Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Ocotillo? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Ocotillo campgrounds for you and your tent. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Ocotillo, California's most popular destinations.
Corral Canyon CampgroundDistance1.2 miles with connecting optionsCampfiresCampfires are not allowed when elevated fire restrictions are in effect. Please see our current fire restrictions page for more details.FeesAdventure Pass RequiredHike/Ride TimeHalf dayDifficultyEasy to ModerateBest SeasonsSpring, WinterLocationOff the I-8 at Buckman Springs Rd. Turn right on Buckman Springs rd. to Morena Stokes Valley rd, travel 10 miles to reach Four Corners Staging area and continue to the campgroundRanger DistrictDescanso Ranger District - (619) 445-6235 Corral Canyon Campground is located within the Corral Canyon OHV Area and provides a secluded camping opportunity for those using the surrounding trails. Campsites are nestled amongst an Oak grove with views of chaparral and desert for miles. Trails can be accessed from just outside of the campground, linking many to__the greater OHV Area for more options. Each parking sport was designed to accommodate vehicles towing up to 27ft. trailers.20 sites are available and OHV use is allowed with a Green Sticker (required). Please note that there is no potable water in the campground or within the local Corral Canyon and Bear Valley area.
“Discover the Joy of Nature at GoodVibes Ranch & Farm: Your Ultimate Mountain Escape!” At GoodVibes Ranch & Farm, we offer a variety of camping options to suit your preferences. Whether you prefer traditional tent camping, glamping units, or eco-friendly trailers, we have something for everyone.
Our campground is nestled in the breathtaking mountains of Jamul, California, providing a serene and picturesque backdrop for your camping adventure.
In addition to camping accommodations, we offer a range of activities to keep you entertained. Explore the surrounding hiking trails and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature. Challenge your friends to a game of disc golf or unwind with a friendly game of billiards.
We pride ourselves on providing an affordable camping experience, making it the perfect choice for families or friends looking to gather and create lasting memories.
Come and discover the joy of nature at GoodVibes Ranch & Farm, your ultimate mountain escape!
At GoodVibes Ranch & Farm, we provide a range of amenities to ensure your comfort and convenience during your camping experience. With 74 Acres you have ample space around your individual campsites to enjoy with friends and family. To utilize amenities such as disc golf or billiards check in at front desk to access. Hiking or Disc Golf maps are also at front desk. Our campground offers separate men's and women's bathrooms, as well as a shower area where you can freshen up after a day of outdoor activities.
For those who prefer to cook their own meals, we have a fully equipped kitchen available for your use. Stay connected with our WiFi access and enjoy the convenience of well water throughout the campground.
We also prioritize sustainability and have implemented a waste management system. You will find designated bins for garbage, recycling, and compost, allowing you to dispose of your waste responsibly.
To enhance your camping experience, we have fire pits where you can gather around and enjoy a cozy campfire. Additionally, we provide a BBQ grill and picnic areas for you to enjoy outdoor meals with your loved ones.
We strive to provide all the necessary amenities to make your stay enjoyable and hassle-free at GoodVibes Ranch & Farm.
$50 - $175 / night
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!
Scout
Tent site
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 :)
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
Went here with friends and it was nice but there are way too many RV'S and ATV'S. there's no place to have a fire because there might be a wild fire outbreak. Bathrooms are clean and the showers are free. There are even halls where you can play BINGO and a game room with Wii games. Camping spots are big enough for 2 8 person tents or 1 small rv and a 4 person tent. If you want to glamping this is a good place but if you want to tent camp I would look somewhere else.
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!
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.
GuideLocated 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.
Guide
This is a great little spot with a lot of level area if you are self-contained and don't need to hook up to anything. Not a great place for tent camping though, think of it more as a great desert parking lot with a view. There are plenty of picnic tables and fire rings available though (be prepared and bring your own wood). There are several porta-potties and trash cans available as well and even some recycling bins available. The views here are solid, space was quiet aside from the occasional train. Would definitely recommend for a night. Cost was $10.
