Observatory Campground, Palomar Mountain, CA

Observatory Campground is located in the Palomar Ranger District, Cleveland National Forest (1 hr southeast of Temecula, CA) with an elevation of 4,908 feet. There are a total of 28 campsites. The campground is open all year. 4 sites can accommodate RVs between 12 and 35 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. Fees range from $15.00 to $30.00. Some amenities include amphitheater. Activities include hiking trails.

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Campsite Reviews (131)

3.6 out of 5

5 star		32%
4 star		22%
3 star		20%
2 star		12%
1 star		11%

@CraigC6363433 · Camped on Nov 4, 2024 at Campsite #29

Nice classic campground, empty this time of year.

@JenniferC92685 · Camped on Oct 17, 2024 at Campsite #39

Peaceful campground, easy to get to, only issue was the yellow jackets. The site had a trap at it but there was still several out and about so I had to stay in my tent or car to eat and relax at the site until sundown.

@MJB433612E037D · Camped on Sep 29, 2024 at Campsite #8

This campground appears to be dying, and it would behoove those in charge of it to cease use and allow its re-establishment. The insects have taken over, falling branches can be heard every 4-5 hours, trees appear as if theyre ready to fall over if a squirrel runs at them too hard. I was scheduled for three days, but couldnt bear to endure the final night. Between bees, flies, and mosquitoes, one can barely hear themselves think.One saving grace about this campsite is the AMAZING showers!!!! Half an hour of a cleansing hot shower for under $5 is insane! We took the shower after the disappointing hike up to the observatory. The lookout point, 3/4 up, was beautiful, although continuing the hike leaves you surrounded in the midst of an entire decaying forest. About an hour of hiking.Having been camping in California for the past two months, Id say this one is in the bottom two places Ive been. Please allow it to repopulate before theres nothing left!

@MattD1154148 · Camped on Sep 13, 2024 at Campsite #25

Love this campground! Has a nice variety of group and more private campsites. On-site hosts were great to work with. Would recommend.

@KaitlynM710393 · Camped on Sep 12, 2024 at Campsite #10

If youre camping in the summer or early fall (we camped during mid September) I highly recommend the outer camp site numbers so youll have shade because the inner field sites have no shade during the mid day hours and it can get hot. Yes there are lots of flies so be prepared for that, but the mosquitos and yellow jackets seemed to have gone away for the most part. The campsite hosts (a lovely couple) were incredibly nice and took the time to introduce themselves and make sure we were set. The toilet paper at the restrooms was out on our first day being there, but the hosts explained why and offered us our own roll if we needed it (we brought our own). The restrooms were decently clean on the weekdays, but as soon as all the weekend campers rolled in the restrooms quickly got dirty. The showers 4 coin operated showers were a nice benefit of the campsite after a hike, but make sure you bring shower shoes. The only complaint was some of the weekend campers treated their campsite like a party and blasted music until the late night. Overall, I would definitely come back to the campground again and continue to reserve the outer camp sites for more privacy and less noise.

@Crystalyn57D82 · Camped on Aug 23, 2024 at Campsite #1

Love this campsite. We try and go a few times a year. Love the layout of the campsites, spaced out and not so close together and it's pretty quiet after 10pm. Overall excellent experience and will continue to go annually.

@AmyH6621534 · Camped on Aug 16, 2024 at Campsite #28

It was very noisy in the evenings, I wish guests had been reminded to be quiet or maybe we should have known that a full campground on a weekend in August would be loud. Someone had a microphone and karaoke and around 11:00pm some campers came in and talked so much we woke up and had to ask them to be quiet. Might not camp there again unless we come mid-week. Thanks.

@RobertE4617436 · Camped on Aug 13, 2024 at Campsite #40

I thoroughly enjoyed my overnight stay. The campground is quite nice overall. Lots of trees and at a high elevation, so both day and night weather was comfortable in August.

@IvanR8FD0F3465 · Camped on Aug 12, 2024 at Campsite #1

One of the best camp lots in the campsite. You get a very nice view of the eastern night sky (West is covered by trees). Plenty of flat space for tents surrounded by trees. We also saw lots of woodpeckers and blue jays around which was a nice surprise. However, we visited mid August and there mustve been yellow jacket nest nearby because they were eeeeeverywhere. A friend of mine got stung by one. Definitely stay away from this campsite if you are allergic to them.

@MICHELLE6C7879 · Camped on Jul 26, 2024 at Campsite #6

Ive camped at Observatory Campground a few times before and had a great experience. My last visit, however, did not meet my expectations. I reserved and paid for my site ahead of time online. Unfortunately, the site post was not updated when I arrived and the card clipped to the post said available see host. Luckily we got there before someone else had the chance to snag it. Other site posts clearly had reservations posted that were over 10 days old. It was apparent that the camp host had not come around in a while to keep site posts up to date. Actually, neither the camp host or any other forestry employee stopped by my campsite within the 3 days of camping to confirm that I was actually the correct person on the reservation. Im convinced anyone could have camped in this campground without paying and get away with it. The amenities were a mess. The bathrooms were without toilet paper for the entire stay and soiled toilet paper littered the floor. Campground vault toilets are not supposed to be fancy but Ive never experienced one so unkept. These issues didnt ruin my stay but it was clear that this campground was neglected.

