This review is specific to the group campsite. Full disclosure: I am not an avid camper nor do I like the idea of camping in nature whatsoever. So this review is from someone who actually doesn't like camping and won't go willingly. Group site camping was something I was willing to try, given that it's ideal for families and a group site is contained a little better than individual sites. The group site has several tables under a overhang area and there's a nice spread for laying out meals. can accommodate 50 people, unfortunately kids count within that number so the downside is that you do have to be mindful of how many people are in your party. I think the group site could have easily housed 50 adults and 30 kids under the age of 13. There are bathrooms and showers on site to the group site, tokens need to be purchased at the entrance, it's $1 for 2 tokens, and 1 token is 2 minutes of water. One of the families in our group was smart to take a shower as a family before leaving and they didn't need to use as many tokens as they thought they needed. Bathrooms were fairly clean, bring your own soap. I highly recommend the travel soap sheets to throw in your pocket which will dissolve to soap with water. I did find that there were a ton of flies in the picnic area, so remember to cover your food because it'll be annoying. There's a water spigot in the picnic area so you'll be set to boil your water. There are nearby trails that are Kid friendly on this site, which was fun for everyone. Julian was 18 minutes north of this site and it was a nice place to stop by for an apple pie. I would camp here again but only in a group setting. I still stand by not being a camper willingly, at the end I just wanted to leave but it had nothing to do with the actual site. I can see avid campers enjoying this site read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - Awesome area on the group site to layout meals! - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

It a wonderful place to spend quality time with family. Nice campground. Park rangers always on duty. read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - February 20th 2026 - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

This was my first time staying at this campground and I really enjoyed my stay! The weather was great, the views were beautiful, and everyone at the campground was courteous. I wanted to share some info. I would've found helpful when researching this campground. *The campground is relatively close to Cuyamaca Lake (about 10 mins away) and Julian (about 20 mins away). *Water spigots are scattered throughout the campground at random campsites. The downsides (in my opinion): *Some of the campsites are on a slope so you have to choose wisely. (Campsites 1-19 seemed flatter than most sites) *The restrooms were also not as tidy as I was expecting but they got the job done. BRING YOUR OWN HAND SOAP. *The showers work on a coin system. This means you use dollar bills to get change in the form of campground tokens (NOT QUARTERS) which you use to shower. The change machine is located outside the restrooms. read more

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It's my favorite place to go camping that's within about an hour or so from where we live. It's removed from the hustle and bustle and such a perfect nature retreat. There are tent sites & motorbike sites but the roads are rather narrow and I haven't driven a motor home up here so check and see what is reasonable for the campground. Plenty of hiking in and around the campground. Kids ride bikes, play outside, and enjoy many outdoor activities! Excellent time making s'mores and enjoying family around the fire to be had by all. The showers are decent (bring dollars to get tokens) and the bathrooms are pretty good too (bring your own hand soap). I love this place. I'll definitely be back. Fall time is the absolute best. read more

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If you are looking for a quiet time with nature, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for loud and obnoxious company, then this is the place for you. What meant to be a relaxing holiday weekend turned out to be a nightmare. First things first is to make sure before booking anything, is to circle the park and make sure you have the proper location for your needs. I've been to different campsites before, and this place ranks one the worst. The spaces are too close together and commingle into your neighbors space. When we got there, a whole entire clan of families occupied most of our space. They had all their encampments scattered all over and had camped in nice and comfortably. We were left with minimal space and our table and fire pit was literally next to their area. We didn't get to use them and ended up cooking and eating some other way. We had little to no space and upon disappointment, just had to work with what we had and deal with it throughout our stay. If you want more privacy and prefer campgrounds that are spaced out, this is not for you. The bad spot we ended up getting was a horrible experience. We were stuck in between a large group who encamped into our area, and a spot that says no camping. So we were crammed into a small section--and the space next to us people used as a walkway so everyone was literally using the space to walk to and from the restrooms the entire time next in our spot. People were using it as a shortcut, as others also used it as a bathroom for their pets. So basically next to where we slept at, people were taking their dogs there to take their dumps. Why would the site even offer this location? To make it worse, the entire section around us were wilding out past 10pm. Loud and obnoxious folks speaking Ch!nese the entire night. They were so drunk and shouting out so loud it sounded like they were arguing--the entire area was echoing and screaming ricocheted the entire time. Loud music blaring. Kids screaming and yelling and hollering the entire day and throughout the evening. Drunk neighbors talking so loud until 1:44a.m. The worst part about this trip was that the people overall were not even friendly. The people using our spot as a walkway to and from the restroom back and forth the entire time didn't even say excuse me or say anything. No courtesy whatsoever and no shame. I had to say good morning and hello to let them know I was there, but they would just walk pass back and forth without a care. Unfriendly, and nothing to say. The following morning we packed our sh!t so fast and got the hell out of there. To top it off, at the exit we asked the guy that worked at the front a question and he was incredibly RUDE af. Whoever was working 9/2/24 at 9am is a complete AH. They need better training on how to speak to people. We kindly asked for information and the way he talked down to us was very condescending. We got tf out of there without even getting what we asked for. COMPLETE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE ALL AROUND. read more

