Best Tent Camping near Bonita, CA

Tent camping options near Bonita, California include several established campgrounds within a 30-mile radius, primarily located in nearby regional parks and forest areas. Kumeyaay Lake Campground in Mission Trails Regional Park offers tent sites with fire rings and clean facilities. Corte Madera Mountain in Cleveland National Forest provides primitive backcountry tent camping for those seeking more remote experiences.

Most tent sites in the Bonita area require advance reservations, particularly at established campgrounds like Kumeyaay Lake, which is only open Friday through Sunday nights. Tent campers should note that many locations have specific fire regulations, with some areas prohibiting fires completely, especially during dry seasons. Kumeyaay Lake Campground provides flushable toilets and hot showers, while primitive tent sites at places like Corte Madera Mountain have no facilities and require campers to pack in all water. All tent camping in Cleveland National Forest requires a permit, which can be obtained by contacting the ranger station.

The tent camping experience varies significantly across locations near Bonita. Kumeyaay Lake offers more developed sites with easy access to extensive hiking and mountain biking trails. One camper noted that despite being close to urban areas, "there are so many hiking/biking trails straight from your campsite." For those seeking solitude, Corte Madera Mountain provides walk-in tent sites at higher elevations with panoramic views. A visitor commented that it's "a nice hike, in the wild, with few people around" and emphasized bringing plenty of water for the continuous climb to the 4,657-foot summit where tent sites are nestled among large granite boulders.

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Best Tent Sites Near Bonita, California (14)

    1. Kumeyaay Lake Campground

    20 Reviews
    Santee, CA
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (619) 668-2748

    $24 - $25 / night

    "This campground is located in the Mission Trails Regional Park, and we absolutely loved it. There are clean bathrooms with flushable toilets and showers, and sinks to wash off things."

    "No hookups here but they have great clean bathrooms and hot showers. Lots of hiking/biking straight from your campsite. This place is a jem, being so close to most parts of San Diego."

    2. GoodVibes Ranch & Farm

    2 Reviews
    Dulzura, CA
    17 miles
    Website

    $50 - $175 / night

    "Gorgeous oaks shading our camp site. Loved the kitties & the ranch doggies. Went for a hike. Saw lots of flowers, a seasonal creek, sage, views of the valley & nearby mountain."

    "Plenty of room for beautiful hikes on their many acres of land packed with some great views a few decks scattered around the property.  "

    3. YMCA Camp Surf

    Be the first to review!
    Imperial Beach, CA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (619) 423-5850

    4. Corte Madera Mountain

    2 Reviews
    Guatay, CA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (619) 445-6235

    "If you’re looking for a nice hike, in the wild, with few people around, this is the one. Corte Madera Mountain in Cleveland National Forest, just east of San Diego."

    "You will need a permit, but you can get a free permit emailed to you if you call the rangers station. The Trail is a 7.5 mile out and back trail near Morena Village."

    5. Corral Canyon Campground

    2 Reviews
    Potrero, CA
    27 miles
    Website

    "All other public campgrounds nearby are booked solid, but there are only 3 other groups here beside me. 1 camper told me the CG is always empty. Why?"

    "This is a beautiful area to off-road, it is closed temporarily due to covid so hopefully that opens back up here pretty soon. I’ve never camped here but have always wanted to."

    6. Pine Creek Road Camp

    6 Reviews
    Mount Laguna, CA
    36 miles

    "Great area--it's just close enough to some expensive campgrounds and a few connecting trails, so it's awesome to camp here for FREE. "

    "I drive an Acura RDX and had no problems (I actually had a lot of fun driving the road). 

    There were way more flies than we were expecting. Prepare to get swarmed."

    7. The Eyrie Farm

    1 Review
    Ramona, CA
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (844) 843-3978

    $30 / night

    "We're happy to have this property on our platform. There are 2 sites to choose from, please read about them before booking. Check them out and leave them some love!"

