Lake Skinner - A Perfect Camping & Glamping Escape! Yesterday, I packed up my two boys (ages 8 & 10) and their friend from school (also 8) for our very first camping/glamping adventure at Lake Skinner--and it was absolutely perfect. We booked a site with just the basics--electrical and water hookups--for only $50, which was all we needed for our tiny camper. The campground was clean, well-organized, and had plenty of open sites with different options and amenities, including a camp store for convenience. Some of our favorite spots were the splash pad and the playgrounds--perfect for keeping the kids entertained. Even if you just come for the day, these areas alone make it worth the trip. The kids had a blast, and it was wonderful seeing so many other families enjoying themselves too. Since we had their friend with us, we left around 8 PM to drop him back home--only about a 20-minute drive to Murrieta--then returned to the campsite, played a few games in the camper, and settled in for the night. With a 6 AM wake-up, we still made it home in time to freshen up, eat breakfast, and get the kids ready for school. (We even packed their backpacks just in case we needed to go straight from camp!) My boys haven't stopped talking about the trip--how much fun they had, how exciting it was to sleep overnight, and how much they want to go back. As a retired Navy Chief (41 years old) now balancing a busy real estate career, this is exactly how I want to spend my free time--unplugging, connecting with nature, and making lasting memories with my kids. Affordable, family-friendly, and packed with fun--Lake Skinner has definitely earned a spot on our repeat list. We can't wait to do it again! read more

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Beautiful lake. You do have to pay to enter, though. Current fees are listed here: https://rivcoparks.org/regional-parks-campgrounds/lake-skinner-recreation-area The main complaint I have is that people leave trash everywhere - please, fellow Californians, pick up your trash so we can keep this lake beautiful. read more

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Woww! I feel like the luckiest person to experience the Temecula Wine and country festival. I have so much gratitude for yelp. I been wanting to go to a country event for a while and this was perfect. Everything was so organized, got in immediately. So many beautiful spots for photos, games, and lots of food and drink vendors. The stages were so organized and easy to navigate. We managed to get to the front to enjoy some of my favorite artists. We had such a blast and I definitely would pay to go to this event next year. Such a great wholesome fun. read more

Lake Skinner - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

I came here for the Temecula valley balloon and wine festival, and I was amazed by the views. I got a little suspicious with the unpaved roads, but as I was driving during golden hour I looked at everything in awe. I couldn't believe this open valley was hidden away here. It looked so beautiful, I'd love to come again just to enjoy the park. read more

Lake Skinner - Lake skinner recreation area - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

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We went to the Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival in June and had a blast. We took a ride share there. On the way out, there's a tent in the parking lot that has Wi-Fi for the festival which was critical since we couldn't get cell signal (Verizon). Dint know if that always there. There's lots of parking. The space is huge with 2 big stages and one small. Maybe a hundred booths. Lots of food. Lots of portapotties which were clean, even on the 3rd day. No real bathrooms. They allow each person to bring in on unopened bottle of water and no food. Near the entrance, there's a space with couches and pillows on the grass. A great place to relax and still hear music from stage 1. read more

We love camping here! We've been coming for years and it's always a blast. We love the spots in campground c, they seem calmer and less party-zone haha which is more our vibe. Our favs are the 360s, tons of big empty areas for the kids to play. The bike paths are awesome, as well as the splash pad during the summer, and the nature center and playgrounds keep the littles busy. We'll keep coming back for sure! read more

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Not a horrible park, but their booking and cancelling rules are horrible. I had reservations booked 3 and 4 months in advance. My schedule changed an I had to change a date 2 months in advance and they'll still wanted to charge me a whole days cancellation plus fines to where it's not even worth it. There are rattle snakes in the bathrooms. I WILL NEVER STAY HERE AGAIN! read more

Lake Skinner - Rattle snakes in the bathroom - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

