TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

03-17-2007, 03:41 PM

"Mapquest mileage from Santee Lakes indicates 16.95 miles to the zoo and 19.26 miles to Sea World. IMHO, sounds like a decent camping option."
(I'm too lazy to figure out how to cut out a quote right now)

I didn't realize Santee's that geographically close to downtown. It's one of the most easterly suburbs of San Diego so maybe my perception makes it seem farther than it really is. My parents lived in Santee for years and I live about 8 miles from the ocean. Actual driving time from my house to theirs was about a 30 minutes in light traffic. Getting from my house to the beach is another 15 minutes on back roads. Now, I'm not knocking Santee Lakes for camping but just bear in mind that it hasn't always looked or smelled as nice as it does now. When I was a kid nobody was allowed to play there because it was so nasty. Of course we did anyway and didn't grow two heads but...'nuff said.

I think Bill mentioned he was interested in beach camping. There are suprisingly few camp sites available in SD but, if you can get a reservation, the big advantage is you will be able to enjoy access to the water and, more importantly, will have a parking space at the beach for your truck.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR SD BEACH DAY USE:
If you decide to camp away from the water with the idea of just day camping at the beach, you'll want to find out in advance where you can legally park and open your trailer near the sand. Good places to day camp on the Bay are: Vacation Village, Mission Bay, Fiesta Island, Mariner's Point, Crown Point. You may want to ask around about the safer places to swim in the bay. People do waterski and windsurf but I also know people have gotten sick. If you don't plan to get in the water at all there are places on San Diego Bay too. Try Shelter Island. If you want to be by the open ocean where it's safe and legal to swim, the best non-reservation place to try is Torrey Pines. There's a State Beach RV parking lot there for day use. There's also a long strip of spaces for *free* right on the water. Of course, they're full early. South Mission Jetty is bay on one side and ocean on the other. There's also a great off-leash dog beach called, strangely enough, Dog Beach, in Ocean Beach. There's a big parking lot where you are allowed to open your trailer. If you get there before 8:00am on an April weekend you'd be okay as long as it's not during spring break. Caveat: Ocean Beach is very laid back and cool but it's also famous for it's "colorful" characters and "unique" businesses. It may not be for everyone.

If you've never been to San Diego you really shouldn't miss a visit to La Jolla. You will find the most beautiful beaches I've seen in California there. Parking is a total nightmare and forget about bringing your trailer but it's worth at least a half day visit. Early in the morning you won't have trouble finding a parking spot near The Cove. Sadly, I think their all time limited now and are about to become metered.

Hope this helps out all the folks looking to visit San Diego this summer.

03-17-2007, 03:41 PM	#8
IBON4IT Guest Posts: n/a	"Mapquest mileage from Santee Lakes indicates 16.95 miles to the zoo and 19.26 miles to Sea World. IMHO, sounds like a decent camping option." (I'm too lazy to figure out how to cut out a quote right now) I didn't realize Santee's that geographically close to downtown. It's one of the most easterly suburbs of San Diego so maybe my perception makes it seem farther than it really is. My parents lived in Santee for years and I live about 8 miles from the ocean. Actual driving time from my house to theirs was about a 30 minutes in light traffic. Getting from my house to the beach is another 15 minutes on back roads. Now, I'm not knocking Santee Lakes for camping but just bear in mind that it hasn't always looked or smelled as nice as it does now. When I was a kid nobody was allowed to play there because it was so nasty. Of course we did anyway and didn't grow two heads but...'nuff said. I think Bill mentioned he was interested in beach camping. There are suprisingly few camp sites available in SD but, if you can get a reservation, the big advantage is you will be able to enjoy access to the water and, more importantly, will have a parking space at the beach for your truck. HELPFUL HINTS FOR SD BEACH DAY USE: If you decide to camp away from the water with the idea of just day camping at the beach, you'll want to find out in advance where you can legally park and open your trailer near the sand. Good places to day camp on the Bay are: Vacation Village, Mission Bay, Fiesta Island, Mariner's Point, Crown Point. You may want to ask around about the safer places to swim in the bay. People do waterski and windsurf but I also know people have gotten sick. If you don't plan to get in the water at all there are places on San Diego Bay too. Try Shelter Island. If you want to be by the open ocean where it's safe and legal to swim, the best non-reservation place to try is Torrey Pines. There's a State Beach RV parking lot there for day use. There's also a long strip of spaces for free right on the water. Of course, they're full early. South Mission Jetty is bay on one side and ocean on the other. There's also a great off-leash dog beach called, strangely enough, Dog Beach, in Ocean Beach. There's a big parking lot where you are allowed to open your trailer. If you get there before 8:00am on an April weekend you'd be okay as long as it's not during spring break. Caveat: Ocean Beach is very laid back and cool but it's also famous for it's "colorful" characters and "unique" businesses. It may not be for everyone. If you've never been to San Diego you really shouldn't miss a visit to La Jolla. You will find the most beautiful beaches I've seen in California there. Parking is a total nightmare and forget about bringing your trailer but it's worth at least a half day visit. Early in the morning you won't have trouble finding a parking spot near The Cove. Sadly, I think their all time limited now and are about to become metered. Hope this helps out all the folks looking to visit San Diego this summer.