Top Tent Camping near Ranchita, CA

Are you planning a tent camping trip to Ranchita? We've got you covered. The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your California camping adventure.

Best Tent Sites Near Ranchita, CA (26)

Showing results 1-10 of 26 campgrounds

Recent Tent Reviews In Ranchita

1320 Reviews of 26 Ranchita Campgrounds


  • Jeff T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Dixon Lake Campground
    Oct. 21, 2024

    Dixon Lake Campground

    Great forestry feel. And good price ($30)

    We stayed here multiple times to car camp and have stayed in sites 3, 6, and 28. We really enjoyed site 28 due to the spectacular views of Escondido. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because their can be some creepy people occasionally like some old guy was following my son in his car. But other than that we had a good stay. If you are in a camper I would recommend Escondido RV resort instead due to the more inviting feel (we stayed there in our Coleman travel trailer). But if you car camp a lot like myself I would recommend staying here at Dixon lake. Great stay overall👍😊

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from South Ridge Yellow Post Sites
    Sep. 27, 2024

    South Ridge Yellow Post Sites

    Awesome dispersed site with amazing views

    Very nice to find a campsite this private on a weekend in southern California elevation is high enough that temperatures were very enjoyable (mid 80's)

  • Osborn T.
    Camper-submitted photo from Rancho Los Coches RV Park
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Rancho Los Coches RV Park

    Natural Language Processing

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  • WThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Dos Picos County Park
    Sep. 22, 2024

    Dos Picos County Park

    Harassing Ranger

    I have never had a bad experience at a camp ground with any ranger. They have all been wonderful. Not at this park. My registration tags went to my home so I did not have current tags. I had to have a family member collect my mail and forward to me on my travels so it was delayed. I did have a receipt which I was required to provide. However, the ranger barged into my campsite in a huff, treated me as if I were vomiting a crime and demanded my receipt on the spot in front of all. It was quite over the top. Later the same man barged back into my campsite throwing accusations at me that I hadn’t paid my measly $4.00 parking fee and breaking the rules of the park. He had the nerve to argue with me after I explained that in fact I had paid. He backed down after realizing I had. He then returned to harass us for the kids using chalk. There were kids from several campsites using chalk. We apologized and made them clean it up, no big deal. But the ranger was didn’t simply ask for it to be cleaned. He was threatening and confrontational. I dealt with one other ranger here who was quite nice and helpful but this other was awful. I discovered I was not the only one to have this experience here. I would recommend Sweetwater or Lake Jennings in San Diego area or Aqua Caliente where they are quite friendly. Yikes this was horrible

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Provisions Farm
    Sep. 22, 2024

    Provisions Farm

    Delightful Area, Delightful Hosts

    Wow, Highland Valley is beautiful!  This is a great place to camp your RV - especially if you love the farm vibe.  We stayed in the front spot, up against the property line, which felt private.

  • Annie G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Fry Creek Campground
    Sep. 18, 2024

    Fry Creek Campground

    Very beautiful

    This is a very nice and quiet campground and everyone there was very respectful of quite hours. The place was very clean and very beautiful. The only con was that there are way too many insects everywhere, My base camp got bombarded with a swarm of wasps, And I was forced to leave a day early, and had to leave my cooking pot behind because of the swarm of wasps... I wish there were some kind of rangers or someone there that I could have asked for help about this, or I wish someone would do something about this issue but I guess it is what it is at this location lol 😆 Other than not being able to cook and eat without wasps in your face and In your food, it was really nice

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Tool Box Springs - Yellow Post Campground
    Sep. 18, 2024

    Tool Box Springs - Yellow Post Campground

    Canpsites a plenty

    There’s a few designated camp areas up this way. Went out in early Sept 2024 and the road was fine. I drive a lifted AWD overloaded Honda Element and I had no issue. There were two sections on the final ascent loop to the top of Thomas Mountain that were a little scratchy. You do not need to complete the final ascent to the top to enjoy the camping areas. Although if your car is capable there’s an excellent spot at the very end of the loop.

  • Kyle F.
    Camper-submitted photo from Champagne Lakes RV Resort
    Sep. 17, 2024

    Champagne Lakes RV Resort

    REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS!

    Let's start off with the fact that this"resort" has REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS living there and TWEAKERS SELLING DRUGS. When I mentioned it to the management they could care less, didn't say a word and walked away laughing. They DO NOT perform ANY BACKGROUND CHECKS and especially with children in the park I find that very disturbing. They nickel and dime you for every little thing and the rent has gone up 3x in one year. The water supply smells like sewage when you take a shower. Because they do pump outs the resort smells like human excrement most of the time. The lakes are polluted as well and completely full of cyanobacteria AKA green algae which is a respiratory hazard. POTENTIAL BEWARE.

  • Gabriel S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Pine Creek Road Camp
    Sep. 15, 2024

    Pine Creek Road Camp

    Nice quick and easy getaway

    Quite easy to get to. I drive an Acura RDX and had no problems (I actually had a lot of fun driving the road). 

