Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve
Utility Owned Recreation Facility
Write a Review 9310 Fanita Pkwy. Santee, CA 92071 619-596-3141 Official WebsiteGPS: 32.8665, -117.0062
Overview of Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve
Last Price Paid: $80
Reported by Robrv on 2/19/2022
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Class A)
Reported by Life Rebooted on 3/21/2016
Weekly Rate Yes
Monthly Rate Yes
Number of Sites 300
Pad Type mixed
Reservations yes
Elevation 393 ft / 119 m
Tent Camping Yes
Unlock pro campendium features
Q&A - Ask the Community about Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 619-596-3141
Campendium users haven't asked any questions about Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve
Reviews of Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve 14 people have reviewed this location.
Reviewed 3/21/2016
Nightly rate: | $44 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 11 |
RV Length: | 42' (Class A) |
$44/night included 10% tax and $1 per night fee per dog during our stay in March 2015. Santee Lakes was a good home base for us to explore San Diego. It's 30 minutes from the beach, but offers a more rustic, wooded campground feel compared to RV parks downtown. The park is surprisingly large, with 300+ campsites grouped into eight or s... more
$44/night included 10% tax and $1 per night fee per dog during our stay in March 2015. Santee Lakes was a good home base for us to explore San Diego. It's 30 minutes from the beach, but offers a more rustic, wooded campground feel compared to RV parks downtown. The park is surprisingly large, with 300+ campsites grouped into eight or so different areas/loops along the long narrow park. Each area has a very different feel, with many of the areas being traditional rows and rows of diagonally parked RVs. We stayed in Willow Loop which was older and felt more rustic (large trees, more space, oddly-angled sites). Due to the oddly-arranged sites, some in Willow Loop are great with lots of space, and others are right up against the next RV (not even enough space to open an awning) with the camping area behind the RV instead of next to it. We used their web site's site search to look at the satellite views to choose a site with more space. The WiFi worked well enough for the basics (not streaming), but we needed our cell booster to get a good connection with our hotspot. Given the size of the park, there were plenty of places to walk our dogs, but dogs are not allowed in any of the lakes, even on leash to just get wet. Also, dogs are not allowed in the day use areas, only in the campground areas. Portable fences for dogs are not allowed. There are hiking trails nearby but you have to exit the park to get to them. We would stay here again.
Life Rebooted would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful park, but pick the right spot. ”
Reviewed 1/17/2015
Nightly rate: | $22 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 35 |
Site Number: | 17 |
RV Length: | 27' |
This is almost a taleof two campgrounds. The area you stay in will leave you with a different impression of thisplace. We stayed in the Lakeshore loop. It is right on the lake,so has the most scenic setting, it is also the best place in the park if you need cell signal. The spots right on the lake are mostly reserved for daily or ... more
This is almost a taleof two campgrounds. The area you stay in will leave you with a different impression of thisplace.
We stayed in the Lakeshore loop. It is right on the lake,so has the most scenic setting, it is also the best place in the park if you need cell signal. The spots right on the lake are mostly reserved for daily or weekly use. But the spots set back off the water can be reserved for longer stays. The sites here are a little close together,so most of the smaller rigs park here. Some of the long timers here have "bedded in" and have a ton of stuff (some may call it junk!) sitting outside their rigs. This is the main problem I have with this end of the park.
At the back of the park (Willow and especially Oak loops) the sites are bigger and a lot of newer fancier rigs park back here. You don't get the lakeside setting, but you have more space and the area, but the cell coverage is very poor back here.
The staff are friendly here and the facilities are good. The lake is a beautifully maintained park and the birdlife is fantastic. It really is a great setting and an unexpected treat out in surburban San Diego.
The two reasons I won't give 5 stars are the location. For me Santee is just a little too far away from San Diego and the ocean,although the backcountry hiking is more accessible from here. But the main reason is that I really wanted the staff to enforce the rules (which are clearly stated) about having a ton of stuff outside your rig. I don't want to stay where people have crusty old armchairs sitting outside. It ruins the ambiance of the park.
