Looking for the best campgrounds near Mount Laguna, CA? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Mount Laguna, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Mount Laguna camping trip.
Pine Creek Road Camp
4 min away
San Diego County Vallecito Regional Park
55 min away
$35 / night
"Mount Laguna is a wonderful destination if looking for some fresh mountain air without a long commute being just 30-45min drive from San Diego. We really enjoyed our time at this campground."
"And others felt much more secluded in the forest. Also, there was a great difference in the amount of shade and flatness available."
$35 / night
"It is a big, big campground that is wooded and adjacent a large meadow, recreational area and lake (when not dried out, drought sucks)."
"It was easy to get a walk up site, the campground hosts are helpful, and there is super easy access to all of Mount Laguna hilling trails."
$24 - $34 / night
"Table and fire pit at each site.
Hiking available walking distance from camp, trails leading out of camp. Family friendly environment."
"The drive up was amazing. They had plenty of water to wash and drink with a lot of bathrooms as well.
You can walk trails, stargaze, take your bikes around and so much more!"
$29 - $75 / night
"Lots going on here but felt peaceful midweek in Jan. 3 spring-fed pools, hot showers quarter operated, clean flush toilet bathrooms, water, hiking trails and ample roads to walk the dog on."
"we love coming here to camp in the winter when the heat isnt too bad. the pools are fun for the whole family. the campground can be loud but its family friendly so that's a plus."
$24 - $34 / night
"Our site had electricity and water, a fire pit, and a picnic table. There were plenty of sites to go around. The rangers were helpful and the facilities were very well maintained."
"Stayed in space 10, a partial hookup with a view of the lake. They have full and partial hook up spaces and "primitive" tent only sites."
"I at Oakzanita a little after noon, got my space, and was all set up in an hour. The drive getting here is wicked, if you’ve never been here before."
"Great staff and friendly campers"
"Nice campground great activities for kids laundry on site Jacuzzi pool fishing for RV hook Up. Over 40 cabins available."
"Bathrooms/laundry need updates/repair. Pool and hot tub. Accommodation based on sales pitch to join as a member."
$20 - $50 / night
"Found this spot after being turned away from lake Moreno campgrounds. Plenty of room for our trailer and enough space between sites to feel like we were alone out here."
$24 / night
" The Lake Morena campground is well-kept and relaxing. It has a variety of sites including full-hookup, partial hookup, and tent only."
"It's a small multi-functional burger grill, ice cream store, convenience store, and well-stocked (if your beer tastes run solely to IPA) beer/wine store."
$35 - $140 / night
"Lake Jennings Campground is a great campsite tucked away in Lakeside, CA. There are a good amount of campsites, and plenty with great views of the lake (“Preferred View” sites)."
"Just 30 minutes from San Diego, with friendly staff and partial or full hookups. We were in a preferred lake view site#96 which had water and electric hookups."
LegendMount Laguna Campground is 60 minutes east of San Diego and 5500+ feet of elevation. It is a big, big campground that is wooded and adjacent a large meadow, recreational area and lake (when not dried out, drought sucks). Despite it's size, the campground is split up into several loops that make it feel much more intimate in size.
I strongly recommend the sites inside the campground to the East (#005, 006, 008, 010, 012). This loop is a little smaller and quieter than the other loops and the campsites face back to the corner of the meadow where endangered butterflies sometimes float around and the sites are huge. These sites have more tree covering than the ones immediately next to them, are close to the bathroom (but not too close) and you can easily access the meadow trailhead.
There are vault toilets that can be hit or miss depending on heat. We bring wet wipes and antibacterial soap. There is a ton of hiking, mountain bike and even horseback riding in the recreational area. The size of the lake is somewhat dependent on rain and drought. We've seen it full and completely dry.
At the local rec store you can buy a hiking trail map for about $2. You can download it for free from the internet too, but theirs is printed on a waterproof paper and really nice quality print.
Tips:
There is often downed wood piled up in the meadow loop near the bathroom for use in campfires. It's first come first serve, and bringing a hatchet or handsaw makes a world of difference on your pocket book.
Whatever the temperature is listed at on the weather sites subtract 10-15 degrees at night. The temperatures are based on the minor town at a lower elevation.
In the morning if you walk out of camp to Sunrise HWY, turn left a 1/4 mile you find an overlook with a great view of the sunset and views out to the Salton Sea.
Walk 1/2 mile and get on the trail to Garnett Peak.
In the town of Mount Laguna is one convenience store with just about everything you'll need last minute, but expect to pay a convenience surcharge.
There is a gear & rec store in town too that is a must visit. Fair prices and just an overwhelming experience. They are very hiker friendly if passing through on the nearby PCT.
There are a lot of nearby peaks and day hikes.
Julian has great pie.
The fire pits are brand new in 2016. Jury is still out. Kind of liked the old ones.
