Green Valley Picnic & Campground Photos
You might also consider
More like Green Valley Picnic & Campground
Recommended Reviews - Green Valley Picnic & Campground
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
The price is too high for the experience! 108$ for 1full day and two partials. Check in is 2pm, check out 12 noon. The site had no flat area for a camper van, or tents, or sitting area We were harassed by the staff and rangers threatening a 90$ ticket for parking off the paved spot, while several other cars were off pavement no problem. They wanted an additional 10$/per day for second vehicle, but made us park it a half mile away, while every other site had two cars parked there. There was a large chain coming out of the ground in a random spot by tent site, that became a hazard in the dark. Chairs fell over with guests in them, into the fire ring, because of the steep incline, resulting in many bruises. The particular site was really awful. The staff was unfriendly and rude. I'd like to say something nice, but it was an awful experience. I've been camping, backpacking and horse camping my whole life, and never had an experience this awful.
Green Valley Vs. Paso Picacho campground. Both of these campgrounds are located in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and only five miles apart from each other. So which one is best for you? This past weekend I stayed at Green Valley and it hit 100 degrees. Despite the heatwave I have mostly good things to say about our stay, but there were a few issues. We stayed at sites 54 and 53. This area of the campground is farther away from the larger party sites (46, 45, 44, 63) that are along the main road. They were also right next to the bathrooms. Trust me on this, you want to camp as close to the bathrooms as possible. They're located on top of the campground and the lower sites have to hoof up a steep road to use them. BTW, most will just drive up to the bathrooms, expecially late at night. While you do get seclusion on at the upper sites ( 27- 32, 50-54, 61-55) you wont get flat ground. It's never fun sleeping on a slope. They're also not suited for larger tents.. Oops! If you're looking for the best sites for larger groups, you'll want to book the party sites I mentioned earlier. Little privacy but they're all flat. Hidden Gem - If I was going to come back I'd seriously look into site 28. It's secluded, shaded, and close to the bathroom. As for noise there will be a lot of it on Friday nights. Not just from people but also from traffic from the 79 with loud motorcycles and cars with loud modified exhausts rumbling the campground till 2AM.. Bring earplugs if camping here ( or paso picacho) on the weekends. That goes for all campgrounds in California. There was also a lot of animal noises at night, Owls, horses, other unidentifiable birds.... Saturday night was relatively quite as everyone was probably exhausted from hiking and swimming all day (or likely still hungover from Friday night). Most people come to Green Valley for the falls. I can say that the falls didn't disappoint, even in August.. keep in mind that the falls don't always have enough water, so be sure to check recent pictures. We lucked out as there was enough water for sitting in shallow bathing pools and jumping the 10 feet into a plunge pool of water. There were about a 100+ people at the falls on a Saturday afternoon, tho many were day-use and not camping at Green Valley. That being said, things can get non-family-friendly in the afternoon with a lot of people drinking, smoking cigarettes and smoking weed.. It wasn't like that on Friday.. Just something to keep an eye on.. CAMPGROUND ANNOYANCE - Yellow Jackets (wasps) swarm in when cooking.. Paso Picacho is better suited for larger groups so expect more people drinking and blasting loud music late into the night. Paso seems to have more rangers and they had cool kid programs. Paso Picacho's main attraction is the Stonewall Peak hike. The campground is setup like a maze, and many people can't find their campsites expecially when it's dark. CAMPGROUND ANNOYANCE- This campground is overrun with squirrels.. So which is better? If you're family camping and it's not August or September (hot months) I really liked the hiking and Ranger programs at Picacho. I also really liked that Picacho had bathrooms / showers all over the campground .. This might be the biggest issue for you if your children are the types that have to go in the middle of the night... Green Valley is really beautiful and more secluded.. Maybe it's too boring if you're not planning on utilizing the falls. I like both campgrounds, I just hate the party atmosphere and lack of sleep that is expected on Friday night at both campgrounds.
