Agua Caliente County Park

We booked this camping trip because we had heard such wonderful things about Agua Cliente. We traveled with some other friends and we had a great time. There is a campground that is in a big loop with spaces for RV/​Trailers and another area for folks in tents. We were tent camping with young kids. The park was clean, restrooms were nice, horseshoe pit and shuffleboard (which we never even made it to) and some nice trails within the campground. There was a store that sold basic camping needs, but the goods were not in large quantities and you will pay premium prices. That should not be a surprise considering how far away everything is. We hiked the Marsh trail and part of the Ocotillo ridge trail (both well maintained).
They have set rules and regulations at the campground so make sure you check them ahead of time. There were some rowdy campers that were up late, and the sound carries at the campsite. We had a great time and were well prepared for the trip. I was hoping that the hot springs were more «natural» like and less like a crowded public pool.

love the pools and people were very nice .
I will go back again

My family and large extended group of friends really enjoys coming to this campground each Fall for a long weekend getaway. This is a county campground for all people/​families and despite some rude people I ran into yesterday, it is not an adults only spa getaway. There are tons of families and kids every weekend. It’s packed and crowded two nights a week and then everyone leaves Sunday afternoon and it’s peaceful and quiet. I’m sure weeks during school holidays are loud and crowded as well.
There are three pools. The warm shallow pool is actually called the Children’s Pool in the brochure/​map, on the website and posted on the door to the indoor pool. Kids play and splash and have a great time. If you don’t like kids you will do well to stay in the adults only indoor pool instead of giving us parents dirty looks. My kids were very respectful of the adults in the pool but I was still told off for letting them be there. Pool descriptions/​hours:
The tent area is packed and noisy but you can use the RV sites for tents. .. it’s nice and quiet on that side (unless there’s an event in the big group site but quiet time starts at 10pm) and there are restrooms.
The Moonlight Trail is a very nice, child friendly hike. Our two five year-​olds did it twice. The marshy area had been trimmed so there were no problems getting through.
We love it there and hope to continue our annual campouts.

This review is for the caravan site, which is for large groups. It was very spacious and comfortable for our group of 27, leaving plenty of room for space between our tents. We loved having a shaded area to hang out and eat our meals. There are also 3 nice grills and a fire pit. The bathroom was about a 5-​minute walk away and was single-​stall, but was clean and well-​appointed. I went in the hot pool and the cold pool and both were lovely. The outdoor pool gets understandably crowded with kids during the day but it’s adults only after 6pm, at least on the weekends. Went on one hike on the Moonlight trail which was really enjoyable, but the trail was so overgrown part of the way through that we had to turn back. Needs a little maintenance. All in all a very nice place for a getaway from San Diego. No cell reception here, which to me is a perk!

They need to rename this Agua Fría County Park.
They have 2 heaters for the outdoor pool, a propane heater and a solar heater. In November the propane heater broke, and they were unable to get someone to come out and fix it. The solar heater for the pool has a leak, and remains broken. A leak? How hard is it to call a plumber? There’s a plumber in Ocotillo, 20 miles away, and it would be a simple matter to have them come out and fix the leak so that the outdoor pool would be warm enough to swim in again. As of now, it’s still ICE COLD.
Each time I ask them about it, they give a different story on when (and if) that pool will be heated again. And it still doesn’t get fixed. The indoor therapeutic pool is still heated, but sometimes the water is not too clean. And you can’t swim in the indoor one, only soak. If you want to swim, you have to face ICE water.
The irony is that the water comes out of the ground here already at 101 F!
Certainly they could let the pool be warm. Who’s running this circus?
The construction at the kids’ pool was supposed to be finished in November but still isn’t done and that pool is still closed. This is all a terrible shame because this place could be a wonderful, enjoyable desert oasis in the Anza-​Borrego region, if it were maintained properly. The people that work here are friendly and nice, though. Too bad they can’t maintain the pools which are the main attraction.
By the way, this park is NOT in Julian. It’s down the mountain, 33 miles away from Julian, and it takes about an hour to get there from Julian because of the curving mountainous road. The route to get there from Interstate 8 is much shorter and easier.

