Discovering La Jolla Indian Campground
Have you ever craved the outdoors 🏔...just for a quick trip?
That ninja style excursion that won't take you an eternity to pack for?
The kind where you can go a day without showering?
The stress-free, no need to plan a detailed menu (who am I kidding, the hubs did all the food leg-work on this one) kinda trip?
Well friend, if you live in Los Angeles...I found a stellar spot.
La Jolla Indian Campground is located off of Highway 76 on the La Jolla Indian Reservation. From Escondido drive East on Valley Parkway to Highway 76. Turn right (East) onto Highway 76 and drive for 8.6 miles. The campground turnoff is on the right-just before the convenience store.
Bring cash - there's a handful of fruit and vegetable stands and small nurseries sprinkled throughout the drive to the campground.
Contact: 760-742-1297
Address:
22000 Hwy 76 Pauma Valley, CA 92061
After an almost 60 day work trip, the hubs is officially back and ready to co-adventure with me - when our schedules align of course. This ninja-trip was what our little adventure fam needed.
Thanks to our neighbors and their family, they introduced us to this incredible campground, guaranteed to bring peace and happiness. I compare it to a mini-gold mine of awesome, less than two hours from the stress of Los Angeles. Fairly quick drive compared to a five-hour adventure up to Mammoth/Sequoia/Yosemite area.
After doing a quick home cleaning, we left Los Angeles County close to 10:30am on a Saturday and managed to drive through the twisty-turny roads of the California State Route 76, arriving at 12:30pm.
The campground introduces you with signs stating "No dogs" and "No glass bottles." Thanks goodness we didn't bring our puppy. That would have been a sad drive back.
Although summers in California are hot, the looming beautiful trees provide plenty of shade making 98 degrees feel like 70 degrees.
Don't worry about the hot weather ruining the experience.
What are the amenities?
-Trees - bingo. Big and gorgeous. ✅
-Stream - Winner. ✅
-Hiking Trails - Not really, but it's nice to walk around the campground.
-Tubing - Hell yea.
-Campfires Allowed - ✅
-Large group camp sites - ✅
-Close parking - ✅
-Portable Potties - ✅
-RV Friendly - ✅
-Tent camping - ✅
-Bears - ❌
-Bathrooms/Showers - I didn't see them, but the site says they do have them.
-Gas station - Yes + plus the prices seemed 40% lower than standard LA prices. ✅✅
-Zip Lining - ✅(YES, this totally adds value to the experience)
-Weather? We went in September 2019, nice and cool during the day and 60's at night.
The La Jolla Indian Campground welcomes RV camping, tent camping and group sites to visitors. I've heard that some have booked as late as a month in advance.
For my newbie camping friends, it's very common that camping spots highly sought after may require reservations over a year in advance. This is not the case at La Jolla Indian Campground. Summers/holiday weekends are naturally busier than most weekends.
Costs
Day Use:
Single Vehicle (with attached trailer add $10.00) - $20.00
Overnight Tent Camping - $35
Motorcycles / Bicycles / Backpackers - $20
Watch out 🚫:
No guns, knives, glass containers and sadly, no dogs 😟.
Where are you going to find a campground with a pretty rad river running right by your campsite!?!?
Yes the water color is questionable, but trust me, it's incredibly satisfying to hear the river running through your campsite.
More blessing and less curse: NO CELL SERVICE 🚫.
Tubes are available to rent at $10/piece for the entire day with a valid driver's license. Due back by 6pm.
Most camp sites bring the gift of a beautiful stream running through your camp site. It's such an incredible site and easy tool to keep the kids entertained. Our photos were right by Area 4B. I've read that 6G is a great spot too.
Bring a sweater, it's freezing at night.
Vehicles are parked incredibly close to the campground. Quick and easily accessible to grab supplies out of your vehicle during set-up.
If tent/RV camping is your thing, this is a great, quick choice. Hopefully you'll be able to escape and discover this gem soon. Adventure-on!!
Cheers,
Your fellow nature admirer 💖😘
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