Ok so it's tradition to stay here every year for our annual friends camping! We love coming here, we've stayed at campsite #47, #44, and #79. We did not like #79, it's on a slope. And also when we booked it showed it on the left but it's on the right. No privacy. As for #47, nice big campsite, but you'll need to book #48 to make it private. A kid in campsite #48 kept riding his bike into our campsite when we booked #47 because the downward slope made it fun for him. So it was not enjoyable to sit around the fire and have a random kid ride around us. His parents yelled at him but that didn't stop him. The best so far is #44, it's surrounded by trees, no one will walk thru your campsite, and it's private. It can fit 4 cars! Has its own water fountain. Worst campsite #13! Next to the bathroom and people walk thru your campsite to get to the bathroom. You can also hear all the flushes and see people line up. Bathrooms near #13 are disgusting. They need to clean it more often. We walk up the hill instead. read more

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Went camping here and it's a good place! You can rent a small cabin, or you can rent land where you set up your own tent. There are actual restrooms (any gender) all throughout the campgrounds for everyone to use (see photos). There are trails you can hike to see a beautiful view from the top of a mountain, and the best part is that it is paved the entire way so it is wheelchair accessible! Yay! It costs $10 just to drive into the campground for the day and leave at night. It costs $40 to camp overnight with no cabin, just your tent. You do get a firepit to stay warm, there is a small spot to get running water, but no lights after dark so bring your own! read more

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Pretty cool campground overall with some beautiful trees around the area. I can't speak for all the sites, but ours was pretty close to the neighboring site. However, the backside of our site was expansive and was really unique compared to some of the other sites we walked past. I don't care how old this makes me sound...but there were some annoying kids skateboarding down the paved roads for a while but it was quiet other than that. The worst sound is skateboard wheels on pavement when I'm trying to chill in nature. Enjoyed our stay here but will mostly likely go back to green valley if we're heading out to this area again. read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

Easy entry and easy access to trails. Bathrooms were clean. Trails are well maintained. read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - Mt. Cuyamaca trail - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

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I am absolutely delighted to be camping at this campsite for the first time, but I have to say that I'm disappointed with the way the quiet hours are being enforced by the camp host. Despite my excitement to spend the weekend here, last night was quite a letdown as there was loud partying and blasting music until almost 1am. As someone who values their sleep, I found it frustrating that the host campsite's message board indicated that the camp host was unavailable when i walked over to complain about the noise. To make matters worse, even after finishing a hike and checking again later in the day, the camp host remained out of reach. Choosing your spot carefully is crucial at any campsite especially since each one has its own unique features. Online resources like videos or websites can help you select wisely just like how we chose site number 52 which turned our snow camping experience into an incredible, thanks to perfect location and clean bath room! read more

This campsite is very nice. They have bathrooms, plenty hiking/walking areas and have so many reserve spots. The bathrooms and showers are pretty clean. I believe it's 25 cent per three minute for the shower. Across the campsite they have a hiking area; I've seen a lot of people go there. The staff drives by every few hours to check on everyone and clean any necessary trash cans etc. There are so many nice photo shot spots. I barely had phone signal in the area but it's okay! It's camping! I have Verizon lol. At night the woodpecker were annoying, pecking at the nearby trees. Other than that I would definitely camp there again. read more

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Very nice outdoor area. My boys love spending time here. The weather can not be beat.