Just got back from a weekend at this place. It’s a mixed bag. On the upside, if you’re a family with pre-​teen children, then you’re going to LOVE this place! Or, if you really, REALLY like people, then this is the campground for you!
Downsides: first, the campsites are right on top of each other, and at night when each one has a campfire going it smells like you’re sitting inside a burning building! SO much smoke! If they ever did an air pollution study here, they’d likely shut the place down. Second, the place is overrun with families with pre-​teen kids — often multiple family groups with kids! LOTS of kids! I’m sure they come here because the kids love the pools. The place is so noisy and hectic during the daylight hours (and at night with the cries and tantrums of tired, whiny kids) that I believe you’d have a quieter time if you set your tent up in downtown LA.
I don’t understand why a campground that is so out in the middle of so much open space has to push campers so close together.
Finally, they have CO-​ED bathrooms! Mothers, how do you feel about having your adolescent girls sharing a bathroom with unfamiliar middle-​aged men? Not sure how they get away with this, to tell you the truth.
Bottom line: if you’re a family with young kids, then this is a great place to stay (have your kids use the non-​coed bathrooms, though — they have some). However, if you’re looking for a nice, pleasant desert outdoor experience, then I suggest you go elsewhere!

Our favorite RV campground by far! We’ve been here 5 times in the past 3 years, and we plan on returning here again and again.
Some people complained that it’s too crowded, but the only time I’ve seen it crowded was during long weekends. If you avoid the holiday weekends you will have plenty of open spaces to yourself.
There’s a couple of nice hiking trails. One takes you to the top of a hill, giving you an awesome view of the valley (about a 25 – 35 minute hike round trip). Another trail takes you through the canyon in a loop (about 55 – 75 minute hike one way). My children were able to do both hikes (ages 7 – 13), but the loop requires you to scale some boulders, so use your best judgment. Take plenty of water, some snacks, and a good hiking stick.
Check with the local park ranger for any kids’ activities. Last time we were there they hosted a nighttime campfire-​stories activity, and the next day they had a pottery workshop.
Speaking of children, no kids are allowed in the hot springs spa (there’s a height requirement, not age). I have taken my kids into the spa, and they’re well-​behaved, so most of the adults don’t mind as long as they’re quiet and don’t splash. Nevertheless, there was once a cranky old man who complained despite my children being extremely well-​behaved, and since «the rules are the rules», we left… but only after I had him removed as well for bringing his dog into the spa area ;)
The campground is closed in the summer months due to excessive heat. I also avoid going in May or September. The campground may be open, but that doesn’t mean the heat is bearable. You’ve been warned…
If you have a chance, take a trip to nearby Julian for lunch. Lots of nice restaurants, plus some of the best apple pies you’ll ever have (that’s what they’re famous for). Be mindful of the local weather: Last time we went it was mid-​60s in Agua Caliente, but in Julian there was 2 feet of snow. We were under-​dressed, to say the least.

A great campground in a beautiful part of the desert. The sites are not enormous or private by any means, but this is car camping so who cares?
The bathrooms are clean and the heated pool is WONDERFUL; so relaxing. Even the little kiddie pool was great-​shallow enough that the water was warm enough for the babies to play in the water-​even in February!
Though there are some goofy rules (no fires after 11pm?), we had no issues (we had a fire after 11pm). Our fellow campers all seemed like regulars, which also says alot.
We heard LOTS of coyotes and even saw one saunter right through our site (late at night). The start gazing is amazing-​absolutely no light pollution (though I wanted to turn off that pesky moon! HAHA).
I highly recommend this campsite for families. If you are looking for a solitary wilderness experience, you shouldn’t be car camping anyway.

