Agua Caliente County Park

No usable Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T coverage. Verizon and T-Mobile with a roof-mounted Pepwave antenna. AT&T via smartphone. No Starlink obstructions.

SR22 to get here is a narrow two lane highway without a shoulder, but it's a pretty drive. The access road in the campground itself is very narrow but doable. Overall, it's a good location and campground but the specific site we were in was poor. Other sites didn't have the same issues and would bump the rating to 4 or 5 stars. This specific site was a weird split setup with two driveways with a small connecting part. The biggest sites list a 40 foot combined length limit but we had no issues fitting our 50 ft trailer + truck combo into it.

Our site was angled the wrong way relative to the one-way traffic flow, so we had to back into it the wrong way to make it work. It was also 20+ inches off level front to back and a few side-to-side. The sites are all sand with some modest amount of privacy depending on the site.

The sewer hookup at our site was considerably higher up than our sewer valve. This meant you'd have to stand out their and do the stinky slinky dance if you wanted to dump. Fortunately, we had a macerator pump to deal with that instead. The sewer hookup was also inset into the ground in such a way that the standard Camco 90 degree elbow would not fit into it securely.

Water pressure was also very low. No issues with electrical.

Noise levels were very low.

There are RV hook-up area, cabins, as well as tent sites. I am a tent camper and this was my second visit, 5 days, Jan 17-22. The pools, including the indoor spa pool are clean and inviting; closes at 5 PM Sun-Thurs, and 9 PM on Fri, Sat. Easy access to the showers and flush toilets. Cell service is available near the Ranger station, and for some reason I unexpectedly got one bar in the campground at times.

Camping sites are clean and some provide great privacy due to trees and shrubs. Most all were level, water spigots are never too far away, and it's a crushed gravel type surface, not dusty. Some, however, are totally unshaded, but still nice depending on how you gear up.

The camp hosts and rangers are friendly and not looking for things to ding you for every little thing. Fortunately, most give them little reason to do otherwise. The campers are generally courteous and observe the quiet hours. It's a nice atmosphere in this camp; far enough away from the city that the brats and hoodlums don't drop by.

Mark runs the little store on the road to the entrance and does a favor to everyone by being there for ice and firewood. But he has other food items, and it's kind of special to be able to drop in for ice cream, or replenish your soda and beer needs.

It's very scenic, easy hikes from the campground, and within a short drive more hikes and the mud caves (Google Map it and download ahead of time).

Help keep it clean, ok? It's a shame that so many trees are dying. I don't know how, but it'd be nice if some volunteer funding and assistance... "Friends of the Hot Waters". I'll be back in March 2024!

A really great place. We didn't take advantage of all of the amenities, as we usually like more secluded/private camping, but it was really nice to have a place with full hookups that still feels/is far away from cities. The sites are somewhat close together but not too tight. There are a good amount of hiking and off roading locations near by which gave us lots to do during the day. The views from this location were beautiful and provided amazing sunrises and night skies. There are some free boondocking locations nearby that we want to also try, but we would definitely return if we want to visit during harsher weather when hookups are more beneficial.

Wonderful campground. Maintained very well. Tent and RV sites and cabins. 2 pools and one therapeutic spa. Showers are coin operated costing $1.25 for 10 minutes. No cell service in the campground but if you drive north about 4 miles, you can get service. They really need camp host volunteers right now. 20 hours per week for a full hookup site.

You need to intend to come here and the trip is well worthwhile. We had a partial hook-up site with plenty of room. The park is in the middle of the high desert and there are plenty of hiking trails to keep you occupied for the week. A soak in the pools are something to look forward to afterwards.

If you are staying for a while, be sure to provision up, and gas up before you arrive. Services are a ways away. Though a visit to Julian for a day is worth the drive.

There is zero internet or cell coverage in the park. There is a “cell phone” lot about 5 miles down the road at Vallecito County Park that has good reception.

Visit for a great desert visit.

We were there while it was still hot...110 degrees during the day so we limited our hiking and outdoor activities to the mornings and evenings.

There were around 10 Bighorn Sheep that came out to graze everyday from around noon to 3 pm; most of them stayed about 200 feet away from the campsite but we watched one walk through our campsite while we were inside the RV. In the evening we had a tortoise crossing the road next to us and roadrunners come within a few feet of us while we ate dinner outside the RV.

The 2 mile Moonlight Canyon trail was filled with amazing cacti, definitely worth the effort to hike it. The park was clean; sites ranged from medium to large; the three mineral pools were excellent. Bathrooms were very clean.