Best Cabin Camping near Ocotillo, CA

This place use to be great when it wasn't as popular as it is now. But, still a nice place with natural hot spring showers/bathrooms/pool/hot tub and now cabins to rent. Last time I was there there was a big party next to my campsite and they were pretty drunk and loud. They were not polite or followed any rules even after they were told to keep it down. So, if you prefer a quiet camp site, this is NOT for you. A lot of large groups camp here and usually not respectful of others or nature for that matter.

I have to say this is one of my least favorite Thousand Trails campgrounds so far. Pio Pico has a lot of potential to be a fun destination but I feel it is extremely neglected. Pools and hot tubs are closed. Bathrooms and amenities appear pretty run down. You see the typical "Pardon our dust" signs so hopefully things are fixed quickly. Being so near to one of the most expensive cities in the US you'd think it would be upgraded to 50 Amp power as well. Cell service is non-existent, though they of course can't control that. I will say the staff is all very friendly.

If you're coming here to visit San Diego it is quite the trek into the city, to the beach, or to anything of note. We spent 3 weeks here, which was way too long with nothing to do in the area. Unless you're ok driving a total of 2 hours to something interesting and back it's a fairly boring campground to stay in.

Space E-11 Vehicle Type: 38' 5th Wheel Stay: 3 Weeks

Nice campground great activities for kids laundry on site Jacuzzi pool fishing for RV hook Up. Over 40 cabins available. Membership costs us around $2000 And have access to / 3000 different camp sites nationwide At any time of the year a drop of a dime essentially

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!

This is a great campground in the middle of nowhere.  A lot of RVs are in the center and seem set up as full-timers, but along the perimeter are some great, tucked-away sites.  There are also a number of "cabins" in a row.  Not a ton of privacy, but they're clean cabins with the basics - a bathroom, sink, bedframe, table/chairs.  The best part is sitting out on the little deck.  Personally, I like cabins 5-7 the best.  

It can get a little noisy if a motorcycle gang comes around, but the hiking is nice.  There's a good trail right from the campground but stay on the path because the cactus will get you!!!

The hot springs pool is great and has adult-only hours at night which is fantastic.  

I've been there a few times now and it's always a fun getaway with a different feel than going to the mountains.

We have stayed at the Springs At Borrego many times with friends and always have a wonderful time. I'm not a big golfer, but the course that surrounds the park is very nice. In fact, all of the facilities are well maintained. It's best to avoid the summer unless you're a fan of extreme heat. The rest of the year pleasant, with similar weather to other low desert areas of California.

There's a dry camping area near the front of the park, and they also have a few rental cabins.

If you like to bike, this is a great spot, as the roads are very quiet.

Tamarisk Grove Campground is about 20 minutes south of Borrego Springs. It sits next to the highway but there’s minimal traffic so it isn’t terribly loud. There are tent sites as well as primitive cabins. Each site has a fire ring and table. There are also flush toilets and paid showers. There is no potable water at this campground - be sure to bring your own. The cabins are simple structures with platforms for sleeping. There are no amenities in the cabins - no electric, no water, no mattress, no linens, etc.

The campground is across the street from both the Cactus Loop and Yaqui Well trail heads. We recommend the short Cactus Loop hike over the Yaqui Well hike. Go at sunset to catch the cholla cacti backlit by the sunset.

Beautiful and peaceful place to camp around the lake. We were at the Westshore campsite, which seemed for me the best ( the two others are lone pines for RV and tents and Chambers for tents and cabins) Westshore has a dozen campsites with direct lake view (not allowed to swim in the lake though). Picnic table and barbecue available for each site and additional picnic tables around the lake. The sites are separated by walls for more privacy. Bathrooms available near the parking maybe 100m near the campsites. No showers though. There's a nice restaurant with a lake view. There's also a mini market shop and a bait shop. Boat rental available, but all reserved already in the morning though. I think a lot of people come fishing for the day.

We had campsite #49 which is not the best one, because we only had one wall separating us from the other campers, instead of two walls. So we had the sun directly hitting on us early morning whilst the others were still in the shade. So if you can choose, I wouldn't recommend the #49. The other sites are fine.