    There were way more flies than we were expecting. Prepare to get swarmed. Luckily just gnats and no mosquitoes from what we experienced.

    We applied for a permit on Friday and did not get it by Saturday when we departed. Luckily, no rangers patrolled during our stay.

    Some spots with good shade.

  • Lisa D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mission Bay RV Resort
    Sep. 11, 2024

    Mission Bay RV Resort

    Wasn't Thrilled

    Overpriced for a dirt spot, no ocean view at all. Ocean view sites full of expensive RVs that can afford the price. No market or cantina, for those you have to walk to Campland, not a short walk. Should've just stayed at Campland

  • dThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Pine Creek Road Camp
    Aug. 30, 2024

    Pine Creek Road Camp

    Peaceful and secluded

    A great spot if you want to get away and enjoy some alone time. It’s a little warm in the day in august this time of year so you can’t hike around or explore too much. My girlfriend and I stopped in Julian on our way out to get a late lunch and then head to the campsite. The road is paved until you turn off Lone Creek Road and then it is a dirt road. I have a stock Rav4 and it was able to drive on it although there are a few spots you need to be careful at so you don’t scrape the bottom of your car. We only spent one night but we never saw another person during our stay

  • Glen C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Laguna Campground
    Aug. 29, 2024

    Laguna Campground

    Wonderful for dry RV or tent camping

    The scenery is incredible and varied from deeply forested to open meadow.  There are miles of hiking trails.  The campground layout is nice and for many of the loops it is possible to find a site that feels separated from your fellow campers.  This place fills up during the weekends in the spring through fall seasons, so book sites early on recreation.gov.  As implied by my title, there are no hookups here so any RV camping is dry camping.  For RVs with a good solar array, it is possible to find open spots that keep the energy flowing throughout the day.  There is one loop dedicated to longer RVs.  As a personal note, I don't recommend Site 62 for RV camping - it is angled and has some erosion issues coming off of the asphalt pad.  I have been to this campground several times as both a tent camper and an RV camper and have not had any problems with cleanliness of the facilities or excessively noisy neighbors.

  • Heather L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Stone Creek Campground
    Aug. 22, 2024

    Stone Creek Campground

    Some of the Campsites are great, others not so much

    We traveled as a group of 17 campers and were able to disperse evenly between 4 close together campsites. We were in 19, 20, 21 and 23. Even though the website says it allowed 2 cars per site we were charged for the 2nd vehicle. In each site. I had also checked online prior to make sure we would have cell service with that many people meeting us. Only those of us that had Verizon had only a single bar. The campsites in the inner ring (ours was #21) are VERY close together. Not at all private, your camp is literally up against a couple others. We had children from the other sites running all through ours and it was so close you could hear everyone else’s private conversations. #19 and #20 were on the outer circle but just enough space to park and then walk through very sticky manzanita trees into the campsite and picnic table area. None of them had much or any shade. Our saving grace was our 4th spot - which gave us enough room to have all of us sit out of the way of the sticky trees and one tree in the middle to give us a touch of shade throughout the day. It had 2 picnic tables and was much more private so we didn’t disturb anyone and we didn’t have everyone else disturbing us. The vault toilets (yes, I know what they entail, and yes, it’s summer) were horrendous and barely useable, but we had 2 within very quick walking distance of us. They do allow dogs (we had 5 dogs and 3 cats with us) and it’s a short drive into the little town of Idyllwild. It’s a campground that served its purpose in getting all of us together and of course we had a blast, but it’s not on my “must camp here again” list.

  • Rose  D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Blair Valley
    Aug. 9, 2024

    Blair Valley

    Quiet

    Peaceful dispersed campground. Wide open great views. Didn’t even know I had neighbors until I walked around in the morning and saw neighboring campers over the hill. Clear skies when I went back in November, could get pretty windy. Saw some coyotes pass by my camp.

  • Madisyn L.
    Camper-submitted photo from Woods Valley Kampground
    Jul. 28, 2024

    Woods Valley Kampground

    So beautiful, quiet, and very nice employees !!

    My fiancé and I were last minute camping and this campground was beautiful, quiet, and very aesthetic! There is a lot to do near by, a very convenient store about 5-10 minutes away called valley center foods! Employees were sooo sweet and friendly! DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! Ps isn’t that expensive when tent camping ⛺️ 🙌🏻

  • Bo L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Oceanside RV Park
    Jul. 21, 2024

    Oceanside RV Park

    Solid spot for being near the beach

    Nice little site that is right in the middle of everything.

    It's crowded and you don't have much space, but if your using this instead of a hotel room it works great.

    It had a game room and pool so kids had something to do. There were families all over with kids riding bikes. We had a quick stay over while we were seeing family in the area and it worked great .

    Only issue we had is both entrances have a hell of a dip, we scraped the ass end real good going in and out with our 24ft class c.