We reserved campsite 70 which was right next to the trashcans and bathrooms all the way at the back of the campgrounds. Getting there was a little confusing and the paper map didn't really help, we just knew we had to go in deep and we tried our best to follow the signs. The campsite can fit two cars but the reservation only covers one. You'll have to pay $10 a night for a second car. They'll register the car when you enter the campgrounds and give a receipt to tape on the window. Showers and bathrooms were in better conditions than I thought. The toilets didn't stink too much, showers weren't crazy dirty. The showers operate by tokens and you get 2 minutes per token. Water pressure wasn't great but at least there was hot running water! You can get potable water here too. There are a lot of mosquitos and flies and you'll get moths at night. Come prepared with bug spray or even an electric fly swatter, which is what we did. There's also a lot of fire ants on the ground too. One of our friends got bitten by one so be careful because it hurts a lot. The campsite was nice because it's the start of a couple of trails that go to the top of Cuyamaca Peak. No need to drive anywhere! But if you wanted a short day trip, Lake Cuyamaca and Julian are all nearby too. The campground has a spot that sells firewood and ice if you need more! read more

I would give it 5 stars except for the fact that this campground gets invaded by idiots on the weekends. If you like camping with other campers loud music and drunk singing until the wee hours of the night, then this is your place. The camp host and rangers are useless at enforcing the " quiet hours " . If you are the type of camper that wants to fall asleep to the sound of crickets and the wind blowing through the trees, this is not your place. Too bad because it's a beautiful area. read more

Was a beautifully spectacular time! Everyone that works there was epic and just a lovely experience.

Camping and hiking experience - Two night stay. We rented campsites 41 and 43 with friends. Overall the campground was clean and there were several nice hiking trails close by. There were plenty of bathrooms (septic) and showers (.25 for 2 minutes). I'd say Paso Picacho is family-friendly but also keep in mind that Friday and Saturday nights can get very loud with large group campers binge drinking. There are also family programs for the kids like Jr Rangers, animal tracking classes, and other various fun activities. Better Site locations. Anything on the outer rim. And 3,4,6,7,18. Also 41 and 43 if you're booking for two families. Try to avoid lots next to cabins. Usually large groups take these areas and drink a lot and are very loud 14, 15, 16, 70- 64, 77, 57, 55, 54. Looking for shade? Site 30 is for you. The worst site? Site #13. It's right next to the bathroom and has two bathroom trails going right through this site. It also smells like a septic tank. Hiking trails - Stonewall Peak Trail. Not for those people out of shape. It's switchbacks all the way up! https://yelp.to/qTKq/B5hzzvyrcY Stonewall Mine Trail. Family-friendly and you're likely to see Deer and Wild Turkeys. https://yelp.to/qTKq/cSogbTnrcY Azalea Loop Trail. Some elevation but it's a nice hike along the small creek. https://www.yelp.com/biz/azalea-glen-loop-trail-descanso Tips - All of the bathrooms ran out of TP Sunday morning. Be sure to bring a roll just in case. read more

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We absolutely loved the scenery here. This is one of my fav's as far as the landscape. It was our first time here so I tried to read the reviews and pick a good spot, but I would probably pick a different spot next time. We had # 57. It was pretty small and butts up right against 4 other campsites. We usually like to be away from other campers so the kids have room to play catch, but this site definitely doesn't have that. We drove around to check out other sites and next time I'll probably go with 53, 54, or 58. Those have plenty of room and still have beautiful trees nearby. I would stay away from 75/76/78 those are on a hill so you'll be sleeping on a slant. The hiking trails were nice. A couple were overgrown with brush so we tried to stay off those. If you need firewood they have it for sale for $8.00 a bundle. Cash only with the camp host. Not sure about at the front gate. I will say I was disappointed with the bathrooms. They did not clean them all weekend, only stocked toilet paper every now and then. By Sunday morning some had ran out of toilet paper. Luckily we took our own but I would expect them to be cleaned every day on weekends since the place was packed. Overall, we'll stay here again. It's a good place for families. We'll just be better prepared next time. Also, if you're using GPS coming from the 8 and 79, it took me to the wrong location and had me go to the Cuyamaca Outdoor School. Keep going past that about half a mile and it's on the left. read more

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Really nice and well kept campground. We arrived at night. The darkness was nice and expected for beautiful night skies! We were a 30 sec walk to the bathrooms, which were convenient since we came with lottle kids. The bathrooms were clean and enough to not have to wait in line to use. Each site had a bonfire pit, which we used. I was only able to stay over night while the rest of my camp stayed longer. I will definitely consider these grounds again for a future camping trip! read more

