Palomar Mountain State Park Campground

My friend and I went together for one night and we loved it! It was her very first time camping and she enjoyed it very much. Here is our review:

-NO T-Mobile: There was no signal at the campground at all. We drove about 7 minutes to the Palomar State Park Parking Area (based off Apple Maps) to find spotty signal. Just good enough to make a phone call if needed. 

 -Privacy: Many of these sites such great privacy, even though we were neighboring #19, there are a quite a bit of trees. Also, you walk down a few stone steps to pitch your tent, so your car parked a level about you on the street provides nice privacy.

-Convenience: The bathrooms were pretty close to us and were kept fairly clean. Also the firepit and grill were a plus.

- CRITTERS: I mean who doesn't know this but the squirrels and crows were greedy! They had no issues flying/ skittering to your food if you were 6 feet away lol. 

-BEAUTIFUL!!!: You can hear the Doane Creek flowing and the stars are just an absolute sight, we took the rain-fly off our tent so we could see the stars

I'd imagine spots 21 and 26 would be great because of the privacy and creek location. 

I'd avoid spots 28-30 just because of the steeper hill to walk UP to your campsite. It's already a pain to lug all your gear.

This is a well-maintained campground. It really is a beautiful area. There’s blue jays, wild turkeys, woodpeckers, and at night there’s the sound of frogs, and lots of stars. We stayed 9/22-9/24 but the weather was mild during the day, mid to high 60s. The nights were getting chilly. (We stayed nearby at Bailey’s a couple years ago in late October and it was freezing.) So, one word of caution. MOSQUITOS. Tons of mosquitos and little flies. I used mosquito incense sticks that I happened to have in my camping supplies, which helped a lot but we needed bug spray. The general store nearby has some but holy moly. I highly suggest the incense. I kept them lit around our site and when they burned off, the swarm returned. We also had the unfortunate experience of a large group that took over the four sites across from us that had in total ten kids. They were so loud and mean. No supervision. It really ruined what was supposed to be a relaxing family trip. Just a reminder to be mindful of other campers. Also, a lot of the sites have a small incline, some did not. There’s stone steps up to or down into most of the sites. Each site comes with a fire ring, bbq, and its own water spigot. Site 15 is steps of the rest rooms, both a blessing and a curse. There’s token-operated showers, with a token machine that takes dollar bills. No cell service (T-Mobile.) Don’t forget to visit the observatory, but go early. It closes at 3:30. (Bummer).

Nice

This was my first time camping ever. My partner is more experienced, and we chose this campground because it has modest amenities, small wildlife, and temperate weather for this time of year.

Most of the sites are on slopes, or require walking up/down a series of steps to access. Some are very close together and with little even ground, so consult other reviews or site photos if that's a concern. We stayed at site 14, which had a small flat for our tent and light slope near the table and firepit. Each site has a spigot which was nice for cleaning. We kept mosuitos, flies, and ants at bay by burning natural repellants and packing away food diligently. Walked away with only one bite!

Neighbors were pleasant, sound travels like crazy, bathrooms are close by and extremely well maintained. No reception unless you drive closer to the general store at the base of campground (~10 min away).

The birds are loud, but if you don't care about that they're very fun to watch! The largest critter we saw was a wild turkey. We didn't hike much because we brought our pet, but the rains this year produced out a lot of beautiful native flowers.

In all, a very chill and easy site to learn how to camp.

Great campsite for stargazing. We stayed in campsite 22, which required to walk up a hill to get to, but was actually very nice because you get sort of a cliff to look over. A lot of trees in our particular site, we did not even need to put up our canopy there was plenty of shade. Plenty of trails to hike and all easily accessible. Nice weather not too hot in the summer. Palomar park just a quick drive is closed weekdays. The observatory was unfortunately closed during our visit. The closest general store is about a 10 minute drive and has limited supplies so bring everything you’ll need! If you have a telescope would recommend you bring it. The bathrooms only accept tokens, not quarters, so bring bills to exchange for the shower. Also most of the trails say no dogs allowed so something to keep in mind.