  • anna I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Kitchen Creek Road
    Jul. 10, 2024

    Kitchen Creek Road

    Decent spot to stop

    Pretty small spot off the road, does get kind of loud from cars but overall a decent and clean spots

  • J
    Camper-submitted photo from Observatory Campground
    Jun. 23, 2024

    Observatory Campground

    Great place! Bad timing!

    The pictures can be deceiving. It’s beautiful there, however, other than the picture showing flat ground, and wide space, this isn’t accurate.

    This time of year, mosquitos and flies everywhere to the point where it really ruined the experience. No matter what sprays, lotions, candles or anything we tried, it was not working.

  • dThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from South Carlsbad State Beach
    Jun. 19, 2024

    South Carlsbad State Beach

    Nice Camground!

    Nice campground. Mostly no hookups, but has toilets and fresh water throughout. Great little restaurant serving pizza and snacks over looking the ocean. Beach access. Lots of sites.

  • Carter M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Blair Valley
    May. 30, 2024

    Blair Valley

    Beautiful area but lots of bugs

    Here in late May and the bees and other bugs have been nonstop on me the whole time I've been here. It's a really beautiful area and the spots are spacious

  • NThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Pine Creek Road Camp
    May. 27, 2024

    Pine Creek Road Camp

    Dispersed Camping

    This was a last minute Memorial Day weekend trip with my boyfriend and 2 dogs. Friday sent an email to SM.FS.DescansoRD@usda.gov requesting the free permit (after doing research and finding out you need one), filled out the form, and got it back in the same day. Easy to get there, easy directions once there just make you pass the sign that says leaving the recreation area after that you can find any spot and camp. It was a little bumpy but nothing too bad. Drove with my jeep renegade that isn’t a 4wheel drive. A little busy due to the holiday but not too bad. Cyclist riding by, vehicles, and hikers. Which was nice saying hi. Hardly any service for my carrier which is T-Mobile. Definitely will camp out here again.



Guide to Ranchita

Camping near Ranchita, California, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of options to enjoy nature and unwind.

What to do:

  • Hiking: Explore the trails around William Heise County Park. One visitor mentioned, "The hiking trails were great for exploring and getting some exercise." The park is surrounded by tall trees and lush greenery, making it a perfect spot for nature walks.
  • Fishing: Head to Lake Hemet Campground for some fishing fun. A camper shared, "The lake is well-stocked with trout and bluegill," making it a great spot for anglers.
  • Wildlife Watching: At Blair Valley Primitive Campground, you might catch a glimpse of coyotes and other wildlife. One camper noted, "Saw some coyotes pass by my camp," highlighting the area's natural charm.

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of the sites. A review for Lake Jennings stated, "The bathrooms and showers are clean," which is a big plus for many.
  • Friendly Staff: Many visitors enjoy the helpfulness of the staff. At Dos Picos County Park, one camper said, "This is a very well-run county park," emphasizing the positive experiences with the park's team.
  • Privacy: Campers often mention the spaciousness of the sites. A review for Burnt Rancheria Campground highlighted, "The sites are nice with lots of trees for more privacy," making it a peaceful getaway.

What you should know:

  • Noise Levels: Some campgrounds can get busy and noisy, especially on weekends. A visitor at Lake Hemet Campground mentioned, "It can get a little loud on the weekends with drunk party-goers."
  • Limited Amenities: Not all campgrounds have full amenities. For instance, Blair Valley Primitive Campground has no drinking water or electric hookups, so be prepared to bring your own supplies.
  • Wildlife Caution: While wildlife is a highlight, it’s essential to be cautious. A camper at William Heise County Park warned about ticks in the area due to the presence of mule deer.

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for spots like Lake Jennings, which has a playground and activities for kids. One parent shared, "Great place for family and kids. Affordable."
  • Plan for Activities: Make sure to bring fishing gear if you’re heading to Lake Hemet Campground. A visitor noted, "Make sure to bring your spinning rods and reels with you."
  • Pack Snacks: Having snacks on hand can keep the kids happy. A camper at Dixon Lake Campground mentioned, "They have a small snack stand during the day," which can be convenient.

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure to check the size of the sites before booking. A review for Paso Picacho Campground mentioned, "Not many spaces for big rigs, but lots if you’re in the 20’ range."
  • Be Mindful of Hookups: Some campgrounds, like Burnt Rancheria Campground, do not have electric hookups. A camper noted, "There are no water, sewer nor electrical hookups at this campsite."
  • Arrive Early: To secure a good spot, especially on weekends, try to arrive early. A visitor at Dos Picos County Park mentioned, "Shouldn't have a problem finding a site here," but arriving early can help you snag the best ones.

Camping near Ranchita, California, offers a variety of experiences for everyone. Whether you're looking for a quiet retreat or a family adventure, there's something for you in this beautiful area.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ranchita, CA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ranchita, CA is Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 16 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find tent camping near Ranchita, CA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 26 tent camping locations near Ranchita, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.