Guide
My advice is to make a day trip into Tecate also, it’s only 6 miles away. These camp sites are great. I was surprised with how much shade there is; lots of great oak trees. Good hiking trails. We stayed in “Tent site 2” which was good. My only criticism is that the sites are just a little too close, unless you don’t have a neighbor. It’s not bad, just my personal preference. There’s a general store only about about 2 miles from the camp. We parked at the border for 7 bucks, walked across and had tacos. Loved it.
Traveler2 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.
RangerTamarisk 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.
Guide
We camped here on New Years Eve. It was quiet. This area is interesting. Has a Mad Max Thunderdome vibe. Definitely go to Salvation Mountain then drive thru Slab City. I walked thru the odd Outdoor Art Gallery called “East Jesus” fascinating population of people live out there. We camped at the Mecca camp which is a mile south of the ranger station. The actual Salton sea is right there. Great for bird watching bring binoculars. The sunrise and sunsets were some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Best hook up site #138 but hands down best tent site #134. If I didn’t get either of those I would not have stayed as sites are very close with zero privacy barrier. The best part of this campground were the hosts. Good folks
Guide68-year old, still tenderfoot tent camper. This was my first experience in California after three prior stays in Texas and Arizona. The San Diego County system centrally handles reservations of its campgrounds, which was fortunate for me. I mistakenly reserved one campground thinking it was another (my preferred, Potrero), but it was 30 miles away. Even though I paid for two nights in advance, their phone reservations help was superb and got me transferred without any hiccups. Big shout-out to the ranger at Potrero for suggesting. I interacted with several and they were all professional, friendly and helpful.
There's one central plumbed restroom and shower facility. Further out along the tent sites there was a hand portapotty. When you first drive in you'll go past a very large day-use area with its own facilities before you get to the overnight camping sites. Alcohol is permitted if alcohol content < 20%.
My site #7 was the last in the row of tent-only sites and appeared to be the largest with plenty of shade and flat pad site. Without seeing other tents it's a little hard to gauge size, but I'd guess walking by the other sites that there's probably at least 80-100 feet between tent pads, or even more. Lots of open spaces. The seven tent sites shared a couple (maybe more) of water spigots.
The primary annoyance was with the park's neighbors who seemingly had a whole pound of dogs who barked loudly through the nights. Given how otherwise silent it was, it was the barking was noticeable and to be distinguished from the coyotes, birds and owls. I think I also heard roosters crowing each morning as early as 3am.
The major event of my stay was the arrival of, as Steely Dan sang, "Here come those Santa Ana winds again …" At 5 a.m. the first morning, it was still and quiet as can be (sans the neighborhood dogs). A few minutes later, the winds hit. For the next 11 hours, surviving the wind 30-40 mph sustained winds, gusts over 50 was the only concern – both for my little tent and my car and myself due to the wind effects on the large trees surrounding us. In the end, there was no noticeable damage but seldom have I spent a full day out in the weather like that.
All in all, I'm not sure you could ask for more at about $25/night. Although I would've paid double if there were a no-wind option. I also had two great tent parties my second night, a couple about my age who were returning to California after summering in Baja, and a young woman from Germany traveling by herself around the world. Interesting neighbors to say the least.
At site #7 I had zero T-Mobile signal. Outside the Ranger Station I could get at most, 2 bars LTE.
Traveler
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!
ScoutPros:
easy to get to, nice amenities
right next to Julian (perfect for day trips into town)
there are a few campsites where you can create some privacy (much more so than many other San Diego park campgrounds)
cool, easy trails to hike nearby
Cons:
most campsites are right on top of each other, many don't provide shade. One occasion, a family with a giant RV parked in the middle of the tent campground area, their generator/other RV components were extremely loud, and they brought two power wheel cars that their young children promptly began to drive around (adding to the sounds of other battery-powered crap) at 6am. My solace came when the batteries finally died.
rangers are constantly patrolling and there are A TON of rules for the campground ("quiet hours", no ropes or anything else tied to the trees)
the area is ridden with flies at certain times of the year- i believe it was late summer
RangerCamped 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.
