Fry Creek Campground, Palomar Mountain, CA

Fry Creek Campground is located in the Palomar Ranger District, Cleveland National Forest (1 hr 1 min southeast of Temecula, CA) with an elevation of 4,976 feet. There are a total of 12 campsites which are all tent-only sites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of April to the beginning of December. Max equipment length is 12 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. There is a fee of $15.00 per night.

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Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (51)

3.4 out of 5

5 star		29%
4 star		22%
3 star		18%
2 star		16%
1 star		14%

@JonathanY84574 · Camped on Oct 18, 2024 at Campsite #2

the previous people left huge mess. There were trash and stuff all over. There were also a scary lump of melted nylon in the firing. after cleaning up the ring I think the nylon stuff was disintegrated tent poles (the nylon stuff were probably from the tension cord that were inside the tent poles). I LOVE fry creek and Observatory campground. I go there often. I was married at Bailey's resort just a few mils away. Im sad to see the campground getting more and more littered and abused. Especially after the COVID pandemic.

@AnnieGC44D67BF · Camped on Sep 13, 2024 at Campsite #5

Beautiful place, very quiet. I tried cooking and eating outside and my site got attacked by swarm of bees and wasps it got so bad I had to leave a day early, but other than that, beautiful area

@JohnD1553494 · Camped on Sep 6, 2024 at Campsite #1

Peaceful, relaxing, fun trip. People are very helpful and welcoming. Local store is also very helpful, plenty of stuff to do and good time to grill and enjoy a cup of coffee or favorite drinks. Don't forget your tent .

@CristinaRAACDC · Camped on Jul 21, 2024 at Campsite #7

Quite and not crowded, which was nice. But it shows the reason it's only $15, bathrooms are not very well maintained, other reviewers aren't exaggerating when they say they're lots of bugs.

@RebeccaS312468 · Camped on Jul 12, 2024 at Campsite #18

This campground was quiet . We did not see any host. It was nice and shaded area with lots of trees. I still had cell reception and I have cricket as my carrier . The only thing is that it was inclined where we stayed at campground # 18 . During the summer it has lots of bugs so I recommend taking bug spray and a mosquito head net. There was water available near the bathrooms .

@KarenK3878935 · Camped on Jul 3, 2024 at Campsite #6

It is a beautiful quiet place. It is not maintained well, BBQ is broken not sure how often fire pits are cleaned or the bathrooms. And as can be in the woods many mosquitoes, flies and gnats.

@HeatherY6A9F77 · Camped on Jun 13, 2024 at Campsite #1

Wasnt enough info on the site. You had to climb a small dirt hill not suitable for people with bad knees. The amount of mosquitoes , flies and bees was insane. Checked out early. Couldnt take the bugs. Mosquito netting is a must for this camping area

@Hopel1413FF096 · Camped on May 28, 2024 at Campsite #6

Great little camp ground on top of a mountain. Be prepared for long windy road to get there. The birds were everywhere. So nice to get away from everyone and everything.

@johnc3063297 · Camped on Nov 17, 2023 at Campsite #18

Be advised there is no water available at the upper campsites. No notice is given on the website. Restrooms were clean and stocked. Campsites were also clean

@leonardomD273F · Camped on Oct 27, 2023 at Campsite #17

Only thing I didnt like was the running water was turned off

@LisaL2148259 · Camped on Oct 16, 2023 at Campsite #17

Very quiet and peaceful. Plenty of shade. We walked out of the campground entrance, across the road, and picked up a marked trail to the Observatory campground where we picked up the trail to the actual observatory. Made for a nice hike without having to drive anywhere. You can also hike into the State Park from the top of Fry Creek campground. Very enjoyable.

@SimonY2218AA5F · Camped on Oct 13, 2023 at Campsite #7

A good overall campground. The main entrance is one lane only which is scary for one car to back off if two encounters. Also some tent sites are too far from the parking.

@MarkV8262617 · Camped on Sep 15, 2023 at Campsite #1

Mosquitos were fierce! This is a beautiful and peaceful campground. Also, idk what is wrong with the recreation.gov reservation map, but the campsite orientation is nothing like how it's displayed online. Campground map: https://d2g85s3tfaxbly.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Fry-Creek-Campground-Map.png

@LoriB2407943 · Camped on Aug 13, 2023 at Campsite #5

We knew the campground would be 'rustic' with well water and pit toilets. There was nice amount of shade at our site.HOWEVER, the toilets were not attended to/cleaned the four days we were there, and were dirty upon our arrival.The amount of mosquitoes, flies, gnats and other pest-bugs was nearly intolerable. There were issues with grills, picnic tables and other facilities.Needs serious attention, as a National Forest Campground.

