Observatory Campground, CA - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

Observatory Campground is located in the Palomar Ranger District, Cleveland National Forest (1 hr southeast of Temecula, CA) with an elevation of 4,908 feet. There are a total of 28 campsites including 21 tent-only sites. The campground is open all year. 4 sites can accommodate RVs between 12 and 35 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. Fees range from $15.00 to $30.00. Some amenities include amphitheater. Activities include hiking trails.

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Campsite Reviews (143)

3.5 out of 5

5 star		31%
4 star		22%
3 star		20%
2 star		13%
1 star		11%

@DevaN03D159CF7 · Camped on Jul 7, 2025 at Campsite #40

Great campsite. But horrible swarms of mosquitoes. Overall, beautiful site, just bring a lot of repellent.

@kenp1414092 · Camped on Jun 29, 2025 at Campsite #40

First time at the campground the camp site were good but the bath room and showers were disgusting look like had not been cleaned for a long time.

@RichardC284688 · Camped on Jun 22, 2025 at Campsite #29

Campground was nice. Its a .5 mile loop with 40+ moderately spread out campsites. Site #29 was very spacious with enough flat ground for a 4 person tent. It was close to the flush toilets and hot showers. The picnic table is a bit close to the tree line. The squirrel's had easy access to my goodies. The site drive way is long enough for a larger vehicle. I only gave it 4 stars because of the crazy amount of mosquitos throughout the site. Long sleeves and a head net helped. I would recommend this site.

@SteveW7867249 · Camped on Jun 22, 2025 at Campsite #39

Please clean the bathrooms. The mens room looks like it hasn't been cleaned in several months! Gross! I dont expect Ritz Carlton, but it was in worse condition than expected by far. Future campers will thank me for letting you know. Thanks

@MatthewB318226 · Camped on Jun 17, 2025 at Campsite #10

Showers were filthy and very unappealing. There was leftover trash in the woods by my camp sight (29). People need to be more aware of leaving any traces of themselves.

@RogerN1078048 · Camped on Jun 7, 2025 at Campsite #37

The campsite is nice and roomy. The group campsite has 2 picnic tables, 1 grill stand, and 1 campfire pit. Restrooms and showers were a short walk away. I recommend bringing your own toilet paper, as there was none available in the women's restroom. Spigots for water are close by. Prepare to be surrounded by mosquitoes and other bugs throughout the day, especially in the evenings. The Observatory Trail hike nearby is not paved well in certain sections, so my group got a bit lost in the middle of the hike in the ravine section. Other than that, the campsite is simple and beautiful.

@BrandonG884979 · Camped on Jun 6, 2025 at Campsite #17

Great location that is easily accesible. The campsites are well kept and clean. The vault toilets and bathroom/shower facility were not clean at all.The hike from the campground to the observatory is beautiful. Touring the observatory is worth it.

@AlexysB50BF4A0 · Camped on May 24, 2025 at Campsite #40

This is a cute campground with well-spaced sites, but be aware that mosquitoes and bees are more common at site #40 compared to other nearby sites. The morning sun can be intense due to the lack of early shade, but afternoons and evenings offer more shaded relief. The bathrooms were usable, and while they could have been cleaner, it wasn't a major issue. They did run out of toilet paper, so bring some and hand soap! Will definitely be back to this campground but site #29 looks best.

@JayC7170948 · Camped on Nov 29, 2024 at Campsite #34

Water to campground was shut off at least a few days before end of season. Recommend calling ahead.

@SusanW3089432 · Camped on Nov 29, 2024 at Campsite #17

Our site said 8 people max but only able pitch 1 tent, due to small space and not enough flat ground

@BrandonAD01481 · Camped on Nov 24, 2024 at Campsite #17

Definitely not the place to be off-season.All facilities were closed and all water was shut off with no posted notices. For the bathrooms that was fine but having no water spigots really put a hamper on things. I stayed 2 nights at site 17 and there wasnt a ranger or host volunteer in sight the entire time; I checked in 3 hours early due to this.Multiple campers asked me if Id seen any park staff also. Sites 13-16 are definitely Walk-in sites though they are not listed as such; With the parking for them being downhill from the sites; Site 15 being the furthest so definitely bring a wagon to account for this, as you will be nowhere near your vehicle.As for the positive it is definitely an amazing camp ground for looking at the sky. Cant say much else about this place. If youre looking to get outdoors over the weekend without driving far or out of state like myself, sure why not. Wouldnt recommend this place otherwise unless youre specifically chasing lunar events.

@CraigC6363433 · Camped on Nov 4, 2024 at Campsite #29

Nice classic campground, empty this time of year.

@JenniferC92685 · Camped on Oct 17, 2024 at Campsite #39

Peaceful campground, easy to get to, only issue was the yellow jackets. The site had a trap at it but there was still several out and about so I had to stay in my tent or car to eat and relax at the site until sundown.

@SadeHA66B75C60 · Camped on Oct 13, 2024 at Campsite #6

I brought my family with our 2 dogs for Thanksgiving and unfortunately we left early because it was a major danger for our dogs with the very bold and brave coyotes. We tent camped but I feel like if we had an RV it would have been safer for the dogs.. for us alone with out the dogs, tent camping would have been fine!Other than that. BEAUTIFUL!!! We loved every single moment from the colorful drive up to the stars and checking out the observatory which was also pet friendly. Its SO FUN to see all the different color leaves and the sunsets, the sunrises, the crisp air, the views on the way up.all of it was so beautiful.

