First time at this campground, we were here in March to scope out but it was snowing hoping that by the time we head in April the snow would be gone, and it was. Upon reading other reviews regarding about poison ivy, we didn't see any at the time but just be careful, there wasn't any bugs when I was there (April 26-28, 2024) but if you're planning on going after April, bring bug spray and mosquitos spray or candles. The campground that we reserved online was number 28, but number 29 was more secluded and privacy. It was close to the restroom which has showers on the other side BUT if you're planning on showering at night, bring a head light or a flash light, the light doesn't work in there. The handicap shower wasn't working, can't add coins and the door is jammed, you gotta pull the handle up and it only has one lock working. Bring extra toilet paper, the ranger or host wasn't there at the time and bring your own hand soap too. Shower does have running hot water by the way. There wasn't any signal for t-mobile, didn't really used my phone until we got up to the observatory which had free wifi and cleaner bathroom that has toilet seat covers. Purchased a pin (See pic). Would come back again, it was about a two hour trip to get there. read more

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Here are some info based on days that I camped, July 14th - July 17th, at campsite #29 Cons ~ - 3 of 4 showers not working (these showers and toilets are the only running plumbing facilities on the campgrounds. The other toilets are dry toilets). - 1 of 4 toilets not working - overgrown weeds at some campsites - firewood not sold at this campground (general store has some for $6.99) Pros ~ - surrounded by nature at it's best - site #29 had great shade, sun too depending the time of day. - site #29 a couple of trees good for a hammock - spigots throughout the campsites - hiking trail to the observatory - reasonable camping fee - paved road and parking pad - general/gift store not far away - vegetarian restaurant next door to the general store - Palomar Observatory nearby (hours 9am-3:30pm) Don't forget to bring: Bug spray, citronella candles, a binocular, telescope and a hat that has material that covers your neck and ears. The hat is for the summer days to protect from the sun rays and gnats and mosquitos. Remedies for poison oak. Things to keep yourself and the kids entertained, for this campground solely offers hiking trails and natures beauty for you to enjoy. Lastly, a positive attitude. You are in the middle of nature and it's elements. My experience: Campsite #29 I came here based on a friend who did a solo camp here and suggested it to be a good place. She came during spring break so water filled the creek as to when I camped, some creeks were dried out or you could hear or see a trickle. It was hot, so flying bugs such as gnats and mosquitoes were present and sometimes they would disappear for a period. Bring your bug spray, candle and hat. The camp host even had a bug zapper paddle, too funny! Because I arrived on a Sunday, late afternoon the campsite was quiet. I'd say maybe 5-6 campsites were in use. So it was quiet. There were two trees at my campsite perfect to set up my hammock. The Oak tree has a large base so I would bring a total of 3 straps to use for one hammock. I had my changing/shower tent. I used it as both this time since I wasn't pleased with the looks of the shower. Plus the camp host told me that the showers (coin op) were thrashed from the July 4th crowd. Parts were broken, and repair orders were still waiting to done. On a hike with some of my friends and their dogs we did encounter a baby snake. We're assuming in was non venomous as we looked from a distance. It was hard to determine because it was on top of leaves. Just below my campsite, a slight slope, there is a creek. You could hear the water trickling. You had to peer through the trees and shrubs to actually see it. I didn't not attempt to go down the slope, looked very tricky. This is were my night visitor greeted me one evening as I lay on my cot looking up at the stars. I sat up and turned on my headlamp to see a raccoon. I got up and it backed away slowly. I peeked down towards the creek and I saw a baby follow behind. So the water will attract critters. So these are some of the important things I thought I should mention. I would love to come back and experience a campground full of campers, Happy Campers that is, but I did enjoy the quiet very, very much. Enjoy! read more

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The Observatory Campground is one of my newfound favorites in SoCal. My little family and I were here for the first time in early May 2018 without having very high expectations. When I think of dry camping, I don't necessarily think of a restroom with showers and flushing toilets. But they're available in at least one area (north end) of this campground. The red lights inside the restrooms? That's because this area is pristine stargazing territory. The red lighting won't disturb the nearby amateur astronomers. There were even some telescope pads near our site. Cool, right? Accessible from this campground is the Observatory Trail which I highly recommend. It's 2.2 miles to the Palomar Observatory. I'm not a seasoned hiker by any means at the moment, but I will be (again) once our kiddos get bigger. I thought it was somewhere in between a moderate-strenuous hike. Know the Observatory's hours before you go or you may be sorely disappointed. They usually close the gates at 4 pm for the astronomers to work. Our beautiful senior dog loved it here and how cool it got in the afternoon and evenings with all the shade. DOWNSIDES Never once did I see the campground host, but that's okay since our site was reserved and labeled properly. Many of the signs are worn-out or not readable. Mosquitos and bees and other bugs could be a nuisance. Cell phone service is pretty much a no-go, but I'm completely fine with that. I picked up some trash in the area from previous campers, but not too much. None of this would ever deter me from visiting again as this one of the quietest campgrounds we've ever encountered. Reserve here: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/observatory-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72310 Please... Pack it in, pack it out. LNT - Leave No Trace. Only footprints. 2018 Challenge #78 read more