Hot spring campground in the Anza desert. Such a great place to come and reset from busy day to day hustle. Peaceful and clean, with cabins for those who dont tent or trailer camp.

This park has something for everyone. The mineral pools, Horse shoe pits, paved roads for bikes, hiking. There are hook up and no Hook up sites as well as cabins. Careful if you bring dogs, it’s the desert and lots of cactus.

Nice spacious sites at this county run campground near the border. Lots of shade trees. Trails, playground, cabins for rent and pavilion that can be rented for large group meetings/dinners.

Easy drive to Campo with its historic train rides and museum @ the old Campo store. Fascinating historical area including former Italian POW camp from WWII.

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.

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.

Located at Lake Cuyamaca in Julian. Gorgeous views of the lake!!!! Picnic area, tent camping sites, and also cabins and condos as well. This place is so serene and peaceful as you are tucked in adjacent to the 110 acre lake. Only lake in San Diego that has stock trout all year. Other fish include Florida bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, and sturgeon. Sits at over 4,000 elevation with Mt Laguna right up the road. Huge bathrooms here with running water. Fee is rarely cheap. Great campground for families or just as a day escape from the city.

We have camped here for years and have only stayed at the original campground which is Chambers Park. It has been a couple years since last camped here; but we visit this lake multiple times a year. Always a good time fishing and enjoying the views; Deer and Wild Turkey frequent the surrounding area. There is also an equestrian trail not to far from the campground. If looking to do a horseback ride around the lake contact Adventures on Horseback and speak to Deb. Highly recommended! (must have a minimum of 4 riders as they trailer the horses there) The Diner is a must for some Julian apple pie. The staff is always friendly and food always hits the spot.

In regards to the campground there is a picnic table and small little BBQ that are provided; There is a port a pot right by the campsite. There are some trees for shade but some sites are a little more in the sun. Open flame fires are not allowed. At night it gets chilly and do get visits from the local raccoons so make sure your food is put away in your car and trash around your site is picked up. It does get windy around the lake but at nights it normally calms down. Now that we have a little one we prefer to camp up the road at one of the other campground that is more protected from the wind and fires are allowed. You can also rent Condo and Cabins right at the lake which is perfect for fall/winter months as the condos have a fireplace. The campground is dog friendly but dogs must remain on the leash and away from the waters edge. Dogs are only allowed at the campsite. There are also boats for rent. Insider tip: after 12pm check for half day rates; if boats are not rented they will normally give you a good deal for a half day rental.

2 outdoor pools and an indoor adult spa (102 degrees), RV sites with Power, Water and Sewer as well as tent sites. Flush toilets and hot/cold showers. This place is well maintained and the cleanest campground I have ever stayed at. Shuffleboard and Horseshoes courts, lots of hiking trails and things to see. The campground / pools are all fed from natural mineral springs. Pets are allowed within the campground and all sites have picnic table and fire-ring. Small store at the park entrance is great for the simply things you may have forgotten. They even have cabins available but they book up pretty fast. Rangers are all very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed my stay, I will be back.

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.

The tent had nice cots and plenty of space for my wife, myself, and our little son. He had a BLAST with all the farm animals and hiking around the trails. The tent is up the hill away from all the noisy animals so it is very private and peaceful. Plus the view is beautiful!

The outhouse worked great for us, it is just a bit of a hike down the hill from the tent. The cabin is much closer to everything, so if you are planning to stay there you won't have to walk as far. 

Some of the animals are roaming free (it is a farm). Our son LOVED that but just be aware if you are not comfortable with animals.

Karen, the farmhand, helped us out with everything we needed and provided a fire pit, firewood, lounge chairs, trash bins, and a canopy. We bought eggs fresh from the farm and cooked them over the fire for the full experience!

The weather was perfect in May, cool in the evenings but totally comfortable with some warm jackets.

My wife and I stayed here in early May 2021. This was our second time at Paso Picacho after visiting here a few years ago. We were even more impressed this time around. I can't say enough about this place. The grounds are serene and well kept, the atmosphere is relaxed and most of the campers were very respectful. The campsites are huge, if you know which ones to nab with an early reservation, and the staff there are just the most delightful people on earth.

