Best Equestrian Camping near Mount Laguna, CA

Mount 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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Walk 1/2 mile and get on the trail to Garnett Peak.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. There are a lot of nearby peaks and day hikes.

8. Julian has great pie.

9. The fire pits are brand new in 2016. Jury is still out. Kind of liked the old ones.

This is a San Diego County Park/Campground. It offers everything from tent/car camping to full hook-up for large RVs. The campground also has some nice amenities: good trail system, a splash pad (open in spring and summer months), a playground, some areas to have a group picnic, even a large event room. There are about 60 camping spaces, mostly partial hook-ups (electricity and water) and a few full hook-ups (electricity, water, and sewer) in the original campground. These sites, 1-60 offer a bit more shade than the newer campsites which are all full hook-up. The newer sites (61 and higher) are on a hill and offer some good views of Bonita Valley. 61 and higher all are all full hook-ups - but you can put a tent on 'em.

The campground is freeway close and only a few miles away from grocery stores and restaurants.

This campground has a nice feel. It is a good place to unwind and enjoy a campfire and the whole camping experience. Good place for kids. There are several campsites with horse stalls for the equestrian campers.

Sweetwater is perched near a Freeway/Toll Road (not a terribly busy one) and it is under the San Diego Airport glide path for incoming flights. So yeah, a little more city than some other campgrounds.

At this time sites cost between $26 and $36 (?) per night. That gets yo one motor vehicle. Additional vehicles are $4 per night. There is a $1 pet fee, per pet.

http://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/SweetwaterSummit.html

Nice basic county campground, everything is nice and new and clean. I think once the trees and bushes and things start to grow in, there will be a little bit of separation between the sites, but for now most sites are wide open. 

The playground area is really cool, all the structures are made of wood and are all natural. Decent showers, you buy tokens from the ranger. There are nice trails and walking paths right from the campground. We didn’t walk to the beach because the area was flooded when we were there, but it appears that you can easily walk to the beach from the campground, it’s about 1.5 miles away. 

Sites are all dry camping, no power or water at sites, and no dump station at campground. There are water spigots throughout the campground though to fill your jugs. There are yurts to rent, and some equestrian sites as well. The little loop off to the side is tents only. 

You can see the border wall from the campground, and Verizon thought I was in Mexico when we arrived, haha. Good cell service with ATT and Verizon (not sure if Verizon switched me to the international plan during our stay there).

The campground is east of Chula Vista in a county park near a reservoir. Full hookup in part, water and electric in others. Well managed and clean. Allows open fires in fire rings.

Two drawbacks to consider if you seek placidness: the park is under the final approach to SAN (Lindbergh Field) and you will hear jets coming down to land from roughly 6a to 11pm. Second concern is ants - not just ants, but strategic and determined ants (spray any points in contact with the ground and ask camp staff to treat your site with diatomaceous earth to deter the bugs. It’s a free service.

Sites are very clean, level, have fire rings and higher numbered sites have water, power, and sewer. There are showers, restrooms, an amphitheater, water playground and sites with horse pens. It’s mostly sunny, with shrubs and smaller trees.

Was able to score a site that fit our 28’ trailer- joke was on us... there was NO way it could’ve worked, not to mention there was not a single other trailer, only tents. Headed back to the ranger and they gave us an open disabled spot (we have a placard) in the horse camp. It was AMAZING. Large flat pad that had the sweet water river right behind. Lots of area for the kids to play and ride bikes on the paved loop around the sites. The walk to the waterfall “hike” was manageable and another day we hiked to the airplane monument (don’t get your hopes up lol) and that was a solid moderate hike. Also drove out to hike to stonewall mine Beautiful weather and the falls were super fun to see, and splash in the top most parts (take a left at the split in the trail just at the bottom of the dirt little hill from the entrance)

My wife and our two dogs (small chi mixes) stayed at this campground over Veterans Day weekend. There are two halves, one for RV’s, horses, and a few tent sites and the other half is all tents. In the center are the restrooms/showers, a few parking spots, and camp host’s RV. The sites are pretty small and very close together but even on a busy holiday weekend where nearby Agua Caliente was full, here were plenty of sites available. Camp host was very active driving around welcoming everybody and was helpful with any questions you might have. Tons of coyotes! They’re tricky and smart, so stay sharp at night on walks with furry ones.

There are fire rings and tables at every site with water sources every few sites. The stage coach station is a historical landmark and sits in the center near the facilities. Pretty cool small cemetery and children’s playground available as well. It was definitely a safe, accessible, and incredibly clean campground. Lots of flies between late morning/afternoon but I’m sure citronella and a cooler period would have solved that problem. We would stay again!

Campground Review

There are two sections to this campground - the area for just people and the area that is set up for campers with horses. The campground provides everything you need: fire pits, restrooms, showers, on-site firewood for purchase. $30 per night.

We went in September and it was pretty dusty and not very scenic. Might be more aesthetically pleasing during other months of the year though.

Gear Review - Mountain Khakis

I won a Mountain Khakis gift card as part of the Dyrt's 2016 campground review contest, and I bought a pair of the Women's Canyon Cord Skinny Pants. I LOVE these pants. I wear them to the office, I wear them casually, and I wear them in the outdoors. For reference, I'm wearing them in the slacklining photo in this review. Most outdoor clothing companies don't offer their cord pants in petite sizes, but now I finally own a pair that fits. These pants are extremely durable. I've worn them while doing gymnastic and when off-width climbing, and there are no rips and the fabric has barely worn down.

Spent a nice relaxing week at Sweetwater Summit Regional Park. And I had a very nice stay. Had a nice spacious site for my 26’ Class A, and it happened to be next to the showers. Score! Very well maintained, with a mix of RV’s, and tent campers. The family in front of me were tent campers, a couple with two little girls. They also have a bunch of horse corrals, for the trails in the area. Plenty of grass for the kids to play in, and my dog loved it, too. He hasn’t walked on nice fresh grass in a while, and he was a happy boy! The shower is a pay shower, 2 quarters for 4 minutes. The weather was perfect, with a nice breeze blowing every day I was here. It never hit 80 degrees, and we’re in July! Plenty of OTA stations, and I also set up my Dish Playmaker for the first time. Super easy! They also have free WiFi, and it’s pretty fast WiFi at that. That was a real plus, since most RV parks have slim to none available. So I downloaded a few movies, and shows off Netflix, and AppleTV, for when I have no internet, and don’t feel like watching regular TV before bed at night. The Dish will come in handy for those out of the way places that have no OTA, internet, or possibly cell service. I will definitely stay here again, any time of year. It’s nice and quiet, they have a North loop, and a South loop. The North loop has cement pads, and sewers. I was in the South loop, which didn’t have sewers. They have, what some would say, are strict rules, but that makes this place very family friendly, really nice and quiet, and all the Rangers were helpful, and very pleasant.

I’m not sure you’ll find a campground like this anywhere else in California for $29/night with partial hookups. It was quiet and peaceful. Bathrooms could have used some attention. Not a fan of no toilet seats on the toilets.

Gorgeous campground just outside of city reach. Felt like being in the Sierras! Stayed here for two nights and hiked on the PCT, which can be accessed super close to campground. Plenty of privacy at each site. Comes with fire ring and picnic table. Definitely would return again.

My favorite campground in the area! Campground is right next to the lakes and a beautiful meadow. Hike and biking trails accessible right by the camp. This place has all a happy camper needs. Toilets, water, firewood for purchase, picnic tables, fire pit. Lots of trees to hang up your hammock too!!