Paso Picacho Campground — Hotel in San Diego Country Estates

Note: Pictures taken in late February. First the highlights. Pros: The campsite is directly connected to two or three major trails, including the trail to Stonewall Peak across the street on foot. If you're into hiking, you have two great options right at your doorstep. A series of relatively leisurely trails to the western part of the campsite and the challenging Stonewall Peak trail to the east. Again, all conveniently accessible on foot if you're in the campsite. Picnic tables and grills are provided at each campsite and are decently maintained. Most of the tent sites are well shaded by trees which makes those ideal camping spots in the spring or summer seasons. Bathrooms are plentiful enough and accessible on foot. If supplies are needed, the general store on the lake is a short drive away. Like nearby Julian, the general area is a Dark Sky Community (or was it Night Sky?) meaning that you can get a nice view of the starry night sky late into the night.

Cons/notices: Given the price of $40 per night, and this was during the off-season, you might want to give the privately run campsites on Lake Cuyamaca a look. They're the same price, last I've checked, and you have immediate access to the lake, store and other trails (with the caveat that wood fires are NOT permitted). If you're new to camping, bring some sort of a rake or make sure to clear out any pieces of wood or branches BEFORE setting your tent up. Since the camping spots are shaded by trees, there will be tree fragments and the like that will gather up on the ground over time. While you would be able to see more stars at night here versus further west, closer to the city (say Dos Picos near Ramona or further west towards the coast), you likely would get a better view somewhere in Anza Borrego. That is, if you're really into star gazing. As you can see from the pictures; the grassy area to the west is brown; with some exceptions such as the larger bushes and trees the further west you go in on the loop trails. Again, these pictures were taken in February, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of camping here in the off seasons. Might be better in April and later on (though by then, you WILL need to make reservations). Meanwhile, February through March it's first-come-first-served.

Honestly, it was a more interesting experience than Anza Borrego (I'm more into forests vs deserts) but since I live in North County, the distance traveled to get to the Julian area is not too different than driving to somewhere like Idylwild which, from my last experience, offers more to those who want to invest much more into forests hiking and foliage. Still, from my brief sejour there, it was definitely worthwhile.

Alternatives to this campsite, especially if you're coming through the 78 from the west, are: William Heise (operated by San Diego County, plenty and plenty more available sites in seasons like February but must be reserved - no first come first served, and nice access to trails) Lake Cuyamaca camps (privately run, but pricing is similar to Paso Picacho) Far from Julian, closer to Ramona; is Dos Picos. Haven't been there yet but if you want access to local wineries and if driving to Julian would be too long of a drive for you, then this is a possible alternative. Plus access to light trails on that campsite, ideal for...

We camped for two nights at Paso Picacho Campground before July 4 although the temperature during the day was very high (97 F) but with trees around and wind it wasn’t felt that hot. We could sit under the shade of the tree and played games. Lots of squirrels and red ants in the ground so need to be extra cautious. Squirrels tried to steal left overs from the trash bags and my dog always wanted to run after those squirrels. Lots of insects, flies so need to carry good high grade repellent otherwise you will have a hard time. Some flies were like blood sucking flies. One red ant bit at my leg and I felt both pain and burning sensation at the area affected. By the evening as we used to do barbecue and the smoke or fire helped us in getting rid of these insects for the duration bbq was active. Although Bathrooms and dumpsters were across the road but it was always a uphill walk hence you need to wear good walking shoes. Lots of trails near the campsite but no dogs allowed on trails. We had booked 4 tent campsites for 7 families of 4 each. Two cars allowed at each campsite but 2nd car needed to pay extra rent. Campground also offered cabins for camping but we didn’t explore that much. Overall good time spent with...

Arrived at the camp grounds at 10 AM Monday Jan 20th ready to start camping. The ranger at the entrance told me that I was too early; check in wasn't until 2 PM and that I'd have to wait until 2 PM to start camping... a mere FOUR hours. I decided to take a quick stroll around the grounds and found the camp ground to be completely unoccupied, literally every spot was open, zero campers, zero tents, EMPTY. I returned to the ranger, asked very nicely if I might pay the $10 day parking pass in addition to the $30 camping pass so I wouldn't have to wait four hours to camp for what seemed like no reason. His reply was that if I wanted to camp now, I'd have to pay for the previous night.. $30 to occupy and unoccupied spot for four additional hours, or I could wait until 2 PM. Begrudgingly I sat in the parking lot... for four hours.... to drive up to his booth at 1:55 PM at which point he granted me admittance. I understand this kind of rule for busy weekends but in this case, when the park is empty.. it feels a lot more like extortion. All I'm asking is a little common sense from...