On our first night there, a couple of huge pickups showed up to the spot right above ours at midnight, and they blasted music, partied, and screamed at the top of their lungs often (for whatever reason), and we couldn't sleep. We were super bummed and had thought it was pretty much going to be an awful trip. However, we talked to the campground host and the staff at the entrance, and they were super understanding and helpful. They said that they know people come here for peace and quiet, and that they take it seriously when any campers violate their quiet hours rules.

The camp host hopped on a cart right away and sped away to the offending sites to give them a talking to and made sure to mention that if they violated the noise rules again, they would send in rangers and have them booted out of the campground. It worked like gangbusters! The rest of our trip was amazing, and we didn't hear so much as a peep from the neighboring sites (it was a big group) all weekend. The camp host followed up with us afterward and said that we could come by his site anytime and tell him if the other campers were loud again, even if it was 3am in the morning. He said, "It's no trouble. That's what I'm here for."

Awesome, awesome, awesome. The fire pit worked out great, and we were able to cook all of our meals on the grill that comes with it using the cast iron skillets we bought. They had plenty of wood for sale at the front, as well as ice. The wood price is a little steep ($8 per bundle), but all that money goes back into the park. Knowing that, it actually felt good paying them for the wood rather than buying it elsewhere.

The trails were well kept, and the views were fantastic even with the fire damage. We got to do everything that we wanted to do and then some. We even had time to go to Julian and do some shopping - check out the Cider Mill for some delicious treats!

As far as campsites go, our site (#30) was so, so great. We researched a lot online beforehand (campsitephotos.com was helpful along with this site, Google reviews, and Yelp), so we had a pretty good idea of what the site was going to look like.  But it was even better than the pictures. It was a huge site with plenty of room for 2 tent pads. The picnic table and fire pit were positioned just under a huge, climbable tree that gave us plenty of shade while we were there. The only downside to this site is that it was very close to the bathrooms. That actually bummed me out a bit when we first arrived, but it ended up not being much of an issue at all. The traffic to and from the bathrooms was very light, and the section of the bathroom building facing our site was all showers, which barely anybody used. There is also a lot of bushes and tree cover in between the site and the bathrooms, so we barely saw anybody the whole time we were there.

Reading reviews online is what helped us find such a great spot, so I promised myself  I would walk the grounds and post all of the good site numbers online when we got back. So here they are, at least in my opinion:

Top Three

30: our site- the best!

70: easily the 2nd best site on the grounds- very private, secluded, lots of bush cover, fire pit and table are far from the road- the only downside to this site it that it has very little shade, so bring a canopy or tarp to setup your own shade situation. Other than that, this site was incredible. We will probably check this one out when we go back here in the fall.

85: My pick for the 3rd best site on the grounds, although my wife disagreed. This site is surrounded by forest, trees, and bushes on 3 sides. If you don't count the front facing view, it is one of the most secluded sites in the campground. It is on the outside of a bend in the road, and there are no other sites to the left and right of it. I personally prefer a"bathroom bush" close by to save myself from having to walk to the bathrooms in the dark, and this place has tons of'em. The downside here is that the front of the campsite faces 2-3 other sites that are right across the road. If the site were a house, basically the"front door" is wide open to the campers across the way. If you had a bad group camping across from you, it might be not so fun. However, you can park your car in such a way that it would block out some of that wide open space in the front, making it more private.

Honorable Mention

44: my wife's pick for 3rd- big site, lots of shade, secluded, a little too close to the neighboring site on the left side(facing the site from the road) but nothing but road on the right side

8: Nice, big site that is not close to other campsites. Private, secluded. Lots of trees and shade. The downside to this one is that it is right across from a cabin. Depending on the campers using the cabin during your visit, that proximity to the cabin might be a bummer. However, there were no big parties at the cabins while we were there.

51: Good site, lots of trees and shade. Semi-private.

54: Good site, lots of trees and shade. Not all that private- kind of open and on a little bit of a slope.

20: Just kinda okay. Trees and shade but not very private or secluded. Good if all of the above are booked.

This is a nice relaxing place to camp. The camping spots are on the other side of the lake from the boat rentals there is a very small bait store on the camping side. There is amazing hiking all around the camp ground some you need to drive to.