Cabin camping near La Mesa is a great way to escape into nature, yet still have all the comforts of home. Finding a place to cabin camp near La Mesa is easier than ever. Each cabin rental offers quick access to one or more of La Mesa's most popular destinations.
Wake up to the smell of the ocean air and go to bed beneath a clear sky full of bright stars at one of the best campgrounds in San Diego, California. San Diego Metro KOA Resort is the ideal destination if you're looking for a relaxing vacation with ample opportunities for excitement. We operate year-round and want to help you have the time of your life, whether you're visiting us for a couple of days in the summer or staying with us for a month in the winter.
$24 - $100 / night
Situated 4,200 feet above sea level in a forest of pines and oaks along the northern extremity of the Laguna Mountain Range, this 929-acre park is one of the few San Diego county parks to get snowfall each year.
Forests of oak, pine, and cedar surround peaceful mountain meadows and provide an undisturbed setting for nearly 11 miles of scenic hiking and equestrian trails. Mule deer and wild turkey are frequently seen throughout the park, and rare residents include bobcats and mountain lions.
Though its forest may seem timeless, each season brings dramatic changes: from winter snowfall to spring wildflowers, there is always something new to experience at Heise.
In addition to trails, you can take advantage of cabins, trailer sites, individual tent sites, and a group-tent camping area, along with several playgrounds, restrooms with coin-operated showers and ample picnic spaces. Rangers-lead activities every weekend, and the park office with a small museum is open during the day or by appointment. This park makes a gorgeous setting for weddings and special events!
$24 - $34 / night
If you live up north follow the ducks and migrate to Santee Lakes for some winter camping. If you are already in Southern California and looking for some San Diego camping, then bring the kids for a weekend or a week. Our award winning Campground is nestled in the foothills of Santee, just 20 minutes from many of San Diego’s big attractions. The San Diego Trolley is nearby and you can access San Diego’s beautiful beaches, downtown, a Padre’s game, Balboa Park or Old Town.
Feel free to see all of the sites that San Diego has to offer, but we have plenty at Santee Lakes to keep you busy. After you choose from 300 full hook-up campsites, all having free WiFi and Deluxe sites, a bit larger, with cable TV, you can enjoy the amenties we offer. You can rent a pedal boat, fish in 7 seasonally stocked lakes, take a swim in one of two pools or relax in the spa. Campers get exclusive fishing in Lakes 6 & 7, and access to the swimming pools and spa.
Also, when you camp at Santee Lakes, you are choosing a facility that is dedicated to reducing our impact on the environment. More than 4 acres of solar panels located on our property provide enough power to meet almost 50% of the entire Park and Campground needs! Our facility was again awarded the national Plan-it Green Award for our environmental efforts!
Coast through life at Southern California’s newest upscale resort, just outside San Diego. With vacation rentals, RV sites, and amazing on-site amenities, you can do it all, or nothing at all — right here at Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay. Now open.
$150 - $280 / night
$39 - $50 / night
The beautiful park offers camping and hiking in an oak woodland forest, with a sprinkling of pines and lovely meadows with creeks. There are over 100 miles of trails which accommodate hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The two family camps, Paso Picacho and Green Valley, are open and on the reservation system spring through fall. Green Valley sits at an elevation of 4,000 feet and has a creek which runs through the middle of the campground. The day use area offers sets of cascades and shallow pools, great for water play on hot days. Green Valley has 81 campsites.
Paso Picacho, 5 miles north, sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The most popular hikes start from this camp, including the 2 mile hike up Stonewall Peak (elevation 5,700 feet), and the 3.5 mile hike up Cuyamaca Peak (elevation 6,512 feet), both which offer breathtaking views of the deserts to the east, the coast to the west, and Lake Cuyamaca at the bottom. Lake Cuyamaca, operated by the Helix Water District, is two miles north of Paso Picacho and offers boating and fishing. Paso Picacho campground has 85 campsites.
Each campsite has a picnic table and a fire ring. Restrooms with flush toilets and pay showers are in the campground. Water faucets a located every few campsites. There are no hookups. Each campground has a dump station. Firewood and ice may be purchased at the camps. Interpretive programs are offered during the summer season. Campsites are $30 per night. Reservations are necessary for weekends April through October. The camping fee includes one motorized vehicle. Extra vehicles are $10 per night. There is a limit of 8 persons per campsite. Dogs are allowed but are restricted to the campgrounds, picnic areas, and paved roads and Cuyamaca Peak Fire Road. They may not be left unattended.
Environmental backpack in or horseback ride in camps are also available. Granite Springs and Arroyo Seco Environmental camps are open on first come, first serve. Both have chemical toilets, non-potable water, corrals and tent sites.