Agua Caliente is an awesome camp ground. It’s like going to Joshua tree, but closer! Although they don’t have big rocks and the Joshua trees, lol. Clean, friendly campground. Although they had a problem with smell, thus the 4 stars. I believe they are fixing that now and adding cabins too. Going this weekend will let you know if the smell is gone! :) Otherwise, enjoyed watching the native birds and quails, trails and the hot mineral water very large jacuzzi! Totally awesome for us folks that are getting older! ;) Not too many hills, so it’s great for riding your bike around!

Ok, some of you have written some reviews, that are extremely useful… thanks! We’ve been coming here since 2009, and have made 5 trips, and have reservations for a 6^th. I guess you could say we like it! This is a great camping destination for families; the kids get the pools and climbing and mom gets hot showers and nice newer, clean bathrooms. This is the CLEANEST you will ever be at any CAMP outing. Between the natural spring showers, hot tub, swimming pool and the restroom showers, things stay pretty well maintained.
The sites are somewhat close together, considering they are surrounded by NOTHING but desert, and I’m not undertanding why Dogs can’t walk with you on trails. But these are small digs. The bottom line, is this is a really great family get a way. I love the road trip, hiking through the desert, getting ice cream at the general store, having a few beers while doin’ nothing and seeing an amazing show of stars.
You should make and advanced reservation to ensure a spot, especially if it’s busy or you want a special campsite (April is very busy because kids are out of school). The fall season is great too. Note that the natural hot springs in the out door pools are rather cool in the winter.
There are few campgrounds that beat this for family fun in San Diego county; and I have great PIX & memories to prove it. But if you don’t want to try it, that’s O.K., it will remain one of my secret places. :)

We camped here for the weekend; got a decent spot not far from the pool. The campsite itself was fine, though there were loud kids nearby. The best campsites in the place were «under construction» — apparently they’re building cabins, or something.
If you’re expecting a rustic outdoor hot spring, this isn’t it — it’s more of a warm pool; but it’s still nice after a day of off-​roading.
We watched the evening presentation about Marshall South, which was very entertaining; drove around Canyon Sin Nombre, walked to the petroglyphs. Walked to the nearby store. Very relaxing, good place for a base camp.
I’ve landed at the airport before — takeoff can be a little tense, since the wind from the west has a lot of downdrafts.

Newcomer to camping… ok, well maybe not I’ve done it before but always made it a point to forget the details: p.
So while it’s fresh in my head. Before I went, I read the reviews and a lot of people were complaining about a lot about kids. Well I don’t know what kind of world these people live in but when I go somewhere that’s family oriented… I kind of expect there to be kids… funny how that works right? *that’s sarcasm in case you didn’t catch that*
That being said, yes there are kids (duh) and even though I was warned about the children and I was ready for them we did have «run-​in» with them but I blame it on the location we got. We were next to a little stream and the kids insisted on coming on out little square to «build dams» in the little stream!!! FML… this was semi cute when little kids who didn’t know any better were doing it but then 14-​ish year old starting crossing smack dab in the middle of where we were camping… that was no bueno, ok so after building their «dam» they clogged up the drainage… so a bunch of mosquitoes gathered in addition to the bees that were already surrounding our site.
I will give a plus to the cleanliness. Rangers were constantly driving by (although they never bothered to unclog the stream that was very obviously clogged and spilling onto the little street everyone was walking and driving through). But anyway, bathrooms were properly stocked and I could tell they were serviced often. We got a spot with no hookups since we only had a tent and sleeping bags. There’s a round fire pit and a bench in each spot. Unfortunately the park doesn’t sell firewood. A store down the road (about a quarter mile) will gouge you for about $ 7 for like 4 pieces of wood, so take your own.
The first night was really windy and the second night was beautiful. It was really nice out, even the fire felt a bit excessive due to the beautiful weather. The best part was the view of the stars and the moon at night for me. I waited till the moon would disappear behind the mountains. It was crazy hot when we went. We were serenaded by froggies at night. We went in the pool once but it was so hot that getting into equally hot water was not appealing and unfortunately they’re hours for the pool were only until 5pm.
Anyway, even with my experience with the kids and the bees on our particular spot I had a good time. If there were to be a next time we’d request a different spot (our spot was 134 btw, and if you don’t want the kids all over your spot DON’T get that one).
So yeah… expect heat, kids, wind, maintenance, hot water, and a beautiful sky at night. If you’re a complainer and are expecting to stay to yourself, this isn’t the place for you.
I’m not an outdoorsy person, I hate heat, dirtiness, bugs and people… but I surprisingly enjoyed myself so you might too!!! (All the children looked pretty happy too!!!)

