I just stayed at Lake Morena last weekend and I'm obsessed. It may be my favorite campground or at least our particular site (20) was amazing. It was perfectly flat and shaded by a huge tree. Close by the restrooms but not right next to them. The restrooms also were pretty well maintained, only running out of tp on Sunday morning, but kept clean throughout the weekend. The restrooms are also heated, which was much appreciated in the evening and early morning when the temperature dipped into the 50s. We plan to return and book a few of the spots around the area for a group camping trip with friends in the future. Only downside was the amount of foxtails but I'm hoping that a spring visit will lessen the amount of those and possibly bring some grass instead. We also liked all the activities around here, including dog friendly hikes and the boat rental. We also happened to be there on a night where they were showing an outdoor movie (Hocus Pocus) and they had a hawk talk during the afternoon. read more

Lake Morena County Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

It's a beautiful well kept quiet campground. We saw wild turkeys walking around each day. Lots of hiking, walking and bike trails. Fishing and boat rentals read more

See all

Campsites are nice, bathrooms are clean. Expect to camp very close to neighbors with little to no privacy. Nice that there is a store right outside the campground. Park ranger gave me grief for arriving to the site an 1hr 15 mins early (before check-in). Meanwhile kids are driving around on quads for hours and car alarms went off from 4am-530am. This campground is probably for newer campers or those that don't mind being close to others. Hookups were a plus, but we will probably stick to boondocking. Also, dogs bark nonstop from the properties next door. Bring earplugs. Can't speak to the cabins, maybe those have more privacy. Not sure. read more

I loved that this campground offers electrical outlets so I could keep my Rivian plugged in and not worry about it running out of power over the weekend. It's not a fast charger but it gives enough power to maintain while I use the truck's energy to run the cooler, use the electric griddle and charge phones. I also liked that our campsite had plenty of shade. The huge tree gave us a break from the midday sun. I'd like to go back to this campground again and will add it to my camping rotation. read more

What a fantastic camping area! I camped out here with my group of friends and everyone loved this campground as well. We had four sites total. Two of the campsites for fully shaded which helped tremendously with the summer heat. The sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Our sites were located very close to the restrooms. We were so privileged to have camp host Richard nearby. The roads are paved to the camp areas. So with some caution I was able to ride my scooter. There are loose gravel so ride with caution. No hammocks are allowed but luckily my friend had brought their hammock and stand. The star gazing here is amazing providing the sky is clear. I was able to star gaze every night. We did a couple of hikes which were just amazing in the early morning. One of the hike was on the PCT! The restrooms are roomy and very, very clean. We found them to be well lit too. I will provide the campsites #'s . I would definitely pick these campsites again, can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Class 130 breakfast was on point. 8/10 would try again. Coffee was hot and strong as well. read more

Lake Morena County Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

Nice park to camp at. We have tents but like to reserve a motorhome spot with lots of room for the kids to run around.

This campground is really nice! We are new RVrs and this was perfect! Big, nice campsites with big trees in some. We had full hook up. There was a nice picnic table and fire pit with grill on one side. Dogs are welcome, we brought ours and there were a lot of others! There are several areas you can take your dog to go to the bathroom with poop bags provided. Bathrooms were clean and had quarter operated showers. read more

See all

Beautiful lake! Clean cabins and bathrooms. Great place to bring the whole family and hike read more

See all

We've stayed at Lake Morena RV Park twice. It's elevation is 3,000 feet which makes it cooler than, El Cajon, to the west and, El Centro, to the East. Though a weThey have cabins which are closer to the lake, ampartial and full RV sites with hook ups for water, sewer and electric and, also, tent section that has trees and some grass. Some RV sites have trees but many do not. There isn't much grass but dry weeds, many which have fox tails and goat head stickers. You can call for a reservation or use an sdparks.org website. The first visit we called the reservation line and had all sorts of problems with the person that was supposed to help us. He was not helpful, didn't know the sites and caused us $20 in change fees-when we only changed once which should have been $5. We needed full hook ups but the map is difficult to tell which ones are partial or full hook ups. The man we worked with never told us there was a fee to change sites-even if when you are just discussing sites with him. They need to get that straight. The website worked better for us. Lake Morena is one of San Diego's reservoirs holding water for the city. Not sure if it's true but-they reduced the lake water level to half to fill a lake for the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, I was told by someone who's camped here for years. The lake is below 50% level and this caused it to get warm and cause an algae bloom. Fishing is not great except for carp and maybe catfish. Boating was fun although since the lake is down, it's much smaller leaving less places to go. It's still a good place to beat the heat. The rangers and other staff are excellent and so helpful to answer all my questions about birds and trees! The park is quiet during the week and staff is the best! Thanks to Kelly and others for all the help! read more