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The best place in San Diego for tent camping!! Been to quite a few and this is the best we have found, lot of vegetation, shade, picnic tables, and grills , very quite and definitely a family camping place! The bathroom were always clean, showers as well. I totally recommend if you are a single family space #15 and 77 are perfect also there's a lot of trails to go hiking read more

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Stayed here last summer, great per night rate. Wonderful campground, well kept, they even sold ice at the entrance. We stayed during the time moths were passing through (last weekend of June), they weren't much of a bother; only encountered them in the showers but something keep in mind. On that subject bathrooms were pretty good. Solid 7/10 for cleanliness. Would've been an 8 if they had soap, recommend bringing your own. They were also good about keeping toilet paper stocked. Don't even remember using our own. There's two trails that stem from within the campgrounds, one of them goes up the mountain. Definitely recommend it, but keep in mind it's a moderately vigorous hike, starts shady but gets very sunny, bring plenty of water and have electrolytes on hand. At night the stars provided a beautiful backdrop to the trees surrounding our site. Staff was also super friendly. read more

we did some COVID camping last month. Green valley was booked and Paso picacho is the next campground north of green valley. we had a fabulous time!!! sites were nice..unfortunately ours was all on a hillside..so slept at an angle (pretty funny b/c we all slid to one side of our tent by morning) shade was nice bathrooms were fine...nothing exciting. showers are a quarter for 2 min...but not much water comes out...at least it was hot water. we had a faucet at the site...cool bonus. no bugs at all (green valley has TONS of fire ants and bees) kids loved the trails...they biked and hiked all day! we drove to Green valley one afternoon for a dip in the water (it was insanely crowded...saturday) yup would be back for sure. read more

Nestled in the heart of Lake Cayumaca Park, Paso Picacho Campground is a great "little" campground with excellent campsites and so many things to do near by. There are about 90 sites, in varied sizes, restroom facilities, showers, and each site has water (non potable) and a fire ring. We spent 2 nights there recently and loved it. The campground is clean, staff is super nice and non intrusive and the other folks staying there were super cool. It's a short drive from Riverside or San Diego, and even the drive there is awesome. Julian is a few minutes away, you can hike Stonewall Peak or just hike around the park. I recommend this Campground to everyone. read more

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We recently had our second camping trip to Paso Picacho Campground. It was definitely busier than our last trip. I guess everyone is looking for a chance to get out of the house. The campground had only just started allowing fires two weeks earlier and did not have wood yet, which was a bummer because they are pretty vocal about "buy your wood here"! I was a bit cranky that we had to go back to Julian to get that but hey, its camping, I need a fire, plus there were the marshmallows! We were in campsite 49. I felt like the picture looked much better than the site, but I can say that the ground was much flatter than many, if not most of the other sites! This is a very hilly campground. The sites are mostly pretty close together so you can hear everything going on. This means other can also hear you, so we need to use our library voices and be thoughtful to the families around us! I have my eye on a few other sites for the next time. site numbers 10-12 looked a lot more private. They have a lot of hiking paths, fire roads, natural trails right there that are easy to get to. I personally am not a fan of the fire road to the top of the mountain/lookout. Straight up on asphalt isn't all that fun to me, but they have some other really nice trails and all lengths, too! SUper close to Julian and Lake Cuyamaca store/restaurant is just down the road. Overall, I enjoyed getting outside. SO MANY WOODPECKERS! It had been some time since our last camping trip. This site is really easy to get to, has nice bathrooms, and is definitely one I would recommend for a family camping trip. Bring marshmallows and fire wood. read more

The ladies at the booth were great! Friendly, opened up our cabin with a smile. We've camped here before. It's our go-to, but this was our first stay in a cabin. Cabin had two benches / four chairs and a table. It was just enough to keep the fam comfy for the day/night. It has one fire place, and there was a bucket of wood provided (not sure if park provides or it was leftover from Previous party ) there's two fire extinguishers in there. We woke up to snow, which we loved. They plowed the snow off the roads early In the morning. Much appreciated! Will always come back! read more

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We love it here. It's a little over an hour drive from Temecula and my girls and camp at Paso Picacho at least once a season. Some sites are better than others and they vary in size, shade, proximity to others, so shop around next time you camp and find one that suits you. read more

Very nice spot to camp, the bathrooms next to spot weren't open so that was a bummer, the lady taking our payments at the entrance is not very nice but the guy is! I'm giving a 5 star because of the location and the rangers . read more

