Palomar Mountain State Park

Getting there:
Depends on where you're coming from, but you'll want to find your way to the 76 highway. Make sure to set the directions on your maps app before you lose service because you will not have service at the campsite.

Experience:
This was one of the best campsites I've been too. It was clean, but also tucked away so you didn't hear cars on the highway or anything. We didn't arrive to our site until later at night on a Friday, but when we woke up in the morning we saw that we were literally above the clouds. It was amazing.

The site has showers towards the entrance as well as flushable toilets and spouts at the sites. These campsites are booked months in advanced so if you plan on checking out this hidden oasis, I would recommend booking sooner than later.

I LOVED the truly exceptional vistas on the drive up!! So inspiring and often clear skies. We went several times and it certainly was a high point and highlight of our time living in So Cal.

T-Mobile Wi-fi is poor but has some spots of "sort of" reception. Keep your devices charged up.

Take a comfy chair and a book if your inclined. There are several pull outs you can put up your feet and have loads of varying green through out primarily the south eastern horizon to look out onto, fresh air and expansive near 240 degrees, while enjoying a read or perhaps meditating and or listening to a podcast.

The ground is all dirt with no grass or places for a blanket. However there are a few spots with some shade under a tree if you watch for them.

Some traffic but not excessive dust and noise. Worth the drive and any minor inconveniences.

Beautiful park with benches so you can sit and enjoy, or move around and see lots of trees. I actually went for a hike and found a pack of dogs roaming out here that had no owner...be careful in the woods alone and only go during the daytime.

I had an opportunity to visit Palomar Mountain State Park last weekend as the Coved-19 crisis begins to unwind? Well, I hope it is unwinding now and we will be getting our lives back again soon.

The state park is absolutely beautiful! There are so many places to hike and so much beautiful scenery that it's hard to describe in words. There was an explosion of wildflowers in a lot of the open areas, water was flowing in the creeks, and I hiked for several miles into lower French Valley - what a treat!

The campgrounds were definitely not full, Even with only half the spaces being available. This is a bit unusual as this state park received lots of traffic from LA and San Diego.

I hadn't been here for many years, and was glad to be able to spend the day hiking about. I'm a huge fan and recommend this place to anybody who has never been!

The Boucher trail (and the other trails that can make up a loop hike from the parking lot) is a good exploration around Palomar Mountain. Unfortunately, many trees here are burnt out in this area. Still, this is a fun family-friendly trail system.

The Smaller Loop, Boucher to Scott's trail (4-5 miles).
From the parking lot, walk up along the paved road to the Boucher trailhead. From there it's a mile hike uphill to the fire tower. Then you'll continue along the Boucher trail until it turns to the Adam's trail, then it turns into the Scott's trail. NOTE - An optional hike to Doane's Pond can be taken from here, the trail is called the Cedar Trail. But it you're looking to get back to the parking lot just continue down Scott's trail to Scott's Cabin, then look for the Scott's Trail Spur as a shortcut back to the parking lot... It was about 5 miles to do the Loop with the side hike to Doane's Pond.

- The kids will love all the obstacles along these trails (fallen trees).
- Like most mountain trails, there will be long periods of down and uphill hiking.
- You paid $10 to park here. At least try and do a short loop hike..
- You'll need a GPS ( Google Maps on your phone) and maybe the free map at the ranger station to easily navigate the trails for a loop from the parking lot.
- No wildflowers.
- Lots of deer.
- Restrooms.

Doane valley campground: 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 is not too far. We did go fishing, there were lots of fish in the pond. The restrooms are very clean, the outhouse is also very clean.
We booked 2 nights online but only stayed here one night. 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!

This is a very beautiful place. Camp sites are separated from one another with in a forest setting. Each site has a fire ring, grill and picnic table. There were RV sites but I don't know if there is electricity. There are flush toilets and a coin shower in the shower house and single toilet house within the park. Water is available between campsites. Be aware that some campsites are situated on a slight rise and may require walking up stone steps.

Very quiet and peaceful. The night sky was wonderful.

Doane Pond is within walking distance and there is a nice trail around it. We fished but didn't catch anything, not even a nibble. The pond is surrounded by cat tails, which are very beautiful but limit access to the water.

There are plenty of hiking trails but no dogs are allowed on the trails. You can walk your dog on the road. There is one forest road that you can take your dog on also.

They have fire pits and there were no fire restrictions when we were there 10/14-15/2020.

The only negative was the incredible preponderance of flies and bees that swarmed us during the day. They seem to be worse when it was hot. The bees were attracted to the water faucet and I got stung on the finger while running the tap. The flies did not bite or sting but they were very annoying.

We drove up to the fire lookout tower and watch the sunset. They actually have an observation deck there. On clear days you can see to Tijuana, the ocean and San Diego.

Very nice campground. A handful of spots for RV's. No hookups or dump station. Easy walk from Doan Valley campground to the pond next to the Baptist Camp. (I remember when this site was the 6th grade City Schools camp) Lot's of trails to walk, not so many allow dogs to come along. Bring your bug spray! No cell service in the valley, You have to go up to Lookout Point close to the park entrance for cell needs. Restrooms in the camp, pay showers. Fresh water spigots are scattered in the camping area. Bring your own firewood.

Such a pretty place to camp. Palomar Mountain is in San Diego county. To get to the camp site, you have to go up a windy road. It's a little tricky so if you go when it's dark, make sure to pay attention.

We had campsite 4, which was close to the restroom and made it convenient. Unfortunately, the morning after we arrived, the toilets back flowed and we were unable to use it until Saturday night. The campsite was a good sized. The ground was quite uneven at some parts. Each site had its own water source, table and lockers for food storage. Only thing I didn't like was that there were so many insects flying around during the daytime. Luckily, insects were gone at night.

We parked at the ranger station about 3 miles from the lake. We took the chimney flats trail to the lake and then hiked the weir loop and went the same way back. The total we did was a little over 9 miles. The campground around the lake is beautiful and well kept, good for kids and family activities. PS if you are using Alltrails map the starting point to the trail is wrong!