i had a great experience. Nice clean park had a good shady spot for me and the dogs. The staff was friendly and helpful Cory. B read more

I had an amazing experience here with my friends. The pricing is very affordable. The campgrounds were very clean overall. No litter! The restrooms were well kept, clean and stocked with soap, toilet paper and paper towels consistently. The number one thing that sold me was the warm water and real flushable restrooms. Had plenty of water spouts as well everywhere for easy access. Nice clean benches too to sit down. read more

Lake Morena County Park - WILD TURKEYS - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

This place is overtaken by bull head thorns everywhere, you will have a bike flat in no time and track them into tents and trailers it's horrible. read more

See all

Had a wonderful weekend. The campground was clean and quite. Good price for a quick get away. The rangers were great, even had an informative hike. We hiked with ranger Katrina and campground host Tom. They showed the group tracks and different scats that would help us be more aware of the different animals in our surroundings. The kids in the group love the experience. You would have never known it was thier first time leading the hike. I would recommend this campground in a heart beat for great one on one time and perfect, safe family fun. read more

Very happy to have discovered this hidden gem recently. Ended up booking one of the cabins and it had a beautiful view of the lake and a heater to keep us warm at night. Just make sure to bring your own bedding as it does not come with any. No bathrooms in the cabin but some just steps away. Cabins 9 and 10 are a little more off to the side with a little more privacy. Although they all looked nice. Had a relaxing day fishing, no catches, but beats staying home any day. Lake is beautiful and sunsets were amazing. There is a great little convenience store and deli just down the road for food and supplies. This was a wonderful find, looking forward to coming back. read more

See all

Our mini camping trip was a success because our last minute reservation at lake Morena. We needed a short weekend get away. This was the perfect fit. We got two spots (27&29). They we right next to each other. And they were away from other campers which was nice. We loved the oversized camping spots and it was easy to back our trailer into, easy to hook up to water and electric. It was just so convenient. We will be back soon. There were lots of red ants, but we knew we were going into nature so we were prepared. It was hot (89) but breezy. Such a good trip for our kiddos first camping weekend. read more

See all

terrible service the staff is very lazy said its to hot to rent boats multiple times the office is closed 90% of the time and very rude

This place is perfect for your camping experience. We had close friends rent out a spot at this location and I would say it was well worth the experience. Parking is accessibly spacious. No dirt roads so you don't have to worry about getting your car so much dirty getting to your location. Camp sites to each location are far enough from each other where you can be as loud as you want; without having to worry about bothering other people. Bathrooms and showers are available at a small fee .50 cents. Not too bad. A beautiful view of the lake and a nice playground area for the kids are always a plus. read more