August Stop 14 Came on a hot summer day for a Saturday night camping trip! You can reserve your site online and it is available from 2PM to 12PM the next day. There are lots of websites that tell you which sites are best, and I probably should have checked those a bit more. We stayed at site 79 and the entire site was basically on a hill. Would not necessarily recommend this site, but nonetheless we still had a great time overall here! The picnic area is nearby and we got to see the Green Valley Waterfall area. It was a super short walk from our campsite which was nice. There is a small stream that runs through the whole area where you can dip your toes or plunge right in! It was really hot that day so lots of families were wading around the stream to cool down. While it was nice to cool down and see the waterfall, this place was surprisingly popular, so be aware of that. The campsite overall is well kept and the staff are very friendly!! Would probably return for a short camping trip. And it is close to some famous hikes and the quaint town of Julian!
Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here on Cinco de Mayo and visiting the falls. I feel like we lucked out with our unique campsite, which had a ton of rock features and areas behind us to explore...despite the tent pad area being smaller than other campsites. The bathrooms were close by and we were even close to the water spigot. Fair warning, some sites are very close to each others while some have a lot of privacy. So try to do a bit of research before making a reservation. We'll definitely be coming back here again.
I've taken my kids here three years in a row because it's close to SD and the hikes are short (I suffered from a back injury that only allowed me to make short hikes). I'll give it to you straight. 1. Flies are a problem here. They can really ruin your stay. My suggestion is bring four heavy duty fly traps (pheromone types) and place them around your camp as soon as you arrive, before unloading anything else. Bring off. Bring whatever you can because it can be a battle in the summer. Campfire also helps so bring lots of wood. 2. Bathrooms are great but the showers run on tokens not quarters and the token machine only takes bills. Come prep. 3. There is a creek bed passing through the camp. So camp closer to the bed if you want to see more wildlife (23-24, 44-46, 76-80). If you like the higher elevation will cooler options for pitching the tent or more access to bathroom and trailhead, try sites 28-37. 4. For whatever reason some jerks decided no dogs or bikes on the trails. Typical California nonsense. Anyway just be aware. 5. No cell service. 6. Lots and lots of dust. I'd suggest a huge pack of wet wipes to wipe yourself down before entering your tent. Bring a tarp to pitch your tent on. Thanks all folks, standard camping.
We spent a nice sunny Sunday afternoon at the falls watching people slip on the rocks and jump into the plunge pool.
The only reason this is getting four stars instead of five is because of the price. Personally, I think $40 to sleep outside is a bit much. Regardless, this place is amazing! Spot 31 has a nice flat section that fits a two person tent perfectly, and there are trees that provide shade throughout the entire day. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are bathrooms that are kept nicely and are only a two minute walk away (at most). There are no power outlets but there is a water supply to clean dishes with. This campsite is tucked away from the state highway (CA-79) so the only automobile noise you hear is from someone else parking and the occasional airplane overhead. Plenty of wildlife to look at, wild turkeys, stellers jays, red tail hawks, etc. Two nice hikes just minutes away. There is no cell phone coverage for TMobile there, I had to drive out of the park and south on 79 for a few miles before I got a couple of bars, but I'm not complaining about that at all. There are some monstrous sized mosquitoes, and some little ones, so be advised of that, some flies too, but that's outdoors for ya. Definitely a repeat for me!.
Now this is camping. Everything about this place and campground sight is awesome! I came to this location after hearing about it from some friends and we booked specifically campsite #55. This location is awesome in that it's got it's own hidden little area with different flat areas to set up your tents (or tent apartments as my friends and I called them.) There was about enough space to set up 5 tent apartments and easily stay within the 8 people limit per campsite. Campsite 55 was also located close to bathrooms/showers and with just a little bit of a longer walk you can find the cleaner and nicer bathroom and showers. It is a little confusing coming in since there are people there at the check in gate and sometimes there isn't. When my friends and I came in, there was no one there and so we saw our name on the list, drove in and found our campsite number. The second car paid the two night overnight fee, and then we set up our home for the 2 nights. The bathrooms are your typically bathroom. The showers take quarters and are around 2 mins per 50cents (I think.) The campsites are all great and spacious so you don't have to worry about being to close with anything during the pandemic. This was also awesome since there wasn't a lot of light pollution that you can catch some great shooting starts if you look closely. There are some bugs that you will encounter as well. There are a lot of red ants and yellow jackets around as well. Just a short walk away is the Green Valley falls which have a lot of nice pools and little waterfalls to set up camp for the day and enjoy the nice cool water. There are a lot of loud teenagers around so you might have to really calm an area and spread out so no one gets close. This is a great area and I can't wait to come back to explore more campsites.