$40 - $250 / night
Thousand Trails Pio Pico RV Camping is a full service RV Resort in California located south of San Diego, close to many attractions such as the zoo, Sea World and museums. We are twenty minutes from Mexico, so day trips south of the border are not only a possibility but also a great opportunity. Members come to Pio Pico for the peace and quiet of nature as well as to escape the day to day rush of the big cities. It is considered a "destination" RV Resort in southern California, and all members enjoy the hospitality of the staff. Pio Pico RV Resort offers a year round classic American food cafe at an affordable price.
Laguna Campground is a great mountain getaway just one hour east of San Diego, California in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. Campers can enjoy cooler temperatures, unique natural areas and an extensive trail system at this mountain facility from summer through early fall.
The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area is known for great horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking trails. Visitors can get their boots dusty on the Laguna Meadow Trail system or access a segment of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from California to the State of Washington. Wildflowers are usually abundant in April and May on the Big Laguna Trail, which takes visitors past Big Laguna Lake. In wet years there is water in Big Laguna Lake by December or January and ducks and other birds can be found. The trail presents a number of options to the user. A return to the trailhead parking can be made by cutting through the Laguna Campground or by taking the Pacific Crest Trail north. Families can learn about the area's flora and fauna by attending educational programs at the facility's amphitheater. Or for history buffs, the El Prado Cabin located at nearby El Prado Campground, is the first ranger cabin built in the Cleveland National Forest in 1911. The San Diego State University Observatory also sponsors "Star Parties" for campers most Saturday evenings during the summer (schedule can be obtained at the nearby visitor center or by calling 619-473-8547).
The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area is known for great horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking trails. Visitors can get their boots dusty on the Laguna Meadow Trail system or access a segment of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from California to the State of Washington. Wildflowers are usually abundant in April and May on the Big Laguna Trail, which takes visitors past Big Laguna Lake. In wet years there is water in Big Laguna Lake by December or January and ducks and other birds can be found. The trail presents a number of options to the user. A return to the trailhead parking can be made by cutting through the Laguna Campground or by taking the Pacific Crest Trail north. Families can learn about the area's flora and fauna by attending educational programs at the facility's amphitheater. Or for history buffs, the El Prado Cabin located at nearby El Prado Campground, is the first ranger cabin built in the Cleveland National Forest in 1911. The San Diego State University Observatory also sponsors "Star Parties" for campers most Saturday evenings during the summer (schedule can be obtained at the nearby visitor center or by calling 619-473-8547).
The campground sits at an elevation of 6,000 ft. in the Laguna Mountains. It is forested with pines and oaks that provide plenty of shade, in addition to a meadow. The area is home to many species of birds, as well as the endangered Laguna Skipper butterfly. Little Laguna lake is located just a short distance from the campground and is an excellent hiking destination for photographers and visitors looking to explore the area.
$35 / night
$24 - $34 / night
I stopped here for lunch. You're in the desert, so hot during the day. There are some trees for shade, especially for the campsites along Yaqui Pass Road. All sites have lattice-work shelters for shade over the picnic tables. Water is listed as non-potable at all faucets. Besides campsites, there are one-room cabins for rent. $35/night for the campsites is a lot, but that is state park practice in CA. National Forest campgrounds are cheaper.
Just passing through, perfect spot for the night. Showers a bit run down but plenty of hot water. Great location for easy access to fishing. Friendly staff. Store stocked with fishing gear, snacks and booze.
This was our first camping trip in our travel trailer. The amenities available are great. Very clean and friendly staff
Spectacular night lights
For the price of full hook up ($35) in a location so close to the beach, I call it a win. It was beautiful with a pond and walking paths. There were many dogs and we saw horses on the paths too. The bathrooms / showers were clean and didn’t stink. Always had toilet paper. Showers take specific coins and you have to get them from the office before 5pm so if you arrive late, keep that in mind. Spots are good size and paved paths are well lit at night. Good for going to the restroom at night but bright if you have a spot near the walkways. Otherwise the camp is pretty dark at night
Shouldn't have a problem finding a site here.
Spaces are very close together. The camp store was closed and the camp host was a little strange. I know that can be the case often but I didn’t want to have Covid vivid conspiracy conversations. Not a spot I would have a desire TK go back to
Camped here for three nights in March of 2019, in one of the partial hookup sites close to the pool. According to the map of the CG, there are 104 sites and 7 cabins. Partial hookups are closest to the pool/shower area, with full hookups and cabins farther back and tent sites in the middle.
it seemed to be a well run facility. It was cool, cloudy and wet from recent rains when we were there and our site had a tiny stream running through it. Some sites, including ours, were not too level. The pool was not what I'd call "hot", probably in the mid to high 90s.
There's a couple short trails in the park, we hiked Moonlight Canyon. We really enjoyed it!! A bit like a lunar landscape with wild desert plants and flowers. The highlight was seeing some desert bighorn sheep!
