Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Salton City, CA

Our family of 3 just left the campground this morning, and we had a great time during our 1 night stay.  To find it, just plug the GPS coordinates into Google maps and follow the instructions.  It’s fairly primitive (outhouse and water spigot), but the sky is clear and the whole place is very serene with trees and nature. They have several protective, very human-friendly dogs on the property.  They also open the barn around 0800 and allow campers to pet the rabbits, chickens, cats, pigs, turkey, ducks, and even feed the goats.  Sites have campfire rings (bring your own wood), picnic table, and a couple Adirondack style chairs.  The staff is also very friendly and informative.  We will certainly be back.

Very spacious resort in the center of a gorgeous 9 hole golf course/driving range. Check-in packet was prepared & ready along w/an escort to our space, which has level concrete parking and picnic pad with table. 50/30/110, water, sewer, wifi and cable included. Catch and release fishing pond, pool, hot mineral spas, tennis, lawn bowling, big and little dog parks. The stargazing is amazing! Very clean and well maintained. Quiet respectful guests. Great area to bike. You can drive to the sculptures, Salton Sea, downtown Borrego and Julian.. you Will be driving through curvy mountain ranges to get to this destination. Stayed 1/4-8/2021

We only stayed one night in a pull through but enjoyed the facilities. Park is very clean and has a good restaurant. They do have a lot of mobile homes but most are newer and well kept. Some RV’s look abandoned which is a shame. Nice dog park area with grass, could use water for the pups. Laundry and bathrooms were very clean. Pool area and restaurant, bar area is nice. We had dinner, wing’s were great burger was good but not great. Service was very good. Pull through site was narrow but had all we needed for one night. Looks like the workout facility is nice.

We decided to extend our Borrego Springs trip (first time here) by one night and try a little boondocking at Peg Leg Smith Historical Marker (yes, there is actually a marker).  We did not arrive until well after dark, so the parking was a little challenging (F250 pulling a 30' Toy Hauler) but overall not bad at all. 

The lot is fairly uneven (for free-99, what do you expect?) but was a great little spot (the uneveness of the lot can be easily dealt with by leveling ).  We were one of 7 rigs there for the night, and there was one group of tent campers.  The only real issue was the wind, which is very common for the desert - about 2 hours after sunset, it really started to howl an rocked the trailer until about 8am the next day.

We were able to find it in the dark without too much drama.  We entered from the Salton City side - exited Highway 86 at  Sunrise Road, then Borrego Springs Road for 22 miles or so.

The campsite itself is very well maintained. Metal fire pits are available and bathrooms. The last place I camped was $30 and had neither.

The scenery is beautiful but very desert. Cholla cacti are everywhere so watch your pets paws (my poor dog kept getting them in between her paw pads). Also didn’t get very cool in the evening, but had a beautiful night sky.

There are trails; no dogs allowed.

Did see a tarantula.

I stayed at Arroyo Salado one year during a super bloom at Anza Borrego Desert State Park.  The campground is very, very basic.  You pull up and find a spot and camp.  There are no designated campsites.  And it's free.  There are pit toilets, which are clean and don't really smell.

We had the pleasure, as I said, of coming during the super bloom, when all of the sites closer to town were booked.  This is in the "badlands" part of the park, leaving Borrego Springs and heading toward Salton City, which happens to be the cheapest place to get gas in these parts.

There's room to pitch a tent.  You basically set up camp wherever there is room. We were among blooming desert lilies and had to be careful not to damage any, but plenty of fairly flat sandy soil to pitch a tent.  You can bring your own barbecue if you want a fire, but fires must be self contained and you have to pack out what you bring in, so don't leave behind your ashes or coals.  Want to be lazy?  Grab dinner from one of the restaurants in town.

This part of the park (the badlands) tends to be slightly warmer than other areas of the park.  (Because of elevation and topography? I'm not sure why.)  This is a dry camp.  There is no water, so you have to bring your own. But Borrego Springs is maybe 15-20 minutes away if you need a supply run.

During the blooms and when it's not super hot, it's lovely, but it's ungodly hot in the summer here (110-115 degrees), not cooling much at night.  There are off-road roads in this area.  We watched a lovely moonrise amid some night-blooming flowers.  So time it right and it's lovely.