I recently went camping here for a family reunion and let me start off by saying the staff at the entrance to the staff around the camp grounds were so awesome, helpful and friendly. There was clean stocked bathrooms with showers, they had multiple nice huge playground and some trails to walk, they also allow fishing and boat rentals on the lake, but no swimming but they have a huge water splash pad for the kids and they loved it. They also have a camp store with ice, wood, beer, drinks and so much more. Very convenient for those last minute items you may have forgotten. My family and I can't wait to return. read more

Lake Skinner - Making S'mores. - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

Launch ramp closed due to construction, was supposed to be open August but delayed till November. Closed for a year, unacceptable and upset that it is closed for so long read more

This place sucks. Not family friendly. Have not been with the spouse and kids since they raised the prices from $6 a car to $21 for our family of 5. We used to go a couple of times a week. What a rip off! read more

For the views 4 stars. We did a day trip from the Pachanga RV Park with our Class C. The drive in was easy. The lady at the entrance gate was very helpful and told us we could check out the RV Park too. We paid $6 each. The views in the park are awesome. I'd like them to build some trails over the peaks to home and see even more views. The restrooms in this park need renovation. The RV Parks A, B and C are full hookups with dirt pads. If it rains it's going to be sticky. We noted people seem to make a lot of noise in this RV park and walk through others sites. read more

They are super strict in order to do anything basically there they close parts of the lake prior to sunset and it's pretty pricey just to get in the park read more

I am happy to finally experience camping at an RV ideal spot. Paying $50 per night for max of 2 cars and 6 people per spot with own drain, electric outlet, fire-pit, and picnic table., I cam confirm price is reasonable. My family had a yearly trip to Lake Skinner, and being my first time, I must say how lucky I was to have a staffed spot. It was average 105 degree Fahrenheit everyday, so we didn't go too crazy in activities. The only active part we had access to was the Splash Pad playground and boat rental ($110 for 2 hours with max 8 person capacity). The bathrooms with shower stalls (separated by walls and doors) were OK. They were decent enough to use, but I preferred my portable toilet and tent. I like to clean my portable toilet rather using the shared bathroom stall that didn't have toilet paper cover and tends to run out of toilet paper. Plus my location C 307 was almost farthest to its location. I cannot answer about fishing quality, but I will say how the lake seems to have restrictions on the number of fish you may have. Rangers patrol almost every three hours, while staff are friendly and appear ready to help if needed. I cannot give five stars, because the spaces are a tad close, so hopefully your neighbor is not crazy past 10 PM. We could have called rangers to help, but we let the party go on. On top of the space, the birds and coyotes are so loud! It may be hard to sleep, so I suggest bringing ear plugs! read more

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l got there early morning to go fishing and camping .. fishing was full of people lot of them didn't had a license to fish , later on it was full of Rv's looking more like a truck stop or Bus station with loud noises and drunk people at night . l don't called that camping , l don't recommended for camping maybe one day use.. rangers don't care about it it's just money coming in for them read more

We stayed in the campground for two nights in loop C. The sites are spacious and the campground is pretty clean. One issue was the location of the trash bins. Most campgrounds have at least one trash can at the end of each row, but not this place. We had to continually lug our trash to the dumpsters way at the end of the loop (you don't want to keep trash in your site due to critters). The lake is beautiful, but down by the marina the restrooms were filthy, and the fish cleaning station was not in working order (no water). I believe they will be closing down the camping/day use in January so they can work on a few things, and this is a good idea. We will return to camp once the desperately needed maintenance is taken care of. read more

These pics were taken during the super bloom of 2023 along the Lake Skinner Loop Trail. Great variety of wildflowers, including lotus, salvia, wild onion, and poppies. read more

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Gorgeous lake and very clean. My favorite part is all the natural beauty from the trees and views. You can actually catch fish here. Lots of People near us caught catfish. We actually caught one fish but we also started late. We all know good fishing starts early. The splash zone for the kids is super cool. Lots of areas to grill and lots of bathrooms. A+ Guys I will be back soon. read more

