Introduction:
We loved our stay at this spacious, green, well located, county park outside San Diego.
Click here to read about our criteria for campground reviews.
The Basics:
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Price per night / Discounts: $33 / None
Campground website: Sweetwater Summit Regional Park
Our Site #: 82
Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):
4.5/5: There are two loops here. The older south loop has more trees and therefore feels a bit more private, but the sites are smaller, W/E only, and are more irregular. The northern loop is newer and offers larger FHU sites, but the vegetation isn't quite as mature, so it feels a bit more open. Either way though, there is enough space between the sites you won't feel like you're on top of your neighbor. We were perfectly happy with the spacing here.
Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):
4/5: This park is located right outside San Diego, so it's considered a great spot for visiting the city. We did not go into town while we were there, but according to Google maps, it would take about 20-30 minutes to get downtown (depending on where you're headed), so not bad at all. In the meantime, there are tons of stores and all your necessities just a few miles from the park. It's really a pretty great location.
Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):
4.0/5: The north loop is great for big rigs. The roads are easy to handle, the sites are spacious, and the utilities are well placed. The south loop sites vary. Some are easier to deal with than others. If you're trying to stay in those with a big rig, just make sure you read the details for each site since the sites are really inconsistent. All of our hookups worked well. We also saw that they had an easy to access dump station if you're in the south loop.
2021 Update: We stayed here twice in 2021, in two different sites, and both times, we had ant invasions. The camp host who checked us in warned us that ants are a problem at the park, and you'll find plenty of complaints about it on campground review sites. We had no issues in 2018, but in 2021, it was a big problem. Make sure you have some bug repellant with you and spray around the bottom of your rig.
Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, campground wifi, and staff):
5/5: You can make your reservations online, which is helpful, and customer service was friendly.
Overall Value Rating (the overall value of the campground; was it overpriced for what it was?):
5.0/5: Value here is really great. For $33, the full hook up sites are large, level, and private, the entire park is just 20 minutes outside the city, and we had everything we needed close by. We really can't ask for anything more.
Summary:
2021 Update: We really like this park. There's plenty of green, the sites are nicely spaced, it offers full hook ups, and is conveniently located just outside San Diego. The only real complaint we had was the ant problem. The park obviously knows it's an issue (they told us when we checked in), but for whatever reason, they've decided not to spray repellant around the sites. Generally, we would love to stay here again, but the ants would give us pause. Hopefully the park will address it.