    8. Kitchen Creek Road

    4 Reviews
    Mount Laguna, CA
    36 miles

    9. Bow Willow Primitive Campground — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

    5 Reviews
    Mount Laguna, CA
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 767-5311

    "We set up quickly and enjoyed ourselves a walk around the site. Not too many trailheads around and it was very hot and dry but we enjoyed it."

    10. Julian Hideaway

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    Julian, CA
    34 miles
    +1 (760) 421-8705

    $80 - $50 / night

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Tent Camping Reviews near Bonita, CA

856 Reviews of 14 Bonita Campgrounds


  • Elise F.
    Aug. 10, 2025

    Kumeyaay Lake Campground

    Perfect weekend getaway

    This campground is located in the Mission Trails Regional Park, and we absolutely loved it. There are clean bathrooms with flushable toilets and showers, and sinks to wash off things. The rangers even supplied Dr. Bronners Castile soap in each bathroom. We stayed in site number 17 and it was lovely. Each camp site has a picnic table, fire ring, and tent pad. Online says you can buy firewood but they no longer provide that service, so make sure you bring your own firewood! You can’t swim in the lake, but you can fish and it’s very pleasant to walk around and bird watch. There is so much to do in this urban park, you could spend many days here. P.S. the Mission Trails visitor center is spectacular.

  • Javier L.
    Oct. 31, 2020

    Palomar Mountain State Park Campground

    Southern California- Quick Getaway

    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!

  • j
    Jan. 12, 2023

    Dos Picos County Park

    Quiet, dark skies, scenic

    We came in January so we had the entire upper camping loop to ourselves. The rangers were very helpful. This Campground has partial hookups with electricity at sites but no water. Level well spaced sites. Firepit and picnic table. Nice clean grounds, restrooms and showers (pay).They also have tent sites and cabins. County Park with playground is adjacent . 

    Beautiful scenery, great star gazing, at least on our upper loop. There's only a small light on restrooms. We saw F16s practicing overhead. Very cool.

    Good Verizon reception.

  • Sita B.
    Aug. 8, 2018

    La Jolla Indian Campground

    3.5 Stars

    La Jolla Indian Reservation Campground is located 30 mins south of the Observatory on Palomar Mtn, and 60 mins north of San Diego. There are ~38 reservable RV sites with hook-ups. Half of them are along the river front. There are multiple group tent sites and even more first come first serve, get in where u fit in, no hookup RV and tent sites. There is a gas station/convenience store just before the entrance, where a 20lb bag of ice is $4. Load up, you’ll need it. There are very few campgrounds that are near the water AND you’re allowed to play in the water. There are only two in SoCal, that I know of, the other is Yucapai.

    We reserved RV space 10, for our tent trailer. The 30’ site was a tight fit for out 22’ trailer and two cars. But we’re able to put up out shade tent, tarp, and seating.

    The good… RV Park area had a lot of trees that provided shade in the 100 degree heat. The hookups were easy and we had no problems with neighbors. The river cooled things down once it got going, you can rent or bring your own tube/river rat to ride down the river, at your own risk! Bring water shoes. Kids loved swinging on the make shift swings along the water. Propane grills recommended, not every site has a charcoal grill and depending on weather and fire conditions will determine if fire pits will be allowed.

    The bad… the river only runs Friday to Sunday. However, Lake Henshaw turns the water on Friday at 7:30 am and it doesn’t make it down to the res until 4:30 pm. It was a long hot wait for water. Saving grace was the hose we brought to water down the dirt. Only one bathroom and multiple port-o-potties (sp?) and I don’t recommend those. Bring TP. The lines are long in the morning. There’s no grey water disposal. Keep track of your valuables. The first come first serve camp area tents to be more rowdy than the RV area, though both are loud (music & kids).

  • S
    Feb. 21, 2022

    San Diego County Potrero Regional Park

    39 RV sites, 7 Tent Sites; Spacious sites, Great staff of Rangers

    68-year old, still tenderfoot tent camper. This was my first experience in California after three prior stays in Texas and Arizona. The San Diego County system centrally handles reservations of its campgrounds, which was fortunate for me. I mistakenly reserved one campground thinking it was another (my preferred, Potrero), but it was 30 miles away. Even though I paid for two nights in advance, their phone reservations help was superb and got me transferred without any hiccups. Big shout-out to the ranger at Potrero for suggesting. I interacted with several and they were all professional, friendly and helpful.

