Looking for tent camping near Ocotillo Wells? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Ocotillo Wells campgrounds for you and your tent. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Ocotillo Wells campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Scout
Tent camping overnight!
Scout
Tent site
Traveler
This is totally a great place to go tent camping it's peaceful and quiet during the week. It's clean and just a fun place to camp.
Guide
Great 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.
Scout
Went camping in August, during a heatwave, and had Covid restrictions. Even with all of that, we had a good time! We were in spot 21 right by the pond. Camped in a tent trailer and had plenty of room to set up an outdoor sitting and cooking areas. The only issue was “meat bees” that came around when we were trying to eat. Bathrooms were clean and stocked with supplies. Pool was nice and refreshing but had little shaded areas. We definitely would camp there again when it isn’t so hot!
Scout
We rolled in after dark and found a spot super easy that was secluded and perfect for tent camping. We had a nice hike in the morning before heading back to Julian for pie :)
Traveler
I brought my family with our 2 dogs for Thanksgiving and unfortunately we left early because it was a major danger for our dogs with the very bold and brave coyotes.
We tent camped but I feel like if we had an RV it would have been safer for the dogs.. for us alone with out the dogs, tent camping would have been fine!
Other than that. BEAUTIFUL!!! We loved every single moment from the colorful drive up to the stars and checking out the observatory which was also pet friendly. It’s SO FUN to see all the different color leaves and the sunsets, the sunrises, the crisp air, the views on the way up….all of it was so beautiful.
Guide
Great Area to take your OHVs. Season starts around Halloween and ends in May for Red stickers. They have public restrooms spread through the grounds. It's great for tent camping and RVs/campers, tents. Town is about 25 minutes away, however they have a few stores/restaurants nearby.
Scout
Best tent campground
ScoutI have only tent camped here and enjoyed the quite and clean site. I like that it is not far from civilization but feels very remote. My kids caught their first fish in the little pond.
ScoutI have only tent camped here and really enjoyed the clean and quiet spot not too far from civilization but feels like in the middle of nowhere. My kids caught their first fish in the little pond :)
Guide
Cabins are fun and shelter you from the occasional strong gusty winds.
Tent camping in the rain is also do-able here due to the temperate climate. There are a couple playgrounds, so a very kid-friendly environment as well.
Ranger
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. 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.
Traveler
have only tent camped so not sure about hook ups. hike across the road is great but do it early before it gets hot. bathrooms get a little trashed by Sunday morning. crew doesn’t keep up. spots nice size for three tents, group of 8. bring ant spray. hard to get reservations. stop for breakfast at the lake while you’re in the area.
Scout
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.
ScoutRamona Oaks is exactly what it says RV Resort, they do have 4 tent sites available which are ok just very rocky. One thing i didn’t like was the tent sites being so close to the main road that all night long you hear semi trucks and rice burners with their load exhaust driving down the windy road. A lot of the RV spots look to be permanent or semi permanent residence and nobody really comes out to socialize. There wasn’t a lot of kids out like i thought there would be like when i used to go camping as a kid. They do have a small lake that is catch and release only, don’t know exactly what fish are in there but i did catch a few sun fish. They do have a nice playground for the kids.
GuideThe 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.
TravelerI really like this campground! The bathrooms are very clean and well maintained! The campground features a creek that runs through the tent sites towards the back! There were so many frogs and tadpoles! The creek eventually flows into a pond located on the other end of the campground. The pond is actually pretty large! Lots of space to walk around and explore. There is quite a bit of poison oak in the area, however you are in an old oak tree grove so it’s inevitable. Every other site was occupied in order to maintain new physical distancing requirements, the added privacy is great. Site 59 has to be one of the best tent sites, right on the creek with bathrooms close by. Lots of families so it was a little loud at some points of the day with all the kids running around, but not too much of an annoyance. Overall, I enjoyed my stay here. It is far enough from the main highway that you feel like you’re out in the woods. I would stay here again!
Traveler
A beautiful RV resort, stayed pretty dispersed by staying in couple tent sites.
Wouldn’t come again this time of year without a heater, as it got uncomfortably cold at night. But the bathrooms are kept warm and very clean. The lodge is also warm and clean, worked out of there a couple of mornings, and the Wi-Fi was actually decent.
Guide
We found this park last minute because our original place had fire restrictions. We picked right! Park has a nice playground and a trail that has lots of shoot offs. We tent camped, which was a lot of fun! Hardly anyone at this campground. Very quiet. Bathrooms are well-kept, but you have to pay to use showers. Small bundles of firewood was a little overpriced. Staff was nice. Good campground for families!
TravelerI took my kids here for a trial run of tent camping with them. The campground is well maintained. They sell wood, fishing licenses, and other items you may need.
We stayed in space 45 which had a nice view of the lake. This space was surrounded cactus that may be hazardous for little tikes.
I'd also highly recommend bringing some shade of your own as there are not many trees at some sites.
Legend
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.
Traveler
I 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!
Scout
This is by far the best place to tent camp that we have found. We love hiking the rope/ladder trail loop during the day and star gazing at night. No bugs and the weather is amazing if you’re at the base of the canyon. There’s loose sand roads the further you get in, so 4wheel drive only if you’re trying to get far away from the main road. There is a bathroom towards the beginning, but nothing close to the main hiking area.
GuideIn February we had the place to ourselves. Temperature dropped to 43'. Best hook up site #24. Best tent site #65. A few pretty good trails to get the heart pumping. We took the Cedar Trail on the left side of the fork. The water at the spigots spewed dark brown water. Bring your own water source. Definitely cougar country so kept pups close to us. Clean bathrooms and wild stormy skies.
Ranger
Small camp with $35 tent sites eith shelter, table and fire ring and $75 cabins both reservable and first come (pay with card at kiosk tho cabins were not rentable like this due to no attendant present. Non-potable water. Token showers. Accessible site reserved for disabled folks and wheelchair accessible showers. Trailhead with views of ocotillo, agave and the other desert plants nearby. Only reason I’m giving 3 stars are the high winds made car camping without a tent pretty miserable. But I know that’s the nature of the park- windy!
Guide
This campground is a very large site, with huge amounts of RV and tent sites spread out, hookups and non-hookup sites, with a layout around the water of Lake Hemet. We only stayed for one night before continuing on to Idyllwild, so cannot speak for anything related to the actual lake but there was a lot of recreational boating and fishing going on when we were there in August. Our site was a tent site in the interior, we did not pay the extra money for a premium lakefront site. Overall it is your run of the mill campsite, but with the lake as a main attraction and focal point of course. With all of the families and kids it was more on the noisy side, and was noisy until later into the night. I would recommend this campsite on the value of the lake if that is something you are into, but other than that I would prefer something more quiet and peaceful. Another downside is visitor parking and I believe even day use of the grounds to get in were an extra charge. There is a large country style camping store before the gate. Overall, the surrounding scenery is still beautiful, and you can't really beat that.
Tent camping near Ocotillo Wells, California, offers a unique blend of desert landscapes and outdoor adventures, making it a perfect getaway for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ocotillo Wells, CA is Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 16 reviews.
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