Lake Jennings Campground, San Diego

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I’ve lived in San Diego all my life and somehow had never been to the Lake Jennings campground prior to this previous weekend. Ideally when we go camping, we love to explore new territory and venture a little bit further from home. However, there is definitely something to be said about the ease of camping 20 mins from home, especially when trying to coordinate with a large group of campers, which we were.

We decided about two months ago to try to go camping with a bunch of families from our youth sports team. As you can imagine, many popular campgrounds are full two months out, especially when you need several campsites. Somebody suggested Lake Jennings, and when we looked, there were still several sites available, so we decided to book.

From full hookups to tent campsites, Lake Jennings has campsites for everyone. Most of the campsites are grouped pretty close to each other, while sites 79-96 are on the other side of the ranger station and feel a little further away from “the main area.” Those sites sit higher up though, and have nice city views or lake views.

We had sites 83-87 for our group, and then a few scattered around in the other section, but it would have been great to have that entire circle of sites in the 80s. Site 86 is very small, but because we had several in a row, we were able to spread out a bit and take up a little more space.

Amenities

The Lake Jennings campground has lots to do. There are a lot of common spaces, like a pavilion with ping pong in it, ladder ball and horseshoe pits, tetherball courts and a playground with swings. Our kids enjoyed riding their bikes around camp. You can also ask the rangers for a campground scavenger hunt to complete.

The campground is located just minutes from the closest stores, so you can make a quick run to grab anything you may have forgotten. And you can check out my camping supplies list ahead of time to make sure you’re ready for your trip.

Also, if you’re planning to attend the Lakeside Rodeo, this is a great place to camp if you want to make a weekend out of it. It’s a short drive to the rodeo grounds.

Of course, we can’t forget about the lake itself, where you can enjoy fishing, boat rentals, kayaking, etc., however it is a no-contact lake, so no swimming or paddle boarding is allowed.

The Lake Jennings campground provides free Wi-Fi to campers, however we found it to be very slow, and since we had cell phone service, most of us chose not to use the Wi-Fi.

Firewood, ice and propane are conveniently sold on site, as well as s’mores kits. There is also a bait and tackle shop that’s open Friday-Sunday that sells bait, tackle, camping supplies, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

There are also bathrooms and showers on site.

Group Campsite at Lake Jennings

There was a large group site right next to us, which would have been great to book for multiple families. It has a ton of extra space, a covered pavilion with a couple of tables, and plenty of space around the fire pit. According to the website, this campsite can accommodate 12 people.

Hiking at Lake Jennings

There are a couple of trails around the Lake Jennings campground. One is a 5.5-mile, relatively flat trail that takes you around the lake. There is 1.25-mile campground loop trail, and a short .68-mile Flume Trail that takes you to a green bench. Once there, you can opt to keep going on a longer 5-mile hike east along the ridge of El Monte Valley.

If you want to venture a little bit further away, you can hike to Kitchen Creek Falls from the PCT, but you’ll need to drive to that trailhead.

Interested in more? Check out:

• 3 Sisters Falls Falls Trail in Julian, CA
• Camping at Lake Hemet, CA
• Tips to Improve Your Chances at Reserving Campsites
• Best Fall Camping Spots in SoCal