See all

!:-) This place ROCKS! Rent a CABIN cause the experience is sweet. I've never rented a cabin while camping before.. I've always parked it, walked it and made camp! Tent and all! I'm a WUUUSSS when it comes to death by slithery animal, so I'm phobic of places that tend to have venomous snakes.. which is pretty much all of California. So when my partner suggested we go camping with the kids and drag the mom's I thought (hmm.. the gals aren't gonna go for it.) Smarty pants said, "they will if we do it for my birthday!" And yep, he was right. So like the Beverly Hillbillies, we loaded up the truck and we went to Lake Morena.. I'm gonna post pictures cause they pretty much say all. http://www.lakemorena.com/ PROS: * Cabin Camping is an awesome experience, but be sure to reserve! (I recommend cabin #2) * Cabins have screened windows * Cabins are also available for Handicapped * Pets welcome and must be on leash at all times. (no pets allowed in cabins.) * Cat fish fishing is great.. I saw a number of catches at least 15-18" long * Close by (its only 45 min or so from Downtown San Diego) * Tent Camping Facilities are great * RV Camping Facilities also great with electric hook ups. * Bathrooms are clean for camping standards * Ranger station close by * Fish cleaning/dish washing facilities located by rangers stations (very convenient!) * Trees are unaffected by fire so there are some great Oak Trees * Walking trails are well prepared * Picnic tables are available per spot including fire pit * Childrens play area w/ sand pit and park utilities (swings) * Bats fly above outside at dusk! (cool) * Wildlife abounds! * You can get the whole camping feel and still have mountain bike trails * GREAT for families and kids of all ages CONS: * Lake is actually VERY low, perhaps the reason for concentration of fish * Do inquire about placement of Cabins, some are in my opinon too close to oneanother... (you'll want to know your neighbors so you don't get a rowdy bunch of drunken Yelpers.) lol. And thats pretty much all of the CONS.. I loved camping at this lake and plan to get a whole group of people to take up all 7 of the cabins... _____________________ If you are planning to go camping at Lake Morena, be sure to make your reservations early. The campground consists of 58 spaces with water and/or electrical hookups and 28 without. The rate is $ 24.00 per night for a Partial hook-up and $19.00 for a tent. There are a limited number of very basic cabins starting at $50.00 a day. Pets are $1.00 per night. There is a non-refundable Per Individual Reservation Fee. Other fees may apply. For RESERVATIONS call - Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Inside San Diego (877) 565-3600 Outside San Diego (858) 565-3600 _____________________ Jason Voorhees here we come! 5 Woofs! and Yes I tinkled, and pooped amongst the rocks. read more

See all

This nature get-away would get 3 stars instead of 1 if Lake Morena wasn't disgustingly smelly, at 2% water capacity & foamy where the water meets the shoreline (?) Couldn't get an answer why it was in such an awful state. A few ppl in boats were actually fishing in that disgusting lake Appauling. Who'd eat ANYTHING caught in it? Bleh. As we left the park I snatched 2 ticks off my dog that were crawling on her fur. Couldn't pay me to go back there read more

Lake Morena County Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

How do you rate a camping experience? Lake Morena offers different amenities to every style of camper. You have the the RV campers, the cabin campers, and people like me...the tent campers. We spend 2 night at Lake Morena and it was awesome (I recommend getting Camp 80 if you are tenting it, the site is huge and has a lot of shade). They have a bathroom with toilets and a shower (which I would not use). Every site has a fire pit, and if you run out of wood, it's only a 2 minute drive to "town" to get some firewood from some friendly Lake Morenians. There is also a hiking trail that is somewhat disappointing because your destination is suppose to be the dam and it only take you to the aerator, but whatever, it's good exercise. You can rent boats and fish in the lake, definitely cannot swim in the lake (the water is pretty nasty). And beware of sand bees. They are everywhere...they will attack your food when you are eating. They sell these yellow jacket bee bags, that traps the bees and kills them...well worth the money...trust me. We put out a hot dog, and a swarm of them ate the whole thing!! Gross! read more

Lake Morena County Park - Lake Morena - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

