Lake Cuyamaca, the jewel of the San Diego mountains, is the ideal mixture of adventure and relaxation. Whether you come for a day of fishing, a weekend of camping, or a two week vacation in a cabin, it’s a place so beautiful you won't want to leave.

About an hour's drive from San Diego, Lake Cuyamaca is proof positive that good things come in small packages. Situated at an elevation of 4,600 feet among oak and pine, Lake Cuyamaca is the perfect getaway for up to 14 nights. Few places in San Diego County offer the pristine views you will find at Lake Cuyamaca.

Stocked regularly with trout, Lake Cuyamaca is the only San Diego lake that is able to stock trout all year long. Other species of fish include Florida large-mouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and sturgeon.

There are no dump-stations at Lake Cuyamaca. The nearest dump-station is located about 3 miles away at Paso Picacho State Park Campround.

No body contact with the water is allowed. Lake Cuyamaca is a drinking reservoir.

No wood fires or burning of wood is allowed. Every site has a charcoal grill, and propane fire rings are permitted.

Lake Cuyamaca Recreation and Park District

Located at Lake Cuyamaca in Julian. Gorgeous views of the lake!!!! Picnic area, tent camping sites, and also cabins and condos as well. This place is so serene and peaceful as you are tucked in adjacent to the 110 acre lake. Only lake in San Diego that has stock trout all year. Other fish include Florida bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, and sturgeon. Sits at over 4,000 elevation with Mt Laguna right up the road. Huge bathrooms here with running water. Fee is rarely cheap. Great campground for families or just as a day escape from the city.

Chambers Park Campground

This is a nice relaxing place to camp. The camping spots are on the other side of the lake from the boat rentals there is a very small bait store on the camping side. There is amazing hiking all around the camp ground some you need to drive to.

Relaxing camping 

this campground has many sites. your neighbors are often on the opposite side of a fence from you. there’s a bbq grill and table at each site and little to no privacy. but in the summer I hear there’s great fishing. we made the mistake of going up there to test our equipment in the snow. visited in February and didn’t stay the night due to gusts of winds up to 60mph (so the weather people said). but this place is beautiful in the day - we bought a $5 snow sled and had lots of fun. bathrooms are a ways away but there’s a tackle shop and good diner to warm up inside.

beautiful lakeside

We have camped here for years and have only stayed at the original campground which is Chambers Park. It has been a couple years since last camped here; but we visit this lake multiple times a year. Always a good time fishing and enjoying the views; Deer and Wild Turkey frequent the surrounding area. There is also an equestrian trail not to far from the campground. If looking to do a horseback ride around the lake contact Adventures on Horseback and speak to Deb. Highly recommended! (must have a minimum of 4 riders as they trailer the horses there) The Diner is a must for some Julian apple pie. The staff is always friendly and food always hits the spot.

In regards to the campground there is a picnic table and small little BBQ that are provided; There is a port a pot right by the campsite. There are some trees for shade but some sites are a little more in the sun. Open flame fires are not allowed. At night it gets chilly and do get visits from the local raccoons so make sure your food is put away in your car and trash around your site is picked up. It does get windy around the lake but at nights it normally calms down. Now that we have a little one we prefer to camp up the road at one of the other campground that is more protected from the wind and fires are allowed. You can also rent Condo and Cabins right at the lake which is perfect for fall/winter months as the condos have a fireplace. The campground is dog friendly but dogs must remain on the leash and away from the waters edge. Dogs are only allowed at the campsite. There are also boats for rent. Insider tip: after 12pm check for half day rates; if boats are not rented they will normally give you a good deal for a half day rental.

Lakeside camping in San Diego 

Used this as our base camp to explore the local trails. It was amazing. Space #6 had the best view of the lake and plenty of shade. 



Chambers Park Campground 

Proximity to the lake was great for the kids. The view was also amazing. Bathrooms were clean but lots of bugs (but expected). No showers on this West Shore section of the campground. West shore sites are also a hike in type site where you have to park your car in the parking lot and carry on all your gear to the site. The sites are pretty small too. We had a 9 person and a 6 person tent on the site and it was pretty cramped. The campground restaurant and tackle shop is very close by and convenient. After our trip we ventured into the town of Julian and grabbed some pie from Mom’s Pie Shop and amazing pie!!

Nice camping getaway

What a great campground! We stayed at Chambers Park with our teardrop trailer. Site 22 was great, very spacious and gorgeous views. ( FYI site 6 seems very tiny) and a few sites stayed empty because RV spots were too tight and families could not get their RVs in.  So,  make sure you check ahead before reserving. But, fyi sites 23, 22, 21, 7 and 8 seem pretty spacious. 
Everyone was very friendly and helpful. 
Just FYI there is a VERY TINY store attached to the pub with limited items in it. I do not recommend buying supplies at the Lake. But, perfect for emergencies! 
There’s a very sweet couple that helps maintain the grounds. 
Please note…. Not very many bugs and no dirt, all rocks. 

Great views, very clean! 

*   We arrived as the sun was setting and had a glare in the windshield so it was a little tough getting through the tight loop but we made it.  Had we noticed that we were supposed to turn right before the bathrooms, we would not have had to do a u-turn!  That was my mistake.   We had a 22 foot trailer and were just barely able to squeeze through.   Many people had their vehicles parked right along the narrow road in.  I saw larger RVs there - I can only imagine how difficult that just have been to get through.  There's a section of road where if you go off it, you could potentially roll down a hill. 
*   Check in for this campground is across the lake at the "bait and tackle shop" (15029 CA-79, Julian, CA 92036) and that's only open until 6PM.  If you arrive later than that, that's OK just check in in the morning.  I wouldn't recommend trying to pull a trailer over to the other side as you'll have a difficult time turning around.  The camp host will remind you as you're entering or leaving that you need that parking pass.
*   The best site in this park would be number 23 as it has a clear view of the lake and a very large "front yard".  We were in 21 and had a partial view with the two other sites closer to the lake blocking our view.
*   Cell service for Verizon was OK for phone calls, not so great for data.   I noticed driving around the lake that there was 5G in the area, just not at the campground.  Top data speed at the site was around 2 MBps down, 0.5 MBps up.  If you have a directional signal booster, that may help.
*   We brought out Starlink dish for internet service.  The trees blocked the satellites every 7 minutes but that was OK for streaming movies.  We never experienced a full outage, just brief moments where the speed went way down.  Our best Starlink speed at the site was 174 MBps down, 11 MBps up, plenty of bandwidth.
*   There are two free campground shower on site, bathrooms and a dishwashing area.  A small store near the entrance has a few food items.
*   The camp host was courteous and drove around once in a while to check out on everyone.  
*   I didn't notice any trash cans on site.  We packed our trash out.
*   The nearest town is Julian - about 6 miles away.  It's a nice place for a quick day visit where you'll find gas (including diesel), food, restaurants, historical buildings, etc.  Of course, you should get a pie while you're there!  Julian is well known for that.
*   The site was clean and neighbors were courteous.  We had a large group camping a couple spots away but they kept the noise down.
*   If you have kids, there's a nice playground by the lake.
*   We had a beautiful view of the Milky Way at night, visible to the naked eye.

  

Overall, I would say this is a great camp area to visit with several recreation opportunities nearby.  We came for mountain biking.  There are plenty of trails to ride.