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Taking the family from out of town to enjoy the lake and with the boat ride tour around the lake also read more

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We absolutely love this campground. There's a cafe and country store. Playground and splash pad for the kids. Beautiful lake and sunset views. Lots of trails - I gave it 3-stars this time around because the amount of dog poop on the walking trails was absolutely disgusting. The campground provides poop bags so why owners don't use them is beyond me. We were really disappointed. Besides the issue we love the splash pad that our grandson gets to play in. We're hoping to see less our next trip. read more

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we camped in Lake Skinner zone A during Memorial Day, it wasn't a good experience, the park has a few playgrounds for children and even a splash pad which is good for children to play. To the disappointing part, the site is very small, no shades at most sites, and obviously no privacy, you are next to each other and can see what you neighbor has on their table and can hear all their talk. when going to night, a lot of people don't respect the 10PM quiet time, conversation everywhere, and even loud music after 10PM. We have to leave the site at 10:30PM because my son can't sleep in the noisy environment. read more

Doesn't seem to be much fish....................................... although I did catch a couple very very very, very, very small Bass read more

Great local lake to camp and only $2 extra for a dog.be aware long haired dogs can get 100's of nuts in their coats on walks as so many weed fields!! Quiet especially mid week. read more

I went to the website for the lake specifically looking for boat rentals for a family of 6. Website said they have pontoon boats for 7-10 people. Drove my family down to the marina, and was told the same boat on the website is only for 5!!! seriously, I went to look at the boat itself and it holds at least 10 people. UPDATE YOUR LAME WEBSITE!!!! Wasted half the day going there and still had to pay to get in. Terrible management of website. If there was a silver lining it would be that the place was empty...... Do yourself a favor and don't believe their website, just call and confirm everything. Wont be back ever. read more

Beautiful park and music venue. Family friendly. It's nice for a drive through or a day visit.

Super pretty and quiet. It's not a swimming lake but it's gorgeous to sit and chill and watch the water.

Love skinner, just need the coolers in store to work and sell dry wood not green. Love the staff and sites

We love camping at Lake Skinner! Weekends can get a little rowdy, but hey, it's the weekend! Lots of cool little trails. The kids love the splash pad and riding their bikes around. read more

We came here for a day picnic and were extremely disappointed. We had two cars and it costs per person to get in at $6 a person, then all picnic tables were not allowed due to Covid, which was fine, but grass areas were not cut and were full of mosquitos! We promptly picked up our blankets and left. On top of that, a rude Ranger was tailgating one of our cars and yelled at us when we pulled over to let him pass and then he said you could not park on side of road. He was not nice. Never again will we go here. There is no picnic areas with a lake view either. Very buggy. read more

First of all, charging $6 for a new born ? Come on ! The lake is beautiful that's why I kindly gave 2 stars but that place is a mess , we were all attacked by the millions of flies, never ever seen that many flies before , I had to hide my kids under some blankets. Again the lake is beautiful and the water is clean and there is nice grass for picnics but I don't think that I'm going to visit lake skinner . And to not mention the gate person , not very helpful. read more

Lake Skinner - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

Come see what we found under the dock at Lake Skinner. See if you can also spot the gold ring on the bottom that someone lost! http://www.outdoorangling.com/videos/underwater-hd-cam/viewcategory/15/hd-underwater-video-cam read more