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After staying at Paso Picacho for two nights over Labor Day weekend, I must say that I'm pretty impressed with the campground. My bff and I started discussing a camping trip back in May and, although our friends may have thought we were crazy for thinking ahead to Labor Day before Memorial Day, it was necessary as the campsites were already down to slim pickings. Thankfully, we were able to book two campsites side-by-side (28 and 29) and our friends were able to snag a third (30), which was just across the street. Ideally, campsite 25 would have been even better for a third as it connects directly to 28 and 29 but the set up was still pretty good. Because there was a group of six of us sharing the two adjoining sites, it worked out well. However, I wouldn't have liked the sites as much if we only had one and had strangers at the other. The sites are very close to each other with nothing to divide them. I made the mistake once of camping in the desert and much prefer to camp in the mountains. Although the temperature peaked at around 90 degrees, the shade of the trees helped immensely. We simply moved our camp chairs in a circle as the shade moved throughout the day. Campsite 29 has a large leafy tree that provides a good amount of shade and was the perfect spot for us to set up our tents as it kept some of the early morning light out. We brought our two dogs along and they had a blast! It's too bad that dogs aren't allowed on the trails but we still had a nice time walking through the campground with them. My only complaint is that campsite 29 had a good sized hole between the fire pit and the table and my friend stepped in it in the dark and twisted her ankle. Not sure how much control the rangers have over the campsites but it seems that filling in big holes may be something to look into as it's quite a safety hazard in the dark. The bathrooms were well-maintained, clean and stocked with toilet paper the entire weekend. The showers cost 25 cents for two minutes but it seems like my 50 cents lasted longer than four minutes. Not complaining at all though! It felt nice to get clean after being dusty all weekend. Campsite 29 came with one parking spot and campsite 28 had room for two cars yet we were still charged an extra car parking fee of $10 per day. I understand it if your campsite doesn't have room and you have to park in overflow but it seems odd to pay extra to park at your own campsite when there's room for two cars. Overall, I'd definitely stay here again and I'd love to book campsites 25, 28 and 29 for a group camping trip sometime. read more

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My first time to this picnic campground, and I was quite taken away. Now, I probably would say that any place outdoors, since I LOVE the outdoors. Although I didn't get to explore the entire area, in view were a lot of sites and some with cabins. We had sites 3, 4 and 17. What a perfect spot for us since we needed a space to set up a tipi in addition to everyones tents and one Little Guy trailer. This site had a perfect view of Stone Wall Mtn. I personally didn't climb it but someone in our group had and one of my photo's of our campsite from atop is courtesy of Richard. There are fire pits and picnic tables at the sites. Fire pit only had half a grill so keep that in mind. Bundle of wood available at entrance for $8. On site #4 a water spigot is at reach. The restrooms/showers station is within eye site and walking distance. There are only 3 restrooms and showers Showers cost in the stall is 25 cents. I think a quarter will give you up to 2 or 3 minutes. The pressure is not very strong, and will weaken even more when the toilet is being flushed. I suggest wearing flip flops or water socks. It does get muddy even though it is tiled. Although there were a little bit of people debris scattered throughout our campsite the sites were clean enough to set up camp without an issue. **** Do not forget to bring hammocks! On these 3 campsite we were able to hang two hammocks. The Milky Way is amazing. You'll gaze the night sky for hour while in your comfy hammock. Oh, don't forget to check out at check-in what activities are taking place while you are there . We were privileged to attend the Star Party! read more

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I can only comment on the Group campsite as we didn't explore the main campground. The group campsite was amazing! It was large and spacious with plenty of flat spots for tents. The covered area housed 8 or so picnic tables and was perfect for a large group. This site also comes with its own bathrooms and showers. We hiked up to the peak and drove into Julian. It is a great little spot. We loved it! read more

Don't stay at the cabins. Poor electricity, dusty, spiders, rats, wooden cots, very old pictures that attract negative vibes, fire stains. Lots and lots of ants inside. Awful please don't stay there. read more

