Dixon Lake Campground

First time camping out on my own. This is a nice local spot for beginner campers. To me, the location is a bit mundane but that's really a personal preference. Honestly, Valley Center, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Julian etc would have been my preferred camping destinations all within an hour drive away. You have at least one or two bathrooms in the camping grounds, and they both have handicapped toilets, sinks, and other basics. There's one partial trail around the lake and it can be a bit of a challenge mostly due to the low maintenance around the off seasons so bring either a half decent pair of hiking boots or a stick of some sort for balance. Unless you're already physically adept enough to hike in plain sneakers that is. If you're getting camping spots numbered in the ranges of like the 30s or 40s, then you can get great views of the city of Escondido at night. That I can confirm, and there's enough spacing between each lot to allow for privacy and some reduction in noise pollution. One of the campers had their music on for hours till around 9 or 10 and even then it wasn't too loud to be even mildly bothersome. Some things I would recommend for first time tent campers: 1. The ground is hard. Make sure you have a mallet and tent stakes with points at the end 2. It can be a bit of a walk to the bathroom depending on what spot you land, so be sure to bring your smartphone or other flashlight if you have to use it in the night 3. Max tent sizes (for non RV lots that is) seems to be one four-person tent per lot, at the very least. For some lots, you should be able to cram in two such tents, AND each lot should come with a picnic bench and grill. 4. Reserve online in advance, then go up to the ranger station to obtain three papers. One to hang up at the post of your campsite and the other two can be for one or two of your vehicles.

Nice to camp there. Offers lots of amenities. Like a lake where you can fish, take boat rides, drive a peddle boat at a low cost, and even feed the ducks. You can take a hike on the rocky terrain following a trail. There is a huge playground to keep the young entertained. I recommend Dixon lake campgrounds.

The campsites are not raked or swept. The campsites are very dusty, not fun when you have people hanging out, dancing in the moonlight, and trying to go without sandals. A lot of trash and litter as far as the eye can see. The campsites are more private than other campgrounds i have been to. Some in my party didn't enjoy hearing other campsites as the night went on but you don't see each other. They did a cool design for most sites to get a cool view of the valley or the lake. Should I suggest a higher fee for a freshly cleaning picnic table and swept out campsites?

We RV camped at Dixon Lake in September of 2024. Our campsite was clean and quiet, which was nice. The restrooms were disgusting and probably have never been cleaned. On Saturday morning, we discovered the restrooms were locked and stayed that way all weekend. I felt sorry for all the tent campers with little kids running around. We're not going to return. Very disappointed.

September 20/2024 we books And camp here The camping site 30, no shade at all. It is extremely Hot. And the biggest problems ants 🐜 come in to ours tents a lots. We spent couples hours to Fight ants We can’t sleep, must sleeping in the car. I did read reviews but didn’t thinking that bad. Ants everywhere even spider. I go shower and see the biggest spider seem lived there long time right next to the bench Conner. Think about it if Spider sneak to your clothes. I did come talked to Ranger. He told me that is natures. I am camping a lot 2-3 times a month. Lake Jenning, Yosemite, sequoia, casitas springs, palms spring and much more … I never seen too much ants 🐜. Besides Ants problem. Camping site 30 had beautiful views. Planning camping here must buy lot of ants spayed Lol.