Best Glamping near Santee, CA

South Carlsbad is another Cali jem set up on a bluff overlooking the pacific. It is long and thin so it has a nice thinly populated feel. All bathrooms are clean. I was here during week of 4/20/15 and it was as nice as always. Like San Elijo it has a private feel at your site with the mature growh btw each site. You are along the rr tracks but that's a small price to access the sick beach and the incredible view. There is a nice hilton with a pool across the street. In. Are your kiddies need some creature comforts(I didn't say pool 'hopping' just using facilities as a client of the restaurant...), or daddy wants a bottle of red and a crisp flatbread without driving anywhere. There are nice a frames north and south, plenty of waves for all.

I stayed here three weeks in February. I stayed up top and site 91 was great! I would stay here again and request that site.

Cons:

• Noise from I-5 and helicopter sorties. Occasional bombing exercises also.
• Top bathrooms under construction since January but I wasn’t notified until I got there (provided ports-potties and hand washing station were stocked and cleaned regularly).
• No dogs allowed on beach. 30 min drive to Dog Beach in Solana.
• Lower bathrooms. These were the only showers available. The bathrooms are well stocked but the showers were not cleaned regularly. The same clump of hair was in the same shower for three weeks. Four out of six showers have no hooks to hang clothes. Shower caddies are all rusted. Surfers bring their boards in a rinse them off in the showers. The showers/bathrooms are gross. This was by far my biggest complaint. Regular cleaning, a few extra hooks, and new shower caddies would go along way.

Pros:

• Beautiful views and lots of beach at low tide.
• Very quiet during the week (weekends are very busy).
• Close to a small exchange, commissary, and gas station.
• Nice fire pits
• Cheap laundry facilities
• Close to San Clemente and San Diego is only an hour away.

Lake Jennings Campground is a great campsite tucked away in Lakeside, CA. There are a good amount of campsites, and plenty with great views of the lake (“Preferred View” sites). We stayed in site 91 for 4 nights from Monday to Thursday night while the campground was pretty empty. I imagine it would be a little louder when it’s at full capacity, but we had no noise issues from fellow campers. However, there was plenty of random noise from the military helicopters that randomly flew overhead. It wasn’t disruptive, just unexpected. This campground is not secluded by any means, so the air traffic shouldn’t be a surprise. Honestly, it’s hard to go anywhere in San Diego County without air traffic interruptions.

We chose Site 91 because it was at the top of a moderate hill at the end of the road, in an attempt to experience reduced traffic from other campers. The site was a Preferred View site and it did not disappoint! Views of the lake at sunrise and sunset were amazing and made for the perfect vista from our RV bed. An added benefit of the Preferred View sites is the privacy since no one is camped behind you. Our particular site even had useful shrubbery on each side to create a quasi sense of privacy between sites. Each site has a nice little fire pit and picnic table, and there was plenty of room for a second vehicle in addition to our van.

There are plenty of restroom facilities sprinkled throughout so nothing is inconvenient. The restrooms are individual bathrooms with showers that are hot and NOT coin operated, so enjoy a full hair washing session if there’s not a line. The only caution: pincher bugs. Just brush them off and go about your business. But like everything, check the toilet seat and your clothes before proceeding.

Finally, internet service was great for Verizon. We got 23 Mbps with 3 bars of 4G LTE unboosted, and 69 (!!!) Mbps with 5 bars using a simple MIMO antenna. We live and work in our RV (20’ Class B) full time, so this was crucial. The staff was also great. They were regularly driving by, cleaning or maintaining the grounds. In the end, we will definitely camp here again.

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.

This campground is one of my favorites. My practical side enjoys the clean bathrooms with hot showers and proximity to markets for refills on ice and beer. My adventurous side enjoys the hikes, coyotes singing and clear skies to observe the night sky. This campground has been enjoyable every time I’ve gone. I’ve been to many campgrounds where neighbors keep you up late, but something about this location demands quiet enjoyment. Don’t get me wrong, my friends and I stay up laughing around the campfire well after sunset but everyone seems to respect the quiet hours. The sites are spacious, each with a shade ramada, grill and fire-ring. The visitors center is a must see and there are numerous hiking trails near the campground. As beautiful as the wildflowers are during a super bloom, the crowds are super distracting. March is the best time of year to go, if there is a super bloom you’ll enjoy that, if not, you’ll enjoy the solitude.

Stayed in site #73 this past weekend. I wouldn't recommend that spot. It is too close to #74. They are both large spots but the actually fire pits are too close to eachother. Luckily there was a nice family staying next to us so we hardly noticed them. Had they been too loud it could have ruined the trip. Also this spot had very little shade in the afternoon when the sun was the hottest.

The bathrooms were shut down for maintenance in that loop so they offered portable toilets which got full quick. The hand washing station ran out of water the second day and was never refilled so you had to go back to your site to wash your hands. The running water coming from the spigot was orange and frothy and had a sign saying not to use it for drinking.

The hiking trail that was near by was the best part. Tons of wildflowers everywhere and beautiful views.

I probably won't come back to this campground next time I got camping. There are campgrounds closer to San Diego that are have bigger sites.