Don't be discouraged by the negative reviews, this place is awesome and fun! We went Fourth of July weekend, 2015 and every campsite was reserved. Upon arrival, we went to the Ranger station to check in and were greeted by a very friendly volunteer. She informed us that our site #45 didn't actually have any shade! Wot!? According to the website, #45 has 100% shade but Linda informed us that the tree was cut down years ago and the website was never updated (along with the paper brochure you pick up in the Ranger station). Fortunately, she knew of site #36 that was available on a fluke and got us set up there. So, site #45 had shade in the morning, close to the fire pit but nowhere else. Site #36 had shade which covered our tent trailer and was a nice relief. The real SUCKY part about this campground is how close the sites are mish-moshed together. Even though there are tree stumps that serve as boundaries, in my opinion, the center of the campsite is the fire pit. And our neighbor's fire pit was just 30 feet away! Combined with the oblong shape of the sites, it was difficult to discern where yours ended and your neighbors began. So, low and behold, on a packed Fourth of July weekend, our close-proximity neighbors decided they would F everybody else and bring their own entertainment setup. This consisted of: a giant table, a 42" widescreen TV, a disco ball, loud speakers, and a microphone to complete the karaoke bar. HOW DISRESPECTFUL ARE PEOPLE to bring this crap to public camping!!?? This is not your backyard!!! The Ranger talked to them multiple times and by the next day they moved to another, farther campsite in their group. Whew! The lake is eerie. Yes, it's awfully low with dead fish, rusted hazardas waste drums, and yellow foam floating around the shore but it's still fun to take a boat out. It is also super windy and I have no idea if anybody caught any fish. The bathrooms are decent and they have warm, running water for showering. The partial hook-up sites have fresh tasting water that really doesn't require a filter. There are a couple museums in Campo too: The Campo Stone Store Museum (we went and it was very interesting) and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. We experienced no flies, bugs or Mosquitoes the entire time. As a side note: THERE IS NO VERIZON WIRELESS SIGNAL OUT THERE! In conclusion, this campground is really fun. The major problem is the closeness of the campsites (in certain areas) to each other - you may get stuck next to some oblivious people like we did. Also, you can't trust the map to show you if there is shade or not, you better call and ask. My best advice is to make the 1 hour drive out there weeks before you camp and scope out the campground for the biggest sites, best secluded sites, and the best shade. Good luck and Go Kampin! read more

Lake Morena County Park - Site #36, partial hook-up with 50% shade. - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

I live up here, I've camped here, and I've fished here. The park is nice however the lake is very low. Just be warned: you need to have a very clean and dry kayak, boat, etc. At my last visit I felt it was clean (stored in garage and minimal dust), but it was not clean enough. I had a disagreement with the park, the park did reach out to me and I appreciate that. I edited my review to reflect that I respect the outreach. read more

Lake Morena County Park - This kayak was too dirty. - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

A great place to get away from the city! We had an awesome time. Everything was super-clean and in good condition, Cabins, bathrooms, We got there around 8pm and they were accesible ! The views were amazing, I wish we could have stayed longer! Note: The Information in the Brochure it's Wrong about the Trail... we got tired of walking 2 hours , we fallow the map, Sadly we did not make it we ask but nobody not even the Rangers knew the Trail. read more

See all

3 people roll up into my campsite with flashlights, held reverse grip, knocking on my door. Meanwhile i am sitting by the fire with my wife. I get up and ask if they need help. They say its quiet hours and i need to turn my radio down. Ok, no problem, except quiet hours start at 10 PM and it's 9:42. So what gives? "Well its too loud anyway, you can hear it outside your campsite". I go inside and turn the radio off. They leave before I can ask who they even were, or explain that I only had the radio up that loud to drown out the other PA systems all over the park that are cranked all the way up. I think two of the three people were park rangers. Not sure who the third person was since they were not in a uniform. I wonder why do they have to be so rude to the campers? We are guests and we come there to have fun and relax, not be confronted by some jerks who think they are an authority figure. Why do three of them have to enter my campsite without announcing themselves or even saying who they are after i initiate the conversation? Are they looking for or expecting trouble? I certainly am not. Why are they all holding their flashlights reverse grip aka "police style". Again, are they looking for trouble? Expecting it? Were they trained to use their flashlight as a weapon? These are all aggressive acts and unfriendly, rude behavior, directed at guests who are there to relax and have fun. Certainly the staff here can do better. Also, if you noticed i have not checked in here, that is because there is no cell service and no wifi there. I have camped here at least half a dozen times before this. read more

Basically rented the entire cabins sites with my family and had a great Halloween! Will come back for sure!