It was a beautiful day with a good year (2020) for rain; so the falls are full. The water is freezing cold and it'll wake you up! If you use Google maps to get there it'll keep directing you to use a road that's been closed for over 20 years, so ask a local or keep a lookout for Green Valley Camp Site, and enter from there. Purchase a yearly State Park pass for $80.00 dollars and you'll get free entrance to all the State Parks nationwide, otherwise, it's an entrance fee for all States Parks, daily. The falls are close to the picnic area and it's not a long hike but, if you want to get some walking in, just follow the trail next to the falls. Enjoy.
Campsite #27... very private tent area, no neighbors, big space but picnic area exposed to the road. And your get the across up the hill neighbor sound. We camped for the weekend and we loved it. Easy to check in and for San Diego it doesn't feel like San Diego. Bathrooms are well maintained, not many. We only had one in our general area for the northwest loop. The showers are a quarter each for 2.5 miles. Water stations near every campsite. Each campsite has a table and fire ring. Don't leave food out at night there are big ants. Huge! Saw 3 shooting stars too. My biggest complaint is the neighbor across from us was situated on a hill. All sounds that they made echo into our campsite. One of the girls in that campsite had the most annoying laugh that etched into my nightmare. (Think Janice from Friends). They stayed up and partied until 2am!!! Only time rangers came around was to tell them to turn off their music at 10, but didn't do a final check. They stayed and loudly talked until 2am. Other than that, we're trying to camp at all campsites in this area. Paso Picacho was good too! William Heist next.
Nice clean campground with flushing toilets and showers. Stayed at site 55 which was really open but had a shady area to pitch our tent. The site was close to running water and the restrooms. We camped during Labor Day weekend and there was no water in the nearby stream.
I had an amazing time connecting with nature at Green Valley Campground. I highly recommend it to the Yelp Community! This campground is spacious, clean, and well-equipped with firepits, picnic tables, decent restrooms with full working toilets/token showers, and water faucets adjacent to or nearby campsites. The campsites have a good amount of shade and the way they're situated provide seclusion. For hikers, it's perfect for accessible trails. There's a mini waterfall for some water fun. And lastly during my stay, an onsite Park Staff drove around the campsite periodically. I'm not sure if it's a routine thing but it was nice to see. All in all, this place is a gem for an overall peaceful camping experience. read more
2 months ago
2 years ago
Great place to spend a night or two. Lovely people who come here. Grounds are really well maintained by staff as well as by the visitors there. Saw a few wild turkeys and birds on the Thursday night in October when I was there. It was mostly easy to find. The camp rangers gave us the rundown as soon as we entered around rules and regulations including with our dog. Finding our actual camp site was a bit tricky but if you keep driving you'll eventually find your spot. There are a few mini trails that you can wonder off on. I found myself spending about a hour at most on most of them. Hope you enjoy your time here and reconnecting with nature / ancestors. Please clean up after yourself afterwards read more
6 months ago
The price is too high for the experience! 108$ for 1full day and two partials. Check in is 2pm, check out 12 noon. The site had no flat area for a camper van, or tents, or sitting area We were harassed by the staff and rangers threatening a 90$ ticket for parking off the paved spot, while several other cars were off pavement no problem. They wanted an additional 10$/per day for second vehicle, but made us park it a half mile away, while every other site had two cars parked there. There was a large chain coming out of the ground in a random spot by tent site, that became a hazard in the dark. Chairs fell over with guests in them, into the fire ring, because of the steep incline, resulting in many bruises. The particular site was really awful. The staff was unfriendly and rude. I'd like to say something nice, but it was an awful experience. I've been camping, backpacking and horse camping my whole life, and never had an experience this awful. read more
