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View photos and discover details about the Paso Picacho Campground near San Diego, California! Updated January 20, 2008. Related info-- HOME :: Latest News :: Overview: Southern California camping overview :: Beach Camping: Dockweiler Beach Camping :: Doheny Beach :: Huntington Beach camping :: Newport Beach Camping, :: San Diego Beach Camping :: Santa Barbara beach camping :: Ventura Beach Camping :: Desert Camping: Joshua Tree NP Camping :: Lake & Mountain: Lake Arrowhead Camping :: Big Bear Camping :: Lake Elsinore Camping :: Lake Jennings Camping :: Paso Picacho Campground :: Road Trip from SoCal: Big Sur Camping :: Paso Picacho CampgroundDiscover a mountain hideaway near San Diego, California
There may be Pacific Ocean beaches within an hour's drive of the Paso Picacho Campground east of San Diego, California, but you'd never know it. If you were magically transported to Paso Picacho with your eyes closed, you'd never be able to guess that your location was Southern California when you opened them. The tall evergreens thickly foresting the scene and the fresh woodsy scent would make you feel you must be camping in a state more noted for its forests than its sandy beaches. Yet, verdant mountain scenes are very much a part of southern California's landscape, too!
The Paso Picacho Campground is one of two camping areas within the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The other campground, Green Valley Camp, is undergoing a tree-thinning project during 2007. Some camping spaces away from the tree-felling areas may be open for your use, but the park isn't going to guarantee spots being open and available this year. Therefore, while you MAY be able to grab a first come-first served camping spot at Green Valley, you'll need to plan a trip to the park's Paso Picacho unit if you want to make reservations and be sure of your camping spot. On this page, we'll be talking about the amenities you can expect to find within and around the Paso Picacho campground, plus see photos of the actual camping spaces themselves. At the end of the page, you'll find links to several interesting web pages containing campground maps and official information about the Cuyamaca Rancho SP and its camping grounds. Paso Picacho Campground Amenities
For many camping enthusiasts, just "getting away from the city" is reason enough to plan a camping trip to the Paso Picacho campground. As you can see in the photos on this page, Paso Picacho is in a heavily wooded, mountainous area which will give you and your family a complete change of pace from city life.
Paso Picacho itself is in a relatively isolated area. As you head east from San Diego on Interstate 8, you'll leave even the suburbs behind before you reach the turnoff to Cuyamaca Ranch State Park. As you head northwards towards the camping areas, you'll climb ever higher---the Paso Picacho campground sits at an elevation of 5,000+ feet! Even the weather at the Paso Picacho camping ground is different from the cities below. The day I made the camping trip on which I took these photos (in April, 2007) San Diego was under blue skies with white, fluffy clouds floating along in the air. Up in the mountains, as you can tell, the clouds became thick and grey, and a slight chill was in the air. Paso Picacho is also popular with day-use visitors, where people are welcome to come picnic for the afternoon. (The day-use fee is $6.) In addition to the picnic tables and firepits provided in the park's camping spaces, there are picnic groves where you can simply come to enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Firewood is available at the campground if you forgot your own wood or charcoal for the grill. 
Despite being in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, the campground doesn't actually sit alongside Lake Cuyamaca. (Neither does the park's Green Valley Campground, either.) Nevertheless, Lake Cuyamaca is only a few miles north of the Paso Picacho Campground, making an easy outing for those interested in getting in some fishing. Though a number of fish are stocked in Lake Cuyamaca, it's special claim to fame is that it's the only San Diego-area lake with the chilly waters needed to stock trout all year long!
Families with children will also enjoy taking a peddal boat (paddle boat) ride on Lake Cuyamaca. Flush toilets are available at the lake, as well as a picnic grove, restaurant and small store. Fishing lessons are available every Saturday at 10 am. If you'd like to learn more about the fun you may have visiting Lake Cuyamaca, you may use the following link to view the Lake Cuyamaca official website.
Spring is a wonderful time to visit, when spring rains have turned Julian and the surrounding countryside green as an emerald. And, any time of the year is a great time for browsing through Julian's cutesy little shops featuring all sorts of merchandise from clothing to souvenirs to crafts. If you'd be interested in adding a side trip to scenic little Julian, California, you may wish to follow the upcoming link to Julian's official website, run by the Julian, CA Chamber of Commerce. There, you'll find information about the various activities you may enjoy in town, as well as a bit about Julian's history and special events.
