Best Tent Camping near San Marcos, CA

Recent Tent Reviews in San Marcos

1463 Reviews of 18 San Marcos Campgrounds

• W

  Wes L.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 9, 2024

  Dos Picos County Park

  Great Setting, Peaceful, and CLOSE to home!

  This place is a jewel, and if you live in San Diego, right in your backyard! Rangers are super helpful and friendly, the campground is clean and quiet, and the setting is beautiful. There’s a tranquil pond, nice hiking trails, places for kids to play…. Just a fantastic option close to home for locals and well worth consideration for visitors to the area.

• 

  E.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 2, 2024

  Blair Valley Primitive Campground — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

  Great escape from the city!

  I followed the coordinates provided and it took us right to the trailhead. We saw a few other campers but overall, the campground was ours for the weekend. We did some light hiking and exploring but otherwise took advantage of the peace and quiet that was available to us. Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises and epic star gazing! Being a dark sky community, we were able to see so many stars and constellations. We saw shooting stars nearly every minute and we were also able to find Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,  and Neptune all with the naked eye! Next time we will pack a small telescope and I'm sure we will see more! 

  Watch out for cactus and needles that are buried in the sand. It is not recommended to bring dogs or walk barefoot for this reason. Our sandals and boots both had many needles stuck in the rubber soles after the trip. Being in the valley, the winds were very light but there is a possibility of strong winds and sand storms so be prepared. Temps averaged 70-75 during the day and dropped to 38-42 at night but with a small fire and proper gear, we were plenty comfortable. Fire rings are provided at some locations however the ranger informed us we could build a rock ring and line it with tin foil which worked great. 

  The road in was a bit rough in some areas. Wash out and silty sand could pose problems for smaller vehicles or campers so use your best judgement. Single track roads in/out so you will need to yield off the main road when encountering larger oncoming vehicles, which could also be difficult for inexperienced offroad drivers.

• F

  Frances L.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 1, 2024

  South Carlsbad State Beach Campground

  Too close to highway

  Campsites are right on top of each other. Highway is breathing down your neck. Beach is nice though.

• F

  Frances L.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 1, 2024

  San Clemente State Beach Campground

  One of the nicer of californias state beaches

  Be mindful of their shower token system. Otherwise, a nice spot. Not too close to the highway. We saw a coyote, so watch your dogs.

• 

  Sade H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 30, 2024

  William Heise County Park

  Fun but Dusty

  We went in October with our AHG group. It was great and super dog friendly but WOW so much dirt created so much dust in the air and it got on everyone and everything. With that being said… TONS to do! Such beautiful sights to see! The drive up was amazing. They had plenty of water to wash and drink with a lot of bathrooms as well.

  You can walk trails, stargaze, take your bikes around and so much more!

• 

  Sade H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 29, 2024

  Observatory Campground

  Love this place!

  I brought my family with our 2 dogs for Thanksgiving and unfortunately we left early because it was a major danger for our dogs with the very bold and brave coyotes.

  We tent camped but I feel like if we had an RV it would have been safer for the dogs.. for us alone with out the dogs, tent camping would have been fine!

  Other than that. BEAUTIFUL!!! We loved every single moment from the colorful drive up to the stars and checking out the observatory which was also pet friendly. It’s SO FUN to see all the different color leaves and the sunsets, the sunrises, the crisp air, the views on the way up….all of it was so beautiful.

• K

  Kolten J.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 28, 2024

  Wildomar Campground

  Decent space.

  Roads were bumpy but made it in a super low clearance rv (21ft). Had the place all to ourselves. A bit close to the other sites. Not bad

• R

  Rich J.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 13, 2024

  Doheny State Beach Campground

  Beach Camp

  Sweet campsite at Dana point surf break. Had a big crew along for spring break. Super nice but book early!

• 

  Jeff T.

  Traveler

  

  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👍😊

• A

  Ana B.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  San Mateo Campground — San Onofre State Beach

  Comfortable- Yes…but not jaw dropping.

  I can’t say that it was awesome but it wasn’t jaw dropping. Nothing to write home about but not uninviting.

• T

  Tony B.

  Traveler

  

  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.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Rancho Los Coches RV Park

  Natural Language Processing

  I would like to emphasize that the implementation of natural language processing(NLP) technologies https://lightpointglobal.com/services/data-analytics/data-science/nlp-services can significantly improve customer interactions. With the help of solutions such as chatbots and virtual assistants, you can automate answers to frequently asked questions and provide round-the-clock support, which will increase customer satisfaction. NLP also allows you to analyze guest reviews, determine their mood and extract valuable insights from open data, which will help in further development and adaptation of services. Language translation capabilities expand accessibility to an international audience. Thus, integrating NLP into software allows you to improve user experience and increase the efficiency of business processes.

• W

  Wendy R.

  Scout

  

  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

• C

  Charlie W.

  Scout

  

  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.

  Traveler

  

  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

• M

  Molly A.

  Guide

  

  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.

  Scout

  

  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.

  Scout

  

  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.

  Traveler

  

  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

• 

  Ben M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2024

  The Secret Place

  Incredible view

  Well secluded sites each with an incredible view!

• 

  Rhyn E.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 3, 2024

  Tool Box Springs - Yellow Post Campground

  Oasis of calm

  Labor Day weekend. We occupied the only spot out of five. Lots of wildlife. Raccoons in the night, gray squirrel, other squirrels, many birds. So much

• 

  jennifer G.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 1, 2024

  O'Neill Regional Park

  Great little campground in south OC!

  Clean, quiet campground located in one of the OC Parks, with plenty of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use. I stayed here on a weekday, and there were a few couple of vacant campsites in my area, so it was an extremely quiet visit. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked for my stay. I didn’t use the showers since I was only staying one night, but I heard they were free!

  Rangers were very friendly and firewood was only $5 for a decent bundle that lasted me over 2 hours.

  The city of Rancho Santa Margarita is right up the hill, so you can grab food and any necessities if needed.

  My site backed to the creek, so I never had people walking through my campsite.

  My dog & I slept in my van, but there was room for multiple tents, and a decent amount of shade in my spot.

  My spot didn’t have its own water spigot, but there was one at a site across from me.

  I was fortunate that all of the campers around me were quiet and considerate. I know that it doesn’t always work out that way, and having obnoxious neighbors can really ruin your experience.

• d

  david

  Traveler

  

  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.

  Traveler

  

  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.

• 

  Kim N.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 24, 2024

  Crystal Cove Backcountry — Crystal Cove State Park

  beautiful beach

  Clean dump station, beautiful sites, very strict on rules. We came 10 minutes early before check in time, they made us wait. Campsite comes with wifi but very weak. We have t mobile and had bad reception. Would come back again for beautiful views, small hike, sandy beaches with lots of sand crabs.

• 

  Michael W.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 19, 2024

  The Secret Place

  Peaceful, Private, Beautiful

  Although we booked a campsite, it felt more like we were invited to Mazen's home. He was communicative and responsive, happily answered all of our questions, and was beyond generous. I can't say enough about the beautiful views of Lake Elsinore! We can't wait to visit this campground again!

• M

  Mary K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  San Clemente State Beach Campground

  Camping

  It was overall a nice campsite. Our site seemed to be pretty large it came with a picnic table & fire pit. The walk to the beach was close seemed maybe about 10 minute till we reached the beach from our site. It is on a hill you need to walk down & back up. The only down side was the bathrooms on the same road as our site were pretty dirty did not seem to have any maintenance during our stay.