My wife and I stayed here in late Spring 2021. This was our second time at Paso Picacho after visiting here a few years ago. We were even more impressed this time around. I can't say enough about this place. The grounds are serene and well kept, the atmosphere is relaxed and most of the campers were very respectful. The campsites are huge, if you know which ones to nab with an early reservation, and the staff there are just the most delightful people on earth. On our first night there, a group showed up to the spots right above ours at midnight, and they blasted music, partied, and screamed at the top of their lungs often (for whatever reason) until 4am, and we couldn't sleep a wink. We were super bummed and had thought it was pretty much going to be an awful trip. However, we talked to the campground host and the staff at the entrance, and they were super understanding and helpful. They said that they know people come here for peace and quiet, and that they take it seriously when any campers violate their quiet hours rules. The camp host hopped on a cart right away and sped away to the offending sites to give them a talking to and made sure to mention that if they violated the noise rules again, they would send in rangers and have them booted out of the campground. It worked like gangbusters! The rest of our trip was amazing, and we didn't hear so much as a peep from the neighboring sites (it was a big group) all weekend. The camp host followed up with us afterward and said that we could come by his site anytime and tell him if the other campers were loud again after quiet hours. I said, "Even if it's three in the morning?" He said, "It's no trouble. That's what I'm here for." Salt of the earth. Awesome, awesome, awesome guy. The fire pit worked out great, and we were able to cook all of our meals on the grill that comes with it using the cast iron skillets we bought. They had plenty of wood for sale at the front, as well as ice. The wood price is a little steep ($8 per bundle), but all that money goes back into the park. Knowing that, it actually felt good paying them for the wood rather than buying it elsewhere. The trails were well kept, and the views were fantastic even with the fire damage. We got to do everything that we wanted to do and then some. We even had time to go to Julian and do some shopping - check out the Cider Mill for some awesome treats! As far as campsites go, our site (#30) was so, so great. We researched a lot online beforehand (campsitephotos.com was helpful along with Google reviews, and the Dyrt), so we had a pretty good idea of what the site was going to look like. But it was even better than the pictures. It was a huge site with plenty of room for 2 tent pads. The picnic table and fire pit were positioned just under a huge, climbable tree that gave us plenty of shade while we were there. The only downside to this site is that it was very close to the bathrooms. That actually bummed me out a bit when we first arrived, but it ended up not being much of an issue at all. The traffic to and from the bathrooms was very light, and the section of the bathroom building facing our site was all showers, which barely anybody used. There is also a lot of bushes and tree cover in between the site and the bathrooms, so we barely saw anybody the whole time we were there. Reading reviews online is what helped us find such a great spot, so I promised myself I would walk the grounds and post all of the good site numbers online when we got back. So here they are, at least in my opinion: Top Three #30: our site - the best! #70: easily the 2nd best site on the grounds - very private, secluded, lots of bush cover, fire pit and table are far from the road- the only downside to this site it that it has very little shade, so bring a canopy or tarp to setup your own shade situation. Other than that, this site was incredible. We will probably check this one out when we go back here in the fall. #85: My pick for the 3rd best site on the grounds, although my wife disagreed (she says #44 is better). This site is surrounded by forest, trees, and bushes on 3 sides. If you don't count the front facing view, it is one of the most secluded sites in the campground. It is on the outside of a bend in the road, and there are no other sites to the left and right of it. The downside here is that the front of the campsite faces 2-3 other sites that are right across the road. If the site were a house, basically the"front door" is wide open to the campers across the way. If you had a bad group camping across from you, it might be not so fun. However, you can park your car in such a way that it would block out some of that wide open space in the front, making it more private. Honorable Mention #44, #8, #51, #54, #20 read more

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We just got back from a weekend camping here. Overall, we had a great time. We had site 57. The sites nearby are pretty close and the site itself is a little tight, but lots of beautiful trees to provide shade. We had three tents up for one night and it would probably would have been better to have two sites. But it was fun! Picnic bench, fire pit with grill, and bathrooms/showers close by. Next time, I'd probably pick a different site with more flat ground for tents. Sleeping on a slight slant was not the best. Also, the birds start loudly squawking at like 5:30am. Overall great campground, beautiful scenery, nearby hikes, clean amenities... I would definitely go back. The sunsets were beautiful from the hikes and the stars are absolutely unreal. Great spot not too far from central SD. read more

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It's beautiful but they have such a bad fly infestation that you can't sit at your campsite and enjoy it. The flies are nonstop biting you and flying in your ears, nose, eyes, hair, face etc. . Our dogs were crying and trying to keep the flies off of them too. We drove to town and got a variety of fly spray, but it only works for a few minutes. We all decided we couldn't take it anymore and left early. We spoke to other campers who said they were doing the same. read more