Worst experience I've had. My friends and I rented cabin 2 for a weekend and it all seemed well but once I got home, a week or two later I got bed bugs I thought maybe it had been from outside, but my friend (whom i shared the full sized bed with that weekend) also happened to get bed bugs the same time as well. The cabin was also filled with so much dust when we arrived that we had to clean it ourselves. The cabins should be well cleared after every reservation, but that's not the case at this park. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

My friends and I went to Lake Morena for the first time. We were really excited about the trip and we for sure made memories and had tons of laughs. Some positives about this campground: -There is a nice lake and we took the boat for the day. Reasonably priced and went to a little island and grilled and had some drinks. It was very quite and the scenery was beautiful. If you come out to Lake Morena, definitely take the time to do this because this is about as fancy as it will get. -The rangers were very helpful and nice. I read mixed reviews about this but they were very helpful to us. -There is a little convenient store down the street where you can find basically anything you need for camping. It's also a cute little restaurant. The food was amazing! We had pizza and some malts! The malts are for sure a must! Also, Lily works behind the kitchen and she's super pleasant, make sure you say HI to her and tell her she rocks! On to the negatives.... -Fire Ants everywhere! Holy moly watch out. I even found one in my car after I went home because they followed us. This place needs a terminator. -We had campground 63, seriously, I would NOT recommend this to anyone. The map say this is "lightly shaded" ummmm, no. There was no shade at all, this was very misleading to the public. The campsites are also very close together which makes it difficult to have any privacy and you hear all your neighbors. -This campground has too many rules, no seriously... Lights out 11PM. When I camp I like to be able to have a fire all night long. Right at 11PM the rangers were at our spot telling us to put the fire out. -No swimming: seriously!? What's camping without swimming. The park had bacteria in the water. Gross. -Some facts that the brochure doesn't mention: -showers are .50 cents -All campsites are too close together Overall, we seriously had a blast and had a ton of laughs. I think more so making fun of this place but guess what, this trip will definitely be a memory. Would I come back? Absolutely not. Would I recommend this place to anyone? Absolutely not. The trip saying was, "Lake Mo, no MO" so, I hope this answers some questions you may have and please do your research before you book a site. Also, make sure you book months in advance. because I started looking about 3 months before Memorial Day and all the campgrounds in SD were booked... That's why we ended up here. Best of luck and if you do come to Lake Mo go anywhere but campsite 63. Cheers! read more

Lake Morena County Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

This lake was pretty interesting! My husband and I went with my In- laws for Mothers Day weekend We enjoyed ourselves ! One thing I can say is that I wasn't too pleased with the Lake . My brother in-law tried to go fishing and there was literally dead fish all around the shore line of the lake . It seemed to be a little polluted . Other than that our small get away was amazing ! I enjoyed being able to make s'mores and chilling by the fire !! If you guys have this camping place in mind and are young and free, just know that they are strict with quiet times and fire has to be out by 11pm they personally come and put your fire out at that time . The time schedule bummed us out . But it's a beautiful place to visit with your family and kids !! read more

See all

Campground was clean and maintained. Our campsite had adequate shade and all hook ups worked fine. Was a little noisy during the day with kids running around unchecked by their parents. Watched a 5 or 6 year old boy run around with an axe trying to chop the parking stumps. Had some wildlife wander through our campsite. Bring plenty of water and ice during the summer. read more

Absolutely loved staying here! Alex, the Park Maintenance, was beyond helpful when my truck broke down and we ended up needing to extend our stay! He went up and beyond to help me, my son and mom out! We will definitely be visiting again! While we were stuck we enjoyed the wonderful clean and spacious campground, walked the trails,the view of the lake and enjoyed the hot showers! Everyone was so friendly and helpful and our stay while due to a broken vehicle was extremely pleasant! read more