@MartinJ8056623 · Camped on Jul 8, 2024 at Campsite #37

Observatory Campground has always been a good place to camp and get up into the trees from San Diego. I had the unfortunate timing of camping out during a heat wave, where the days hit the upper 90s, with crystal clear skies and minimal breeze. The nights were fantastic, though, the Milky Way just sparkled, and made for some very good astrophotography opportunities.

@PaulK4963226 · Camped on Jul 4, 2024 at Campsite #13

The bugs were the worst I've ever seen, but I won't hold that against anyone, that's nature. However, the bathrooms were almost unusable and the showers were all broken but one (and the one that worked didn't have a light).That being said, the camp site was beautiful and once the stars came out and bugs went away, it was magical! The volunteers were also very very nice!

@DevinH4230360 · Camped on Jun 29, 2024 at Campsite #10

Booked this campsite via this Recreation.gov platform, charged me immediately so I assumed we had a reserved campsite. When we arrived, not only was our specific campsite closed, but the camp manager had no record of my reservation even though I was charged. She stated she doesnt manage the reservations from this website, so be careful booking here. Luckily, there were other campsites available & they take walk ins. Other than the booking issue, campground was pleasant, facilities fairly clean, but bugs were really bad this time of year.

@RichardF767024 · Camped on Jun 10, 2024 at Campsite #33

Awesome campground. Site #33 was great Clean, quite, peaceful, and beautiful. Too many flies during the day. Summer. We used head nets, etc. Flys were mostly gone in evening and early morning. Great star gazing at night. Bring red lights, keep white toa minimum if you can. Weird parking spots, but works. Nice separate BBQ coal grill for steaks, and fire pit grate/grill as well. Nice main restrooms with full plumbing. Thank you.

@JeremyN5846586 · Camped on Jun 7, 2024 at Campsite #17

This campsite was really bad. We ended up swapping for one of the first come first served campsites, which were much nicer.

@PatriciaD19138 · Camped on May 29, 2024 at Campsite #29

Excellent campground, especially for families or small group friends. Campsites are well spaced and most have good shade. Bathrooms could use a little maintenance but nothing unexpected for this type of camping. Mountain store nearby has extensive. Limited AT&T service, No Verizon service

@KevinM8804744 · Camped on May 26, 2024 at Campsite #21

Location is good and very scenic drive going up. Great night sky views and not too crowded. Campsites and trails could use some maintenance to clear over grown grasses, plants and bushes. Main trail to observatory was impassible about 3/4 mile in. Risk of poison oak exposure made it too tough to keep going with kids.

@KelsieMC1BC48A · Camped on May 24, 2024 at Campsite #13

Stayed at site thirteen, small walk up a hill but secluded and quiet. Great spot for stargazing but you do need to drive into the actual state park when staying here. Bathrooms with showers!

@NancyS9263746 · Camped on May 17, 2024 at Campsite #25

Great campground thats close to the observatory. The trail from the campground to the observatory isnt marked anywhere. Tip: it starts at the path to the amphitheater, then goes to the left (the amphitheater goes to the right). It looks like youre walking through someones campsite but youre actually walking alongside it.

@KarenC7594177 · Camped on May 11, 2024 at Campsite #19

Beautiful campsites! Will be staying again!

@GraceM47DDE93C · Camped on May 10, 2024 at Campsite #19

Beautiful! Breathtaking! So many huge trees for kids to climb and trails to walk! The campsite was very nice also with a fire ring, and a grill. Lots of Steller's jays and squirrels. Lots of open sky to stargaze. There is a REALLY quaint market close by to pick up goodies for the camp, including ice cream! ;) I brought my grandkids for their first campout and now they are as hooked on camping as I am!

@PatrickO633789 · Camped on Apr 17, 2024 at Campsite #41

Right after reopening, April mid week, only 4 other campers. So peaceful and quiet! :)

@ChadF8B79400A8 · Camped on Apr 3, 2024 at Campsite #10

Clean campsite. Nice and quiet during the week we went.

@BrandyG73FE3DD · Camped on Mar 21, 2024 at Campsite #25

Very nice campground, two bathrooms near campsite, one had showers. Running water near bathrooms outside.

@BrianP3895634 · Camped on Jan 13, 2024 at Campsite #29

Great time except the observatory is closed. We hiked there and there was no access. Still had an amazing time. The hike there alone was beautiful.

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