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Julian

Spring “Pie Country” Camping

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Spring “Pie Country” Camping
April 6th – 9th 2026 (3 nights)

Julian (in San Diego County) is the perfect place to go in spring for a fantastic camping experience in the Cleveland National Forest area, served up with a slice of pie.  This hallmark little town is known for it’s old main street country charm with quaint village shops and pie bakeries.  There are a number of private and public campgrounds in the area, so we decided to sample a few to get an idea of the offerings.  We had already been to William Heise County Park adjacent to Julian on a past trip, so we selected three others a little bit farther from town.

Chamber’s Park Campground (Lake Cuyamaca)
This campground is about one and a half hours from our home in Carlsbad, California.  It’s a private campground and sits adjacent to Lake Cuyamaca (a manmade reservoir created in 1888).  Like many private campgrounds, the campsites here are closer together and more expensive than those at Regional or State or National Parks.  We chose a premium site with a lake view (#22) ($55/night plus $8 campground fee).  Electric and water hookups are included with this campsite.  We had good Verizon mobile phone coverage during our stay.  We were able to try out our new flaming hitch marker and are really happy with it!  The marker charges all day and runs all night.  We got it to illuminate the front of our trailer primarily in dark areas where someone may not see our Scamp 13′ easily at night when driving along narrow dark campground roads.

Lake Cuyamaca is an attractive small lake surrounded by lush landscape, including pines.  Nature here is abundant, with many types of birds, plenty of ground squirrels, and deer.  The large Canadian geese are bold and casually walk amongst the campers, seemingly unafraid.  And the big egrets are spectacular to watch as they fly over the lake and land along its shores.  There’s a dam at the end of the lake, and during our visit the other side was a marshy grassland.  We saw a number of mule deer grazing on the fields here.

Because Julian is only a fifteen minute drive from Chamber’s Park Campground, we spent our first full day walking Julian’s main street, perusing the shops, having lunch (at Quecho Mexican Restaurant), chatting with a PCT hiker (Julian is on the PCT hike route), and picking up a pie at one of the many pie shops.  We chose Julian Pie Company and, surprisingly, there was no line or wait to buy a pie!  This is practically unheard of here as there are usually lines out the door at the pie shops.  Our visit was mid-week and off season (April).  However, the streets, normally packed with tourists, were eerily quiet.  One of the rangers we met speculated that it was the price of gas keeping people away (currently over $6/gallon in town).

Chamber’s Park Campground attracts many families who want to fish in the stocked lake.  Trout, bass, and catfish are the main catch.  There’s no catch and release for trout — if one catches a trout they have to take it home or there may be some trouble for them.  There are a long list of other rules at this private campground we were made aware of.  Fortunately, we didn’t get in any trouble during our stay.  The highlight of our visit here was our bike ride around the lake.  It’s very beautiful along the lake’s shores.  It takes about an hour to walk its perimeter and less if riding a bike.  Bike riding can be a little tricky though as the ground is rocky and uneven on many parts of the ride (mostly at the very beginning — if leaving the campground and going right toward the tackle shop first).  The second part of the ride is through marshland, a forest, and crosses a few bridges and is much easier.

Paso Picacho Campground
Only about a ten minute drive down Highway 79 from Chamber’s Park Campground, Paso Picacho Campground is one of two public campgrounds within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.  We reserved campsite #8 ($40/night plus $8 reservation fee), which is one of the best sites (very private with a large picnic area).  There was one bar of Verizon mobile service at our campsite. There’s a threaded water spigot within the adjacent picnic area (which we utilized to refill our Scamp before departure using two connecting hoses).  Our new water fill device made this very easy!  There is a central dump at the campground exit ($10 at the time of our visit).

This campground’s sites are well spaced out and offers many nice trails.  We hiked the Paso Pacacho Trail Loop (about 1.5 miles, connected to the campground) as well as the Azalea Springs Trail (about 3 miles).  There are some much longer hikes, including one up to the top of Stonewall Peak  (strong ascent / about 4 miles round trip) for which we will have to return.

The night here was ink black during our stay.  When I opened our Scamp’s door to check on our flaming hitch marker, I could not see the ground (only darkness)!   For indoor entertainment, we tried out our new tablet swing arm — it makes watching movies great.  We had been using a mobile phone to download movies from Netflix/Amazon and play them on our Scamp TV using an HDMI adapter.  However, there were playback problems on a significant percentage of movies (due to security protocols we think).  So, instead, we now download movies onto an Android tablet and play them directly on the tablet (held close for viewing using the tablet swing arm).  It’s a very effective, inexpensive, and easy way to watch movies in the Scamp.

Note:  mountain lion and rattle snakes area warnings.