    There's one central plumbed restroom and shower facility. Further out along the tent sites there was a hand portapotty. When you first drive in you'll go past a very large day-use area with its own facilities before you get to the overnight camping sites. Alcohol is permitted if alcohol content < 20%.

    My site #7 was the last in the row of tent-only sites and appeared to be the largest with plenty of shade and flat pad site. Without seeing other tents it's a little hard to gauge size, but I'd guess walking by the other sites that there's probably at least 80-100 feet between tent pads, or even more. Lots of open spaces. The seven tent sites shared a couple (maybe more) of water spigots.

    The primary annoyance was with the park's neighbors who seemingly had a whole pound of dogs who barked loudly through the nights. Given how otherwise silent it was, it was the barking was noticeable and to be distinguished from the coyotes, birds and owls. I think I also heard roosters crowing each morning as early as 3am.

    The major event of my stay was the arrival of, as Steely Dan sang, "Here come those Santa Ana winds again …" At 5 a.m. the first morning, it was still and quiet as can be (sans the neighborhood dogs). A few minutes later, the winds hit. For the next 11 hours, surviving the wind 30-40 mph sustained winds, gusts over 50 was the only concern – both for my little tent and my car and myself due to the wind effects on the large trees surrounding us. In the end, there was no noticeable damage but seldom have I spent a full day out in the weather like that.

    All in all, I'm not sure you could ask for more at about $25/night. Although I would've paid double if there were a no-wind option. I also had two great tent parties my second night, a couple about my age who were returning to California after summering in Baja, and a young woman from Germany traveling by herself around the world. Interesting neighbors to say the least.

    At site #7 I had zero T-Mobile signal. Outside the Ranger Station I could get at most, 2 bars LTE.

  • Berton M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 6, 2019

    Lake Morena County Park

    Hike the PCT from Lake Morena

    The campground at Lake Morena has around 80+ spots that range from hookups for RV to basic tent camping. There's a indoor entertainment room and multiple bathrooms. The campground is not located right on the lake but a 15min walk away. The cell service is roaming but was decent; around 500kb download. The PCT goes thru the campground and there's an area designated for thru hikers camping. The campground can get crowded during the weekend. The adjacent town has a small store.

  • Ryan W.
    May. 2, 2017

    Fry Creek Campground

    Fry Creek Campground is second only to Palomar Observatory Camp across the road.

    Just south of Palomar Mountain Observatory (a must visit) Fry Creek is a heavily wooded (oak, fir, pine) campground in a narrow valley surrounded by steep forested banks.

    The campsite is really an extension of the Palomar Observatory Campground across the site with a shared camp host (who pretty much sucked during our visits). That site is much better for stargazing, but this one is just as pretty especially in the fall with changing oak leaves. All of the sites are heavily wooded and in a valley with steep walls. That's important because it seems to amplify sounds from the other campsites. No matter if you have good camp neighbors but if your camp neighbors starts setting up a portable chainlink fence for a cadre of dogs they are training...There are some more segregated sites near the back of the camp loop.

    There are bathrooms and showers (peak) and even though the sites are near each other they are really private. They each have fire-pits and picnic tables. The sites are decent sized with nice flat spots for at least two tents.

    There is a decent hike that loops around the camp with plenty of elevation changes and incredible forest smells. The trail is fairly easy to follow and despite being short is moderately challenging. It takes about an hour at normal pace. Head across the road and you can take the trail all the way to the Palomar Mountain Observatory. It's meandering and plenty of elevation changes. At the top the Observatory Museum has nice bathrooms open to visitors. The museum is free.

    Campsites are $15/night.

