Best Glamping near Mecca, CA

This campground felt more like I was glamping. Everything was easily accessible and by that I mean; a toilet, running water, and showers. We slept in our tent which felt pretty amazing being that the weather was perfect. I’d highly recommend visiting this camp site in the cooler months.

Located in the San Bernardino National Forest, within the San Jacinto District, Marion Mt. Campground is one of the best camping sites in Southern California. Located in a beautiful mountain setting this site provides all the peace and tranquility a soul longs for.

General: The Borrego Palm Canyon campground has three sections: one with full hookups and two without. 

Site Quality: It is often windy here, so it was recommended we pull in at an angle. The driveways are paved and on the short side, but our campervan fit with no problem (I would assume if you have a larger RV, you might be in the section with the full hookups.)

Bathhouse: Individual units with flush toilet, sink, garbage receptacle, and hooks but NO soap dispenser. Showers take tokens and while they were not the worst campground showers, they weren’t the best (but a hot shower after a hot hike was welcome nonetheless). Tokens were 50 cents each for two minutes. 

Activities: numerous hiking trails, accessible from the campground. The most popular one is the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail which leads to the oasis of California Fan Palms. Sadly, the oasis was damaged by a human-caused fire and while you can see the palms, you can no longer walk among them. Galleta Meadows with metal sculptures in the nearby town of Borrego Springs is well worth exploring. 

We were there at the very end of March when it was just beginning to get (too) warm. We only did an overnight here and the Borrego Palm Canyon hike, but it was beautiful and we would definitely return.

We pulled in at 5:30 pm. The “in” gate was locked, so we had to back up and go through the “out” gate which was open. Our reservation package was not available to us. Typically after hours they will have the camp info and site number in a box or tapped to the office… not here. We finally found a number in the email sent to us when we made the reservation, and we were able to get our site number. It was dark by the time we drove through the parks dirt paths to a cement pad, with full hookups. We setup had a good night playing cards as a family. In the morning light we realized this was a spot that looks like a lot of people live at full time. There was broken down trucks cars, and old RVs lined up in the back.. was kind of disappointing considering the Salton Sea is right there and this was the the only spot worth staying at. Oasis is a place to spend the night with full hookups, but don’t expect a lot… it is what it is.

The folks at the front desk were so helpful and getting me in to the RV park after hours as it is gated. The only challenge was the highway noise. But it’s a sweet spot.

if you are looking for a day or months this is the place to stay. everything you need is right here

Too many activities to list.

I've spent many weekends at this resort over the last 15 years or so, visiting my grandparents that lived here in the winter. Tons of activities, clean and quiet, such a wonderful spot!

Nice people, mainly for during the winter here.

SPA and pool is nice - but no fire allowed. We took the cheapest side for 39. But they also have some with a table and more atmosphere.

dirt camp is 30.

We visited Anza-Borrego State Park for the first time over Christmas weekend, as a group of 3. Decided to camp here due to its proximity to the park sights and ease of getting to it. We stayed at site 117 which was very spacious and fit our large tent no problem. All sites feature a fire pit and picnic table. Depending on which site you choose it can have space for multiple tents (seemed like most of them) or only have space for one. There are a handful of sites that are extra cool - they feature stone ramadas with a built in fireplace and tables (sites 116, 104, and 107). I would opt for one of those sites next time! The campground was pretty quiet at night. We didn't have any neighbors too close to us. The stars at night are gorgeous! You can spend hours just staring up at the sky. The Palm Canyon trail starts from the campground - no need to drive to the trailhead, and it is a hike worth doing. There are several open air toilets around the campground. I expected them to be pit toilets but they flush. There are regular building toilets with sinks as well. The only downsides to camping here are 1) at night you can see the lights of the town (doesn't interfere with stars at least), and 2) the cost. I would try one of the other more remote campgrounds next time or dispersed camping, now that I've been and know the area better.

It's a fine campground. There is a check-in kiosk that was well run and you can pay for an extra car or an open site with a credit card.* The sites are set up in two main loops. One for big campers and one for the rest of us. There is no real separation between sites.

This is convenience based campground. You're at the jump-off for some challenging yet accessible hikes into the desert. Close enough to town to ride a bike for ice cream. The camp has flush toilets and token based showers.** Each site has a deep fire pit, a picnic table under a shade pergola, and access to a nearby water source. Oh yeah, and it's less than two hours from San Diego.

The outer ring sites look out towards the desert. You'll always know you're in civilization, but they offer the illusion of solitude...if you can tune out the generators. There will be generators, and probably unattended kids riding e-bikes or kicking balls at you as your try to use the bathroom. Site 75 is a great site because in addition to looking out away from inner loop, the fire place is set further away from driveway and picnic table. Site 56 is fine. It's just fine.

Temper your expectations for desert solitude, appreciate the conveniences for what they are, and this becomes a four star site. The site is mostly, always, definitely full, but cancellations offer last chance drive up opportunities. The park rangers said that most sites were booked through the entire season which ends at the end of April, and we couldn't find a site when searching online for a second night (Saturday), but there were at least three open sites whose reservations had been canceled we could have stayed in.

Notes:

Anza is particularly great for star gazing and spring flowers. There are often big horn sheep along the Palm Canyon trail leaving camp. We met one we named Barnabas. 

Extra vehicles are an additional $10.

*Pro-tip: Fire wood is cash only. It's not bad 3 bundles for $20. If you don't have cash, you can find wood in town for cheaper without the convenience of it being at camp.

**Pro-tip: Showers require tokens which are purchased from a machine. 2 tokens for $1. 1 token = 2m in the shower.

This campsite gave my boyfriend and I a great first camping experience together. There was so much to do in the nearby areas. Fonts Point and The Slot are must see spots!

Very clean, well-maintained, and nice location. Very strict check-in time. However, you can tell they are cleaning the sites and making sure the sites are in order. They rake around the fire ring, so you know they checked it. Park rangers are driving around. Staff are really nice and helpful. Flush toilets, bathrooms, well lit, and warm showers. I recommend checking out the visitor’s center for free maps and information. There’s a lot to do in the area. Bring your bikes. There’s also a trailhead to the oasis right in the campground. Not too difficult. The main trail is not as difficult as the alternate trail. Theres cool metal art throughout the area. A tiny town with a couple markets and places to eat. I was able to hike The Slot canyon, which was awesome. Just take note, when you enter the canyon from the trailhead, there is a large boulder/outcrop you have crawl over/under. THAT IS YOUR POINT OF ENTRY/EXIT. don’t pass it like I did and and nearly get lost. All the trails start to look the same after a while. All in all, it’s a good hike, maybe not for smaller children or larger people, because some of it I had to remove my backpack in order to fit through. Can’t go wrong with Anza-Borrego.

Large campground split into 3 sections. The one side is mainly for RVs and has hookups — would only recommend for RVs as they’re stacked up. The other 2 sides are a bit more spread out, especially the sites on the outside of the loops. It’s well taken care of and clean. Plus it has token showers with hot water, a dish washing area, flush toilets, fire pits, grills, and cell signal. Anza Borrego park has tons of awesome dispersed sites around the park that are free, but this was a good spot to take a little break from the desert and grab a hot shower.