Green Valley Vs. Paso Picacho campground. Both of these campgrounds are located in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and only five miles apart from each other. So which one is best for you? This past weekend I stayed at Green Valley and it hit 100 degrees. Despite the heatwave I have mostly good things to say about our stay, but there were a few issues. We stayed at sites 54 and 53. This area of the campground is farther away from the larger party sites (46, 45, 44, 63) that are along the main road. They were also right next to the bathrooms. Trust me on this, you want to camp as close to the bathrooms as possible. They're located on top of the campground and the lower sites have to hoof up a steep road to use them. BTW, most will just drive up to the bathrooms, expecially late at night. While you do get seclusion on at the upper sites ( 27- 32, 50-54, 61-55) you wont get flat ground. It's never fun sleeping on a slope. They're also not suited for larger tents.. Oops! If you're looking for the best sites for larger groups, you'll want to book the party sites I mentioned earlier. Little privacy but they're all flat. Hidden Gem - If I was going to come back I'd seriously look into site 28. It's secluded, shaded, and close to the bathroom. As for noise there will be a lot of it on Friday nights. Not just from people but also from traffic from the 79 with loud motorcycles and cars with loud modified exhausts rumbling the campground till 2AM.. Bring earplugs if camping here ( or paso picacho) on the weekends. That goes for all campgrounds in California. There was also a lot of animal noises at night, Owls, horses, other unidentifiable birds.... Saturday night was relatively quite as everyone was probably exhausted from hiking and swimming all day (or likely still hungover from Friday night). Most people come to Green Valley for the falls. I can say that the falls didn't disappoint, even in August.. keep in mind that the falls don't always have enough water, so be sure to check recent pictures. We lucked out as there was enough water for sitting in shallow bathing pools and jumping the 10 feet into a plunge pool of water. There were about a 100+ people at the falls on a Saturday afternoon, tho many were day-use and not camping at Green Valley. That being said, things can get non-family-friendly in the afternoon with a lot of people drinking, smoking cigarettes and smoking weed.. It wasn't like that on Friday.. Just something to keep an eye on.. CAMPGROUND ANNOYANCE - Yellow Jackets (wasps) swarm in when cooking.. Paso Picacho is better suited for larger groups so expect more people drinking and blasting loud music late into the night. Paso seems to have more rangers and they had cool kid programs. Paso Picacho's main attraction is the Stonewall Peak hike. The campground is setup like a maze, and many people can't find their campsites expecially when it's dark. CAMPGROUND ANNOYANCE- This campground is overrun with squirrels.. So which is better? If you're family camping and it's not August or September (hot months) I really liked the hiking and Ranger programs at Picacho. I also really liked that Picacho had bathrooms / showers all over the campground .. This might be the biggest issue for you if your children are the types that have to go in the middle of the night... Green Valley is really beautiful and more secluded.. Maybe it's too boring if you're not planning on utilizing the falls. I like both campgrounds, I just hate the party atmosphere and lack of sleep that is expected on Friday night at both campgrounds. read more
August Stop 14 Came on a hot summer day for a Saturday night camping trip! You can reserve your site online and it is available from 2PM to 12PM the next day. There are lots of websites that tell you which sites are best, and I probably should have checked those a bit more. We stayed at site 79 and the entire site was basically on a hill. Would not necessarily recommend this site, but nonetheless we still had a great time overall here! The picnic area is nearby and we got to see the Green Valley Waterfall area. It was a super short walk from our campsite which was nice. There is a small stream that runs through the whole area where you can dip your toes or plunge right in! It was really hot that day so lots of families were wading around the stream to cool down. While it was nice to cool down and see the waterfall, this place was surprisingly popular, so be aware of that. The campsite overall is well kept and the staff are very friendly!! Would probably return for a short camping trip. And it is close to some famous hikes and the quaint town of Julian! read more