@Jennifer431358 · Camped on Jul 21, 2023 at Campsite #2

My family and I had a great time. Very clean and nice. Will definitely be camping there again! HAPPY CAMPING!

@JohnU12E7D8133 · Camped on Jun 30, 2023 at Campsite #6

Beautiful

@JoseFern7A8141 · Camped on Jun 18, 2023 at Campsite #11

We had to drive for hours to get there, and the campground was closed. I called to get information, but my calls went directly to voicemail. A lady in the gift shop at the observatory told us that the campground had been closed for a few days. If it was closed for days, why no one calls us or send a notification through recreation.gov? Just a waste of time and gas.

@CherylB3572926 · Camped on Jun 11, 2023 at Campsite #18

When we arrived with all our camping gear, after an hour plus drive, we found the campground closed indefinitely for public safety. There was no information provided, nor did we receive an email or phone call. This was quite unprofessional. Rev.gov is not a trustworthy site.

@MarijaP2443570 · Camped on Apr 14, 2023 at Campsite #1

Wonderful campground. The best one we have ever been to.

@JonM9751115 · Camped on Oct 17, 2022 at Campsite #6

Site 6 was excellent, especially since we went during the week and had no neighbors around at all. There were several people at the upper end by the loop. The campsite map on here was no where close to accurate. Plenty of majestic trees and beautiful scenery. The 1.5 mile hike was easy enough to take the little ones on. There is a lot of poison oak everywhere, but the biggest downside is the flies. From about 10 am to 5 pm, they were practically unbearable. Fortunately we knew what to expect and brought our screened pop up that we put over the table which made a great refuge. There's signs warning of plague through fleas and ticks so be sure to treat your dogs with something before bringing them. Lots of Bluejays, woodpeckers and squirrels. There's also the sound of strong winds blowing through the trees, but you barely feel it at the campsite. Pit toilets are always nasty so planning for an alternative is highly recommended. Many of the sites are somewhat far from the parking spots so if you're bringing the "kitchen sink," you might want to bring a wagon too.

@AmandaM8429553 · Camped on Aug 26, 2022 at Campsite #5

The campground is pretty big and clean. The trees are pretty dense so you get good shade in the day, and there is a lot of wildlife. Lots of hikes nearby too!

@NaomiW5917408 · Camped on Aug 20, 2022 at Campsite #9

Stayed in site 9. Easy to access, table, grill, and fire pit. Most of the site was sloped but there was enough flat area to pitch a tent, could probably have fit a 2nd one. Lots of bugs this time of year so definitely recommend a mosquito net.

@BrianL8268206 · Camped on Aug 4, 2022 at Campsite #1

Love this small campground. Sites are spread out and it's amazingly quiet during the week. Weekends aren't bad but if you really want peace and quiet, weekdays are great.

@HeraldH5617599 · Camped on Jul 22, 2022 at Campsite #9

this specific area had great natural shade from trees, no showers, and bathrooms were pretty bad, no TP. only one shower @ observatory worked.

@KarenS4720852 · Camped on Jul 19, 2022 at Campsite #7

This is the second time we have stayed in this campground. The first time was back in 2017 and we enjoyed it. This time we thought the campground had gone downhill. The sites are very poorly labeled and so are the parking spots. Some of the sites had not been cleaned up and there was trash around them. There was only one bathroom open near our site and it had no toilet paper! We stayed at site #7 and didn't realize that you had to walk everything in and you are surrounded by other campsites close by (which luckily were empty because it was during the week. The water spigot was pointed straight out so water goes shooting out over 5 ft away (a simple downspout would fix this). The bugs were absolutely horrible but I know this isn't the camps fault, just the wrong time of year. The best thing about the campground is the nice hiking trail around the camp. It's a little hard to find the start of the trail but once you're on it, it's a nice scenic hike. We tried to hike the Observatory trail across the road but only got half way before it became too overgrown with poison oak and we could go through it. The observatory is still closed for COVID so that was a bummer.

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