Best Tent Camping near San Diego, CA

This is my favorite out of the two campgrounds in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. While both have their positives, I personally love this one for its close proximity to the waterfalls that are a short trail from the campsites. Depending on what campsite you are in, you can walk to the trail and down to the falls which are perfect for swimming around when it is hot outside. I love this campground for a quick weekend getaway from San Diego that has minimal preparation. Every site is a drive up site, most have shade and there are plenty of bathrooms. Most sites also have a fire ring and picnic table to use as well. A perfect, lower cost campsite that is great for families and people who want an easy camping experience with some water involved!

General: A mix of partial hook-up and tent sites plus six cabins about an hour from San Diego. 

Site Quality: All the sites have paved pads except 64-68 and 70-75; these have gravel pads. These sites also have a curb which can be a bit challenging when backing in an RV. A fire ring and picnic table complete the site. Some have better separation/privacy than others. This area had a lot of recent rain so the creek that meanders through the park was very high. Sites 74 and 75 were flooded and unoccupied when we were there.

Bathhouse: The one closest to site 73 was very basic (no hooks, shelves, or mirror); there was also one handicap-accessible separate bathroom. Although there were showers in other parts of the campground, there were not any in the bathhouse closest to our site.

Activities/Amenities: Campfire program, horseshoe pit, short nature trail, dump station. There is also a large, enclosed picnic pavilion. This park seemed to attract family groups (at least on a Friday) and it was great to see so many kids around the campground not on their devices! Appreciate the dishwashing sink and the propane canister recycling. 

We had to change our plans at the last minute so we were fortunate to secure a site at this park on a Friday night in late March and it was fine for an overnight.

I loved how accessible this campsite was, especially if you're coming from San Diego. Our site had electricity and water, a fire pit, and a picnic table. There were plenty of sites to go around. The rangers were helpful and the facilities were very well maintained. You can buy firewood from the front entrance or get some from the local general store down the street. There were coin operated showers available and bathrooms at each end of the campground. It did get pretty hot during the day, so I would bring a canopy if you have one. My boyfriend and I hit the trails in the afternoon and at night. We saw wild turkeys and the stars were endless. Overall, I loved staying here. This was a perfect escape from the madness going on right now.

This place is truly a hidden gem. Just 30 minutes from San Diego, with friendly staff and partial or full hookups. We were in a preferred lake view site#96 which had water and electric hookups. There was a play area that had ladder golf, tetherball, and ping pong. Have extra guess? Have them reserve a Tipi that has a max of 6 people. We had thee bars on our Version service and the campground WIFI is one of the best I have seen camping. Lake Jennings has some supplies available as well such as ice, propane, firewood, etc. at reasonable prices. Bathrooms and showers are clean. There is a dump station in the campground, and I suggest checking out the best way to get into the dump station before taking your rig. there are several roads around the dump station but only one that takes you in straight without having to make a sharp turn and possibly having to back up. The lake is drinking water for the local town and therefore no swimming allowed but they do stock the lake with fish. Just a long walk or short drive to the other side of the Lake and you can go fishing or boating. I would not suggest checking in early. The road in is very narrow and if you arrive before the noon checkout time you may find yourself falling into the lake while trying to squeeze by another on coming RV or trailer.

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.

It's a fine campground. There is a check-in kiosk that was well run and you can pay for an extra car or an open site with a credit card.* The sites are set up in two main loops. One for big campers and one for the rest of us. There is no real separation between sites.

This is convenience based campground. You're at the jump-off for some challenging yet accessible hikes into the desert. Close enough to town to ride a bike for ice cream. The camp has flush toilets and token based showers.** Each site has a deep fire pit, a picnic table under a shade pergola, and access to a nearby water source. Oh yeah, and it's less than two hours from San Diego.

The outer ring sites look out towards the desert. You'll always know you're in civilization, but they offer the illusion of solitude...if you can tune out the generators. There will be generators, and probably unattended kids riding e-bikes or kicking balls at you as your try to use the bathroom. Site 75 is a great site because in addition to looking out away from inner loop, the fire place is set further away from driveway and picnic table. Site 56 is fine. It's just fine.

Temper your expectations for desert solitude, appreciate the conveniences for what they are, and this becomes a four star site. The site is mostly, always, definitely full, but cancellations offer last chance drive up opportunities. The park rangers said that most sites were booked through the entire season which ends at the end of April, and we couldn't find a site when searching online for a second night (Saturday), but there were at least three open sites whose reservations had been canceled we could have stayed in.

Notes:

Anza is particularly great for star gazing and spring flowers. There are often big horn sheep along the Palm Canyon trail leaving camp. We met one we named Barnabas. 

Extra vehicles are an additional $10.

*Pro-tip: Fire wood is cash only. It's not bad 3 bundles for $20. If you don't have cash, you can find wood in town for cheaper without the convenience of it being at camp.

**Pro-tip: Showers require tokens which are purchased from a machine. 2 tokens for $1. 1 token = 2m in the shower.