NO Internet/cell service! Quiet and spacious sites however only a few are double sites that can be booked. 41/42 allows both sites for 1 rig. Other sites are literally next to each other! You open your door and the strangers camper is parked right there as you walk out. Stupid set up. Gnats and bees galore! 2.5 mile hike to observatory is not fun....gnats constantly in your face. 40% incline 40% decline 20% flat. Rocky terrain. Camp his Melissa and husband are awesome and helpful. Closet restaurant is 22 miles Rincon casino read more

It's a small campground but nice. Only thing I did not like where the bathrooms. The bathrooms are disgusting. The Only bathroom decent are the main ones with the showers. No reception at campground. read more

December 2018 We came to explore, hike and enjoy Palomar mountain, we had a great camping experience at this campground at $15 per night is the best. We were the only ones camping, maybe because it was the middle of the week, we got to choose whatever site we liked! It was very cold at night, good thing we had lots of wood for our campfire at night and morning. Back in September we wanted to camp here but there was a sign saying no fires aloud so we didn't stay, this time there was no sign we stayed. No smell from the bathrooms and they are kept clean. The campsites in the middle don't have much shade it's good for star gazing, the other sites around have lots of shade, showers are available if needed, the weather was great for hiking and going around sunny, dry and cold. Enjoy! read more

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We've been to almost all the major campground in SD County! Observatory is a nice one. The drive is hard to do since elevation is at 5500ft, lots of twists and turns. If you're stuck behind a slow car (like us)... it'll take you forever to get here. Facility/Site #25- you park next to site #26. VERY shaded, you're under a big acorn tree. Campsites in the middle have NO shade- but good for looking at stars and people who have telescope. There are pit toilets (cleaned well) and regular toilets. Some showers were out of order. Our campground allowed for 2 cars (extra $ for 2). Dog friendly, everyone had dogs (no barking dogs, thank god!). Firewood not sold at campsite- sold at general store down the road and it's expensive! $7/$8ish for one bundle of 4-5 small pieces. $1.25 for 10 minute shower. $15/night plus reso fees, or first come first serve on empty ones. Hiking: the trail to the observatory is located at 22 & 23, not marked. Trail not marked and had caution tape... but rangers told us it was ok to hike...so we're not sure why it had tape... it's a 2.2 miles to the top. Trails are well maintained, just no signage anywhere. Noise Level: No matter where you go, where you're at, what you do, what time of the year...there will always be screaming kids. Camping is definitely a family fun adventure...but I really think they should have some campgrounds catered to adults, like resorts have "adults-only". Some parents really are inconsiderate and don't care. Kids were playing and screaming at 4 & 5am. 4AM!! Quiet hours are from 10pm-6am! I know I know, I sound like an old grump, but seriously...it was like sleeping on a redeye next to that crying baby. But seriously, ok to play and scream all you want in the day time... but so early in the morning... ugh. Warning: -LOTS OF POISON OAK everywhere on or even near campsites! And hiking trails. Be careful!! -RACCOON: Like one reviewer, watch out for the burglar of the night- the raccoon. He is a cute fella, but we left our dog's backpack out one night on accident, it has her dog food, treats, and clothes. In the middle of the night, the raccoon spent 30 minutes trying to unzip it. He dragged it all around our campsite. I seriously thought it was our neighbor trying to pack up early and leave. Haha. He finally got one zipper open- it happened to be her clothes slot. He went through it and got her pink turtle neck. My BF caught him in time before any other zippers were opened and scared him away. It would have been funny if others spotted a sighting of a raccoon in a pink turtle neck the next day... -MOSQUITOS: Bring buy spray... it will help with the mosquitos, but not with the gnats. The gnats were so annoying, they didn't bite, but often flew around your face. I got 8 mosquitos bite off the bat, then slather some buy spray- all was good. read more