GuideLake Jennings Campground is a great campsite tucked away in Lakeside, CA. There are a good amount of campsites, and plenty with great views of the lake (“Preferred View” sites). We stayed in site 91 for 4 nights from Monday to Thursday night while the campground was pretty empty. I imagine it would be a little louder when it’s at full capacity, but we had no noise issues from fellow campers. However, there was plenty of random noise from the military helicopters that randomly flew overhead. It wasn’t disruptive, just unexpected. This campground is not secluded by any means, so the air traffic shouldn’t be a surprise. Honestly, it’s hard to go anywhere in San Diego County without air traffic interruptions.
We chose Site 91 because it was at the top of a moderate hill at the end of the road, in an attempt to experience reduced traffic from other campers. The site was a Preferred View site and it did not disappoint! Views of the lake at sunrise and sunset were amazing and made for the perfect vista from our RV bed. An added benefit of the Preferred View sites is the privacy since no one is camped behind you. Our particular site even had useful shrubbery on each side to create a quasi sense of privacy between sites. Each site has a nice little fire pit and picnic table, and there was plenty of room for a second vehicle in addition to our van.
There are plenty of restroom facilities sprinkled throughout so nothing is inconvenient. The restrooms are individual bathrooms with showers that are hot and NOT coin operated, so enjoy a full hair washing session if there’s not a line. The only caution: pincher bugs. Just brush them off and go about your business. But like everything, check the toilet seat and your clothes before proceeding.
Finally, internet service was great for Verizon. We got 23 Mbps with 3 bars of 4G LTE unboosted, and 69 (!!!) Mbps with 5 bars using a simple MIMO antenna. We live and work in our RV (20’ Class B) full time, so this was crucial. The staff was also great. They were regularly driving by, cleaning or maintaining the grounds. In the end, we will definitely camp here again.
RangerLots going on here but felt peaceful midweek in Jan. 3 spring-fed pools, hot showers quarter operated, clean flush toilet bathrooms, water, hiking trails and ample roads to walk the dog on. Mountain lion country - be alert. Friendly rangers. Clean facilities and well-kept grounds. Horseshoe pits and large group picnic areas. Cute cabins for rent - no pets allowed in those. Will definitely visit again. Many of the tent sites are close together - if the campground was full you’d have little privacy but it’s a large place and there were hardly any tent campers when I was there, though more RVs and vans in the hookup section. Tent site 106 is very private. I liked 109 it was in a kind of bird thicket with privacy from the road etc.
GuideThis campground is one of my favorites. My practical side enjoys the clean bathrooms with hot showers and proximity to markets for refills on ice and beer. My adventurous side enjoys the hikes, coyotes singing and clear skies to observe the night sky. This campground has been enjoyable every time I’ve gone. I’ve been to many campgrounds where neighbors keep you up late, but something about this location demands quiet enjoyment. Don’t get me wrong, my friends and I stay up laughing around the campfire well after sunset but everyone seems to respect the quiet hours. The sites are spacious, each with a shade ramada, grill and fire-ring. The visitors center is a must see and there are numerous hiking trails near the campground. As beautiful as the wildflowers are during a super bloom, the crowds are super distracting. March is the best time of year to go, if there is a super bloom you’ll enjoy that, if not, you’ll enjoy the solitude.
TravelerI love this camp site. I prefer the Hillside loop for tent camping as the spots are large, lots of trees, and feels fairly private. It was easy to get a walk up site, the campground hosts are helpful, and there is super easy access to all of Mount Laguna hilling trails. We went once on a Monday in April and had the place to ourselves, and once over Thanksgiving weekend and we were still able to get a good spot! Dogs allowed as well!
ScoutStayed in site #73 this past weekend. I wouldn't recommend that spot. It is too close to #74. They are both large spots but the actually fire pits are too close to eachother. Luckily there was a nice family staying next to us so we hardly noticed them. Had they been too loud it could have ruined the trip. Also this spot had very little shade in the afternoon when the sun was the hottest.
The bathrooms were shut down for maintenance in that loop so they offered portable toilets which got full quick. The hand washing station ran out of water the second day and was never refilled so you had to go back to your site to wash your hands. The running water coming from the spigot was orange and frothy and had a sign saying not to use it for drinking.
The hiking trail that was near by was the best part. Tons of wildflowers everywhere and beautiful views.
I probably won't come back to this campground next time I got camping. There are campgrounds closer to San Diego that are have bigger sites.
GuideMount Laguna is a wonderful destination if looking for some fresh mountain air without a long commute being just 30-45min drive from San Diego. We really enjoyed our time at this campground. Lots of wonderful trails right from the campground. Sites are nice with lots of tree for more privacy. Restroom facilities were pretty nice. Would come back again!
GuideGreat county park. Quiet and well maintained. Pay showers. $29/ night. Pets welcome. Fire pits and picnic tables at each site. Tent camping available as well.
GuideThis was a great place to disconnect and was close to SD. It was an easy and scenic drive up. Each camp site was large and had privacy but since it was hilly, some sites may have few flat spaces to pitch a tent.
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