This was my second time visiting San Vicente Reservoir, and it's quickly becoming one of my…read morefavorite places. Admission is $10 per person (for adults), and there's plenty of parking available. The reservoir recently expanded the dam, and the lake is absolutely beautiful. There's people fishing, wakeboarding, tubing, jet skiing, swimming, or simply relaxing by the water. Just keep in mind that Monday through Thursday is reserved for fishing only while the weekends are open for recreational boating and water sports. The scenery is gorgeous, and the atmosphere is incredibly peaceful. It's the perfect place to escape the city, spend time with family or friends, or just unwind and enjoy nature. If you're looking for a relaxing day on the water in San Diego County, San Vicente Reservoir is definitely worth the visit.

I looked up spots to fly drones in town and this one popped up. It's a nice reservoir. If you…read morehave boats and water toys this is your jam. I believe there are entrance and other fees for using them. Since I was not using any of those I got a free pass in to look around. Definitely a nice back drop to just chill and observe even if you do not have any water toys. I hear drone enthusiasts dig this spot. I can see why.

Worth the price of admission. Only a few miles from the city. Tons of space and fresh air. Listen…read moreto the chirping and the cars driving by. A great spot to just sit and relax for a bit. Several picnic benches and a clean restroom are available for use. A hidden gem tucked in a Valley Center.

Accessibility: from my experience, this place is not accessible at all. The places I went were all…read moredirt/mud. Maybe there is another side of the lake that has wheelchair accessibility but from my personal experience, no. Experience: I have been to this lake many times as I lived in Valley Center for years, and this place is beautiful but has an eerie feel to it. Because this lake is more secluded and there aren't too many visitors, honestly this place feels like somewhere you could visit and disappear at (I know, creepy right?). I've come across really mean, sketchy people around here that don't like visitors so honestly I do not recommend this place. The stars are beautiful at night because of less lights, but again, feels dangerous people-wise as well as animals like coyotes and mountain lions.

Wonderful campground with lots of trees. Enjoyed a partial hookup that included electrical and…read morewater. Each site has a picnic bench and fire ring. Some have benches as well. Only one bathroom area but the family bathroom is spacious. The bathroom area also has huge wash tubs for cleaning pots and pans. Same area has the RV dump. Small pond about 0.1 mile from the east end of the park, can catch and release blue gill. Have to buy firewood at the ranger station. Only complaint was the noise. There were lots of kids screaming, crying and being unruly with parents doing nothing about it.

I did not stay here, but went to check it out for a future stay…read more The staff said we could drive thru and check it out. It is nice, looks like a good place to camp, but the sites are on top of each other and not what we are looking for so I probably will not stay there.

If you are a San Diego hiker and haven't done this hike- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???…read more And for those of you who see these photos and think damn I need to go do that, please be aware of the temperature because it is dangerously hot down there at lower temperatures than in other areas. The hike goes down into a canyon and the heat settles down there. Even if it's not as hot as you think coming up can be extremely dangerous. Every year I hear about somebody dying from heat stroke on that hike so don't take it lightly. I always check the weather on the actual trail using the AllTrails app. I saw that the weather out there was max 65° that day and I was like hell yeah. The hike really isn't that difficult, 3 miles down and then 3 miles back up. Lots of nice switchbacks, and there are a few sun shelters for shade. The views are gorgeous all along the trail. I've done this hike, probably 20 times over the years. It's the best in the spring and in the fall. In the winter it's way too cold. The reward for this hike is the gorgeous rock bowl and waterfall that the locals call Devils Punchbowl. This past Thursday when we did this hike, there were a lot of young folks at the Punchbowl when we got there. Some of the guys were climbing up and jumping into the water. I would not recommend it, even if the waterfall is still flowing that water is not safe to swim in. In the fall, the waterfall doesn't flow anymore after being dried out over the brutal summer, but the trees at the bottom of the canyon turn a beautiful gold color. One of the few places in San Diego you can actually experience fall.

Great trail! Well-marked path down to and back up from the falls. Gorgeous water feature!read more

Peaceful in the morning, fun and happening places during the day in the weekend. You can go hike in…read moremany different directions. Potato chip is a famous hike you can take from here. Staff is super friendly and helpful.

