spots have great privacy and shade, some less. Great views in the camping area. Stayed with my son, we had a great time. Bonus: No CA fishing license needed! Just the lake permit of $7 per adult. Big fish in this lake. Warning: Beware the Poison Oak. If you’re hitting the trails or fishing the bank, there’s a lot of it (June 2019). Also popular here is boat rental. You can rent a “motor” boat (really a trolling motor attached) for all day rate or half day. If it’s summer and weekend, you’d have to get down there early to rent though, they’ll sell out. They also have paddle boats and peddle boats.

I first started coming here as a Boy Scout and now I life just 5 minutes away and my wife loves to come up here, sometimes a few times a week, to go fishing. I’ve camped here only once in the last few years because not being able to have a camp fire really takes away from camping to me

You can camp here if you’re a beginner at it! You can drive right up and park and camp! Nice beautiful lake to look at and fish. You must purchase a license, which they sell there for a few bucks. Bon fires allowed as well. Great for hikers, runners, and bikers! Dog friendly.

simple campground. they only have a few sites. ive camped here twice a few years apart and nothing much has changed. you can’t swim in the water but you can get on a boat and go fishing.

This past Memorial Day Weekend, my family and I escaped the city to Dixon Lake for a 3 day camp trip. Dixon Lake is the perfect campground for newbies who want to experience the outdoors, but don't want to sacrifice the simple comforts of life. 

• **Super clean showers that are FREE! **Leave your quarters at home! The water pressure is fantastic and it takes no time for the water to get HOT. Make sure you bring a shower caddy and some water proof laundry bags because there aren't many wall hooks to hang your towels or clothes.
• Flushable toilets with drum roll SEAT COVERS!! If you've ever been camping, you'll know that this is a luxury that you probably won't ever see at any other campgrounds.
• **Relatively pretty harmless insects. **There are the occasional ants and honey bees that hang around, but I've rarely gotten insect/mosquito bites in the 10+ times that I've camped here. Normally I'm a mosquito magnet.
• Not too removed from civilization. It's an easy 15 minute drive to get to gas stations, large markets (Ralphs), shops, and breweries (pssst. Stone Brewing Co. is nearby if you needed to pick up a growler!) I like to set up camp when I arrive, and do all the grocery shopping at a local market so that we get everything fresh.
• Fun activities for everyone. Just below the campgrounds is a very popular lake park. You can do anything from hiking, fishing, pedal boating, row or motor boating, picnicking, to bird watching. Just no swimming or wading in the water. Bummer, I know. But this lake is a reservoir so the park rangers strongly enforce those rules. The pedal boats are only $12/hour to rent (plus $12 deposit). Make sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and umbrella with you. Yes, I said UMBRELLA! I'm Asian! There is no relief from the sun on the lake. You'll thank me later!
• Concession Building by the Ranger Station. You can pick up bags of ice and fishing bait, as well as ice cream, popsicles, candy, chips, coffee, drinks, and some hot food items. How often do you get to enjoy COLD POPSICLES when you're camping?! It's such a treat for a hot day on the lake.
• **Amazing lake views with beautiful hills in the backdrop. **Nothing gets better than this. Sunsets are spectacular here, and the evenings are full of shooting stars. My favorite time of day is at dawn when the fog rolls through the hills and over the lake. The Snack Stand by the Ranger Station opens at 6AM so you can pick up a hot cup of joe and soak in the still and calm of nature.

Nice, well maintained sites. Very well taken care of. They clean the fire pits out etc. Some of the 40 series sites are very secluded and have excellent lake views. Recommend seeing the sites to get an idea of where you would like to stay prior to staying. Some sites are completely open to traffic.