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This is a very nice campground. Not what we are used to, we usually stay near water and swim or go tubing down the river. That is not the case here. There are alot of trails, hiking, fishing and the observatory. We did go fishing, there were lots of fish in the Doane pond. The restrooms are very clean. It is still too cold and unfortunately I forgot two cold weather sleeping bags at home, with that being said my boys slept very comfy and warm... but my husband and I were freezing. Awesome place, just make sure you pack correctly! read more

Campground is fairly small but nice most areas have coverage. I got spot 9 it was a good spot not to far from the parking area but kinda by itself the campground wasnt full it was nice we didnt have anyone in the camp ground in front or to the side of us. We ran out of wood and had to go to the general store they have alot of cool things and practical things you could have forgotten. It's off season so only vault toilets so my face mask came in handy! We went on the observatory trail but the observatory closes at 330 so we were unable to check it out. Overall it was great! read more

Observatory Campground - LOOKING AT SPOT 9 FROM SPOT 8 - Campgrounds Near Me - Palomar Mountain, California

Nice campground. Could use a little maintenance to be perfect. Forest Service Ranger Greg was very nice and helpful. He certainly cares and loves his job. Great value campsite! read more

Camped here this last weekend of 6/29/19. We came up with 4 friends plus my boyfriend and I. We reserved site 9 around two months prior. The site itself was huge. We easily fit three tents and had more than enough room. It was semi secluded, site 8 was right in front of us but there was a little hill that separated the two sites. If you looked to your left site 10 was across a ditch, far enough away you couldn't really hear them. Our spot as well as site 8 and site 10 were covered in trees, though by 11 am the sun was hitting right on top of the picnic table which was annoying. Site 8 seemed to be fully covered by shade the whole day. The bathrooms were clean, the closest ones to our site were pit toilets, there are flush toilets as well as showers but it was a walk from our site. One huge con that might honestly keep me from coming back is the amount of bugs. I've been camping many times but never have I experienced this many bugs just swarming at all hours of the day. Even with bug repellent and candle they seems to just hover around us constantly. My friend got two mosquito bites on her face and my boyfriend killed one on his knee that splatted blood all over, it was horrible. Overall a very nice campground and the spaces were very big, just those bugs driving us all crazy. Maybe the winter would be a better time to visit. read more

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Nice campground. Unfortunately, mosquitoes were out of control. We made the unfortunate mistake of camping at site #6 which has a little "creek" running behind it...but it was mostly standing water...which was a breeding ground for the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were worse there than any other campsite. We will return but just not at that particular site. We made our breakfast in the morning and literally walked over to another empty campsite to eat it. It was a little annoying. Just unfortunate luck for us. They had showers there but two dead bolted shut and out of order. The two that were open had quarters jammed into the machines so they were inoperable at the time. So basically, no showers. We booked our site for three days but ended up leaving a day early due to lack of showers and the insane amount of mosquitoes. Also, the pit toilets are right next to site #6. It's not shown properly on the map. The map shows it between the camp entrance and site #4...and closer to the entrance. In reality the pit toilets are between #4 and #6...with it being closer to #6. A quick note... Sites on the outer loop have more shade but also more bugs. Sites in the inner loop have virtually no shade but far less bugs. There's a trade off here. We had a raccoon visit our campsite both nights so make sure you pack up your food at night. He was a cute little fella. I'm giving the site three stars because the showers were broken and the misrepresentation of the pit toilets on the map. Had I known, I would have never booked that site because who wants to smell poop all day at their campsite. No star deductions for bugs...because this is Camping in the woods and we should have come better prepared with a screened in canopy. read more

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Very nice campground! We got site 9, which is off the road a bit--some of the other sites were right on the road. Plenty of beautiful trees, birds, and stars! The bathrooms were clean enough. Can't comment on the showers, as we didn't use them, but it was nice to know they were there. A fun 2.5 mile trail connects the campground to the observatory. Highly recommended, and we'll be back! Tips: -Put your food away at night. There are lots of critters around. -There is no one to check in with. Just proceed to your site. (That was a new one for us!) -Bring bug spray and citronella candles. It's the woods. There are bugs. -No cell reception (this is a perk!) read more

We live in Oceanside and was looking for a campsite close to us but also in a wooded area. I've never been to Palomar so I just randomly picked this site based on location and reviews. Luckily, I picked the primmest spot on the campsite #10. It's located across a bridge and secluded from the rest of the campsite right up against the forest. There's so much room! We were so happy when we arrived. The rest of the campsite is pretty awesome too. There's a trail head on the campground leading up to the observatory at the top. Our dogs had a blast running around and going on the trail. We just booked the same site #10 again for April and we can't wait!!! read more