1 year ago
Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here on Cinco de Mayo and visiting the falls. I feel like we lucked out with our unique campsite, which had a ton of rock features and areas behind us to explore...despite the tent pad area being smaller than other campsites. The bathrooms were close by and we were even close to the water spigot. Fair warning, some sites are very close to each others while some have a lot of privacy. So try to do a bit of research before making a reservation. We'll definitely be coming back here again. read more
4 years ago
I've taken my kids here three years in a row because it's close to SD and the hikes are short (I suffered from a back injury that only allowed me to make short hikes). I'll give it to you straight. 1. Flies are a problem here. They can really ruin your stay. My suggestion is bring four heavy duty fly traps (pheromone types) and place them around your camp as soon as you arrive, before unloading anything else. Bring off. Bring whatever you can because it can be a battle in the summer. Campfire also helps so bring lots of wood. 2. Bathrooms are great but the showers run on tokens not quarters and the token machine only takes bills. Come prep. 3. There is a creek bed passing through the camp. So camp closer to the bed if you want to see more wildlife (23-24, 44-46, 76-80). If you like the higher elevation will cooler options for pitching the tent or more access to bathroom and trailhead, try sites 28-37. 4. For whatever reason some jerks decided no dogs or bikes on the trails. Typical California nonsense. Anyway just be aware. 5. No cell service. 6. Lots and lots of dust. I'd suggest a huge pack of wet wipes to wipe yourself down before entering your tent. Bring a tarp to pitch your tent on. Thanks all folks, standard camping. read more
3 years ago
We spent a nice sunny Sunday afternoon at the falls watching people slip on the rocks and jump into the plunge pool. read more
3 years ago
The only reason this is getting four stars instead of five is because of the price. Personally, I think $40 to sleep outside is a bit much. Regardless, this place is amazing! Spot 31 has a nice flat section that fits a two person tent perfectly, and there are trees that provide shade throughout the entire day. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are bathrooms that are kept nicely and are only a two minute walk away (at most). There are no power outlets but there is a water supply to clean dishes with. This campsite is tucked away from the state highway (CA-79) so the only automobile noise you hear is from someone else parking and the occasional airplane overhead. Plenty of wildlife to look at, wild turkeys, stellers jays, red tail hawks, etc. Two nice hikes just minutes away. There is no cell phone coverage for TMobile there, I had to drive out of the park and south on 79 for a few miles before I got a couple of bars, but I'm not complaining about that at all. There are some monstrous sized mosquitoes, and some little ones, so be advised of that, some flies too, but that's outdoors for ya. Definitely a repeat for me!. read more
Now this is camping. Everything about this place and campground sight is awesome! I came to this location after hearing about it from some friends and we booked specifically campsite #55. This location is awesome in that it's got it's own hidden little area with different flat areas to set up your tents (or tent apartments as my friends and I called them.) There was about enough space to set up 5 tent apartments and easily stay within the 8 people limit per campsite. Campsite 55 was also located close to bathrooms/showers and with just a little bit of a longer walk you can find the cleaner and nicer bathroom and showers. It is a little confusing coming in since there are people there at the check in gate and sometimes there isn't. When my friends and I came in, there was no one there and so we saw our name on the list, drove in and found our campsite number. The second car paid the two night overnight fee, and then we set up our home for the 2 nights. The bathrooms are your typically bathroom. The showers take quarters and are around 2 mins per 50cents (I think.) The campsites are all great and spacious so you don't have to worry about being to close with anything during the pandemic. This was also awesome since there wasn't a lot of light pollution that you can catch some great shooting starts if you look closely. There are some bugs that you will encounter as well. There are a lot of red ants and yellow jackets around as well. Just a short walk away is the Green Valley falls which have a lot of nice pools and little waterfalls to set up camp for the day and enjoy the nice cool water. There are a lot of loud teenagers around so you might have to really calm an area and spread out so no one gets close. This is a great area and I can't wait to come back to explore more campsites. read more
6 years ago
It was a beautiful day with a good year (2020) for rain; so the falls are full. The water is freezing cold and it'll wake you up! If you use Google maps to get there it'll keep directing you to use a road that's been closed for over 20 years, so ask a local or keep a lookout for Green Valley Camp Site, and enter from there. Purchase a yearly State Park pass for $80.00 dollars and you'll get free entrance to all the State Parks nationwide, otherwise, it's an entrance fee for all States Parks, daily. The falls are close to the picnic area and it's not a long hike but, if you want to get some walking in, just follow the trail next to the falls. Enjoy. read more
Campsite #27... very private tent area, no neighbors, big space but picnic area exposed to the road. And your get the across up the hill neighbor sound. We camped for the weekend and we loved it. Easy to check in and for San Diego it doesn't feel like San Diego. Bathrooms are well maintained, not many. We only had one in our general area for the northwest loop. The showers are a quarter each for 2.5 miles. Water stations near every campsite. Each campsite has a table and fire ring. Don't leave food out at night there are big ants. Huge! Saw 3 shooting stars too. My biggest complaint is the neighbor across from us was situated on a hill. All sounds that they made echo into our campsite. One of the girls in that campsite had the most annoying laugh that etched into my nightmare. (Think Janice from Friends). They stayed up and partied until 2am!!! Only time rangers came around was to tell them to turn off their music at 10, but didn't do a final check. They stayed and loudly talked until 2am. Other than that, we're trying to camp at all campsites in this area. Paso Picacho was good too! William Heist next. read more
6 years ago
2 years ago
5 years ago
6 years ago
8 years ago
Nice clean campground with flushing toilets and showers. Stayed at site 55 which was really open but had a shady area to pitch our tent. The site was close to running water and the restrooms. We camped during Labor Day weekend and there was no water in the nearby stream. read more
6 years ago
7 years ago
This campground is wonderful. We've been here twice (the last time was over Labor Day) and each time we had a great time. There has been a lot of water in the falls both times we were there and lots of space between campsites--we feel like we had plenty of space. A flock of turkeys walked thru our campsite one morning too! If you want to enjoy nature and peace, this is a beautiful place and famous apple pie is to be had in nearby Julian! read more
9 years ago
9 years ago
Best state park I've been to. Clean, secluded, shady, quiet. Bathrooms are always close with showers (takes quarters-change at host's camp). All sites within walking distance to waterfalls. Tons of fun terrain and boulder for kids. A little hilly for small kids on bicycles. Grocery stores are far, come prepared. No hookups for rv. Generators ok but loud in a place like this. Easy hikes within park, badass hikes within couple miles driving. read more
6 years ago
8 years ago
5 years ago
6 years ago
10 years ago
10 years ago
More info about Green Valley Picnic & Campground
11842 Ca-79
Descanso, CA 91916
Directions
Hours
Other Amenities
Ask the Community - Green Valley Picnic & Campground
How do you book an RV spot?
They've got 58 spots at Green Valley but, just in case, here's the website to book: https://www.reservecalifornia.com/CaliforniaWebHome/Default.aspx
Is it Pet Friendly?
Dogs are only allowed in campgrounds, picnic areas, paved roads and Cuyamaca Peak Fire Road. But, in reality; shhhh. I saw dogs by the falls and no one was there to enforce the rules. But, everyone was respectful with pets.
Are dogs allowed?
Dogs are only allowed in campgrounds, picnic areas, paved roads and Cuyamaca Peak Fire Road. But, in reality; shhhh. I saw dogs by the falls and no one was there to enforce the rules. But, everyone was respectful with pets.
Review Highlights - Green Valley Picnic & Campground
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
1 review that is not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
1 year ago