  • G
    Apr. 4, 2021

    Blair Valley Primitive Campground — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

    Go Deeper for more stars

    We stopped and setup tents a little before little Blair valley. Night sky was alright, but couldn’t see the Milky Way, so not dark enough for that. Probably a Bortle 5. Got up in the morning and went all the way until the end of the road on maps (Apple or Google) on our 2WD, was doable. 4 bars T Mobile LTE where we were.

    Campsite itself was very nice. The place we found had a man made but multiple time used fire pit. Great sunset and sunrise, you have the chance to have as much or as little company around you. Little bit of trash at our site that we picked up.

    Leave no trace!

  • T
    Aug. 28, 2019

    Kumeyaay Lake Campground

    Close and Friendly

    No hookups here but they have great clean bathrooms and hot showers. Lots of hiking/biking straight from your campsite. This place is a jem, being so close to most parts of San Diego. The two biggest drawbacks are 1) overnight camping is only Friday and Saturday nights, but they’re looking to extend that in the future. 2) Leave the booze at home; since this is a SD park there is no alcohol allowed. Great family camping though!


Guide to Bonita

Tent camping near Bonita, California offers multiple options between coastal and mountain environments, with elevations ranging from sea level to over 4,600 feet. The region experiences Mediterranean climate patterns with warm, dry summers and mild, occasionally rainy winters. Local camping areas face seasonal fire restrictions that vary throughout the year, particularly during late summer and fall when wildfire danger peaks.

What to do

Hiking trails access: Mission Trails Regional Park near Kumeyaay Lake Campground provides extensive trail systems directly from campsites. "Lots of trails to hike. Family friendly," notes camper Jose V. Another visitor mentioned, "There are so many hiking/biking trails straight from your campsite."

Disc golf courses: GoodVibes Ranch & Farm offers a full-size professional disc golf course available to campers. "I found out they have a full size professional disc golf course here! I don't bring my discs, but Carolyn and Bernie happily lent me some discs so I could try it out," reports Andrew A.

Wildlife viewing: Dawn and dusk provide optimal wildlife spotting opportunities across the region. Bird watching is particularly rewarding at Bow Willow Primitive Campground, where campers report, "We spent the day adventuring in Borrego and stumbled upon this site. It was completely empty and looked well taken care of. We were there before sunset and everything was so pink, it was gorgeous!"

Fishing access: Several local camping areas permit fishing in nearby lakes and streams, though catch-and-release practices may be required. Kitchen Creek Road offers primitive sites with seasonal creek access during winter and spring months.

What campers like

Clean facilities: Many campsites maintain surprisingly well-kept restrooms despite remote locations. A visitor at Bow Willow Primitive Campground noted, "Sites are in good shape very quiet at night beautiful views. Nice hike to a palm grove." The campground provides vault toilets and trash service for $20 per night.

Privacy between sites: Several campgrounds offer substantial separation between campsites. At Pine Creek Road Camp, one camper observed, "The camping spots are not close together and there seemed to be very few of them. Even driving slowly, I counted only 6 or 7 sites total, separated by up to a mile."

Amenities beyond expectations: Some sites feature unexpected comforts in remote settings. A GoodVibes Ranch & Farm visitor shared, "They have actual running water flushable toilets and outdoor hot showers! I can't tell you how excited I was, it really upleveled the whole camping experience."

Access to natural springs: Several campsites provide access to natural water features. GoodVibes Ranch offers "3 huge custom stone showers with natural spring water & full bathrooms with sinks & flushing toilets."

What you should know

Fire restrictions: Fire policies vary significantly by location and season. Kitchen Creek Road prohibits fires year-round, while Pine Creek Road Camp requires advance permits for camping that specify current fire regulations.

Road conditions: Access roads range from paved highways to rough dirt tracks. Pine Creek Road campers report: "Pine Creek Road itself is paved, and the camping spots are packed dirt so it's easy to get around even in a FWD. Warning though: if you're nervous about driving on single lane mountain roads, this is not the place for you!"

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bonita, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bonita, CA is Kumeyaay Lake Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 20 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Bonita, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 14 tent camping locations near Bonita, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.