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Have camped here twice, both times settled into site #7 for first come first serve. Pros: Access to 4.4 mi roundtrip hike to Palomar Observatory (occasional cell reception on hike) Vault toilets Showers (quarters needed) Walk-in sites available in addition to what can be reserved online Ranger is nice (same person in 2014 & this time in 2016) Spigots in good condition Fry Creek is 0.5 mi away in case the walk-in spots are filled (you can try there) Explore the Stars program takes place, we went the weekend before but there were several campers with huge telescopes who didn't mind sharing 2 cars per spot with extra parking spots by the amphitheater ($5/day/car) Paved road the entire way Fires allowed! (this past year San Bernadino hasn't allowed any...bummer) 5 minute drive from General Store in case you forgot anything Cons: No cell reception (had to go to General Store down the road where owner was not too happy about me using his phone to tell my family where I ended up) No sinks TONS of mosquitos (went in May, I had bites that were covered in layers of clothing...) Site #7 had a wasp trap down the hill...didn't see any wasps but that was a concern Specifics: Sites 7 and 12 are good option for walk-ins, but sites 11 and 12 have a little hill to climb up to get to from the car spot. Good sites (based on shade, good distance from other sites): 9, 10, 31-34. 24-26, 29. 37-42 are less secluded and less shade but still not as bad as the inside spots. 6 is a walk-in site, but I call it the "couples only" site, since the car spot blocks the entrance so you can't see into it at all since the trees surround it. Avoid (no shade, not a lot of space for a tent, close to others): Anything on the inside (17, 19, 21/22, 28, 30, etc.). When I went in 2014, we reserved #17, but when we got there, the grass was so overgrown that there wasn't enough space for even a 5 person tent to be put down, unless you're okay with being on top of vegetation. No shade at #17 either. If memory serves right, I think the trail starts at #23, so avoid if you don't want a lot of people walking through your site. The ranger is next to 12 and 13, so that may be a consideration too, but she's really chill from both my experiences. Tip on first come first serve: I camped here Memorial Day weekend 2016. Called ahead of time, they said they had received a lot of calls so they expected it to be busy. Arrived at the campgrounds at 9:30AM on Friday, easily got my first pick of sites. If I could do it over again, I would get there around 12PM but people were strolling in at 4pm-5pm and getting spots. read more

Fairly well maintained campground. Telescope pads nearby. The bathroom was heated! Great fishing spot nearby at Diane pond. Lose one star for the sink in the bathroom being out of order. read more

We camped at the Observatory Campground this past weekend - and were lucky enough to get a spot even though we only booked 2 weeks in advance. I picked the last camp site available which was site #5 and we LOVED it! It was right across the street from the bathroom and had a big tree for some shade. This campground is clean and I hear books up in advance especially during the summer months. There is a 2 mile trail you can hike up to the Observatory that starts in the campground, and the campground itself is just a few miles up the road from the Palomar general store in case you forget a staple (I wouldn't recommend buying anything from the store unless you absolutely need it - they rob you!). Each site has a picnic table, bbq and fire pit. There are also coin operated showers (quarters) - if I remember correctly 10 minutes was about $1.25 - not too bad at all! I will definitely come back to this campground in the future! read more

Observatory Campground - View from the street of site #5 - Campgrounds Near Me - Palomar Mountain, California

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I would stay here again, but beware: take your bug spray. There were lots of mosquitoes at night and really annoying flies during the day. We were in campsites 37/38 which gave us lots of morning sun. Then we were pretty-well shaded by about 2:00 pm. If I go back, I would choose campsites 31, 32, 33, or 34--they seemed to have all day shade. I would definitely not choose the sites closest to the bathrooms because they were right there. I mean people sleeping in tents 2 feet from the sidewalk that leads to the toilets. The best thing about this campground is the view of the night sky. I don't think the other local campgrounds had such great visibility. And they have these great little platforms (created by an Eagle Scout group) to place amateur telescopes. read more

Terrible campground! The sites are very close together, and most do not offer any shade. After doing some research, I heard the site 31/32 is one of the best, private and with shade. I booked it and when we arrived we saw another camper in our space. They claimed it was site 32A, not available online, only rented out by the host on arrival. So we had to set up our tents right next to theirs. It was very awkward. The next day, a new family came to site 32A with over 10+ people. They were loud and playing their music at an annoyingly high level. I thought Camping was about enjoying nature, not your personal outdoor disco. My family and I looked at each other and agreed to pack up and head out, rather than put up with another night of hell. If a camp site can not be as quiet or quieter than my own backyard, what is the point of being there? Save yourself a headache and try a different campground. read more

