Lake Jennings Camping
Enjoy scenic mountains and azure waters at this beautiful San Diego County Park
Both residents and visitors will enjoy camping at the beautiful Lake Jennings park. Though located only 5 miles east of El Cajon, this San Diego area park is located in a semi-isolated setting. Visitors will enjoy feeling nestled among tall mountains; hiking along trails through hillsides covered with native California chapparal; boating and fishing on a deep-blue lake; and relaxing in a well-maintained campground whose blufftop location affords sweeping views of the countryside and stunning views of the lake.
San Diego County maintains a system of parks...and nearly a dozen of them have both day-use and camping areas. Lake Jennings was among the San Diego County Parks, and is among the "crown jewels" of the area because of its ideal location and beautiful setting.
On this page, we'll talk about the facilities you can expect to find when you plan a trip to the Lake Jennings camping grounds. At the end of the page, you'll discover contact information so that you may learn more about this family-friendly camping spot, and also make reservations through the Helix Water District's official system, if you wish.
Lake Jennings Camping: The facilities
Lake Jennings Campsites
As you can tell from the photo at the very top of this page, the Lake Jennings campgrounds are nestled at the top of a bluff overlooking the water. Some of the campsites, as that one, seem so close to the edge that you might not want to roll over in your sleep! Other sites have a good view of the water without being on-the-edge close. And still other sites don't have much (or any) lake view at all. Nevertheless, all spots in the campground are scenic because of the shady trees which have been planted...and vistas of Lake Jennings peep into view as one travels around within the campground.
Extreme bluffside camping sites are for "tents only." Others, like the one in the photo to your right, are still too close for a heavy RV to occupy. These are for "tents or campers" only. Out of the nearly 100 campsites at Lake Jennings, 6 are solely for tents, while another 20 camp sites fall into the tent-or-camper category.
Even though some of the Lake Jennings campsites are off-limits to RV's, there are many more sites which DO allow them. 35 camping spaces offer partial hookups (electricity and water) while 39 campsites feature full hookups (electricity, water and sewer.) There is a sanitary dump station at the campground if you arrive with your RV wanting a full-hookup site, but find them already taken. The RV sites offer traditional back-in style camping which fit rigs up to 25 feet long. In addition, a generous number of camp sites at this location are pull-through spots admitting RV's up to 35 feet in length.
In the photo to your left, you can see a campsite which accepts back-in style RV camping. This site is well away from the bluff's edge, and would only offer little glimpses of the lake, but has a nice "woodsy" feel to it.
In the photo to your right, you can see one of the campsites at Lake Jennings which is farthest from the lake. The view out the back of this site looks over the valley in which housing development is taking place. Nevertheless, the general overall relaxing mood of this hilltop campground pervades.
Lake Jennings Camping: The amenities
CAMPSITE AMENITIES---
As you can tell from the photos above, the Lake Jennings campsites are gravel-lined. Each camp spot has its own picnic table and in-ground fire pit. Most sites feature shade trees, though some more than others. There is a generous amount of space between each campsite, so that you don't feel squeezed up against your neighbor.
CAMPGROUND AMENITIES---
The campground's restrooms are one of its nicest features. Families prefer the more sanitary conditions that exist when a campground offers flush toilets and running water...and Lake Jennings has these utilities. As an extra bonus not every mountain camping destination can brag about, there is hot water flowing from the taps in the bathroom, and warm showers are available.
Also in the campground, you'll find a children's playground. As you can tell from the photo in this section, there's a canopy shading the play structure to keep from burning the tender skin of a toddler on hot, sunny days. The play structure is made of plastic to minimize injuries. Tunnels to crawl through, slides to zoom down and gadgets to twist and pull are features your children will enjoy on this Lake Jennings play structure.
LAKE JENNINGS PARK AMENITIES---
Many people who camp at Lake Jennings do so to be near the spot where they plan to go boating and fishing. As you can see in the pictures, Lake Jennings is quite a good-sized lake. The park stocks the lake with catfish during the summer season.
Those without a boat may enjoy fishing from the Lake Jennings fishing pier (seen in the image to your right.) Note: fishing at Lake Jennings does require a California fishing license and a daily permit.
If you don't boat or fish, that's not a problem, either. Lake Jennings county park offers hiking trails where you and your family can discover nature's flora and fauna in this area.
Lake Jennings County Park also maintained quite an interesting schedule of organized and/or ranger-led events. It's amazing the variety of programs that are or were offered before the California State budget crisis. When the San Diego County Park System took care of the Lake, one day, the topic might be fishing tactics; another day, local history; still another, a wildlife talk. At night, there were astronomy presentations. And on Easter, Lake Jennings even held Easter Egg Hunts! Now with the budget crisis and the change of management, these events have been affected. There are still fishing classes on Sundays, but there are plenty of other fun things to do outdoors on your own you might want to plan just in case.
You'll be able to check out the park's schedule of programs on its official website; check out the link to it in the section below.
Lake Jennings: Contact Information and directions
Now for the nitty-gritty details that you'll need to know in order to plan your camping trip.
LAKE JENNINGS CAMPING FEES as of July 2010---
*$32/night for full-hookup sites
*$28/night for partial-hookup sites
*$25/night for no hook-up/tent campsites
*Be prepared to add an $8 reservation fee, or fees for pets,more than one car per site, or more then six people per site.
Lake Jennings Campground Reservations: Camping reservations should be made in advance for the Lake Jennings Campground. The campground no longer encourages people to make reservations over the phone, but you can call the campground at (619) 390-1623 for more information about the campground. All visitors should make reservations at the Official Lake Jennings website prior to coming. Although Lake Jennings is ususally only open on the weekends and major holidays during the off-season, the campground is open year-round. Most lake activities, including boating, is off limits while the lake is closed, but people staying at the campground can go shore fishing even on days when the lake is closed as long as they stay near the campground.
Note: If you're going to camp during the summer months or on weekends year-round, reservations are definitely recommended. If you go on a weekday between September and May, you probably won't have any trouble getting a spot. The camping sites which fill the fastest at the Lake Jennings camp ground are the cliff-side tent spots and the RV pull-through sites.
The Lake Jennings address is: 10108 Bass Road, Lakeside, California. The Lake Jennings telephone number is
(619) 390-1623 (Camping), and (619) 443-2510 (fishing) by which you may either ask questions about the park or listen to a recorded message depending on when you call.
Lake Jennings Website: You will probably want to look at the park's official website before heading that way, because it can tell you many points not discussed on this page (for example, the types of wildlife in the area, the history of the lake & dam, and the upcoming schedule of events). You may use the following link to view the Lake Jennings website which includes a section about Lake Jennings campground.
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