Lake Morena County Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

See all

Gem of a campground only 1.5 hours from San Diego! Only one drawback, an irrational, rude and very confrontational ranger (see para 3). This place has everything at very reasonable prices. The sites are great from tents to full hookups. They have wonderful little cabins, a nice private group campground, volleyball and horseshoe rentals, clean restrooms and showers, a group pavilion, playground, a little museum and local animal display, and a great fishing lake (that is unfortunately at 4% capacity due to drought). It is hot during the summer! All the rangers with the exception of a 20-something female ranger do their best to make your stay pleasant by working hard, keeping the place nice and orderly, while enforcing the rules in a polite and friendly manner. If this Nazi acting ranger marches into your site and rudely orders you to do something that makes no sense, and has nothing to do with the campground rules, just say yes Ma'am and don't even think about asking why...she is the ranger, right? Can't launch the boat that you used in the lake yesterday, because it has dew on it...don't ask why. THE BOAT CANT BE WET!. But it was in the lake yesterday and it's dew. CANT BE WET! Have to move your tent for no apparent reason...just do iit. THAT SPOT IS NOT OK FOR A TENT! But it's in my site and has shade. NOT OK, MOVE IT. Move your firepit at 2PM when your working on a project...OK I will, thanks for letting me know before tonight., NO, DO IT NOW. I'll move it but I'm in the middle of something. NO DO IT NOW. Why? BECAUSE I SAID SO. Best recommendation I got was from a friend on the county board of supervisors: Video tape your encounter with her. He's received numerous complaints about her but it's always a you said she said case. He'd love to get some actual documentation of her behavior toward the people who pay her salary. read more

If you are looking to sit in an RV and not camp then this is the place for you. Like most people, when I imagine camping, I picture sitting by a fire with friends and feeling relatively isolated. Of course, there will be people within sight but usually when camping I can't hear what the people in the next campsite are saying but that is not the case with Lake Morena. Here is the truth: The overall feeling of the campground is cluttered and exposed. The place is an RV park and the RV specified spots are the ones by the lake and with grass while the tent spots are on small dirt patches near the town road. The rules are very strict with rangers driving around all night to ensure no fires between 11 pm - 7 am. The lake despite being nice cannot be swam in, and the rangers drive their boats around to check. In sum: For families with little kids who really don't want to get dirty, actually camp, and are afraid of the woods/dark this place is perfect. read more

This should be a epic place to camp considering the lake is right there for camping but the Rangers do a poor job of keeping the riff raff at bay. Crazy partiers at night on multiple occasions. I politely asked some drunkos at 3am to please turn down the bass of their stereo that kept me up all night from 20 spaces away and they threatened to pull a gun! WOW. Plus you have the pleasure of neighborhood kids coming in and stealing your coolers and bikes. After going there 3 times we will not return unless armed. read more

Wow the reviewer who says this is like a Walmart parking lot must have been somewhere else. Admittedly there are a few sites that are by the road, and they are opposite to some houses in the surrounding neighborhood, but that is by no means all the sites. Here's are what I think are the plus points: 1. We RV camp and this site has a lot of spaces with hook-ups. 2. The sites 1 through 15 are close to the lake, some sites have really pretty views of the lake 3. Just about an hour drive from San Diego 4. The two times I have been there - no rowdy campers. 5. Liquor store in the close-by neighborhood has a good selection of craft beers - no need to bring it with you. 6. The times I have been pretty easy to get a reservation The downsides: 1. The two times I have been (May and November) - we had some pretty vicious winds blowing through. Not sure how typical that is for this location. 2. The hiking trails are limited - there is one which is a few miles which has beautiful lake views and is worth it. If you want more than that - I am not sure this works. We stick to short walks now as our dog is too old to go much further so fine for us. The cabins looked very comfortable, the rangers are friendly - and not the clipboard types who come around every 30 minutes to check no-one has alcohol over 20%! For a close-by non-beach San Diego experience I think this is a pretty good find. read more