I honestly haven't been camping in over a decade. My last trip was with a caravan of coworkers to Joshua Tree to watch a meteor shower. This camping trip made me nostalgic for a time much further back than that... Camping in Paso Pacheco made me feel like a kid again. To a simpler time when my family went camping almost every weekend when we lived in the Lone Star State, complete with the feeling of excitement of being outdoors. Thankfully The restroom facilities are decently maintained, with some offering pay-per-use showers. There are even a few cabins available as well as the standard basic campsites with fire pits and nearby water faucet access. That makes this more like glamping right? Well I'm no kid anymore and having those conveniences are perfectly fine with me. This is a nice campground. There are lots of exercise options with simple trails such as the Paso Picacho Loop and more challenging hikes like Stonewall Peak. There are guided nature walks with park staff too. During our 3 day, 2 night stay there were quite a few families with kids. Mostly tent camping with a few pop up trailers and RVs sprinkled throughout the grounds. There are designated "hosts" scattered throughout the campgrounds as well, who sell firewood on behalf of the park. And overpriced Ice is for sale at the visitor's center if you run out. Overall this is a convenient camp ground, with ample facilities, access to trails and nearby hikes just about an hour outside of San Diego. An ideal weekend getaway from the hustle n bustle of the city. I hope to come back again soon.o read more

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Paso Picacho Campground is one of my favorite campgrounds in San Diego. The campground has plenty of hiking opportunities, including Stonewall Peak and Cuyamaca Peak; Cuyamaca Peak being the second highest peak in San Diego County. There is also nearby Cuyamaca Lake with fishing and boat rentals. The staff and campground host are really awesome too... they will go out of their way to make your visit pleas read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

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We did some glamping here this weekend in the Coulter cabin. I really wanted to book the cedar but only handicapped ppl could use it. The bed situation would have worked better in that one for our group but we made this work with the purchase of a cot. This was RIGHT by the restrooms/showers, so that was convenient. (We did not use the showers but I saw it was operated by quarters). It had an indoor fireplace, it's just not really possible to keep it going all night unless you constantly wake to attend to it. We were cold! The fire pit outdoors was a bit too tall. You had to stand up to get warm. Sitting down in chairs wasn't really helping. It had a charcol grill, picnic table and it's own trash/recycling. It's a bit too close to the other cabin, so you're real close to the neighbors. I LOVE the campground. Next time we want to do tents. Some of us did some hiking and walked the camp ground. It was truly beautiful. I do think that anyone should be able to rent the handicapped spots IF not leased by a certain day. Many sit vacant cause can only be rented to handicapped. The cabin I wanted did not lease till last minute and only 1 of the nights we were there. read more

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We loved this campground. We stayed in the Live Oak cabin also called PLIV. It was nice to have a cabin but the beds are so uncomfortable even with an air mattress on top. I'd tent camp if we come here again. It's a beautiful campground and the bathrooms and showers are easily accessible and clean. It's quiet and the weather was lovely, not too hot with a little summer rain. We came during the week and it was practically empty which was awesome for us because we walked around and looked at other campsites. We found a "secret hideout" that was fun for my kids and a climbing tree. We drove into Julian on our way home and had a lovely lunch and did some shopping. We had a disabled family member with us so we didn't do any hiking but it looked awesome for hikes. read more

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This is a great campground. It is especially great if you're a city person. You can park right next to your campground. It's very spacious. Your neighbors are close, but not so close that you can hear them, unless they're rowdy. They've got the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen at a campground. It's cleaner than almost all of the public parks I've been too. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. I feel safe the whole time I was there. I was able to bring my dog there but the dogs cannot go on the dirt trails so I didn't get to do the hikes I've planned to. I was able to walk him on the paved roads around the campground, however. Great campground. I would go back. read more

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We stayed here on 6-9-18. Pros: Nice. amp hosts. the campsite is beautiful and clean. clean bathroom and showers. Cons: our campsite was infested with tiny woodworms or mites . They can be overlooked since they the size of a spec but they will squirm around. it was all over the picnic table. Maybe they were falling from the trees since they were on my clothes maybe my hair. read more

Paso Picacho Picnic and Campgrounds - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

We were at campsite #65 which we picked because it was the furthest from the main road. It was $30 for the night with designated fire pit (1/2 grate for cooking). Bathrooms and showers were pretty accessible. There were water spickets between every couple sites, and I saw wood for sale ($8) although we brought our own. Pros: stargazing, fire pits Cons: NO privacy, small sites Overall: good for escaping the city for a night, but probably wouldn't stay for more than a night. read more