Green Valley Campground
A ten minute drive further down Highway 79 from Paso Picacho Campground, Green Valley Campground is the second of the two campgrounds within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.  This campground also feels large like the previous one, but with campsites not as private as Paso Picacho.  We reserved campsite #38, which is at the top of a hill (sharing the road with campsites #36 and #37).  Our checkout time at Paso Picacho Campground was Noon and the check-in time here was 2 p.m.  Fortunately, we arrived around 12:30 p.m. and the ranger said we could take our site early if no one was there.  It was good we arrived early, because there was no way to turn around and back in our Scamp without using campsite #37’s driveway!

After a nice lunch in the Scamp (with a piece of Julian cherry pie for dessert!), we decided to do a bit of computer work before hiking to Green Valley Falls (on the Sweetwater River), which is the most popular trail in the park.  Green Valley Falls is a very short hike from the picnic area down a steep dirt path.  Not so much a falls like Niagra (New York / Canada) or Iguazu (Argentina/Brazil), it’s more of a staggered series of two natural rock kiddie pools and slides.  We hiked down to above the pools and observed a three year old sliding down a short water shoot into a little pool and some older kids jumping into the lower pool from a rock perch about five feet above it.  What fun on a warm sunny late afternoon!

Note:  signs with mountain lion and rattle snake area warnings.

Impressions of Spring Camping Near Julian
Julian and the surrounding areas adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest are amazing places and ones which should be on every camper’s must-stay list.  Now having been to four different campgrounds in the area and enjoying them all in different ways, it’s safe to say one will not be disappointed going to any of these campgrounds.  If you are into fishing, birding, or visiting the town of Julian, Chamber’s Park Campground would be the top pick.  However, if you are into hiking and spread-out campsites, our number one choice is Paso Picacho Campground.  And, if you want some family fun playing in some natural water pools along a river, choose Green Valley Campground.  Or, do what we did, and spend a night in each and enjoy a variety of camping experiences!  And, don’t forget to pick up a pie (or at least sit down and enjoy a piece) when in Julian!

 

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything right.

Anza Borrego and Julian California

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Anza Borrego and Julian California
November 8th – 14th, 2021 (6 nights)

After recently returning from cool Oregon, we thought it might be nice to take a warm sunny trip to the California desert followed by a visit to a local mountain town.  Since we really enjoyed the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground in Anza Borrego State Park a couple of years ago (our very first Scamping trip), we scheduled a return visit.  The campground is only a couple of hours drive from our home in San Diego and offers some great hiking and biking as well as a cute desert town (Borrego Springs) with its fun shops and tasty restaurants.  When we arrived in the late afternoon to our full hookup site (#A26), it was warm (in the low 80s) and the sun was casting a red glow on the desert sand.  Surrounded by cactus and wide open space, there is a unique kind of vibe in the desert which one feels as soon as stepping outside.  Tall mountains serve as a dramatic backdrop to the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground whose campsites are nestled right up to rocky mountain’s edges.  After setting up our Scamp 13’, we took a long walk around the campground before watching a movie and going to sleep.

The next morning our goal was to hike the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, a 2.9 mile trail that leads to the third largest palm oasis in California (with California’s only native species of palm, the Fan palm).  The trail was closed when we were at the park our first time a couple of years ago due to recovery from a fire, so we were looking forward to seeing the oasis.  We left early to avoid the heat and followed the trail up to a v-shaped gorge where we glimpsed the palm grove (note: the waterfall wasn’t visible when we visited).   Along the way, we kept our eyes open for bighorn sheep on the mountain ledges above us, but these elusive animals remained out of our sight during our hike.  When we reached the oasis we spent a few minutes appreciating the spectacle of the huge grove of tall palm trees in the middle of the desert.  A handful of other hikers were also enjoying the same experience at the viewpoint.  We didn’t spend too long at the top because it was starting to get hot and we still had about an hour hike back to the campground.  Returning to the campground was easier than reaching the palm oasis because it was mostly hiking back down the mountain to the desert floor.  Note:  always hike with a partner and bring plenty of water if attempting this hike because it can get very hot here and there is no cell phone reception on this desert/mountain trail.

Once rested after our morning hike, we decided to ride our bikes into town and have lunch at Carmelita’s (Mexican food).  We were really glad we brought our bikes along because the roads are mostly wide open and flat and having bikes makes it really convenient to explore.  We even road our mountain bikes across portions of desert sand and it was really fun.  The bike trip into town was an easy 15 minute ride.  We sat with our bikes at Carmelitas on their outside patio and enjoyed a fantastic lunch (chips and salsa followed by excellent chicken mole enchiladas).  After lunch, we browsed items at the Borrego Outfitters shop next door (two years ago we purchased really interesting metal interlocking canteens and UV sun sleeves here).  Then, we biked to the Anza Borrego State Park Visitor’s Center on the West end of the park and purchased some t-shirts.  After all the day’s excitement, we enjoyed watching the stars in the evening.  Anza Borrego State Park achieved its International Dark Sky Park rating in 2018 and, as such, is recognized as a premier place for stargazing.  We retired in the Scamp after a long and fun day and watched a movie before bed.

