The Desert View Tower, built in the 1920's, offers a stunning view of the Anza Borrego Desert. It's…read morealso currently available on a short-term rental website listed as "Lighthouse in Jacumba, CA"! If you're driving by, it's worth a stop. Free to look around the grounds and giftshop; but there is a fee to climb to the top for the best and most expansive view ($9.50 as of this writing). The tower is next to "Boulder Park" featuring some truly hideous sculptures created by an unemployed engineer during the depression. The boulders are much more notable for what may be cupules created by Native Americans, cups that are carved out of rock as part of ceremonies and rituals. A smattering of animals live on the grounds including chickens and peacocks. Free parking.

I've been trying to figure out what to write about this fun little stop an hour east of San Diego…read more It's a wonderful piece of history and definitely worth exploring. My husband and I enjoyed our visit quite a bit. We paid the fee to climb to the top of the tower and go exploring the boulders on the property as well. The tower interior is home to a magical shop full of antiques and second-hand treasures. The boulders next to the tower are fun to explore and have lots of animals painted onto the boulders in the shapes of various animals. As you can tell we really enjoyed our visit BUT... The one road in and out of the Desert View Tower property is absolutely littered on both sides with (maybe) abandoned motor homes, shanties, and whole collections of god-only-knows-what! And the road itself is like driving on the surface of the moon. I felt like I was driving into a scene of "The Hills Have Eyes" (kids ask your Gen X parents about that one). Seriously... I thought we might be murdered and eaten! But if you're feeling brave, come well-armed, and are willing to pop a tire and ruin your suspension, it's a GREAT place to visit!

Nice park, nice lake and man made water body too…read more A little walk, also playground for the children and a water park. Path goes round the lake.

This park is conveniently located a couple blocks from Fourth Avenue and Highway 8 in El Centro and…read moreone of the most popular parks, especially during the holidays. Luckily, if you get here around 5am or so, you can get a decent area with trees and shade. This particular holiday, some people had set up as early as the day before! We came here for a birthday party and the shade provided by the trees and tents made the warm day easy to manage! Although I love the sun and heat, humidity is a different beast - luckily it was a calm breeze that swept through the day before the heat wave arrives. There is 2 bathrooms, sadly one was closed and the other seemed to have plumbing issues, because as soon as you walk in... you walk in to a pile of water (me hoping it was just water). There is a playground and plenty of parking around the Park. This park is not fenced off, so a lot of the areas are next to the streets. I guess this is the place to go for party's as it is big and holds bigger groups. Don't forget to bring some bread to feed the ducks, pigeons and geese that roam the ponds! No swimming, and honestly you wouldn't want to either.

My family and I drove up to Julian for a day trip but we knew we needed to let the kids get their…read moreenergy out and we stopped here to explore the playground. The playground equipment seemed newer and the kids loved it. What I loved was that it is completely fenced so I didn't have to be on top of my toddlers and they could explore a bit more on their own. We had a ton of fun climbing up everything and sliding down and using the swings. No one else was there for the majority of the time we were. One other family came for a short period of time and it seemed they were killing time before a photoshoot. Outside of the playground there is some picnicking areas and some sports areas as well. It seems like there can be a good use of space to do many different activities. There is a bathroom there however it is like a camping bathroom with a sink on the outside and nothing more than an outhouse on the inside. I opted to skip it and wait until we got to Julian to use a more modern bathroom. Overall, it was a great stop on the way to Julian for the kids and we will likely stop there again on future trips.

Yes, there actually is a playground! First of all it has…read morewood (pine?) chips and not sand and the play structures are all fairly new and in excellent condition! There is a swing set suitable for babies and a regular one for older kids and two other structures to climb up with a total of six slides.

Ooh! This is a beautiful park!…read more We were there for a "family" picnic, with friends who have become family. We were in area with a pavillion and lots of seating around the perimeter with picnic tables. There were a few big trees we could use to spread out for shade. And right nearby was a volleyball/"beach" ball court. It was a beautiful day for wonderful time with friends. The one issue I had was the parking situation. If anyone goes on a weekend, bring your patience because there was no parking available nearby, especially not for the disabled. For the size of the park, multiple pavillions, and other grassy areas for picincs, etc., there should be more disabled parking available with ramps to the pavilions.

What an awesome little park! It has lots of parking, it's clean and there are a ton of tables! They…read morehave two nice playgrounds close to the tables so it's perfect for Birthday parties. They have two clean bathroom facilities; one by the field and one by the picnic area. They have a beautiful field that looks untouched as well as basketball and tennis courts. The park rangers are very nice too.

We tackled Volcan Mountain Trail with an eight-year-old, so we didn't make it the full way but it…read morewas such a nice experience. We also brought along our dog as it is a dog friendly trail as long as your dog is on a leash. The trail starts out pretty steep, but it's well-marked with clear paths throughout. One thing I really loved was all the signage explaining local plant life and animal tracks so it made the hike feel educational and engaging. My kiddo was really into looking at the different animal paw prints. This trail is great for hiking enthusiasts and beginners alike but just know your limits and pace yourself if you're newer to hiking. I would definitely say if it's sunny to make sure you bring plenty of water with you, but there are a lot of shady spots on this trail so that is a nice change from the hikes that are closer to coastal San Diego.