I love this campground! It's beautiful. A great place, not too far from civilization, but makes you feel like you're in the woods. I camped with 3 little kids and they had a great time. We hiked up to the observatory. The hike is strenuous. It's only about 2 miles each way, but it's a tough hike. We were not aware of how strenuous it would be and 2 of the little ones ended up being carried. By the time we were done, the oldest (he's 6), was pretty exhausted but he managed to finish it. That being said, I would definitely recommend it. It was a good time and it's fun to see the observatory. You can also drive up the road to it. I camped here in early October in site 23. I read a lot of reviews saying that people didn't like it because it was close to the trail and you get people walking through your campsite. This is true, but it's not their fault. The trailhead is poorly marked. BUT, if you don't mind doing a little trail this is a great site. It's actually right next to the bathroom, which ordinarily is NOT where I want to camp. However, the way this site is situated, the bathroom is right by the road and the campsite is tucked back much further. The bathroom thing worked out for the kids too. The site is quite private. There are trees all around it, so you have shade all day and you are not exposed to other campers. The kids loved it, because it's a huge spot and somewhat self contained, so they could run around and play without us having to hover over them worried that they would run into the street or into other campsites. A few things, signage could be better. Like I said, the trail head was poorly marked, but there's also no signage for the other trail. A lot of sites are tucked back from the road and the only way to know where your actual spot is, is a small placard on a picnic bench. Also, there are raccoons and they are NOT afraid. Make sure you lock in your food well. Lastly, avoid sites in the middle. The are not good. Definitely recommend this campground! read more

This is a nice place to stay, with great staff. Bathrooms are decent. Every camp site has a bit of a different vibe, and even some walk-up sites available thankfully. My complaint, like many others, which is no fault of the campground, is the bugs! Fry Creek? More like Fly Creek. I really can't stand camping with this amount of bugs, so I would reserve this campsite if you have a trailer, or a nice large tent with insect screens. It wasn't just flys and nats either, as soon as I would start to cook, my son and I would get swarmed by about 5 hornets that would dig through our trash and make passes back and forth until you either ran away or put away all the food. Pretty gnarly! read more

We had a really great time this past week, and only a few things kept me from a five star rating. The bathroom ran out of toilet paper on day 2, and there was no one around to refill/refresh. No one! The camp host was gone for the last 3 days of our stay. The pit toilets (they had paper) are a great alternative to the flush toilets, but the minute the sun hits them, they are unusable. I'm a pretty rough and tumble gal, but other than holding my breath and running in and out for toilet paper, the smell would make me gag. For whatever reason, the handicapped stall in the shower building was locked, and we needed it. Just an FYI, the hike from the campground to the observatory is about 6 miles one way. They say it's 2.2 miles, however, that's the distance if you walk on the road. My fitbit registered 13,000 steps one way. It's a great hike, strenuous in areas, but we did it in just a tad over 2 hours (and it's all uphill!) Another nice to know...all the sites on the inside of the campground are out in the open. We had space 20 and we really enjoyed all the space, but we were unaware there were no trees for shade. The outer spaces have great trees, so next time, and there will be a next time, we'll go for different space. Finally, one of the best things about this campground is that you are truly off the grid. Once in a while you might get the random spot where you get connected, but it was so nice to see my teenaged grandkid's faces again! read more

We booked 3 nights at site #10 but ended up leaving after 2. The flies were out of control all day and it really put a damper on our trip. We've been camping many times but have never had problems with flies like we did at this campground. Make sure you bring your bug spray or better yet a screened canopy. We had 4 raccoons hanging out in the trees above us after dinner one night and weren't afraid to climb down and get close to us. Make sure you don't leave any food around to attract them. The site we stayed at was perfect - secluded and plenty of shade. There were vault toilets nearby which were cleaner than the ones near the showers but still smelled bad. I don't think we'll be coming back to this campground but only because we're closer to Big Bear and there's way more things to do with our kids than at Palomar. We came during a weekend where there was only 1 other family camping on the opposite side of the campground. I'm not sure why it was that empty during the summer. Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes! The camp host came by to tell us he had moved a big rattler from the trees on our campsite prior to us arriving and the next day we found a dead baby rattlesnake next to our car. read more