When one is considering where to camp in the San Diego region, The Tijuana River is not what comes to mind. We were with a group, and it was another person's idea to camp here. I had my reservations, but I am a good sport, so I rolled with it. So Glad I did.
The campground is new. The shower house and bathrooms are fantastic and kept clean. The grounds are kept up. We camped in April, so we were surrounded by daisy's and other wild flowers. I made my first ever daisy chain! We arrived in the evening of a day that had gotten up to 90 degrees. The ground radiated the heat it had absorbed during the day. There were nats that came out as we were setting up. But as soon as we sprayed the insect repellant, they were gone. It was quiet as we slept through the night. Every once in a while, you could hear faint drums and mariachi music coming from the direction of the bull fighting arena.
We had a great time. hiking to the beach, and a group of us enjoyed the farmer's market on Saturday. I wish there was more shade, but there are baby trees all over, and one could just imagine what it will be like in 10 years. You do have to cross over the STINKY Tijuana river to get there. However, there were very few cases where the smell from the river reached the campground.
We stayed in Campsite 25, the table was sturdy, the fire pit is a new design I had not seen before. It does not allow the heat from the fire to reach a person sitting in a chair very easily. Be sure to tie down your tent and shade awning if you are using it, because the wind can blow hard during the day.
Several in our group stayed in the Yurts. They were very nice inside, and not as hot as you might expect. The mattresses looked like thick thermarest air mattresses. that are resistant to mold and other pests. there is a fan in the top, and with the vents open, the airflow keeps it fairly cool.
Ranger staff were kind, and very ready to share their insights.
Friendship park was closed. be careful when you take the beach hike from the road. It veers to the right to take you to friendship park. There were a couple from our group that took that path the day earlier. It was a muddy mess. and the park was abandoned. If you veer right on a gravel road instead, there is another path leading across the marsh to the beach. The Beach is stunning! The waves look amazing. and it seemed surreal that this little stretch of beach was so close to San Diego, yet so remote that it seemed untouched. read more