We asked one of the park rangers if it would be OK to delay checkout from Noon until around 12:45 p.m. and we were told that was fine.  We wanted to eat lunch before stopping off at Bike Borrego (a local ebike tour company) to pick up a new bike lock (the one we recently purchased had failed).  The owner could only meet us at 1 p.m. to sell us one of his locks (and there are no other bike stores in town).  After purchasing our new bike lock, we drove an hour and a half to our next destination, the Salton Sea.  Unfortunately, conditions were not pleasant at the Salton Sea.  It was 88 degrees with many small flying insects and the air smelled of rotten eggs.  The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, was formed from runoff of the Colorado River in the early 1900s.  In the 1950’s and 60’s it became a resort destination.  Bird watching was also popular as the wetlands were a major resting stop on the Pacific Flyway.  In the 1980s, contamination from farm runoff promoted the outbreak and spread of diseases.  Massive numbers of birds and fish died.  During this time, large amounts of water evaporated which resulted in very high salinity, further destroying fish and other wildlife.  What remains is a toxic wasteland.  It’s not recommended to go into or touch the water and the air often smells.  The air smell is caused by elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide gas coming from the Salton Sea (it’s a highly toxic gas created by organic decay in the absence of oxygen at the bottom of the Salton Sea).  Needless to say, we left the Salton Sea Mecca Beach Campground after only about 5 minutes.  We called ahead to our next planned stop in Julian, William Heise County Park, and fortunately were told we could arrive a couple of days early as our campsite was open!

We arrived at William Heise campground in the charming mountain town of Julian right around sunset after a two hour drive from the Salton Sea.  We usually like arriving to campgrounds earlier in the day as it’s easier to see the campsite, locate a good pad position for the Scamp, and set everything up.  However, this was an unusual circumstance and we didn’t have much of a choice on timing.  Fortunately, we were able to quickly find our campsite (#41) and get everything in order because as soon as we finished setting up, it became extremely dark.  We chose a non-hookup site because the hookup sites at this campground are only partial (water & electric) and generally not as spaced out as the non-hookup sites.  There are water spigots located throughout the campground which we used to fill our Fresh Water tank daily.  And, we used our solar panel briefcase and Jackery 500 lithium battery to supply all the power we needed.  There is also a free central dump at this campground (which we used in combination with our Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution to avoid having to move our Scamp).  The weather was nice and cool in the afternoon and evening (a relief from the 88 degree temperatures we left a couple of hours earlier).  Daytime temperatures, in the 70’s, were also much cooler than the desert as Julian is located at over 4,000 feet elevation.

Julian is an old gold mining town where the gold rush happened in the 1850s.  Since then, apples and tourism have become the town’s new gold, and pie and gift shops line main street.  Julian is a very popular day trip destination for people who live in San Diego and Los Angeles because it’s only a two or three hour drive respectively.   People come here for the day to visit the apple orchards in the early Fall and throughout the year to eat apple, apple berry, and other varieties of pies.  Downtown Julian is about a 12-minute drive from William Heise County Park, which we found was good because downtown was very busy when we visited!  We did venture downtown a few times for the mandatory sampling of some of the different types of apple pies at both the Julian Pie Co. and the Julian Café and Bakery!  But, we mostly enjoyed staying in the campground and hiking the numerous trails (e.g. Cedar Creek Trail, Canyon Oak Trail, Desert View/Glen’s View Trail).  The Desert View Trail with a hike up to the Glen’s View outlook is notable because at the peak one can see both Anza Borrego and the Salton Sea on one side and San Diego and the ocean on the other.  Because we arrived two days early, we had ample amount of time to explore Julian and the William Heise County Park.  One interesting stop before leaving on our last day was the Julian Wolf Center.  We were able to observe a couple of wolf packs on our one hour wolf conservation tour ($30/each).  The center seeks to breed wolves and release wolf pups back into the wild. We found the wolf center to be an interesting experience.

This relatively short trip reinforced a couple of our Scamp travel principles.  First, travel to locations which have favorable weather conditions for a more comfortable trip.  We did find both Anza Borrego and Julian to have very favorable weather conditions this time of year (Fall).  Second, be open-minded and flexible if you don’t feel comfortable at the campsite to which you pull up.  And, have your usernames and passwords with you for all your campground reservation websites in case you need to cancel your reservation, make a change, or make a new reservation.  If you do need to cancel at the last minute because you don’t want to stay at the campsite (like in our case with the Salton Sea), you will likely forfeit at least a day’s campsite fee (which usually isn’t much), but it will be worth an overall more enjoyable trip!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.