Reluctant to post about this campground because it’s a gem and I don’t want others to take over haha. We found this campsite tucked away near Gualala during the lockdown in January. Almost every campground was closed after CA hospitalizations peaked, so this private campground saved our trip! I was skeptical when we first arrived because it was foggy and looked cramped. We found out from the very friendly and helpful staff that the campground is privately owned by a group of people who enjoyed the area as children and wanted to make sure others can enjoy the land as a campground. The owners wanting others to enjoy their time definitely shows. Very clean restrooms and showers, clean spaces, helpful staff and the best part FREE WIFI!
The campground is down a small hill and about 10 feet from the ocean on a bad day. We fell asleep to the sounds of waves and could fit in yoga sessions when the tide went out. Spots are close together, but it wasn’t an inconvenience considering the proximity to pure jaw dropping coastline. Careful if you have Verizon and need a cell signal. But if you can use WiFi to access your communication apps, then you will be just fine.
The campground is zero frills - you pull into a gravel lot and you’re about 12 feet from your neighbors. The plus is friendly staff, amazing views, easy hookups, FREE showers and absolutely beautiful hikes that start right outside your door. We visited Skyline right after New Years, so the state was still in a partial lockdown. We didn’t feel any inconvenience from the lockdown, so it didn’t bother us. Not sure how campers would be greatly impacted by lockdown procedures, but we didn’t notice anything. My fiancée and I both work remotely using hotspots on Verizon, and found no trouble at all. Data speeds wavered between 10 - 25 mbps depending on where we were on the property, but we could video conference and stream with no issues.
I definitely recommend getting there well before the gates close because there were issues getting a hold of the camp host. Fortunately, we received an email with a gate code since it was locked when we got there at 5:01pm. Would I stay here again? Sure.
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.