A small store sits just outside the park entrance and though it was small, it seemed to have at least one of everything you could possibly need, including my favorite Colorado beer, Fat Tire!!
This park has a lot of rules, some quite unusual. Probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with them before you head out.
We stayed 2/17/24-2/22/24 at spot 77. Great, huge shade tree!!! Level.
Clean bathrooms!! Flush toilets & 2 shower stalls.
The Rangers were kind & helpful!
Fire wood is $6/bundle that is purchased from the ranger station. Cash only.
Showers are pay showers. .50/4mins.
There must have been 100 wild turkeys that cruised thru the camp ground a few times. Pretty epic sight!!
During this time of year, chilly nights but beautiful days. We did get rained on for a day but nothing horrible.
Oh, fires out by 11. They’re pretty strict about that time if the camp ground is busy but if it’s not, they leave you alone. I sat out after my kids went to bed til around midnight with my fire & it was heaven. Poured water on my fire & went to bed. Perfect evening!!
Second time here, booked to be close to the San Diego zoo safari park. This is a very well run county park.
General: A mix of partial hook-up and tent sites plus six cabins about an hour from San Diego.
Site Quality: All the sites have paved pads except 64-68 and 70-75; these have gravel pads. These sites also have a curb which can be a bit challenging when backing in an RV. A fire ring and picnic table complete the site. Some have better separation/privacy than others. This area had a lot of recent rain so the creek that meanders through the park was very high. Sites 74 and 75 were flooded and unoccupied when we were there.
Bathhouse: The one closest to site 73 was very basic (no hooks, shelves, or mirror); there was also one handicap-accessible separate bathroom. Although there were showers in other parts of the campground, there were not any in the bathhouse closest to our site.
Activities/Amenities: Campfire program, horseshoe pit, short nature trail, dump station. There is also a large, enclosed picnic pavilion. This park seemed to attract family groups (at least on a Friday) and it was great to see so many kids around the campground not on their devices! Appreciate the dishwashing sink and the propane canister recycling.
We had to change our plans at the last minute so we were fortunate to secure a site at this park on a Friday night in late March and it was fine for an overnight.
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!
I can’t believe how badly this park has deteriorated. On our last stay we saw so many weeds and potholes. The hot tubs seem to be broken all the time. Showers and bathrooms were filthy and rundown. Resort? How shameful. But worse than that are the rangers. They used to welcome us like we were members, paying customers. Not sure why they have such a hard time understanding that we pay their salaries. WE ARE THE CUSTOMERS. We were treated like we were unwanted guests. A new ranger named Christian is a cocky, arrogant kid. He clearly doesn’t want to work there and has no concept of customer service. We immediately asked for his manager and he didn’t care about how rude we were treated. The manager (Israel) only cared about flirting and gawking at another ranger who worked up in the activity center. There’s a married couple who work there selling memberships and he told me the management is terrible and the park is going down the tubes. He told me much of their staff is unhappy about how they are treated and many have quit. I asked why they don’t get new management and he said even his boss said the women managers are untouchable. He told me secretly that he was quitting too. I guess that’s why he unloaded on them. He told me about the sexual assaults in the park from illegal Mexicans coming across the border. He told me about the 4 convicted pedophiles living in the park and showed me Megan’s Law. It’s all true. You can see them walking around and their addresses listed on their profile on Megan’s Law is the RV Park. He told me about all the drugs on the north side of the park and that one ranger was dating a member there and violently assaulted her and she turned out to be a prostitute. He said the company and manger knew he was a meth addict and yet kept him there and swept it under the carpet. He also told me that the 3rd in charge(Jesus) had to go to counseling because he keeps sexually harassing the other staff and members and he is still doing it. He apparently is harassing the girl who works in the store now. And yet they still protect him and hide it. Seriously? You want us to pay to stay here? Until they start firing these incompetent and rude employees we won’t be coming back.
The county park is quiet and peaceful. During the week I’m 1 of about 4 campers. It has filled up on the weekends with mostly families and scout troops. It is a mix of RV and tent campsites.
Me and my husband camped here for about five days we are in spot 42 lots of room back in plus pull in spots full hook ups has paddle boats fishing and spots to walk your dog
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.
My family and I take a yearly camping trip and this is one of the sites that we regularly come to. We are a big group of 19 and find this place very comfortable and enjoy the trails. However, we will not be returning! A squatter had hijacked one of our reserved spots and the rangers have done nothing but give is the run around. They just allowed her to stay in our reserved spot the entire stay. The rangers just kept making excuses for the squatter. What was supposed to be a carefree week turned to a stressful and cramped week. They do not care about the campers and it clearly shows.