Campsites at the Paso Picacho Campground
The first and foremost thing that families will want to know is that the Paso Picacho Campground DOES have running water and flush toilets. Camping with little ones along is just so much easier when running water is available!
Water spigots dot the campground. Bathroom buildings are also situated at intervals throughout the camping area, featuring several stalls and sinks. Showers are available in the restrooms that aren't adjacent to the day-use areas. RV's are also welcome at the Paso Picacho Campground, along with pop-up campers, travel trailers, etc. There are a few pull-through sites at Paso Picacho, but most camping spaces are back-in camping sites. Many campsites can accommodate RV's and camping vehicles up to 30 feet in length. Some can fit even 34 foot rigs, while other camping sites have a maximum length limit of 24 feet. RVer's are certainly welcome at the camping grounds, though there are no hookups. Generators may be used, but only between the hours of 10 am and 8 pm. If you have a larger rig, you'll want to reserve your camping space ahead of time to make sure that the size campsite you need will be available. The Paso Picacho campground uses the Reserve America system; you will find a link at the end of this page that will take you directly to their website.
Unless you have a large RV or would like to reserve a particular campsite, you won't have to make reservations for Paso Picaso Campground MOST of the year. (On my April camping trip, I was in one of maybe a dozen campsites that were occupied. The rest sat empty at that time of year.)
During the summer, the park's popularity drastically increases, of course. Nevertheless, campground officials tell me that usually, the campground only fills up on weekends. Otherwise, you can make midweek spur-of-the-moment plans and will most likely find a space awaiting you. What if a "worst case scenario" happened, and you arrived to find a filled-up campground? First of all, the Green Valley campground (also within the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, just like Paso Picacho) will have first-come/first-served camping throughout 2007. PLUS, there are private campgrounds at Lake Cuyamaca. PLUS, there are a number of Cleveland National Forest camping grounds in the hills east of San Diego. There are simply more campgrounds in the mountains than there are campers to fill them all, so you should never have to go home disappointed. Still one more option available at the Paso Picacho Campground is renting a camping cabin. These attractive little cabins are made of wood and, though I haven't stayed in one myself, look clean, cozy and comfortable. You can see a picture of a Paso Picacho camping cabin in the adjacent photo. Paso Picacho Campground: Address, contact information
The Cuyamaca Rancho State Park's official address is: 12551 Hwy 79, Descanso, California 91916.
The Cuyamaca Rancho SP phone number is 760/765-0755. If you dial that telephone number, you'll reach a recorded message about the park, including its two campgrounds, Paso Picacho and Green Valley. You will also be offered the opportunity to connect to a park representative during business hours. Directions to the Paso Picacho campground: From Interstate 8, head east from San Diego. Exit at Highway 79; there will be a sign noting that this is the correct exit for Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. You'll travel north on Hwy 79 through an attractive rural area, climbing into the mountains as you go. After 6 1/2 miles, you'll reach the Green Valley campground; then, in another 5 miles, you'll reach the Paso Picacho campground. Map to Paso Picacho campground: Here's a Google map to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park from the California State Parks website. Camping map of the Paso Picacho campground: Here's an interactive Paso Picacho campground map from the Reserve America website (which also includes a Green Valley campground map, as well.) If you know your camping dates, you may make your reservations while you're on that site. If you would prefer a printable PDF campground map for Paso Picacho, you'll find it on the PDF Cuyamaco Rancho State Park brochure. You may use the following link to browse through the
Cuyamaca Rancho official website.
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One popular activity within the campground itself is hiking. As you can see in the adjacent photo, there are trailheads which start within the Paso Picacho camping area itself. (There are also trailheads which begin outside the campground, as well.)
About 15 miles north of the Paso Picacho campground is the scenic little tourist town of Julian. Famous for its apple harvest in the fall---when half of San Diego's residents seem to be crowding the town looking to down some of Julian's famous apple cider or sink their teeth into some tasty Julian apple pie---you can actually enjoy a visit to Julian at any time of the year.
The Paso Picacho campground has several dedicated handicap camping sites for physically challenged camping enthusiasts. (There are accessible restrooms as well, of course.) Since there are only several of these sites, you may also wish to reserve them ahead of time.