It's a good hike to pair with a trip to Julian. My husband and I picked up sandwiches in town for a…read morepicnic on the trail. Parked next to the road and knew we were in the right place because of all the other cars. We made our hike a loop as we went up the mountain, taking the 5 Oaks Trail, and then came down using the Vulcan Mountain preserve trail. The 5 Oaks Trail has more of a view. There are a few seats to stop, sit (catch your breath) and enjoy the view. Sadly, we haven't had rain so it wasn't as green as I'm sure it would be on a normal January. Nevertheless, a great hike to work off all the apple pie you eat in Julian.

This is a nice small neighborhood park. It is pretty clean and not usually very busy. There are 18…read morepicnic tables, a few benches, but NO shade. Bring a pop up if you plan to be there very long. There is a grassy area for playing and a perimeter sidewalk. The play structures are good for little kids. There isn't a bathroom, just a port-a-potty. There is plenty of on street parking.

Great little park. Almost always clean and light traffic. The other families I have run into have…read moreall been friendly and the kids always played together well. There are play structures, swings and lots of room to play small games on the grass like catch, etc. Also a great little path for learning to ride a bike or scooter. However, the park is literally crawling with ants. I'm talking massive trails of ants in every single sidewalk crack and ants climbing your legs in the grass. We take a huge park blanket and spread it out and then just run constant ant patrol on the perimeter and it works out pretty well. Not a place to bring food as its swarmed within minutes. My kids and I lovingly call it the Ant Park. But all in all, we still totally enjoy our time there.

Wonderful day of exploring the desert . Some trails were empty others near the visitor center had a…read moreconstant flow of people . we regret missing the early spring flowering but lucky to see some

Yes! This is the second time I have visited the Visitor Center and hiked the Palm Canyon trail from…read morethe parking lot. Didn't see bighorns this time but last April they rams were out showing their prowess while the females and young-in's watched from the surrounding cliffs. Action was around #10 marker. Enjoy!

Agua Caliente Campground offers a relaxing oasis in the desert for day trips or overnight camping…read more Campers can choose from tent sites, various RV hookups, or small cabins depending on their setup. There are three mineral pools: two outdoor pools (including one kid-sized) and an indoor heated pool. There's also a shared locker room for men and women with individual changing rooms, restrooms, and showers for guests. Larger restroom facilities are available on site, along with horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, and a playground (which was under construction when we visited). There's little to no cell service in the area, but some Wi-Fi is available near the pool. When you arrive, you'll stop at the ranger station near the entrance to pay the day-use or camping fee and receive your pass. The posted signage clearly lists the different rates for using the grounds. Overall a nice, simple getaway if you're looking to soak in the mineral pools and enjoy some quiet desert scenery.

Love coming here every year! Group camp is awesome, private…read moregazebo with electric plugs. Walking distance to clean restrooms. Cabin was clean, two queen size bed frames, bathroom and sink, table with 4 wobbly chairs, AC/heat was a perk! Bench on the deck and space for a fire pit. Usually require reservations a year in advance.

I was curious to see this trail-park, but didn't know the history till I read the board, (which I…read moreterribly forgot to take a full photo of). It memorializes 11 men that died while digging a fire line on steep canyon - three Forest Service firefighters, seven inmates firefighters & their correctional officer (from the Viejas Honor Camp (prison camp), died at approximately 8:00 PM (part of the blaze looped below their position and overran the crew) The fire, (which was started by arson on November 24, 1956), burned 43,611 acres before containment on the evening of November 28. This is from the National Forest Service Library website. It's has quite a few picnic tables, a couple grills by them but I personally wouldn't want to bbq out there. There are restrooms that are like porta pottys and a short trail (trails) but I didn't walk too far because of my knee. It's a beautiful, peaceful & scenic spot to go to if you live in the area or if you want to add to a pit stop while venturing out here. Main Street in Julian is down from here where you can grab a bite to eat at anyone of the restaurants/cafes.

A small picnic stop on the way up to Julian. We stopped by…read moreto check out the nature trail and its viewpoint of the Santa Ysabel valley. The small loop trail is only .5 miles and about 15 minutes of hiking. This is a great place to stop and stretch your legs, go to the restroom, and maybe have a picnic before heading up to Julian.. - Restrooms - Views - Parking lot

Nice little hike. $10 for parking. Has a bathrooms. Fire road over some rolling Hills until you…read moremake a left to go visit the "river". Trail ends up at a nice watering hole. Could definitely do some wading during the summer months if there's water. Even though you're not supposed to touch the water. ‍. The fire road continues through the rolling Hills for several miles if you wanted.

Nice easy hike. Beautiful waterfall. Had this waterfall all to ourselves. Took a nice little dip in…read morethe swimming pool. Chilly but refreshing!