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.

I will definitely be here again! We camped as a group in the more remote part, towards Little Blair Valley. We came in March during the super bloom and it was still very cold at night. We did have a huge gust of wind pick up around 3am and took one of our tents out, but a little adjustment and new placement the next day and it didn’t happen again. It was pet friendly, we had 2 little dogs that loved their stay as much as we did. No running water, or bathrooms (except for a 10 min drive back to the entrance), we were allowed a ground fire at the time. Campsite itself was really great, boy, could you see some stars! Found a trail at some point that led to a rock with petroglyphs and i hope I can find that trail again! Forever in love with Anza!

It was my first time at Burnt Rancheria, but not the last. I was impressed with the cleanliness, and the spacious and well-spaced spots. It was super kid friendly and for pets as well, but never too loud. The hikes are gorgeous and easy for small ones to manage. I would highly recommend this campground ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️

For being a dispersed camping spot I am always impressed when there’s a bathroom! Definitely loved this spot. Stars for days! Coyotes came right by the van in the night though so watch your pets if you’re camping with them! Follow the road all the way back for two great hiking trails. One has petroglyphs and the other is an old homestead. I also make it a point to visit the slot canyon on the way in our out of this area!

Stopped in total last minute and Mojo was friendly and accommodating! I loved the vibe and although it is free to stay out in the slabs it was totally worth it to pull in here in the dark and have a place to stay. My only regret was that it was a quick stop-over and I couldn't stay longer. 

If you are looking for interesting places, colorful people and friendly free roaming pets, then this is the place. I hope to stop here again in the future and spend more time with Mojo and the crew.

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.

I've been coming to Lake Hemet for several years. The campground is clean and the fishing is good, most of the time. They stock the lake regularly so you have a good chance of catching trout, even from the shore.

It can get a little loud on the weekends with drunk party-goers. There's not a lot of campground etiquette either. Not the campgrounds fault. Just uncaring people stomping through your site on their way to and from where ever.

There's a water park for playing in the lake but, the lake is off limits to pets. If you forget something there's a store at the entrance. You can even get a fishing license there if needed. 

The staff are friendly and helpful most of the time. But, like anywhere people get out of hand they can get surly too. 

A lot of sites have some shade but you have to look for them. Full hookups are available too.

This campground is a great little hidden gem of a getaway tucked into the Laguna mountains just 50 or so miles from San Diego. At alt 6000 feet in mountain forests, you feel like you are far away from it all. The camp sites are generously spaced adding to the seclusion. It is a family campground, so just know the weekends are going to be full of kids and pets, but weekday camping will present the peace of wind and birds. Bathrooms are clean and water is available everywhere. Not many spaces for big rigs, but lots if you’re in the 20’ range. One whole section is fir first-come, first-serve.

Access to the PCT for a stretch of very easy hiking right out of the campground. A cafe at the entrance and a general store up the road a couple of miles.

Advise stopping at a local grocery for firewood, tho. Is expensive ($8/bundle) at the campground and it’s not even local. They have it shipped in.

Lastly the price here is not $25/ nite as listed. At yhe time of this writing (4/2022) it is $29/nite

This site was ideal for my needs. The southern end of the park seems a lot quieter- away from some of the more tourist-visited spots. The location is just prior to the the Joshua Tree Park Entrance sign - you get off 10 at cottonwood springs rd. I got there in the dark so it took me a minute to find it. There are sand road loops to the left and right of main road. Bumpy but fine in my station wagon with low clearance and no awd. Scout sites - some have soft sand or rocks. Heavy rains started as we were leaving after two days and I can imagine that would make navigating parts of this camp into a 4wd affair. The first site I pulled into was really covered with dog poop so kept going and found a cleaner site. There is a ton of space so easy to find your own area that feels close enough to feel not completely isolated but private. No shrubbery. It’s not as picturesque as some areas but for my needs - free, plenty of soft sand road to walk the dog and close to the park - it was great. Another dog note - no dogs on trails in Joshua Tree but they are fine on all dirt roads!

Very nice camping area, beautiful sunrise, nice trails. Its pack in pack out, pit toilets. Watch little dogs as the area has hawks.