@MJB433612E037D · Camped on Sep 29, 2024 at Campsite #8

This campground appears to be dying, and it would behoove those in charge of it to cease use and allow its re-establishment. The insects have taken over, falling branches can be heard every 4-5 hours, trees appear as if theyre ready to fall over if a squirrel runs at them too hard. I was scheduled for three days, but couldnt bear to endure the final night. Between bees, flies, and mosquitoes, one can barely hear themselves think.One saving grace about this campsite is the AMAZING showers!!!! Half an hour of a cleansing hot shower for under $5 is insane! We took the shower after the disappointing hike up to the observatory. The lookout point, 3/4 up, was beautiful, although continuing the hike leaves you surrounded in the midst of an entire decaying forest. About an hour of hiking.Having been camping in California for the past two months, Id say this one is in the bottom two places Ive been. Please allow it to repopulate before theres nothing left!

@MattD1154148 · Camped on Sep 13, 2024 at Campsite #25

Love this campground! Has a nice variety of group and more private campsites. On-site hosts were great to work with. Would recommend.

@KaitlynM710393 · Camped on Sep 12, 2024 at Campsite #10

If youre camping in the summer or early fall (we camped during mid September) I highly recommend the outer camp site numbers so youll have shade because the inner field sites have no shade during the mid day hours and it can get hot. Yes there are lots of flies so be prepared for that, but the mosquitos and yellow jackets seemed to have gone away for the most part. The campsite hosts (a lovely couple) were incredibly nice and took the time to introduce themselves and make sure we were set. The toilet paper at the restrooms was out on our first day being there, but the hosts explained why and offered us our own roll if we needed it (we brought our own). The restrooms were decently clean on the weekdays, but as soon as all the weekend campers rolled in the restrooms quickly got dirty. The showers 4 coin operated showers were a nice benefit of the campsite after a hike, but make sure you bring shower shoes. The only complaint was some of the weekend campers treated their campsite like a party and blasted music until the late night. Overall, I would definitely come back to the campground again and continue to reserve the outer camp sites for more privacy and less noise.

@Crystalyn57D82 · Camped on Aug 23, 2024 at Campsite #1

Love this campsite. We try and go a few times a year. Love the layout of the campsites, spaced out and not so close together and it's pretty quiet after 10pm. Overall excellent experience and will continue to go annually.

@AmyH6621534 · Camped on Aug 16, 2024 at Campsite #28

It was very noisy in the evenings, I wish guests had been reminded to be quiet or maybe we should have known that a full campground on a weekend in August would be loud. Someone had a microphone and karaoke and around 11:00pm some campers came in and talked so much we woke up and had to ask them to be quiet. Might not camp there again unless we come mid-week. Thanks.

@RobertE4617436 · Camped on Aug 13, 2024 at Campsite #40

I thoroughly enjoyed my overnight stay. The campground is quite nice overall. Lots of trees and at a high elevation, so both day and night weather was comfortable in August.

@IvanR8FD0F3465 · Camped on Aug 12, 2024 at Campsite #1

One of the best camp lots in the campsite. You get a very nice view of the eastern night sky (West is covered by trees). Plenty of flat space for tents surrounded by trees. We also saw lots of woodpeckers and blue jays around which was a nice surprise. However, we visited mid August and there mustve been yellow jacket nest nearby because they were eeeeeverywhere. A friend of mine got stung by one. Definitely stay away from this campsite if you are allergic to them.

@MICHELLE6C7879 · Camped on Jul 26, 2024 at Campsite #6

Ive camped at Observatory Campground a few times before and had a great experience. My last visit, however, did not meet my expectations. I reserved and paid for my site ahead of time online. Unfortunately, the site post was not updated when I arrived and the card clipped to the post said available see host. Luckily we got there before someone else had the chance to snag it. Other site posts clearly had reservations posted that were over 10 days old. It was apparent that the camp host had not come around in a while to keep site posts up to date. Actually, neither the camp host or any other forestry employee stopped by my campsite within the 3 days of camping to confirm that I was actually the correct person on the reservation. Im convinced anyone could have camped in this campground without paying and get away with it. The amenities were a mess. The bathrooms were without toilet paper for the entire stay and soiled toilet paper littered the floor. Campground vault toilets are not supposed to be fancy but Ive never experienced one so unkept. These issues didnt ruin my stay but it was clear that this campground was neglected.

@MartinJ8056623 · Camped on Jul 8, 2024 at Campsite #37

Observatory Campground has always been a good place to camp and get up into the trees from San Diego. I had the unfortunate timing of camping out during a heat wave, where the days hit the upper 90s, with crystal clear skies and minimal breeze. The nights were fantastic, though, the Milky Way just sparkled, and made for some very good astrophotography opportunities.

@PaulK4963226 · Camped on Jul 4, 2024 at Campsite #13

The bugs were the worst I've ever seen, but I won't hold that against anyone, that's nature. However, the bathrooms were almost unusable and the showers were all broken but one (and the one that worked didn't have a light).That being said, the camp site was beautiful and once the stars came out and bugs went away, it was magical! The volunteers were also very very nice!

@DevinH4230360 · Camped on Jun 29, 2024 at Campsite #10

Booked this campsite via this Recreation.gov platform, charged me immediately so I assumed we had a reserved campsite. When we arrived, not only was our specific campsite closed, but the camp manager had no record of my reservation even though I was charged. She stated she doesnt manage the reservations from this website, so be careful booking here. Luckily, there were other campsites available & they take walk ins. Other than the booking issue, campground was pleasant, facilities fairly clean, but bugs were really bad this time of year.

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Observatory Campground, CA - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

Observatory

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (143)

3.5 out of 5

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