I just came back from camping here and had to give a review. I had camped in Julian the night previous, and was feeling like I wanted to go home when we got here, tired, grumpy and not feeling it. After my boyfriend really wanted to stay I decided hey why not. I am glad we did. I love this campsite! I dont know why there are so many negative reviews!
The ranger lady is super nice, and helpful. When we asked if she knew any good rock hounding sites nearby she let us inside and showed us a map. We had used up most of our wood the night before, so there is a small store about half a mile down the road. They have wood, ice, beer (7.99 for coors, 10.99 for newcastle, corona…), and lots of organic brand snacks! There is also a nice little book section with a decent selection as well as some gemstones and minerals!
The campsite is along a long road the S2 which has several other campsites as well, but none as amazing as this one. There was a decent amount of people camping, but not overcrowded or too noisy. There were a decent mix of older folks, young people and families. The only downside was one screaming child near our campsite but we drowned them out with our music. Our campsite was (I think) the best one. Secluded, surrounded by trees and had a clear view of the sky for stargazing.
There are 3 pools, one outdoor which is not heated. I thought they were all hot springs so I was suprised when the water was ice cold. It would be nice to have the hot springs outside so you can look at the stars! The indoor pool is a donut shape with seats on the outside and the small inner circle in the middle. This is quite crowded. Not exactlty a great spot to share an intimate moment or get away from it all. There is also a small 2.5 foot deep pool for the kids on the upper level.
Overall we had a great experience and I will definately be comming back soon!
p. s. try the short .25 (all uphill) overlook hike for a beautiful view of the desert and the campsite below!

I forgot the website for this park so I googled it and noticed there was a Unilocal listing with reviews. I noticed that there were a fair amount of negative ones and wanted to make sure those reading this that the complainers and whiners are not valid here.
Yes, there are times when we come and there are a few too many kids screaming and running around, but I consider that I was a kid awhile back and loved to do just what they were doing. In fact, going to campgrounds and running around are some of my best childhood memories. So my advice is to either run around with them, bring earplugs or, better yet, get off your lazy butt and go for a hike. You will find the peace and the desert vistas you are craving away from the campground — and you don’t have to go far. Take the Moonlight trail which is flat and easy if you are lazy, but keep going and ready yourself for a great circular hike that brings you back to the campground. And wear sensible shoes or you’ll be whining about having to climb some rocks.
Yes the pools are sterilized and echoey due to the enclosure, but I’m sure the whiners would complain that they were smelly and full of leaves and sticks if they were natural pools. I do miss the old quonset hut they had before the glassed in greenhouse was put in, but alas, it does have a fresh air sunroof.
In the past, dogs were not allowed, but that changed a few years ago, so we come alot more than before. This is the only campground where you come home cleaner than when you left because of the soaking, swimming and showering. I have been to this campground about 50 times since moving to San Diego. I consider it a jewel in the crown of our county and would weep if it were to close due to budget cuts.

We loved our spot at this campground. It was a good hookup with trees between us and the other camper. The location is surrounded by huge rocks and the tent site area has some GREAT rocks for big and small kids to climb, just keep an eye out all the time.
The «hot spring» pool isn’t anything very natural at all. It’s for 13 and older and it’s an enclosed circular pool with a seat in the middle and around the outside rim. It feels great no doubt. Try and go when it’s «quiet» because the echo of people talking is NOT relaxing at all. It would be great perhaps if they offered up a quiet hour. The last thing this tired mom of two under 4 needed was a LOUD experience. That aside it was nice to take turns with my hubby and soak the tired feet for a bit.
Showers, bathrooms, old school playground, fire rings. This is nature, go for a hike and enjoy time with family and friends. Bring the bikes too if you like the campground is bike friendly for big and small.
Note to those with tents at the tent sites, you are in a LOT of wind. I do not recommend arriving at night and trying to put up a big tent. Tall tents are not advised due to the high winds, in my opinion. Several of our friends moved their tents or slept in their cars because the wind didn’t allow them to sleep.
That said, go and have fun and get dirty, the shower when you get home is SO worth it all.