Lake Morena is a mountain lake located off the 8 east highway The lake is not as large as it once was due to dry summers over the past several years. From my understanding they also use water from this lake to stabilize the water levels in other lakes such as Loveland Reservior and Lake El Capitain which adds to the problem of lower water levels. The lake offers camping as well as fishing. Rowboats or motorboats can be rented here for a reasonable fee. Due to the strong winds that can be present here I strongly recommend a motor be it gas or electric. Fishing at Lake Morena: The terrain is easy to navigate and the shoreline is easily accessible. I fish from the shore and do quite well. Morena offers a wide variety of cover to target in the form of rocks,boulders,and stick-ups. The lake contains the usual spieces of bass,carp,catfish,crappie,bluegill and they maintain a stocking program for trout in the winter and catfish during the summer months. Lake Morena also plants trophy size rainbow trout from time to time along with the regular size trout from the DFG in the cooler fall and winter months.The trout will readily go for inflated nightcrawlers or Power Bait in the chartruse or rainbow colors. For those that like to toss lures try gold or silver colored Kastmaster spoons. Catfish tend to bite better in the spring and summer and nightcrawlers,chicken livers,and cut makeral will work here, Try making longer cast in the deeper waters offshore for the best results. My favorite time to come is during the spring bass bite. I like April and May the best. Try using plastic worms or lizards fished slowly on the bottom. I like green pumpkin and watermelon seed colors the best for the plastics. "Aarons Magic" color in the form of chocolate,green,and blue is also a good color choice for the plastics. Senko plastic worms fished with no wieght can be very productive. Spinnerbaits with a white skirt will produce at times and when the bass are actively feeding on the surface, I like to toss Zara Spooks and Rebel Pop-R' top water lures for explosive surface strikes. Sometimes carp can be found here spawning in the shallows in the spring and they can be great fun to catch. Although not good to eat they provide a great fight. Some additional notes for fishing Lake Morena; If you are making a trip here during the winter be sure to dress warmly! At 4000 ft above sea level this place can get bitterly cold! I recommend dressing in layers and fingerless gloves are a plus in order to keep your hands from freezing. Because of the cover in the lake as mentioned above be prepared to lose some lures and other fishing tackle on the bottom due to snags. Make sure you have extra tackle to replace what you will lose. A great place to fish and to get away from the city. Recommended! read more

Just spent two days at Lake Morena and here are a few things a future camper should know: - Always keep your tent zipped tight when not in use because there are ants everywhere!! I would even suggest spraying your feet with OFF! Or some other repellant so the pests don't crawl all over you. - Bring ear plugs because the birds will ruin you starting at like 5:30am. I seriously fantasized about what I would do with a BB gun... - The lake is less than 3% so don't expect any off-water breeze: It. Is. Hot. Almost unbearably hot, so make sure you bring shade. We were fairly lucky but I saw a lot of sites with zero tree cover. - The facility is well maintained and the staff was friendly! If you forget something, worry not, there is a truly convenient convenient/ liquor store just a two minute drive from the campsite. - There's a 40 degree temperature change throughout the day so if you plan on staying up late or getting up early, bring warm clothes!! We had a great time! I would suggest starting your hike by 7:30am if you want to get some exercise because it was 90 degrees by 11am. I'd come back but definitely not in the summer. Ps. They have a cool recreation facility but we were too hot to inquire if they rent out gear. i.e. a tether ball pole with no ball, a horse shoe pit with no horseshoes, etc. read more

Lake Morena County Park - A view out towards the mountains facing Northwest. Campsite 85. - Campgrounds Near Me - Campo, California

I came mid July 2014. This camp ground has plenty of real estate per campground, firewood for purchase, a clean bathroom and free showers. I recommend purchasing a site with a partial hook-up (water spouts and elec outlet to each site) for an extra $5/night if you're not ready to go off the grid completely. It's always nice to have a water spout next to your camp. Linda, at check-in, was so friendly and helpful in moving us to a more shaded campground. If you're hiking in from the PCT it is $5/night at sites 64/65 (free showers!). God Bless the Rangers having to deal with the drunkards who just want to argue about how NOT-loud their music is no matter what time of day... I guess that's east county camps. I certainly never experienced such douche-baggery in Big Sur, Santa Barbara, San Mateo or other places where normal human beings would like to enjoy nature. People smoke here, even though you're not to. I would say this is more of a party/large group atmosphere, at least in the summer when it's busiest. Not a camp for me. I hiked along the PCT in this park (8 miles round trip) and it was magnificent, give that a try. If you have Verizon, you will not have phone service in the park. I have AT&T and I had 4G, even along the PCT close to the main roads. Showers are free, and I know we're in a drought, but water BARELY drizzles out the shower head. Honestly, I'd rather pay and get a quality 3 min shower. Overall great park, but I'll look for something less rambunctious. read more

