La Jolla Indian Campground

Went on a Saturday in late September with 3 other people. Didn’t seem overly crowded. We arrived mid-morning and had no problem getting a good campsite. Portapotties were all mostly clean and we saw them being cleaned Sunday morning too. Took off a star because the prices are high for what you get and also there was no warning about how rough the tubing is. Water flow seemed decent but it was still shallow at a number of spots and so many hidden large rocks and waterfalls. We all ended up with many scratches and bruises. Also had a clear rope clothesline my neck at one point. It was a lot of fun with our group, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you aren’t prepared for getting a bit hurt (watch your heads and spines!). Also, warning that the speed limit is 5mph and police were enforcing it.

If you like rude staff members and rude camp goers, this is for you! How about people with no camping courtesy walk right through your campground? Yup, true story! What about a Karen telling you it’s a public area and their kids are allowed to access the stream through your campground? I ensured this lady there were multiple pathways to the right and left of our campground that they can access the steam. She was not appeased, but are they ever? Don’t worry, rude people come in all shapes including little wannabe thugs trying to intimidate my husband, but as an older man, he wasn’t going to be bullied and told them off. The security guards do not have a backbone. They might as well work at the library or CVS. Another story, another time. This place is disorganized and there were no rhyme or reason when entering the site, you can be one of the first to arrive but they don’t care. They reinforce more aggressive rude drivers cutting in line. We were nearly the last to enter the park, even when we were 30 minutes early. In a nutshell, this place was packed with people with no etiquette and the place was disgustingly overcrowded. If you want a nice relaxing camping community that honors each other and are kind, respectful, and helpful, this is NOT for you. Save yourself the stress.

I like to give places the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately all of the bad reviews for this place are true. Quiet hours are a joke. There is trash everywhere. The bathrooms are too small and shared by too many people. When booking I was told that sites 9-13 are motorhome pull in sites only. No trailers or fifth wheels. I was in site 10 and surprised when the first night a huge trailer was backed into the spot next to me. Then everything made sense. No wonder all of the bad reviews are true. There are no rules enforced at all.

When I approached the entrance, we had cars behind us cut to the side to get serviced first. Unfortunately, the car in front of had a ton of questions and was unprepared. When I finally decided to follow suit after having 5 cars cut in front me, the staff rudely told me to stop. I couldn't believe it cause It seemed like something out of a comedy skit. They even serviced the last car that cut in front of me first! Then the car with a ton of questions that was in front of me decided to block the route, further delaying our entry to my reserved campsite. After getting to my campsite, I was told by my family members that other campers have settled in our reserved site early that morning. They obviously lied that it wasn't taped off and felt obligated to settle there, even demanding to stay. After security finally kicked them off, I noticed a fair amount of trash floating the down the creek and throughout the campsite. There are no electric outlets or faucets for each campsite. You have to walk about 5 minutes to get to a faucet. It can be a pain if you have to refill and transport your water jugs. There are also unsightly port-a-potties throughout the campgrounds. I've seen worse in my military career and the the ones here seem tolerable. They are not cleaned daily. With the popularity of this place, you would think that there would be more bathrooms, showers, etc. The showers and bathrooms are filthy. The biggest downfall is the bathroom hours. They open from 8 am and close at 8 pm. Granted, the campers should "know" the hours, but it's a major inconvenience considering that the campground is based on the creek, where people need to shower afterwards. Majority of the campers here are party people who play loud music. I do not mind that at all. I do mind the wannabe thugs and gangsters, karens, and people who have no situational awareness. We had people march through our site to access the creek. Our site is pretty isolated (6G), so when people come through without asking or having common courtesy, it raises a red flag, which puts me in a defense mode. I don't know if they're scouting our gear to pick off or what not. When I had to access the creek up the hill, I at least asked the family on that campsite if we could quickly pass through. The only saving grace for this campground is the creek. However, it is not for little kids as they can easily flip overboard on their tube, get trapped, or suffer injuries. There are a lot of rocks and low clearance logs which you could hit your head on. Otherwise, this campground deserves a solid 2 star. summary PROs: nice creek CONs: bathroom hours, port-a-potties, rude staff, entitled campers, no faucet or electrical outlet at site, unreserved campsite too crowded Good for: party campers, recreational campers bad for: campers who want to reconnect with nature, adventurer campers

Location was great and I expected it to be busy over the holiday weekend. What I did not expect was the lack of clearly defined sites and enforcement of said sites. We "found" a spot only because someone moved. They had been spread out over who knows how many sites before we showed up. The lack of defined spaces also meant that people put their stuff up and parked encroaching on the road. It made passing difficult and I have a Honda Civic! I saw other people give up on finding a spot and set up in random places.