Do your research folks, nobody ever said this was anything but a sometimes busy county park with spring fed concrete pools :)
Oh horror of horrors, a nice enough campground for a night or two of sleep and hot water to soak in when you are running around the desert all hot, sweaty and tired.
Literally and figuratively, relax everyone…

Arrived on a Thursday for a four day stint in late April. Went for the wildflowers. Still abundant but earlier would have been better. Did not go for the mineral springs which were nice after a long hike. Seems there was a misunderstanding from another reviewer about the pools. They are fed from a natural spring into the various pools, the strong sulpher smell should be your first clue. But this is not a place to sit in a «Nature made» hot spring and soak, I have done that before and trust me you need canoes and permits, so not on a path this well beaten. We enjoyed the campground that was pretty empty mid week but by Friday and Saturday it was noisy and packed, the tent sites are close. We did day trips to go explore and saw some great surrounding areas in both Julian and Borrego Springs which looked like Palm Springs might have been 60 years ago before the rainbow bars and Spring breakers. The sulpher smell to the pools and all the running water would be off-​putting to many city dwellers who dont expect that but it is to be expected in a true mineral spring water. Also I guess I didn’t read the fine print but no doggies are allowed ANY where on the trails.
We woud definitely go back, but NOT on a weekend.

We car camped at Agua Caliente Reg. Pk from Sat 3/​20-​Tues 3/​23, 2010. V. picked campground #111 which I thought was a bit far for the bathrooms, but it was still ok.
The site is suppose to have drinking water, but when we went it was all closed because of some bacteria in the water. That was bad for us because we then had to find drinking water to cook with. Garbage can next to the site.
Lots of frogs making noises at night so didn’t sleep all that much.
We didn’t use the indoor spa or 2 outdoor pools. They have showers there that are FREE but the hrs are 9:30am-5pm, Fri & Sat open later. Sometimes they lock it after 5pm, othertimes not. They do have showers that you can pay money 2min for .25c, but V. found out those weren’t working when he wanted to use it so went to the FREE shower instead.
Still, I’ll recommend it if going to Anza Borrego SP or you live in San Diego County.
Website:

I hate to give 2 stars to a park when our federal, state and county parks are all hurting so bad from terrible budget cut-​backs. But I would definitely not recommend you camp here if you loathe:
— Packs of screaming, screeching, happy little monster-​kids
— The sight of rows of huge RVs blocking your view of the desert horizon
— Being surrounded by 3 – 4 other bustling campgrounds
Very little privacy. Too many RVs. We bought a day pass on our first two days of camping so we could soak in the geothermal hot springs and take a decent shower (our much quieter & nicer campground at Vallecito Stage Coach campground is shower-​less) and I am really glad we did not camp here.
Beware this place if you love **the solitude** of the desert!

My family used to go here to camp in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I returned with my gf a few weekends ago, and it was a blast.
We hiked the Moonlight trail, the Marsh trail, and the Desert Overlook trail, much fun. Also soaked in the hot baths. We built a nice fire and made smores, mmmmm. Good times.
One cool thing was the grills attached to the fire rings. You should bring some wood and something to clean the grill with, and of course some meat to grill. I grilled some hot dogs that I brought, but if I would’ve known about the grills I would’ve brought a steak or two.
Our campsite was near the stream and we heard tons of frogs at night. When I was a kid there were raccoons, but we did not see any. I did hear some coyotes barking at sunrise and that was pretty cool. Can’t wait to go back. We stayed at site # 25.