I came here awhile back to hike up to Potato Chip Rock as everyone was telling me I should do this…read morehike, so I did. Hike took me a few hours and definitely got a nice workout. Everybody and their grandma knows about Potato Chip Rock so lots of people wanting their photo on the Rock, but I was too impatient and didnt feel like waiting or socialize, so I just hiked there, saw it and came back down. I love this park, the lake is very pretty and soothing to see waterfowl and people enjoying the water. I decided to bike here today and its close to 7 miles away, 15 min by car, and about 40 min by bike. The bike ride is a workout as there are hills both ways, so be prepared for that. I havent biked in awhile but planning to get back into it, so took my MTB out for a spin and it def needs a tune up. I stopped by the lake and sat at some picnic tables that were shaded and had a nice view of the lake and the Lookout Restaurant and got to see a lot of birds too. Was so nice to be able to spend a weekend afternoon here, it was exactly what my soul & body was yearning for! On the weekends, there is a $10 parking fee, and free for Poway residents. I think on the weekdays there is no parking fee. I don't recall paying when I hiked Potato Chip Rock and it was a weekday during the holidays. I was on bike so no fee either. Ill keep this place in mind if I wanna do a 10K run and back next time, people on foot also free. A really nice local lake to get a bit of nature in! I will be back over & over again!

This is a beautiful place, we came to fish, hike around the lake and just enjoy some peace. We…read moredidn't see many people catching fish, yet it was nice just to cast a pole and sit for a while. They have nice picnic areas and boats to rent. We will definitely check it out again and hopefully catch something next time. Great place for some family fun

Love coming here. Even when the fishing is tough it's a great place to come relax and get away from…read morethe business of life. However when you get on the fish it's icing on the cake

Loved this hike ! As others mentioned though, the way back is almost 3 miles at a steep incline…read more There are a few benches and shady spots to rest but it's hot! I went in the middle of Jun and the water was pumpkin and there were three creek crossings and a great place to swim. Comfortable shoes a bathing suit sunblock and a ton of water. It was also packed down at the falls by 10, so get here early. It was worth the steep incline after, it's a beautiful hike.

Always get your pass to do this hike (they will be checking for it before you enter the hike),…read morewww.recreation.gov only $6. They have water, bathrooms before you start the hike, but nothing once your out there. Pack plenty of water especially in the summer, I had to run out to beat the night. Pack a flashlight! The water fall wasn't going too much this time but I will have to make my ways back for this was a very unique set up. I had a really relaxing time once I got to the boulders viewing the waterfall, ate my lunch and just took it all in. It is a very easy hike down, but make sure your prepared to possibly double your time trying to make it back, the path is very steep and sandy. I did see a few families who finished this hike when I was coming in, but I don't know how well kids would enjoy this hike in a hotter time of year..

The owner of this boat offers a 2 for 1 deal but buyer beware you will end up paying the full price…read morefor both tickets. Food is a extra 190.00 and there is an extra fuel sure charge of 60.00 per angler. The food was standard burgers and tacos for lunch with fatty porch chops for dinner. The crew except for Mike and Adam were total ***holes. I do not recommend this boat. Sean S