Kate at The Scenic Route would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Perfect Location - Easy Access to Beaches and Trails ”
Reviewed 1/14/2015
Nightly rate: | $27 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 30 |
Site Number: | 217 |
This was also our second time staying in Santee Lakes - West Oak Loop #217. As the prior review pointed out, the campground offers a variety of site options. Most sites are on a sandy, dirt level surface. There are a few paved, pull thru sites. Most sites are wide and some offer shade. The campground is extremely safe, quiet and is loc... more
This was also our second time staying in Santee Lakes - West Oak Loop #217. As the prior review pointed out, the campground offers a variety of site options. Most sites are on a sandy, dirt level surface. There are a few paved, pull thru sites. Most sites are wide and some offer shade. The campground is extremely safe, quiet and is located adjacent to Mission Trails Regional Park which offers miles of hiking and MTB options. Facilities are very well maintained and bathrooms are spotless. RV sites are broken into seven sections (1) Lakeshore Loop - centrally located to the office and lakes however, sites are close together and guest turnover is high. (2) Mulberry Loop - Still lakeside and close to entry/exit gate. Sites are close together but paved. Mostly monthly guest. (3) Sycamore Loop - Small unpaved loop with some shade trees. Mostly monthly guests. Close to entry/exit loop and new bath house. (4) Willow Loop - Larger unpaved loop with more spacious sites close to pool, laundry, rec. room. Some sections of this loop are reserved for larger groups. Some sites require a bit of leveling. (5) East Willow Loop - Mid size loop with large unpaved sites. Sites are nicely organized and do not feel crowded. Mostly monthly guest. (6) - West Oak Loop - Largest of the loops. Sites are very large and unpaved. Can easily accommodate 40' plus a car. Camp host refers to it as "Million Dollar Loop" due to the large number of late model class A rigs that spend the winter here. Most sites are occupied monthly with little guest turnover. This loop is close to the dog run area as well as access trails outside the park. This loop offers little to no shade. (7) East Oak Loop - Mid size loop with large unpaved and semi shaded sites. Mostly monthly guests. Access from Santee Lakes: 20 minutes to Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Del Mar. Cell Service: Sporadic Verizon coverage. Wifi: Free but poor service.
kmpuccio would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A nice location for visiting the San Diego area without staying in the city.”
Reviewed 12/16/2014
Nightly rate: | $41 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 10 |
Site Number: | 243 |
RV Length: | 41' |
This was our second time staying in Santee Lakes. The campground offers a variety of site options. Most sites are on a sandy, dirt level surface. There are a few paved, pull thru sites. Sites are wide and some offer trees for shade. All roads are paved. The campground is extremely quiet. The campground is located within the Regi... more
This was our second time staying in Santee Lakes. The campground offers a variety of site options. Most sites are on a sandy, dirt level surface. There are a few paved, pull thru sites. Sites are wide and some offer trees for shade. All roads are paved. The campground is extremely quiet. The campground is located within the Regional Park which offers several lakes and makes a great walking route. There are a variety of watercraft available for use on the lake. Staff is very helpful and friendly. WiFi worked well during our visit. Cell service can be iffy because the park is located in a valley. The park is gated and very secure.
We had several rain storms during both of our stays which makes the site surface quite unpleasant. The sandy dirt doesn't dry out very fast. We also had an ant problem. We solved it by taping our water hose up on a pole. We noticed several other people had done the came thing.
The campground location is near the Mission Trails Regional Park with hiking and mountain biking trails. Getting into San Diego is an easy drive.
John and Pam would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Be the first to add a note for Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve!
Be the first to add a video for Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve!
Metamorphosis Road: Campground Review: Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, San Diego, CA
This is our second month-long stay at Santee Lakes; here is my review from last year: 2012 Santee Lakes Campground Review.This year we had site #267. This is an excellent site! We had only one neighbo...
The Scenic Route: Campground Review: Santee Lakes, San Diego, CA
Why we chose here? We knew we wanted to spend the holidays near San Diego so that we could catch up with our old friends whilecin town, and we had heard good things about this park. They have inexpen...
Return to San Diego
Santee, CA Months ago we made a reservation at Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego for a month stay beginning in the middle of December. With nothing planned until then we thought about heading...
Contact us to update this listing.
Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- sewer
- Full Hookups
Connectivity
- cable tv
- wifi: free
Recreation
- bike rental
- fishing
- hot tub
- picnic area
- playground
- recreation trail
- swimming pool: heated
- water access
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- cabins
- dump station
- general store
- hot tub
- laundry
- restrooms: flush
- rv storage
- showers
- swimming pool: heated
- trash
- water available
Discount Clubs
- Good Sam
Pets
- pets
Nearby
Please select a reason for flagging this item: