Beautiful area, clean campgrounds. Would be a 5 star if the lower bathrooms were open. It was a very long and confusing path to get to the upper bathrooms during the day, and impossible at night. read more

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

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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

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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

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Worst experience ever!!! Stayed Sunday the 13th to Monday the 14th. Reserved two camping sites (79 and 80), three cars, three families, total of 10. Yes I know 8 people per site. Little did we know camp site 79 is next to a handicap site. Person complained, park ranger came to tell us something about noise and then got technical. Yes, I admit our music was loud and so we turned it off. But then we hear other campsites being loud with their music and even had people screaming and they get told nothing? We know who complained. My issue is why put a regular campsite next to a handicap site. We've been camping in Yosemite, Bishop, Sequoia, paso picacho, havasu, and this is the first time we've been told something. If you're going to hold people accountable for "noise," then please be fair. We've always been polite and hold ourselves accountable for our trash and keeping the campsites clean. We've gone as far as holding community service events and cleaning campsites. This experience was uncalled for. NEVER staying at this site again. Rancho Cuyamaca SP, you've let me down completely. Hold your rangers accountable for being fair across the campgrounds and not singling campers out. If you have a family, this is the WORST campground to stay in. 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

Green Valley Picnic & Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

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

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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

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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

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We spent a nice sunny Sunday afternoon at the falls watching people slip on the rocks and jump into the plunge pool. read more

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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

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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

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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

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Stayed at Campsite #29 and it was very close to the bathroom which was nice. The bathroom only has one stall and two showers to create social distance. Bring soap because it doesn't have any in there. Campsite #29 did not have a lot of flat ground to set up a tent. There is a nice trail that starts from the campsite called Pine Ridge Trail (about 4.5 mile there and back to campsite). 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

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Judy is a great host! Very friendly and accommodating. Some really nice hikes. Great location.

my sis was coming to green valley to catch the meteor shower...so I logged on and snagged the last available site the same weekend. I haven't camped here in over 25 years! super good to be back. my sis had a HUGE site across from the bathrooms...but no shade at all...it was super private with ample parking and space. mine on the other hand was moderately sized (not really spacious enough for two families)...said it fit 2 vehicles...but I couldn't even fit my Prius in behind the truck...had to do a sideways funky park job. We had tons of shade!!! bathrooms were fairly close. most annoying part of GV is all the fire ants and bees/wasps (?)....ugh they were everywhere! bathrooms were cleaner and nicer than Paso picacho but also cost twice as much (50 cents per 2 min)...for me the better shower is worth the higher cost. kids didn't find any amazing trails nor did they ride their bike around (they liked Paso picacho better in this sense) then of course there are the falls...we spent a LOT of time there. both GV & PP have their pros and cons and I can't say one is better over the other. yup we will be back...but everyone is camping now so not easy to get a site, I have forever to come back read more

I went there with my 2 horses and stayed in the equine camp site. They only have 15 sites out of 80+ sites for equestrians and they still allow people WITHOUT horses to occupy the equine sites...which is not only limiting the sites for horses even more but is also very dangerous! In fact, while I was in the small stall with my horse, a bunch of people and kids from the site adjacent to us ran through our site and next to our horse stalls and spooked my horse. Having a horse spook in a very small confined space like that is NOT good or safe!!! The campground is very nice and the trails re great there but I wish they only allowed people with horses in the equine sites, not only because it is already limited for us to find camp sites that allow horses but especially for safety reasons!!! read more

We camped at cuyamaca rancho state park, green valley at site #26 on September 20 to 21, 2020. We actually booked the site for two nights, but we had to leave because of the poor camp site maintenance. We have a small child who loves to play on the ground, but there were two fire ant nests, very close to the picnic table. It wasn't safe for kids to play around because they usually like to play with their bare hands. There were tons of wasps flying around us and our food, too. We could not eat much because of them. They were all over us most of the time when we were there. If we knew about it, we could have brought the bait for wasps with us. Our child was very excited to camp there but he couldn't fully enjoy it and we are very disappointed. Also, we arrived around 3pm and the camp site didn't even seem to be cleaned or cared by anyone after previous campers. The sapling tree protective support pipe was lying on the ground so we fixed it with our hammer. A towel was covering a hole where animals live and a piece of bread was left on the rocks. A thin green rope was left tied between two trees and the picnic table was dirty with lots of food crumbs. There was a significant amount of garbage such as a pen, tent stake, rope, and toilet paper strewn around the site. The nearest water stand was surrounded by wasps due to standing water at the clogged drain so we could not use it. We will not return this site for sure. Very disappointed. read more

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

Green Valley Picnic & Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Descanso, California

Lovely campsite with great trails. However, we had booked 3 nights and called it quits after our 2nd night. Two of our biggest issue was noisy neighbors (which seems to be a common complaint in other reviews) and yellow jackets. We couldn't cook and our kids couldn't eat a decent meal without being swarmed by yellow jackets. On the bright side the falls was wonderful and we all enjoyed the view and water. read more

This is a hidden gem in our local mountains. The sign says in big letters" Cuyamaca State Park" and small letters "Green Valley Lake" (?) Don't drive right by!. The Camp rangers are nice and accommodating. We called at last minute and they cannot reserve spaces, but they told me that there were currently spaces, first come first serve. Hint, Hint! We stayed in the horse camp area as overflow camping, but it was fantastic. Large spaces, quiet, clean and picturesque camping! I'm a lifetime fan read more

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

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We just got back from a day trip to the Green Valley Falls campground and we can't wait to go back for a weekend! The sites were clean and many were well-shaded. The day area offered plenty of shade, picnic tables and barbecues for cooking. We walked to the falls and I was impressed by how well the trails were maintained. The water is running so beautifully and everyone was out & about enjoying the sun and long weekend. Lastly, clean flushing toilets. Need I say more?! read more

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

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Just returned from a weekend getaway to Green Valley Campground. Myself, my husband and three boys (14,8, & 3) decided to take the short drive and give camping a try. We are not expert campers at all and I am a born planner so hopefully this review will help others visiting for the first time. * We have T-Mobile and literally had NO SERVICE. We were okay with it because we were looking forward to unplugging for 2 days. However, if you are in need of staying "connected" and have T-Mobile, be prepared to drive into Descanso to make phone calls, about 10 minute drive. Our neighbors had Verizon and had really spotty service. * A lot of the campsites are on a slant. I don't mean a little slant, I mean you will end up at the bottom of the tent type of slant. We reserved campsite 79 which literally had no level place for a tent. The picnic table was on a slant. Again, we made due but if you think that a slanted camp spot may be an issue, call ahead or make a short drive to view the campsites before you book. I wish we would have done this before, but our trip wasn't ruined at all. * Bathrooms are clean. Showers you pay with quarters and surprisingly the water is hot and the pressure is good. *I recommend bringing you own firewood. There was none for sale. *The closest place to buy emergency supplies (ie: ice) is in Descanso *As previous reviews stated, yellow jackets are an issue. Lighting citronella candles and making sure that ALL FOOD IS PUT AWAY helps a lot. Told the kids not to swat at them and to WEAR SHOES AT ALL TIMES and no one got stung. *Each site has water but no electricity. We hauled a BBQ along with us and next time I will leave it at home. Each site has a fire pit with a grill that can be put on and taken off. *The falls are a short hike. My 3 year old did it no problem a few times a day. The water is cold. Ice cold. The kids could barely get in. However, they loved climbing on the big rocks and putting their feet in the water for a few seconds. THE ROCKS BY THE MAIN FALLS AREA ARE SO SLIPPERY SO PLEASE WATCH YOUR STEP. The area is not monitored at all and you do have some people being absolutely reckless and falling everywhere. Luckily, no one got hurt. I imagine response time would be horrible if someone did get injured bad. Watch your step and kids. It doesn't matter if you are bare foot, in water shoes, or sneakers, it is slippery. Also, please don't take your dogs! The sign clearly says no dogs not sure why people are walking their dogs to the falls. When we were there a dog fell pretty bad because there was no traction on the rocks. * The best time to visit the falls is after 4pm. The weekend was PACKED. The water was still flowing. If you would like a quick getaway or even a day trip, I would recommend visiting. read more

This was a gorgeous place. While we went in late August when the falls were dry, we could still appreciate the hiking trails alongside of it. Our site (#57) was perfect for our group of 6 adults/2 kids. Shaded and relatively flat. Short drive from Cuyamaca Lake, where we went peddle boating. Also a short drive from a little market to get more water and snacks. HOWEVER... we ended up cutting our weekend stay in half. We were surrounded by the noisiest neighbors. At its worst (because I won't get into each instance here), one site's campers were finally paid a visit at 10pm by the park ranger. These guys were just being so needlessly and obnoxiously loud. Once they quieted down, we were all happy to call it a night. Then a separate site started up. These guys played their music so loud and talked (at what I presume to be) a decibel level intended to counteract their alcohol-induced deafness. It went on until 2am. Nobody in our group got much sleep that night. The next day, I mentioned this to the camp host, who kindly referred me to the park ranger (who I couldn't find or call due to the lack of cell signal). When I went back to the camp host, he asked what site the offenders were at. It's not exactly an easy feat locating a specific site in the middle of the night. I'm not going to approach a rowdy group to check their location. I couldn't tell exactly where the noise was coming from; all I knew was the general direction it was coming from. So, as I said above, we left the next day after dinner. Real disappointed. I do wish the park ranger made regular rounds to keep an eye on this stuff. But, more importantly, I'd wish for more courteous, considerate, and conscientious campers. Why come out to the quiet surroundings in the mountains only to litter it with noise pollution? There ARE guidelines for camping. See the link, below, if you need to be reminded: http://roadmap.bookyoursite.com/camping-etiquette/ read more

Brand new facilities, new bathrooms with showers, plenty of shade for the horses. Campsites come with two corrals so if you have more than two horses, you would have to book two sites. There are many trails around and are well maintained but rocky. read more

Really nice place. Unfortunately we had noisy neighbors with kids. they were the last ones to go to bed and stop making noise past 11 pm and first ones to wake everyone up at 5am with noise. For some reason they yell and not talk. Otherwise great place. Restrooms are okay, don't have soap inside. Take your own soap or hand sanitizer. read more

This place is dope, just came back from a weekend trip with my family. We got there on sat night late, it is usually book but we called and lucky the people said there's still couple spot open from earlier cancelation. We rush over since it was already 9:00pm and we were driving around in the dark looking for site. We ran into the onsite host and he was nice enough to drive us around to find an empty site for us. The weather was amazing, the site we stay have plenty of shades, all the people in the campground are very nice, they have horse riding on our camp ground as well. Def worth to check it out. read more

This would be on a spring day when the river is flowing and you could go to see the falls. Definitely not for holiday days. The day before 4th of July gets 0 stars. Large young families that normally don't camp bring the loud stereos, screaming kids, and just bad manners. Camp will be overcrowded. On non holiday days you might have the camp all to yourself. Make sure your campsite isn't surrounded on all sides campsite 65 for example or next to the toilet. You will be tent on tent. Some areas like near the river are further apart. Very nice park rangers I thought. Helpful in getting me moved to a quieter site. Ps on holidays like 3th of July expect things like karaoke till 10 and wolf howling contests between camps while you are trying to sleep at midnight. The actual 4th of July the campsite had very few people. Green valley seems to have missed the big Julian fire. Pretty trees like oaks and manzanita around. The lake area seems to be hard hit lots of dead trees. read more