Took a 5 day on this boat in September. I should have done my homework and researched reviews about…read morethis boat on fishing boards, but i jumped at the price which semed significantly cheaper than the other long range boats. Well, i later learned they nickel and dime you to death...more like dollar and 5 dollar you to death. The meal plan was not included in the price and ran an additional 160 per Person. That wouldnt have been so bad if the food was 1/2 as good as the better long range boats, but it was pretty much sub Denny's quality. Then there was them furl surcharge...$25 per day which is outrageous. Even the best long range boats at this time are charging $15 max per day Fuel Surcharge. As the other first poster reported, you have to pay for every drink of water...it runs $2 per little bottle or for a soda, $3 per can of domestic beer. They have no free drinking water or ice machine on board with ice available for your own drinks like other boats, and if you want to keep hydrated, you are forced to buy those little bottles of water at $2 a pop. So your galley tab ends up being quite pricey if you have never been on this boat before and don't bring a couple of cases of water like some do. Oh yeah, they offer to clean your fish for you as well...in Mexican Waters which no other boats do...at $5 a fish. I actually thought this was a decent service, but only if you gill and gut...otherwise they put the filleted pieces in bags, in milk crates and into the hold. Well, im glad i just gilled and gutted because at the end of the trip, the fillets in the bags looked like they all leaked and water from the spray brine fish hold got into many of the bags...so those folks got back fillets "brined" from the fish hold spray brine water which is nasty. The worst part about this whole trip was they didnt put enough bait on for the length of the trip. I mean, seriously, I've been on 3/4 day trips with more live bait than this 5 day trip..thats how cheap and tight they were with the bait. They loaded the bait while the captain was giving the galley seminar so everyone was forced to be in the galley and there attention was diverted. I kept my eye open and they were slow loading the bait scoops and it didn't even take 10 minutes if that. I thought, maybe i missed something and the slammers were already filled, but nope. So, from day 1, we were fricking conserving bait and were asked to recycle our dead bait from day 2 on. I know, this was a bad year for bait for the whole fleet, because a lot of boats had bait roll and die after the first day, But not us...our bait didn't roll because the bait tanks were so sparsely filled in the first place. Having been on numerous 5 to ten day trips on the better boats like the RP, AA, Shogun, the amount of live bait they started with was probably enough for maybe 1 day without chumming. This affected the whole trip. When there was a jig strike, the crew didn't throw out any chum until we saw what the troll anglers had on since there were a lot of stops for rat, 3-4 lb. yellowtail. But amongst those stops, there were a few stops where we got decent troll strikes for schoolie 15-25 lb, yellowfin, and some 30 lb. plus albacore, but by the time the trollers got the fish to the boat and the crew started chumming (as this whole trip was a bait conservation trip), the school was gone. This changed the whole feel of a 5 day trip to a series of desperation overnights, because it was all run and gun trolling and then throwing iron on the slide. The crew could never really bring a school to the boat unless a paddy happened to be loaded, but they were loaded with rats and the only quality fish were from blind jig strikes nowhere near kelp paddies. Since we had such little bait to chum with, we never got the better fish schools to the boat. If the fishing was better, which it could have been if we had enough bait, I wouldn't have minded the mediocre, overpriced food and drinks, but it wasn't and it was because the landing operator was too cheap to buy the proper bait to give even a chance at a decent trip. On top of this, the boat was filthy by long range standards. The bunks were run down...dank, and smelly. Nothing youd want to sleep on for more than a night. If you expect a stateroom, theres maybe 2 or 3 and the rest are like overnight boats. The deckhands were pretty inconsistent as well. A couple couldnt gaff a fish worth a damn. Theres not a lot of "open"reports about this boat and yes, this boat does have its loyal following of regulars, but honestly, i get the feeling they are deadhead friends of the captain or crew...thats just my impression. Because seriously, who in their right mind would pay full price, even the so callled "discount" price to fish a boat that is so cheap, they wont even load enough bait for one day's fishing...and this was a 5 day. Save up your money for the quality operations because going on this boat was a cheap, money grubbing waste of time.

What else is there to say about a place that has close to 500 reviews and everyone loving this…read morelake? I only recently discovered this place and so happy I found it. This is a 5 mile loop around the lake and I can see myself coming back to jog this (like real soon)! I was so excited to find this place! I came tonight to have a quick stroll and do some birding. There weren't that many birds to see but did see cormorants, hummingbirds, pigeons, crows, sea gulls, sparrows...In the future, I'll just probably come here to jog. It was a lovely evening and did about 3 miles of walking. Park closed at 8pm in August and by 7:50pm, 3 of the four gates already closed. And while I was driving back onto main road, saw a coyote sprint right in front of my car and across the street. Handsome looking animal! I will definitely be back here again and again!

Nice five mile loop for walkers and distance runners. Not too hilly, but don't get overconfident…read morebecause there are many switchbacks. There's usually a breeze by the lake, still pack your hats and sunscreen since shade is rare along the trail. There are few cars along the path, and some days you'll see people picnicking and fishing or goats grazing in the upper pasture near the parking lot. Plentiful parking, bathrooms and picnic benches make this a good spot for all.

I decided to give this place a 2nd shot since the first time we went I caught them when they were…read morebusy and I was short on time so I got the wrong impression they were not interested in devoting time to help out novices. My son and I are novice fisherman taking a trip to Northern Tier with our scout troop to fish the boundary waters on the Minnesota / Canada border for Bass and Walleye for a week. Went into the store with my son and asked for a lot of basic advice on what the minimum setup was to have success since we are limited on what gear we can bring. The staff was really helpful going over basic lures and how they are supposed to be rigged with some examples from behind the counter. I did not get the impression they were trying to oversell or sell stuff we did not need. If they were not sure about an answer (for example the first guy we talked with was more familiar with salt vs. freshwater fishing) he did not try to fake an answer and directed me to other staff who were more knowledgable. So if you are beginning or a novice this tackle shop is a good stop to get you setup vs. buying random stuff off amazon. I'll be recommending the place to the rest of my 6 man crew as well as other crews from my troop that will be going to Northern tier later in the year. My one piece of advice for the staff is to be more proactive in engaging customers to see if they have questions. I know it can be a balance between giving customer space and hovering over them like a car salesman but in general us beginner / novice fisherman can get easily overwhelmed with the different assortments of tackle and appreciate the advice. If you are a customer note the store vibe is more on the side of letting you browse freely and engaging only if you ask for help.

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful…read more Owner shared some of their expertise to a novice. My kids and I were able to snag some fish at the lake because of it!