This park is great for all Southern California natives to get away for the weekend. Has clean facilities and the campgrounds have ample space between them. This area has a ton of beautiful landscape, during the fall/winter wonderful foliage appears. Leave no trace & enjoy our lands!

We chose Palomar Mountain for our first camping trip, first it was close to home, about 2 1/2 hours away and if something went wrong. Thanks to this app we were able to research so many possibilities. This camp site was awesome (#18) all except the bugs, which was manageable with sage smug sticks we brought from home. We stayed 3 nights which was plenty for our first time but now we can’t wait to plan our next adventure. We had plenty of wildlife to see including a turkey chasing crows around the camp site. In all it was a great trip and we highly recommend Palomar.

I stumbled across this campground while looking for a nearby spot to set my tent up under some trees. The campground is beautiful with lots of old big trees, several hiking paths, a small pond that is stocked with fish and a nice valley to stare at the stars.

I’m not sure if you can make reservations during the summer but everything was first come when we went (February). Just be warned that many of the spots require you to park either below or above the actual campsite and walk a short distance. This isn’t a problem if you are tent camping but if you have a rooftop etc it can limit you to the Rv spots.

Overall an awesome campground with friendly rangers and amazing views. Only downside would be some of the spots are close together and the one restroom inside the camp can be a little bit of a walk from some of the campsites. On a good note though the bathrooms are well maintained and flush plus have paid showers.

My family and I camped twice here with friends. It is a nice quiet location with great hiking. The facilities were nice and well taken care of. The staff was friendly and helpful. Wish we had found it the first time stationed in the San Diego area.

We stayed at Doane Valley Campground, campsite #7.  The campground has lots of trees so there is shade. Camping and picnic areas are clean and well kept.  The bathrooms are well kept and include flush toilets and showers, but make sure to bring quarters for the showers. There are several trails nearby with a great mix of easy and moderate hikes that are easily accessible and clearly marked. Palomar Observatory is only 5 miles up the road.  Do not expect cell service of any kind, for us that was a wonderful escape.

There are some campsites that are closer together than others, but it is possible to find a more secluded spot. The area surrounding the campsites is lush and beautiful. A small pond is nearby, that allows for fishing, and there are at least 15 miles of trail surround the park. I almost always see deer when I go there, and it was one of the places that fueled my passion for exploring outdoors. The bathrooms are well kept. I would definitely recommend.

Love Palmowr Mountain Park & Camping! Lots of trails nearby found nearby! A great mix of easy and moderate trails that are easily accessible and clearly marked. Bring cash, they don’t accept cards. Camping and picnic areas are clean and well kept. Some great fun for the kids too. You could spend a week there and see something new everyday. Lots of nature to see. Paloma observatory is relatively near and can drive for some space exploration.

We drove up for an impromptu camp trip, it was only about an hour drive. I've never been up to Palomar Mountain although I've lived here for 30 years! It's a very picturesque drive with lots of twists and turns and watch out for those motorcycles.

The campground is situated within lots of trees so there is shade. We stayed at Doane Valley Family Camp loop. There are trails and a pond very close by, it's stocked with fish, but it's tiny.

The sites are really cool and private, lots of tall trees and shade. Only downside was the bugs. There were a lot of flies, but we went in July so go figure. Will definitely camp here again, but will likely wait for it to cool off a bit. There is snow up here in the winter months so I would recommend camping in the fall.

We've hiked here a few times and decided to camp one evening as it's only an hour and a half drive from our home. Personally I felt like this campground is meant for those that want to get outside for a weekend, not really camp.

Pros:

• Views are gorgeous. It's very scenic, with large pines, small ponds, a stream.
• Easy to Find the park & the campsite.
• Facilities were clean and well maintained.

Cons:

• Dogs aren't allowed on trails.
• The campgrounds are fairly underwhelming. They are in the open and feel exposed.. and the trails are popular enough to increase that feeling.
• The hiking trails are pretty but they don't take you very far. You never really get that feeling of being fully immersed in nature.

The spots are very large and there are adequate amenities. The scenery is amazing and there are hiking trails, fishing and an observatory.