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I came to this campsite and the ladies in the front office were very nice. They explained throughly where everything was located and where very helpful. This is why I am giving 2 stars because if them being so nice. We enjoyed the Splash Pad, which was very beautiful. The grounds were clean. The kids had a blast there. The one thing that was a was huge disappointment was the ranger coming at 7:57 pm and letting us know about a 10pm curfew. I felt that the ranger was harassing the people at the camp ground to stop talking, turn off all music, no laughing, and to go to bed. I showed the Ranger that plenty of people in the campsite were talking, laughing, and having safe and respectable fun. I told him to leave my family alone (after the 4th time) because he was harassing us. He then proceeded to harass our camp neighbors that had just come that day and told them he warned them the night before (which was a lie because they weren't even there). I will not come back to this campsite ever again because of how rude the ranger and some of the other attendees were in the evening. This behavior from the ranger was unacceptable. The people at the front office should warn their customers about this curfew before booking. If I knew this ahead of time we would have stayed somewhere else. read more

We drove here 1 hour away and told the guy at the entrance we just wanted to drive through the campground to check it out for future camping and he said it would be 12 dollars I told him I guess I don't want to camp here and he said make a u turn and leave so I did and won't be back read more

Nice place to go hiking by a lake. They have a nice splash pad and park for kids. Can't wait to go camping there

We just spent the weekend here with family and had a great time! The splash zone area was a lot of fun for the kids. There is a ton of grassy space available to play in. The area is beautiful! read more

Ugly, bad service. And there is always a 45-hour wait to get in! Get it together Skinner. Your water is bad too! Nothing fun to do, and all dried up! Stay away! read more

A peaceful gem, just a few miles away from the Temecula wineries. We greatly enjoyed driving around, walking by the lake and taking in all the beauty. It is $6 per person to enter, which is a little steep, but we felt it was well worth it. They do hand out some "just looking passes" depending on day/time. This allows you to enter for 30 mins time frame. We definitely want to come back to camp, enjoy the splash pad and have a picnic. read more

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If there is something I've learned about SoCal..it's that rules are few and far between. Not here at lake Skinner Gate close at front 10pm, open at 6am Lake is nice, but no body contact allowed, this means no swimming, and only a certain type of Kayak. But, there is a pool, 150 capacity, with that checked hourly! (i.e. line is long until they check if people have left) As someone else said, it's like an apartment complex, without the walls. There are showers, with sometimes warm water, and port-a-pottys(cleaned perhaps weekly), scattered throughout. Sadly, no grass near the campsite, ergo, no cricket sounds. One of the main reasons i love camping Campsites are literally on top of each other, you'd be lucky if a short bush separates you and your neighbor. One park bench per site, that's a plus, drinkable water at each site, and a nice small fire pit with top rack for grilling. BUT, in the end, the stars looked amazing, noise pollution is low out here, the view upwards was quite nice. Watching the constellations while falling asleep to Mexican music a few campsites away can lead to interesting dreams. read more

Lake Skinner - 9 campgrounds - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California

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We love living by all these lakes, and Lake Skinner is no exception. For $6 per car, you can spend the day here biking, hiking, your kids can play on the swing set/playground area as well as the splash park. There are picnic tables and grills for you to have a BBQ with family. My cousins and I came here for Memorial day and it was packed, so come early! My cousins got a day pass for fishing and we fished and hung out by the lake. There are also campgrounds for you to camp here for a decent price. This is also the location for the Temecula valley Balloon and wine festival every year, so obviously it's huge enough to fit all those people. Definitely a great place for families. read more

Always a pleasure to stay here. We needed to move sites due to people parking in our site and kids running over our lines. Went up to the kiosk and asked and sure enough were able to move. We have stayed here a number of times. And will come back in March. Special shout out to ranger Mike who is funny and does about everything. read more

Ok place come here to fish wanted to fish off the dock dock area but also respected the "No Fishing off Dock" sign.. meanwhile some lady (im sure a local) pulls up with a chair and fishes off the dock. couldnt believe all the people who showed up to fish the dock and didnt catch anything. Also had this bunch of people who just kept zooming by me in one of those rented boats. soo much space and they kept going by. bunch of idiots..Employees were not sure how to work the fishing license machine. read more

Lake Skinner - Kept encountering hippies.. hugs for smokes. - Boating Near Me - Winchester, California