Site #30 This campground was an awesome campground from beginning to end. The guard shack that’s in the middle of the entry to get into The campground appears to not be used. You actually check in at the office to the right of guard shack. They only appear to store their ranger trucks near the guard shack, so go into the lane on the right when you’re entering the park. Check-in was quick and easy. There are signs in the park that direct you to where to go to get to your site as well as they give you a map when you check in. The Site was not level (which isn’t a problem) just mentioning it so that you know you’re going to have to have things with you to level your rig. Our site was covered with chalk from overly creative previous campers. Otherwise is was clean. This is a beautiful park with lots of trees and shrubbery. Saturday night was busy and slightly loud but quieted down by midnight. Sunday morning most of the campers packed up and left. The line for the dump is long and slow moving. Blocking sites in its path from 10:30 am to after 12:00 pm. So keep that in mind when you’re scheduling your camping site. Our site was blocked but we could squeeze out so it wasn’t a problem for us. But it could be a problem for others. So just a heads up. Bath house was clean showers looked good. They do you have poison ivy or poison oak in this park. I don’t remember which but they had signs up about it. We saw squirrels, bunnies, and LOTS of hawks and a few other birds during our stay. We had solid Verizon service anywhere in the park. The rangers drive though on and off all day then disappear in the late afternoon reappearing early morning. There are quite a few flys buzzing around and gnat like bugs. But it was no big deal. Great park!
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
Friendly staff kept everything clean and gave great advice. Some in our party tent camped and had the best space, view, shade trees. We had a trailer as well, nice and level with water and power. Both had aluminum picnic tables and iron grills. Propane fire pits we allowed but no wood fires.
Nice campground. There were a lot of families with kids but you can strategically choose a campsite on an end/corner for more privacy. You’ll also want a site with some shade if there in spring/summer as it got hot during the day. Not all sites have shade. Music must be off by 10, and there is a ranger who comes around to make sure of it. Fires out by 11.
Campsites have a picnic table and fire ring. Water and electric hookups. Our site was a little overgrown but manageable.
Bathroom was big, nice and clean, though there is only 1 on the campsite loop. Another up at the ranger station.
Lake is a short car ride or long walk away. There is a nice hiking trail that takes you back to the dam. Beautiful lake views along the way. We saw 2 bald eagles.
Took a ride over to nearby Campo Creek Winery and met the lovely owner and chatted over a few glasses of wine.
This is a quiet well ran facility. It has the best drinking water pumped from the mountain aquifers. Every building is relatively new and the showers, laundry and common building facilities are in top notch condition. The staff and the owner are genuinely friendly and have the best of attitudes about the grounds and one’s stay. I can’t say enough about how pleasant our 4 day stay was. It’s unique in that there is not the usual highway road noise we experience at most KOAs.
Nice area, campsites we’re clean, rangers were nice. They have areas that are full hookup, partial hookup, no hookup, tent only areas, and group camping. They also have day use parking for $3. Didn’t go on the trails as the ranger informed us they have ticks as mule deer are in the area. Other common animals are wild turkey, gray fox, bobcats, raccoons, steller’s jay, hawks, golden eagles and the occasional mountain lion. Definitely was a nice stay and will be going back
Cool campground, quiet but busy with day use visitors and hikers, host available with lots of info at kiosk.
A bit pricey at $35/night. No hookups available, no dump station. RV max length is 21 ft. Hike/bike spots $5/per person, day use fee is $10.
No water here for drinking, but there are spigots throughout the campground. Showers available, pay via token.
Just about no cell service here. Very nice short loop trail just across the street, bursting with flowers in the spring. Plenty of room to park your vehicle (even big rigs) outside the campground along the road.
Nice little county campground, park-like setting, with several loops and nice walking trails and a duckpond, a little free library, outdoor exercise equipment, and a playground in the day use area.
RV sites are power and water (50, 30, 20 amp), and the dump station is free for campground guests only (not open to non-guests). There is mixed recycling here as well as a separate bin for empty green propane bottles. Pretty good cell reception, streaming was a bit spotty but the weBoost took care of that. Showers were ok, ok pressure and not very hot. You pay directly in the shower with quarters (no tokens) .$1 for 8 minutes. Heads up that some of the sites might be technically long enough for your rig, but the roads are narrow and bushy, and it may be tough to navigate into the site. We had site #27 and we had to shuffle back and forth and scraped on the bushes in order to back in in our 28ft vehicle.
Expensive 5 star campground. Full of amenities, clean sites, great bar and restaurant. Great access to bike trails, close to all that San Diego has to offer.
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!
Camping near La Mesa, California, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a beachside escape or a serene mountain retreat, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near La Mesa, CA, has something for everyone, whether you're a family looking for fun or an RVer seeking adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near La Mesa, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near La Mesa, CA is San Diego Metro KOA with a 4.3-star rating from 31 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near La Mesa, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 36 cabin camping locations near La Mesa, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