LegendI was looking for a place to camp that wasn't too far from San Diego and offered some hiking in the desert landscape. The grounds are quite large - there's 2 pools and rec centers.
One rec center is designed more for kids with a pool table, air hockey, shuffleboard, and games. The other, more main center has TV, shuffleboard, ping pong, and a built in cafe. You can also rent out sports equipment from the main center, including golf putters for the mini golf course, baseball bats and balls for the diamond, and a few lawn games. There is WiFi access from this building and it appears they even do movie nights plus a few more community-related events, which is nice considering most people who stay here appeared to be doing so long term and having those options keeps the boredom at bay.
Heck, someone even built a track for RC cars to race on, and there is a laundry center as well. Showers were nice and warm, and not coin operated - a rarity given the water droughts around CA.
Since you're in the desert, having pools to cool off in was something I appreciated the longer I was in the heat. I did a hike in the area (TAKE LOTS OF WATER AND WATCH FOR RATTLESNAKES) and a dip in the pool was a great way to finish it off.
I gave this place 4 out of 5 for the following:
The price tag. $41 for a tent site it too much, even for private campgrounds. I presume this is because even the most primitive sites still offer electric hook ups, and $40ish is usually what you pay for those features - I just wish for a place that offers 500+ spots that some should be available without the hookups and for a lower price.
The other reason is because some of the amenities need upkeep. It's great to be able to offer things like mini golf and to have the land for a baseball diamond, but both were well overdue for maintenance.
TravelerIf you have ever felt like your kids and family where not going to be safe and you knew you were not going to be able to sleep at night. This is how I felt at Thousand Trails Pio Pico. Don’t let the Pictures fool you; Yes, the South side of the camp is a great place to be, I’m Sure. With all the amenities and security of the staff being there. Its possible you will feel safe. But you are not allowed to setup on the south side when you arrive. You have to go to the northside, well from what I can see the northside section H is where most people head to because of this; but, my family and I, where forced into section G, which looked like a rundown trailer park where trailer and RV’s go to die. If you’re going to stay at Pio Pico you better have a toilet, shower, and be selfsustained aboard your rig. This we were not. We Picked a spot next to the bathroom and next to a nicer looking rig in section G. After setting up our Popup Trailer my son needed to use the restroom. This is where we found out the condition of the restrooms in Trailer Park section G. The showers had not heads, handles, or curtains to take a shower; if one was brave enough to do it in section G, in the first place. Though the bathroom looked clean and where stocked with paper and hand towels, the walls looked old and falling apart. Likewise, the sink looked as if a mechanic washed his oily and grease hands in it every day and cleaning it was not going to be enough. I have spent my whole youth and tricenarian“Ruffing it” via backpacking, dry camping, and Tent camping. So not taking a shower is not the worst thing in the world. But when the other people around you look like they live their full time and some even looked a little shady. While some are doing drugs, because we could smell it, and come out of there campers spun out and half naked. It takes ruffing it and turns it into a borderline safety issue. As dawn came and we decided that it was not a smart idea to stay here. We started breaking down all of our stuff and packing up the trailer, because it was either head home or find a new camp ground. While in the middle of packing up we over heard the people in the trailer next to us saying“I’m not going to buy that for you, they have it you should have stolen it while you had the chance.” We pulled out of there and we lucked out as we got reservations for another RV park. As a member of TT and spent my whole childhood with TT, I am appalled that this TT Park has come to this low of standards. As a child we went here a few times and never had anything close to this lack of management. I would not recommend this for anyone whom has children or whom may leave you rig unattended for the day or longer. If it is better in section H I hope they can make changes to the camp grounds to fix and improve section G. My family will not be returning. And I hope no one runs into this at TT.
ScoutI’ve always loved going to Ocotillo because of the views and the people great for kids and big enough to be by yourself.
Ocotillo, California, offers a unique desert camping experience for tent enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to different preferences and needs.
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