The husband & I just got back from a weekend of camping and fishing at Lake Morena. The campgrounds are well kept but I don't recommend staying near the bathrooms.. Lots of traffic and noise. Campsights are fairly close to each other and there are a lot of shade trees. The park rangers were very friendly and helpful. In the 2 days of fishing we caught 14 fish! Mostly blue gills and 1 catfish. It was a great time and the lake was nice and not too many people fishing. We will definitely be back! read more

Camping Date: June 2015 (can't be more specific over fear of self-incrimination) First time camping here. Last time camped 10 years ago at Yosemite. I don't fish. Went with a very large group of about 10 adults and at least 10 kids. If an award was given for waste, trash generation and noise and bright light well after 10pm my camping group was in the realm of rock-stars and legends. ****WARNING PLOT SPOILER ALERT **** [Teaser: a two year old was placed in a car and the motor was left running for 2 hours to provide a quite air conditioned environment so the kid could nap] The next day I heard a shower running and the door was open. My friends teenaged kid was fully dressed and talking to friend waiting to see if the water would warm up! (it did no and I turned off the shower)] Supplies: ~ $400 of food., Tons of Styrofoam plates, plastic cups, cases of bottled water. At cleanup on Sunday - neither the Bulldog nor rottweiler would eat ribs, fish, cold cuts, hot dogs, etc because they were so stuffed the could not eat anything more. An illegal metal fire pit, a full-sized charcoal grill (like the propane type but with charcoal), 7 folding tables, 1 card table, 4 folding chairs, a tarp placed under each tent for moisture protection, 3 500 watt flood lights, a 30" TV and did player, 4 super coolers, and 4 large standard coolers, mountains of ice, and (6) bags of dry ice @ $15 each! painted and pressure treated wood with Styrofoam blocks, and packed with nails, and much more. Parked the car at one of the electric hookups and setup around 7 tents. PROS: Fairly short drive from San Diego. Seemed camper friendly as I saw lots of big trucks and tow style trailer campers and regular RV's. Camp rangers were very mellow which is a pro and con. Someone in the group brought and fired up a metal fire pit. Why where there are so many fire rings? Who knows. The second night the ranger said (very nicely that they are actually not allowed) but don't worry and just let it burn out. Place is very clean. Rejected - Thankfully the ranger put a stop to an attempt to fill two illegal kitty pools. He was very nice but said they weren't allowed. [duh what's a drought] CONS: It didn't quite down until about 12:15am. My camp made the most noise by far including a movie turned up way too loud, a screaming baby at 11:30p. TOO MANY FIRES / FIRE PITS - would love to see fires banned or replaced with natural gas - clean, get rid of the wood and smoke. Never stopped smelling smoke even inside my tent the entire time. LIGHTS OUT (NOT!). My camp was running three 500 watt flood lights and a Coleman propane lantern on the table 5 feet from my tent. Too much light and zero enforcement of anything even late at night. My guess is the rangers don't want the stress of battling people over noise, etc and I understand why people want to camp in remote areas away from the masses and heavy drinkers. DOGS - Lots of dogs - probably should be banned. We had two big ones - One and American Bulldog? Snored so loud I could hear it from 30 feet away! Lots of barking sometimes at night. But it might have kept locals away from stealing - did not know about that. Ants - I had no problem but there are lots of nests. Dirty - walk in flip-flops and your feet get dirty fast because most of the grass is dead. HOT - 90 in the day and COLD at night one night it was ~ 51 degrees! I could see my breath. Bathroom not that clean but I rolled with the punches. Showers were cold at all times of day except once time was lukewarm - and I was grateful for that. Final note on waste: there are a few things I had to leave out because I'm too ashamed. Several times I wanted to place an anonymous complaint to for my group to the ranger but my phone didn't reception and I was afraid of getting caught if I went on foot. With dumpsters overflowing the camp was cleaned up with less than 5 minutes of the 3pm deadline. -- THE END. read more